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Sharing our latest insights, views and opinions on designing for learning
Instructional designers can find the best balance between synchronous and asynchronous activities

When to Select Between Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning?

Matt
January 20, 2025

Choosing between synchronous and asynchronous learning is a critical decision in instructional design. Each mode offers distinct advantages, and selecting the right one depends on factors such as learner needs, content type, and course objectives. This post explores when to use each approach, helping you design effective and engaging learning experiences.

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Great learning design leads the learner towards the intended learning outcome

Design with Purpose: What is the Difference Between Learning Outcomes and Objectives?

Matt
January 7, 2025

Learning outcomes and objectives are essential elements of instructional design, but they’re often confused. This post unpacks the differences, helping you understand their unique roles in creating impactful courses. By distinguishing these concepts, you’ll improve course alignment and enhance learner success.

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A depiction of someone using their soft skills

7 Key Soft Skills that Will Enhance Employee Performance

Matt
December 30, 2024

Enhancing employee performance hinges not just on technical proficiency but also on the cultivation of essential soft skills. These seven key soft skills - communication, teamwork, problem-solving, adaptability, time management, work ethic, and emotional intelligence - are the cornerstones of a thriving and dynamic workplace.

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Using the Three Domains of Bloom's Taxonomy to Discover and Validate Active Learning Strategies

Matt
December 18, 2024

Incorporating Bloom's Taxonomy into your active learning design enhances the learning experience by providing a structured framework to plan, categorise, and validate activities. By aligning activities with the three domains of Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor, and focusing on key Bloom’s learning verbs, instructional designers can create engaging, dynamic, and effective learning experiences that target a variety of skills and outcomes.

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Co-design with learners to foster a greater sense of relevance and inclusion

Co-design with Learners to Create Learner-Centred Experiences

Matt
December 9, 2024

Co-designing learning experiences with learners is an innovative approach to creating more impactful and tailored educational content. By involving learners in the design process, instructional designers can ensure that learning experiences are engaging, relevant, and effective. This blog post explores the benefits, risks, and practical steps to begin co-designing with learners.

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Teams collaborating to create their SMART goals for professional development plans (PDPs)

Developing a Professional Development Plan for Instructional Design Teams

Matt
December 2, 2024

Creating a Professional Development Plan (PDP) for Instructional Design teams is essential for fostering continuous improvement, innovation, and staying updated with educational technologies. This blog post walks you through the steps to develop an effective PDP, understand its benefits, and recognise potential risks, all aimed at empowering new instructional designers and team leads.

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Inclusive learning increases engagement for all learners

Building Inclusive Design Practices: Addressing Diverse Learner Needs

Matt
November 22, 2024

It is essential to develop instructional design practices that address the needs of all learners. Inclusive design ensures that educational materials are accessible, engaging, and effective for individuals from varied backgrounds and with different abilities. This blog post will explore core strategies for building inclusive design practices to support diverse learner needs.

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Being mindful of cognitive load as an instructional design can help ensure a more efficient, and effective experience for your learners.

Strategies for Managing and Reducing Cognitive Load in Course Design

Matt
November 11, 2024

Effectively managing cognitive load is crucial for creating engaging and impactful courses. By understanding different strategies to reduce cognitive load, instructional designers can facilitate better learning experiences for learners. This blog post explores various methods, from chunking information to utilising multimedia, that can significantly enhance learner comprehension and retention.

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Creative risk taking helps discover new ideas in close proximity to existing ways of working

Fostering Innovation: Encouraging Creative Risk-Taking in Design

Matt
November 7, 2024

Fostering innovation and encouraging creative risk-taking in design are essential components for developing breakthrough solutions. In this blog post, we explore methods to cultivate a risk-taking culture, balance creativity with practicality, and implement strategies that drive innovation in instructional design.

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