How I Design for Learning
Designing instruction isn’t just about content—it’s about connection, clarity, and creating space for learners to grow. My approach blends evidence-based strategies with practical experience, drawing from both classroom teaching and adult learning theory. I prioritize structure, engagement, and relevance, ensuring that each learning experience is built not only to inform but to stick.
Curricular Cornerstones
- Every learning experience starts with a clear destination
- Relevance drives engagement and builds real-world connections
- Practice and feedback turn information into long-term understanding
These principles guide my approach to everything from curriculum planning to quiz interactions. Whether building a self-paced module or facilitating a live session, I design with purpose, drawing on learning theory and lived experience to create training that works.
Backwards Design, Always
I was first introduced to backwards design through Understanding by Design by Wiggins and McTighe during my master’s program, and it immediately shaped how I approached curriculum. From that point on, I built every unit and learning experience with the end goal in mind—aligning objectives, assessments, and activities to ensure everything had a clear purpose.
As I transitioned into instructional design, I noticed strong alignment between backwards design and common ID models like ADDIE and SAM—and I’ve adapted both into my process. ADDIE offers a broad structure: Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate. My approach focuses especially on the front end of that cycle, prioritizing deep analysis and intentional assessment before development begins.
SAM (Successive Approximation Model) also aligns with backwards design, especially when building modular or microlearning content. It supports rapid design cycles, allowing for low-fidelity prototyping, iterative feedback, and quick testing of ideas, which I integrate into both full-course development and individual asset creation.
I also add a step before everything else: empathy. Borrowed from UX design, this phase helps me better understand learners’ needs and the root of the performance problem before designing solutions. It’s especially important when retrofitting or supplementing existing training—ensuring new content fits into a cohesive learning journey rather than feeling tacked on.
These frameworks aren’t separate—they work together. Whether I’m designing a standalone module or a comprehensive program, I draw from backwards design, ADDIE, and SAM to create learning experiences that are thoughtful, testable, and grounded in what learners really need to succeed.
Safe to Try, Built to Learn
Learning doesn’t happen all at once — it happens in the space between attempts, in the feedback loop where learners can try, get it wrong, and try again. I design practice opportunities that aren’t just repetitive exercises, but meaningful moments of low-stakes exploration. Whether it’s a micro-decision in a scenario or a knowledge check that gives specific feedback, each interaction is a chance to build confidence before performance is on the line.
Feedback isn’t just an outcome — it’s an embedded part of the learning experience. I use it to guide, adjust, and affirm. And when learners know it’s safe to try (and fail), they’re more likely to engage deeply and retain what they learn.
Designing for Transfer
A training experience isn’t successful unless the learning sticks — and more importantly, transfers. My goal isn’t just to deliver information, but to design learning that shows up in the real world. That means focusing on authentic assessments, realistic scenarios, and practice opportunities that mirror actual tasks, decisions, or challenges learners face.
I design for transfer by identifying the core behaviors or knowledge that learners need to apply, and building in chances to reflect, try, fail, and adjust in a safe space. This could mean a branching scenario with feedback, a simulation-based assessment, or a guided reflection that helps learners connect training to their role.
When learning is designed with transfer in mind, it doesn’t just check a box — it changes behavior.