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Sharing our latest insights, views and opinions on designing for learning

Latest posts

Co-design with learners to foster a greater sense of relevance and inclusion
Matt
December 9, 2024
Co-design with Learners to Create Learner-Centred Experiences

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.

Teams collaborating to create their SMART goals for professional development plans (PDPs)
Matt
December 2, 2024
Developing a Professional Development Plan for Instructional Design Teams

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.

Inclusive learning increases engagement for all learners
Matt
November 22, 2024
Building Inclusive Design Practices: Addressing Diverse Learner Needs

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.

Being mindful of cognitive load as an instructional design can help ensure a more efficient, and effective experience for your learners.
Matt
November 11, 2024
Strategies for Managing and Reducing Cognitive Load in Course Design

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.

Creative risk taking helps discover new ideas in close proximity to existing ways of working
Matt
November 7, 2024
Fostering Innovation: Encouraging Creative Risk-Taking in Design

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.

Visualisinglearning can surface data-driven insights to make more informed design decisions
Matt
October 28, 2024
Leveraging Data and Analytics to Inform Learning Design Decisions

Leveraging data and analytics is essential for instructional designers aiming to enhance the effectiveness of their courses. By integrating data-driven insights, designers can make informed decisions that improve learner outcomes, engagement, and satisfaction. This blog post explores how to incorporate data and analytics into your design process to maximise the impact of your instructional materials.

A depiction of learning objectives as a connected thread between different activities
Matt
October 24, 2024
Developing High-Impact Learning Objectives: A Team Approach

Creating high-impact learning objectives is essential for effective instructional design. By adopting a team approach, you can harness diverse perspectives and expertise, ensuring your objectives are comprehensive and focused on learning outcomes. This blog post will guide you through the process, highlight the benefits and risks, and provide actionable steps to implement today

A group of people engaged in a Design Thinking exercise
Admin
October 18, 2024
Developing a Design Thinking Mindset for Creative Problem-Solving in Instructional Design

Design Thinking is a powerful approach that fosters creative problem-solving by emphasising human-centric design and iterative processes. This mindset is indispensable for new entrants in instructional design, enabling them to create more engaging, effective learning experiences. Here, we outline the steps to cultivate a Design Thinking mindset, its benefits, potential risks, and a simple exercise to get started.

Agile methods depicted as a looping, spiral, to show the overlaps between stages and the non-linear nature.
Matt
October 11, 2024
Implementing Agile Methodologies in Instructional Design Projects

Dive into the transformative world of Agile methodologies and learn how to implement these nimble practices into your instructional design projects for greater efficiency, collaboration, and content quality. Discover how to navigate the challenges and reap the benefits of an Agile framework in your learning design endeavours.

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