Hero's Journey

HERO'S JOURNEY The origin story of Manisha Sharma - Instructional Designer

Every legend has a starting point. It’s that moment when an ordinary person steps out of the crowd, looks at the situation, and decides to take action.

In Learning and Development, we don’t have radioactive spiders or cosmic rays. Our transformation is much grittier. It’s powered by lukewarm coffee, late-night study sessions, and a stubborn refusal to let another dull "click-next" module ruin a learner's day.

Welcome to the first part of our Hero’s Journey series, where we highlight the real people doing the hard work in L&D. We’re exploring the challenges they’ve faced, the corporate obstacles they’ve overcome, and the unique skills they’ve developed to keep the fire burning in tough times.

This month, as our hero, Dee and her girlfriends battle against the evil Gencifier, we’re looking at the origin story of another powerful woman in learning, Manisha Sharma, a Digital Learning Designer at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Her story is a remarkable transformation from simply sharing content, through to becoming an LDN apprentice, and on to achieving real technical and theoretical mastery.

The Call to Duty  

Manisha's origin begins in the fires of the ultimate testing ground - the NHS. It’s a massive, complex system where poor training isn’t just boring - it can disrupt critical operations. This high-pressure environment attracts many "Paperwork Demons" that thrive on red tape and drain the life out of meaningful training.

In March 2024, Manisha decided she was done with being a bystander. She enrolled in the Level 5 Digital Learning Designer (DLD) apprenticeship from LDN. Regulated by iFATE, this program is a tough 18-month challenge. To complete it, you must master forty different Knowledge, Skills, and Behaviours (KSBs) - sort of like becoming a learning Jedi.

Every good origin story needs a training phase, and this was Manisha’s. She immersed herself in the science of how the human brain processes information while balancing life as a mother of two. A classic comic book "dual identity" struggle!

In the beginning, her main tool was the simple storyboard. She worked to take chaotic, 400-page data dumps from Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and turn them into something that didn’t look like an outdated instruction manual.

"Hello, my name is Manisha Sharma. I’m a 36-year-old mother of two daughters, ages eight and three. Enrolling with LDN Apprenticeships for the Level 5 DLD was one of the best choices I made in 2024. The best part? I could apply the theory directly to my daily work, testing it on live projects."

The Transformation  

By 2025, Manisha’s skill set had evolved completely. In the past, a learning designer often just knew how to make PowerPoint slides less dull. To defeat the demons of boredom and information overload, you need a serious toolkit.

She moved away from basic presentations and started mastering heavy hitters such as Articulate Storyline, Rise, Canva, Vyond, and ThingLink. Each tool became a new instrument in her toolkit, allowing her to create engaging, goal-oriented content that really resonated.

But tools and visuals are ineffective without a thoughtful approach, so Manisha learned Gagné’s nine events of instructional design and Mayer’s principles of multimedia learning.

“This is the foundation for creating effective learning. Mayer’s principles guided me on preventing learners from getting overwhelmed by too much visual clutter. It’s about clearing the distractions so that the message truly reaches the audience.”

The Dual Life  

Manisha balanced high-pressure hospital projects while keeping her home life on track. Doing this without losing your mind requires a level of adaptability that most people don’t have. It pushes you to rely on reflective practice, constantly examining your work and asking: "Why did I create that? Did it actually work? Or was I just being silly?"

That reflection is what strengthens a true designer. It keeps you from slipping back into lazy habits or placing a flashing button somewhere just because you found a "cool" feature in the software.

The Final Boss  

Every origin story culminates in a defining moment, a time you have to show you’ve learned the lessons. In the Level 5 DLD, that challenge is the End-Point Assessment (EPA).

To succeed, Manisha needed to submit an eight-piece evidence portfolio demonstrating her complete competence in all forty KSBs. She had to show she could manage a project, collaborate with SMEs, apply solid learning theory, and use advanced software - all while staying sane!

Manisha excelled at the end of 2025, finishing with top grades and moving from an e-learning beginner to a fully qualified Digital Learning Designer.

"I started this journey with minimal knowledge of e-learning, initially turning PowerPoint presentations into basic 'click and view' or 'drag and drop' activities. Now, I’m a qualified Digital Learning Designer.

One of the biggest shifts for me was reflective practice. After each module, I started questioning my own choices - asking how this helped the learner and catered to different styles. That habit made sure every single word on the screen served a purpose."

The Mission Continues  

Graduation is just the starting point. Manisha is now leading high-level design discussions and making tough decisions that others avoid. No longer just an order taker or software operative, she’s shaping the entire user experience.

What’s next on her agenda?

“A focus on scenario-based learning, giving learners the chance to "fail safely." Instead of just telling a nurse how to manage a chaotic situation, you immerse them in a branching narrative where their choices have real, visible results. That’s how to build real skills.”

Manisha’s journey is a great guide for anyone looking to enter instructional design. It shows you don’t need to be a natural tech genius. You just need a solid base of evidence-based theory, a willingness to work with the tools, and the resilience to keep going.

To discover more about LDN Apprenticeships, visit https://www.ldnapprenticeships.com/

What’s your origin story? Are you still in the civilian stage, or are you currently running your own challenge? Gert in touch and we could feature you in the next Hero's Journey!