Thoughts on Learning Design

Behaviour change is often treated as the clearest indicator of learning impact. Behaviour change is often treated as the clearest indicator of learning impact. Early behaviour change may reflect novelty, compliance, or temporary support rather than durable learning, yet this distinction is frequently overlooked, particularly when observed under conditions that do not persist in practice. Enduring…

Pre‑ and post‑training assessments are often treated as simple before‑and‑after checks. Used uncritically, they offer limited insight. Designed carefully, they can support meaningful interpretation of change.  These assessments are not neutral benchmarks. They are designed moments of evidence, shaped by timing, format and assumptions about what learning looks like.  Baseline assessments are…

Every year brings a new set of learning design trends. Some disappear within months. Some become embedded in everyday practice. Others remain trapped in conference presentations, pilot projects, and vendor demonstrations long after the initial excitement fades. A trend is ultimately a claim about the future. It suggests that a particular way of designing, delivering, supporting, or evaluating…

Discussions of learning impact often position quantitative and qualitative data as opposing choices. In practice, the distinction is less about preference and more about inference.  Different forms of evidence answer different questions. Understanding learning outcomes depends on recognising what each method can and cannot reasonably tell us, and how assessment design constrains…

Much of what passes for “evidence” in learning evaluation persists not because it is strong, but because it is administratively convenient. In many organisations, evidence is selected not to inform design decisions but to satisfy assurance, compliance, or audit requirements; purposes that quietly shape what counts as “acceptable” data. These choices are not neutral; they introduce constraints…

Measuring learning impact is often treated as a reporting task, something done after a programme finishes to demonstrate value. In practice, it is a design problem long before it becomes an evaluation one. What can plausibly be claimed about impact depends on what was designed into the learning from the start: the questions asked, the evidence gathered, and the assumptions made about what counts…

Accessibility is often framed as a moral aspiration, a legal requirement, or a technical checklist. All of these framings are incomplete. Treated this way, accessibility becomes something that can be discussed, deferred, or diluted without consequence. Learning designs continue to be judged as effective on the basis of engagement signals, assessment outcomes, or completion data that have not…