Reduced higher education funding and other austerity measures imposed by governments and institutions have resulted in cascading cuts in resources for programme design, delivery and revision. The instructional design function is often the first casualty of these cuts in many universities. This paper considers the roles and functions of instructional design, illuminates the differences in instructional design functions in on-site learning and in distance learning, and examines the broadening of skills and responsibilities encompassed in instructional design, especially in dual-mode institutions. Two case studies, illustrating different levels of instructional design in course development for distance learning in a dual-mode institution, lead to reflections on the value of instructional design in the current and future higher education landscape. (Contains 1 note.)