tips and tricks for awesome learning design
Improving the experience for new students
Starting a new course at university can be both exciting and terrifying for students. But however students feel, they are unlikely to be able to focus on their studies until they feel accepted as...
Penelope Bellegarde: data, strategy and learning design
In this episode, my guest is Penelope Bellegarde, founder of The Data Touch consultancy and Data Coaching for Leaders. Penelope’s mission is to bring data into the boardroom using simple, clear...
Designing metacognition into learning experiences
Metacognition (at its simplest, thinking about thinking) is gaining some ground in primary and secondary outposts; in higher education and the workplace, you may draw a blank. However, say...
Ellie Soccorsy: Onboarding and learning design
In this episode, my guest is Ellie Soccorsy, who is a Learning and Development Adviser at Edyn, a hotel, travel and hospitality business. Ellie develops and facilitates learning experiences for...
Amy Whitehead: Recruiting learning designers
In this episode of the Ding-O-Meter, our guest is Amy Whitehead - Director of Red Stag Recruitment. Amy is a learning design recruitment specialist, which means she helps businesses find quality...
Heather McClean: Inclusive learning design strategies
In this episode of the Ding-O-Meter, we're joined by Heather Maclean. Heather is an Education and Recognition adviser at Queen Mary university, London, an all round teaching and learning...
Reducing cognitive load
Have you ever tried to remember a shopping list? Then you will have experienced cognitive load. If you can remember three or four items, that's not bad. Maybe you can remember eight or nine if...
9 common worries about using community in learning design
Designing, building and sustaining a learning community is a big task, and there are several common worries. But successfully harnessing the dynamics of community can bring huge benefits in a...
8 reasons to use community in learning design
In this post, I'm going to start by looking at some of the key concepts and research that underpin effective learning communities. Then, I’ll share eight reasons why creating a community around a...
Producing attentiveness and accountability in learning design
Attentiveness and accountability are two powerful levers that learning designers can use to drive engagement. Let's take a look at how we can use digital technologies to create these important...
Minimising barriers to learning with technology
It's an obvious statement, but technology can both help and hinder learning. And if we're not careful, it can create more barriers to learning than it reduces. In this article, we're going to look...
Facilitating imagination in learning design
If we can create an experience that enables learners to use their Imagination, they are more likely to achieve the learning outcomes. So when we're designing a learning experience, it's very...
Focus on what learners do
If we focus on what learners do, we're more likely to design effective learning experiences. In 1999, Professor John Biggs published an article that had a significant impact on people’s views about...
3 tips for working with SMEs
Working with SMEs is an integral part of being a learning designer. As Learning Designers, our role is not to be the content expert. It’s to ensure the overall learning experience is engaging,...
Supporting learners with dyspraxia
We are trying harder than you can imagine,’ says dyspraxic teacher Kerry Pace (2015). She suggests that we – non-dyspraxics – might think about how we feel when we’re exhausted: the things we...
The role of personas in learning design
What are learner personas? Learner personas provide a practical way for us learning designers to focus our empathy. But why do we need to do this? The reason is to help us determine the difficulty...
Anticipating dyslexia benefits all learners
The UK government spends a great deal on supporting dyslexic students in HE – and they almost certainly get value back on that money in the workplace. At the same time, many dyslexic students go...
ChatGPT: embracing a brave new world
Some two months after the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, a LinkedIn tech editor asked how I felt about students writing essays with it. Swiftly I replied: ‘There's a whole industry out there writing...
