Design for Learning (PDF)

Online learning can be so dull—or not!

Enter Jenae Cohn and Michael Greer, experienced authors and teachers, who decided it was time to take on the challenge of making online learning more interesting and compelling for students. So, they met in a Zoom call, contacted Rosenfeld Media, and wrote this book, Design for Learning: User Experience in Online Teaching and Learning (many Zoom calls later).

The book is structured to teach online learning in such a way that anyone can follow its practices and create a dynamic educational presentation. Chapters cover everything from learning about your learners and setting learning goals to building connections with learners and giving them feedback. In addition, the authors dive into the nitty-gritty details of creating online courses, including takeaways at the end of each chapter and easy-to-follow examples throughout.

“I particularly appreciate how thoughtful Jenae and Michael are about considering the experience from the learner's point of view and the emphasis they put on learner agency.”
—Julie Dirksen, Author, Design for How People Learn

Together, Jenae Cohn and Michael Greer have years of experience designing and producing online courses for students. They wanted the tone of their book to be friendly, supportive, engaging, empathetic, and thoughtful. With that in mind, they chose examples that reflected what an ordinary user might encounter on a day-to-day basis, highlighting everything from complex skills (accessibility) to the most minute details, such as “smile when you talk” for a friendlier tone.

• Writing compelling content and instructional text
• Designing interesting text and visuals
• Planning and producing videos
• Recording sound and voice-overs
• Creating and facilitating live website presentations
• Designing surveys for class feedback
• Rating whether your presentation was successful

• Teachers, learning development professionals, and anyone tasked with designing an online course or a one-off workshop
• Content creators, instructional designers, user experience designers, and others who care about the experience of online learning

Best of all—your course will never be called dull again.

A: When it comes to online learning, distraction is a huge concern, and engagement metrics are a big part of how designers can tell if a course is really engaging. We believe that the more targeted a course is to your specific learners and their needs, the better you'll be able to serve them. (See Chapter 2, “Learning About Your Learners,” to understand where your learners might be coming from.) We also have specific strategies for keeping learners' attention once the course is running (see Chapters 8, “Facilitating Live Webinar Presentations,” and 9, “Building Connections Among Learners”).

Q: Is it really possible to create an online course or training that's just as good as an on-site one?

A: We think so! But it's important for readers to recognize that an online learning experience is really different than an on-site course. Comparing the two experiences is (forgive the cliché) like comparing apples and oranges. You have to have different expectations up front—and so do your learners. In Chapter 4, “Building a Space for Online Learning,” we explore what unique advantages and limitations there are around building a course in an online space and consider how the lessons from UX research can inform quality experiences online.

Q: I've been asked to design a course in just a month. Will this book help me design something quickly?

A: A lot of designers have tight turnarounds, so you'll find advice that could be applied on a shorter timeline. Specifically, you can modify some of the design approaches in Chapters 2, “Learning About Your Learners,” and 3, “Setting the Foundation.” In the chapters about video planning and production (Chapters 6, “Planning Videos, and 7, “Producing Videos”), you'll learn tips to make simpler videos in case you don't have time for an extensive video planning and editing process.