Design for Learning: User Experience in Online Teaching and Learning 1st Edition

We're all teachers whether we ever want or mean to be. When I first saw the book I was afraid that it may not be one for me because I am not a teacher by trade, but often lead some training type events. This book immediately put me at ease with the literal first section "who should read this book." This book does a great job of connecting anyone who finds themself in the role of "teacher" how to architect a useful and practical learning experience.That last word there, experience, ends up being the key thing. The book looks heavily at user experience frameworks and UX research for how and why past attempts at digital and in-person teaching have failed to engage learners. Much of the focus however is on more digital elements (Chapters 4-8), but other concepts are pretty universal (Chapters 1-3 & 9-11). Each chapter ends with some clear and simple takeways that you'll want to use right away.Some of what makes up the first few chapters occasionally feels obvious, but like diets and exercise knowing is only half the battle. The authors put the core concepts into easy to understand terms with examples that are easy to follow. I promise you do not have to have an education, UX or tech background to get the benefit of this book.The middle section of the book does get more technology focused, but even there it's more theory than anything else (mostly small bits of psychology and UX research). Since it does talk about technology, I was afraid this could become dated, but there's honestly not much that's at risk. One section does mention some video editing software options, but clearly notes that the list is as of 2023.At a past job I used to be part of a team that did webinars and I think the authors compiled a lot of good information shared on the topic. I personally still despise them, but if more of them followed the tips in this book they'd at least be a lot more tolerable.The last few chapters are some of the most useful though because giving and asking for feedback are the most important parts of teaching.I liked the book a lot an would recommend it for any non-teachers who find themselves occasionally leading groups of learners. I feel like its timeless insights will be a useful resource for many years.

While I am not a teacher in the formal sense, I have often found myself in professional situations where my goal was to educate or train: Client or research workshops, presentations to audiences of various levels of expertise, and even internal work meetings where I am communicating a perspective or outcome. Design for Learning offers a rich toolkit to draw upon in preparing for and running these sorts of sessions - experiences, really - so that participants achieve the intended outcomes and enjoy themselves along the way.There's a lot to appreciate in this book, I found Chapter 8 especially helpful because it deals with online formats like webinars. Before 2020, I would participate in maybe one webinar a year and usually with a lot of support from a marketing colleague. After 2020, that changed, and I don't think it will ever fully return. Any support I can get to navigate across formats, especially when I don't always have a marketing partner to guide me, is so appreciated.If you teach, present, or do any kind of public speaking, pick up a copy of Design for Learning to help yourself out!

This is a pretty and well-structured guide for the layperson who wants a basic overview of how to design online instruction.My son and I both have some training experience. Additionally, my sister has an MA in Instructional Design. She visited for a few weeks recently and read the book while she was here. The book served as an excellent condensed refresher for her and motivator for my son and I for a new project the three of us are collaborating on.Even though it's intended for a general audience and is not a textbook, it seems a little remiss that there are no sources cited and no bibliography provided. The concepts and ideas presented are solidly based in the large body of adult learning and online learning research so the information is good and based on current best practices but the authors don't share the source materials they used as reference. Nevertheless, it is a solid guide that will provide readers with enough information to create or improve online learning experiences.

I really ended up enjoying this book more than I thought I would. I’m a classroom teacher and I do not teach online at the moment, so my motivation behind reading this was more based on curiosity than necessity.I found some useful nuggets for my own practice. I wish I had been given a copy of this before we went into remote teaching. Notable was the suggestion that the “cameras on” expectation is really not going to be good for all learners, as it’s not realistic to expect students to have access to a classroom-like atmosphere and that engagement looks different in different people. People may look bored but be highly engaged. People may look engaged but have no idea what is going on.This book takes you in depth through the whole online teaching process from learning about your learners to creating your materials to gaining feedback in the end to make adjustments.This is such an excellent text, and one you’ll probably reference later due to its density. It’s a must-have if you want to create an online learning experience. Comprehensive, compact, wonderful book.Excellent buy if you have any plans to create an online learning experience.

If you are just starting out, this book has all the foundation concepts for creating courses, especially online courses. I have to admit that, as someone who has created many workshops and courses, I was hoping for more. I don't have a background in education, so I've "learned on the job." I thought maybe there were some secret perspectives that I could benefit from. Heh! Well, this book covers excellent concepts, but they were not new to me.