What to include in your instructional design portfolio: 10 great examples to draw inspiration from (2025)
One question I am always asked is, how do you build an instructional design/eLearning portfolio?
All the great makings start with great learning. Below are several instructional design portfolio examples I personally like and always draw inspiration from.
Early career:
Please note that by the time you read this article, these individuals may have advanced further in their careers. The instructional design portfolio examples below reflect a snapshot of their work at the time 🙂
Sean Anderson
https://www.seanandersonlxd.com/featured-project-1
Sean is a learning experience designer at Power School. His educational background is in counseling and human systems.

Why I like it:
His portfolio shows what is essential to include when transferring from a different background to land an instructional design job.
Lisa Lei
https://lisalei.weebly.com/my-projects.html
Lisa is an instructional designer at Vanderbilt University, and her portfolio serves as an excellent example of the work produced by a recent graduate.

Why I like it:
In the place of the writeup, Lisa uses the drop-down tab to organize, making it easy to read.
Experts:
Cath Ellis
https://www.cathellis.com/portfolio
Cath Ellis is an award-winning freelance eLearning designer and developer from Melbourne, Australia.

Why I like it:
- A variety of multimedia-rich eLearning courseware
- Clear process writeup
Connie Malamed
https://theelearningcoach.com/
Connie Malamed is the founder of a learning community, publisher of The eLearning Coach website and podcast, learning design consultant, author, and international speaker.

Why I like it:
It is not your ‘usual’ instructional design portfolio aimed at getting more interviews for work. Connie writes extensively about learning science, instructional design, and eLearning development through her 20+ years of experience.
Deanna Alexander
Deanna is an instructional designer at Tesla. She also has a background in visual design. Her featured project https://pixeltoast.io/projects/secrets-of-tarot is a great example of what could be done with Articulate Storyline.

Why I like it:
- Deanna has a beautifully-designed website with clear writeups of the problem, solution, and results
- Great visual design & multimedia development skills
Emma Berry
https://emma-b-instructional-design.squarespace.com
Emma is a freelance instructional designer/eLearning developer with a background in visual design. In her portfolio, besides showcasing her work, she also includes her blog and YouTube tutorials.

Why I like it:
- Emma’s portfolio shows what a modern-looking freelance eLearning/instructional design portfolio looks like if that’s the route you are going for.
- Emma creates some of the most engaging Rise courseware on the market by customizing the blocks.
Diane Lê Strain


Why I like it:
Diane’s instructional design portfolio is one of the very few that focuses strictly on customer education (product-based companies). I think it’s a great example for instructional design consultants who want to establish a niche.
Also, she articulates her process in writing a product training storyboard, which is very worth learning from (as it slightly differs from using a video as a media for employee/L&D training).
Amanda Nguyen
https://www.amandalxd.com/portfolio
Amanda is a learning experience designer based in Sydney, Australia. She started her career in human resources and discovered a world called Learning and Organizational Development.

Why I like it:
- Amanda’s instructional design portfolio shows consistent branding throughout (cookie donut theme). This is a good memory point for personal branding
- I like her clear writeup showing solution + result + a screenshot of what it looks like
- Learning from her how to rebrand a client project for a portfolio showcase
Lusha Sha
https://sites.google.com/view/lusha/portfolio?authuser=0

Why I like it:
- Lusha’s portfolio showcases a wide range of modalities as a learning professional (e.g., Rise, Storyline, video, flyer)
- No fancy website builder, just Google Sites, amazing things could still be built 🙂
Jayashree Ravi
https://learncraftstudios.co.in/Portfolio
Jaya is a freelance instructional designer with 10 yrs+ experience. Her portfolio showcases a variety of Storyline projects.
