How I built my own 6-week design course

What's funny about being a instructional designer is that, despite knowing what would make a better learning experience, I sometimes still default to what's "tried and true," even if it's actually not. It's a force of habit, and one that's hard to break. For example, when designing a new course, my first tendency is to begin with some type of introduction, sharing the learning goals, and providing key information upfront. Is this bad? No. Is it engaging? (Most of the time) No. I do recognize that many workplaces have established standards and templates to follow, and also, that not every course will be exciting or highly engaging. Sometimes you have to work within those constraints, and that’s completely valid. But, something I've been challenging myself to do is to more immediately cultivate a sense of immersion and get the learner to the "active learning" state more quickly. This is tricky because it requires sharing enough information to allow the learner to act, without overhwelming with too much information that it causes them to lose disinterest. Here are some of the things I've tried so far: ➡️ Starting with a micro-story (I discussed this in a past post). The goal with this is to immediatley demonstrate relevance, generate interest, and pique curiousity. ➡️ Asking a low-stakes question that they may or may not know the answer to. The goal with this is 1) if they get it wrong, maybe now they're more interested in knowing the answer and moving forward in the learning experience 2) if they get it right, they may feel a sense of accomplishment, and that's a fun way to start, right? ➡️ Using a mini-asssement or quiz. Think Buzzfeed style quiz (except relevant to the topic) to get the learner to associate themself with an archetype that will be included in the course, and generate buy-in. These are just some of the things I've tried so far. I'd love more ideas and suggestions for what's worked for beginning courses in an engaging way. Btw, here's a snapshot of a quiz I built using the custom-code block in Rise, as an example. 😊 #InstructionalDesign #InstructionalDesigner #LearningExperienceDesigner #LearningandDevelopment

"Backward Design” The model you’ve probably been using without realizing it 😀. Recently, I have been exploring curriculum and content development, and I stumbled on something called Backward Design. At first, It sounded brand-new and complex. But guess what? This is exactly how we teachers plan our best lessons. So, what exactly is Backward Design? 🤔 It’s a planning model that begins with the end in mind. Here’s how it works 👇 🪜Identify desired outcome Start with the end in mind, that is, what you want your learners to achieve.(Hence the term "Backward"). 🪜Determine acceptable evidence Decide how you’ll measure it. Design appropriate assessment types. 🪜Plan the learning experience and instructional activities. Go ahead and plan the activities to help them get there. That's it oooo. Simple right? 🤗 All of these should help move the learners progressively towards self directed learning and achievement of the learning objectives. In summary, it helps you answer: ✅ What should learners be able to do by the end of your lesson, course or module? ✅ How will I know they’ve achieved it? ✅ What learning experiences will get them there? In the end, I have realized that Backward Design keeps you focused on outcomes, not just content. It makes learning intentional, engaging, and meaningful. If you’re a teacher, curriculum designer, or content developer, have you used Backward Design consciously before? Share your experience 👇 I’d love to hear how it’s worked for you! #curriculumdevelopment #contentdevelopment #teaching #Education

Check out the latest from the LEDstudio blog: Structuring Peer-to-Peer Learning for Authentic Engagement by Instructional Design Lead Rebecca Stooks. Discover how peer-to-peer learning builds authentic engagement through collaboration, accountability, and diverse perspectives, with strategies like projects, peer review, and co-teaching to get you started. https://lnkd.in/g22-igzT

🧠 How to Use Mind Mapping in Course Design Before you jump into content creation, map it out! A mind map helps you: ✅ Visualize course structure ✅ Identify learning gaps ✅ Build logical learning flow It’s one of the simplest tools to bring clarity and creativity to instructional design. Try mind mapping for your next course — your design process will thank you! #eLearning #InstructionalDesign #LearningDesign #CourseCreation #EdTech

