What is instructional design?

Is the description 'instructional design/instructional designer' a little dated? The term has been used over many years, and is well-established in the education and training world, and yet it is a left over from the days of instructor/trainee relationships where the instructor was the expert and the trainee was the sponge. In the modern world of communication and lifelong learning, should we not be talking about learning, developing, collaborating, facilitating etc?

Should we be using another term such as 'Learning design,' and the person who designs, a 'learning technologist' or 'knowledge architect' or even an 'ideas synthesizer'? The label is important as it says what is behind the 'product'. As teachers we should be looking to create an environment in which ideas, thinking, expression, communication and self-development takes place. Our focus should be less on the content, more on the means of learning....which brings us back to the discussion - what is instructional design?

I like the idea that ID is an art (intuitive), a science (analytical, applying andragogical theory) and a process (it evolves and develops, it takes us from one place to another). It is all about creating or designing a learning environment in which the learner is the focus rather than the teacher and where the learning takes place in spontaneous rather than structured ways. I guess this is partly talking about 'constructivism' - where each learner individually (and socially) constructs meaning - as he or she learns.