There is a specific kind of miserable that comes from sitting in a training where your brain checked out an hour ago but the slides just keep coming. And the frustrating part? It didn't have to happen. Not because the content was bad. Not because the facilitator was incompetent. But because nobody who built that course ever asked how much the learner could actually absorb before needing a break — or made sure that related topics were grouped together instead of scattered across the day. That is a design problem. And it is one of the most preventable ones in the field. This week's Thursday Thoughts covers Strategy 2 of Pillar 3 — breaking down material into absorbable chunks. Time-based chunking. Topic-based chunking. And a real redesign that took a three-day course with no intentional structure and turned it into a one-day experience that actually taught something — by adding content, not cutting it. 🎥 Watch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/gjx4u4wT 📋 Full 5 Pillars series: https://lnkd.in/gEK5vsbn 💬 Have you ever inherited a course where the chunking was so far off the learner never had a chance? Drop it in the comments — and share this if someone in your network needs to hear it. #InstructionalDesign #eLearning #LearningAndDevelopment #TrainingDesign #CognitiveLoad #Chunking #5PillarsID #eLearningDevelopment #InstructionalDesigner

Most training doesn't fail because the content is wrong. It fails because nobody asked how much the learner could actually absorb before the next topic started. Strategy 2 of Pillar 3 — Break Down the Material into Absorbable Chunks — covers both types of intentional chunking: time-based and topic-based. What the thresholds are, why they exist, and what it looks like when a course is redesigned around them rather than around content coverage. 🎥 Watch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/gjx4u4wT 📋 Full 5 Pillars of Good Instructional Design series: https://lnkd.in/gEK5vsbn 💬 How intentional are you about chunking decisions in your designs? Share in the comments — and pass this along if it resonates with someone on your team. #InstructionalDesign #eLearning #LearningAndDevelopment #TrainingDesign #CognitiveLoad #Chunking #5PillarsID #eLearningDevelopment #InstructionalDesigner

Bloom's Taxonomy is one of the first things you learn in Instructional Design. But most people use it wrong. They pick verbs randomly. They think higher levels are always better. They write objectives that sound good but measure nothing. Bloom's verbs are not a checklist. They are a thinking tool. Use them to decide what the learner needs to do — not just what they need to know. Use them to design your assessments, your practice activities, and your feedback, not just your objectives. The verb you choose shapes the entire learning experience. Choose it intentionally. Save this for your next course design. 👆 #InstructionalDesign #BloomsTaxonomy #LearningDesign #LearningAndDevelopment #LDProfessional #ElearningDesign #LXDesign #IDinsights #LearningObjectives #CourseDesign #LDCommunity #TrainingAndDevelopment #eLearning #CorporateLearning #FutureOfLearning

I think one of the most misunderstood parts of instructional design is how little control we actually have. We don’t control: • when learners start • how often they leave and come back • what distractions they’re dealing with • what they already think they know But we design like we do. We build courses as if attention is stable, motivation is consistent, and time is uninterrupted. And then we wonder why things don’t land the way we expected. The more I work in this field, the more I think good design isn’t about perfect structure. It’s about designing for everything you can’t control. #InstructionalDesign #LearningDesign #LXD #OnlineLearning #AdultLearning

Instructional design isn’t about building courses—it’s about changing behavior. Here’s what I prioritize every time I design: 🔹 Learner-first thinking If it doesn’t connect to real challenges, it won’t stick. 🔹 Clarity over complexity Clear objectives. Clear outcomes. No fluff. 🔹 Engagement with purpose Not interaction for the sake of it—everything drives understanding. 🔹 Real-world application If learners can’t use it immediately, it misses the mark. 🔹 Iteration over perfection The best learning experiences evolve with feedback and data. Why I love this work? Because I get to turn complexity into clarity—and help people actually do something better after learning. That’s the standard I design for. #InstructionalDesign #LearningExperience #LXD #Enablement #LearningThatWorks

The deeper I get into my flagship project, the more I realise how many layers there are within a single learning experience. At first, instructional design looked very structured from the outside: objectives, branching, visuals, interactions, assessments. But once I started building my own project, all those elements stopped being separate concepts and began affecting each other constantly. One change in the storyboard can alter the flow of a scenario. A visual can completely change how a message is perceived. A single decision point can reshape the learner’s entire experience. At times, it feels overwhelming. My notes keep expanding, scenes get rewritten, and ideas that seemed clear a week ago suddenly need a different approach. At the same time, I think this process is teaching me something important: good learning experiences are not built in a straight line. They evolve through constant questioning, refining, and rebuilding. And despite the occasional mental chaos, I genuinely enjoy that process. #InstructionalDesign #LearningDesign #eLearning #ProfessionalDevelopment #DigitalLearning

Confusion is not a learning strategy. Sometimes a course is hard because the content is challenging. That can be appropriate. But sometimes a course is hard because learners cannot figure out: Where to start What to do next How the pieces connect What success looks like Where to find the instructions How they will be evaluated That kind of difficulty does not create rigor. It creates friction. Strong instructional design does not remove challenge from the learning experience. It removes unnecessary confusion so learners can spend their energy on the work that actually matters. The goal is not to make the course easy. The goal is to make the path clear enough for learners to engage with the hard things. #InstructionalDesign #LearningExperienceDesign #HigherEd #OnlineLearning #EdTech #CourseDesign #UniversalDesignForLearning

One of the most important shifts in SME collaboration is changing the first question. Instead of starting with: “What content do you want included?” I’d rather ask: “What should learners be able to do with this?” That one shift changes the conversation. It moves the focus from coverage to application. From information to performance. From “What do we need to say?” to “What do learners need to practice?” Content still matters. SME expertise absolutely matters. But strong instructional design is not just about collecting everything an expert knows and placing it into a course. It is helping shape that expertise into a learning experience that students can actually use. The best SME conversations are not just about what belongs in the course. They are about what the course is supposed to help learners do. #InstructionalDesign #LearningExperienceDesign #HigherEd #OnlineLearning #EdTech #CourseDesign #LearningAndDevelopment

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬. In Instructional Design, Learning objectives are not just about stating what learners will learn, they define what learners will be able to do. That’s why we use 𝐒𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐓. SMART stands for: 🎯 Specific – What exactly should the learner achieve? 📏 Measurable – How will success be evaluated? 🧗 Achievable – Is it realistic within the given scope? 🔗 Relevant – Does it align with real-world or business needs? ⏱ Time-bound – By when should it be achieved? Have you ever used SMART learning objectives in your course? 💬 #SMARTGoals #LearningDesign #OutcomeBasedLearning #TrainingStrategy #InstructionalDesigner

Some learning environments are becoming 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁. Instant hints. Instant feedback. Instant answers. But sometimes, the pause is where the learning lives. Not confusion without support. Not frustration for the sake of struggle. But enough space for: - noticing patterns - testing ideas - making meaning - sitting with uncertainty long enough to think When every gap gets filled immediately, learners stop developing trust in their own thinking. Instructional design isn’t just about reducing friction. It’s about deciding: 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨? #InstructionalDesign #EdTech #LearningDesign #ConACT #StudentEngagement