Design learning experiences with the clear intention to showcase how individual contributions result in delivering exceptional client experiences. As it relates to business, using the terminology “learning design” may result in more confusion than clarity around what we are ultimately attempting to do. The knowledge sharing we are facilitating across organizations is really only significant […]
Author: debra
Learning Design Guiding Principles: Part 4
Produce a MVP of proposed learning asset(s) at each phase of a learning project. An MVP, or Minimum Viable Product, in the context of design thinking, refers to the most basic interpretation of a concept, a prototype that includes one or more of the basic features you ultimately want the target audience to experience. The […]
Learning Design Guiding Principles: Part 3
Make it a habit to complete a time audit to track what you are doing at each phase in a learning project. In business, we frequently underestimate the challenge of documenting step-by-step tasks that make up a process workflow. As learning designers, if we are not very careful, we will fall into the same trap. […]
Learning Design Guiding Principles: Part 2
Approach learning design as a long-term strategy deeply rooted in an experimental mindset. Throughout all phases of designing learning experiences, carefully document what you are doing and why. How a learning experience design strategy is developed and executed should align closely to the basic scientific method most of us were first introduced to in middle […]
Learning Design Guiding Principles: Part 1
Speak the language of the people you want to influence. Communicate the What’s In IT For Me (WIIFM) in words and phrases that resonate with people in different organizational roles, with different responsibilities and different perspectives related to the source of a common problem and proposed problem solving strategies. Talk to people in your target […]
Manage conflict constructively: Listen to learn
On the surface, it may appear counterintuitive to cultivate a work environment in which people are encouraged to respectfully voice conflicting points of view. Although research supports the value added by leveraging diverse points of view to fuel innovative problem solving, in practice this can lead to revealing conflicts of interests. Whether we call it […]
Be careful what you click on
The beauty of social media has always been that it amplifies formerly unheard voices, using words in a way you may never have heard before. The danger of social media is that with every click, the voices become less & less diverse, in the name of artificial intelligence or machine learning providing us a service. […]
Life as an intrapreneur
I literally grew up crawling around the floor of a family business, looking up to my mom, my grandmother, and a lot of friends – aka customers. The experience deeply ingrained an entrepreneurial spirit within me. Today, I think of myself as an intrapreneur. In the Chief Learning Officer article, Does your company value intrapreneurship, […]
Take control of your learning
Advice to my younger self… In college, I came across more than a few ‘weed out courses.’ One in particular was a Calculus course that I struggled to get through – twice. The struggle was real and it did a lot to weaken my self-confidence. When I encountered the next ‘weed out course’, I just […]
Why choose a career as an instructional designer
Design is a way of life… All day, every day, we either purposefully design our environments, or unconsciously fall into someone else’s design. We put on our favorite outfits to feel strong, capable, and in control or choose something very different to show a softer side that is open to being cared for. We read […]