The formula to a great training experience can be as complex as baking a cake - from scratch! 🎂 Let me walk you through the ADDIE model, a popular instructional design framework that sets learning and development teams, stakeholders, and participants up for success. ✅ 📝A- Analyze: The first step is to analyze- analyze the current situation. 🕵🏾 What gaps exists? What skills do professionals need to know? What complex tasks need to be broken down? Imagine knowing you want to bake a cake but are unsure of what kind of cake and what ingredients need to be used. During this phase, the focus is to find the the ingredients for the perfect recipe. 🧈D-Design: During the design phase we are measuring out all the ingredients to see exactly how much of everything is needed. Should the training be a micro learning? A multi-day in person course? An asynchronous WBT? The learning paths are mapped out along with an outline of course information. At this stage, we are creating the recipe based off of all the ingredients that were gathered. 🥣D-Develop: Development is where the combination of ingredients begin to happen. Videos, PowerPoints, assessments, and any additional learning activities are being built. At this point the vision begins to come alive! It starts smelling like a cake is about to bake in the kitchen. 👩🏿🍳 👨🏽🍳I-Implement: Step 4 is implementation where the pilot training is in effect. Any final bugs or adjustments for quick edits take place. This is where the cake enters the oven and we have to hope it bakes to perfection. 🤞🏾 🔬E-Evaluate: Evaluation is the final step of the ADDIE model and one that is crucial. It’s where the feedback of the training is gathered. Did participants performance improve over time? Were they able to apply the skills to their day-to-day duties? Does the cake taste good? Were the icing and sprinkles too much or too little? 🍰 🔄At the end of the evaluation stage, the team must analyze the data which then puts them back into the cycle of ADDIE. 🧁 ✨Graphic created by me #blessed #teachertoID #instructionaldesigner #ADDIEframework #learning #learninganddevelopment

🎬 New Series: Behind the Design A couple of months ago, I shared my instructional design portfolio — a collection of projects that reflect my journey from online teaching to digital learning design. Starting this week, I’ll be highlighting some of those projects one by one — sharing the design goals, tools, and lessons learned along the way. From interactive H5P quizzes on the e-me platform to inclusive e-learning materials created in Canva, each project tells a small story about how I approach learning design: practical, creative, and learner-centered. The first post in the series is coming soon! 👀 #InstructionalDesign #LearningDesign #eLearning #DigitalEducation #InclusiveDesign #EdTech

🧠 Make It Count Monday – The Power of Short Learning Everyone says attention spans are shrinking… but what if the truth is simpler? People aren’t losing focus; they’re losing patience for things that don’t help them. As instructional designers, our job isn’t to fill time; it’s to make every second count. A well-placed 2-minute microlearning can do more than a 30-minute course packed with slides and filler. The goal? Design for impact, not duration. When a learner walks away thinking, “That was short, but I actually learned something,” — that’s the sweet spot. 💭 What’s the shortest learning experience you’ve ever built that made a real difference? #InstructionalDesign #LearningExperienceDesign #Microlearning

“Formative assessment gives us the ability to adapt our teaching live in the moment.” Students love nod along and express that they are understanding what you're teaching, but do they really get it? We love this quick formative assessment routine in Canva that embeds hinge questions into your lessons live using polls and quizzes, now known as "Forms". Student responses can export directly into the slide presentation for quick review and into Canva Sheets for data tracking. Well timed formative assessments can surface student thinking. Quick retrieval nudges memory, fast feedback guides next steps, and everyone sees progress without piling on prep. A few ways to try it this week: Pick 3–5 key terms in your current unit, generate a quiz, and run it live or assign asynchronously. Use the Responses panel to spot patterns and adjust your next mini-lesson. Start small (3 terms), then scale up as fluency grows. Why it aligns with good practice: Reinforces retrieval (better retention and transfer). Provides mastery-oriented feedback, fast. Helps learners monitor progress and connects critical vocabulary to bigger ideas. If you give it a go, tell me what you notice. #CanvaLove #CanvaEdu #FormativeAssessment