Vision for Learning Design

Five-Year Vision

In the next five years, our learning design will allow learners to apply new knowledge directly to workplace skill development through microlearning. By leveraging feedback and technology, while fostering collaboration between learners, designers and stakeholders, we will create a culture of shared voice, skill-building, and individualized learning paths that drive meaningful and engaging learning experiences. 

To make this vision successful, regular feedback, clear communication, and shared opportunities co-design will be necessary. Creating timelines, feedback loops, and defined roles for stakeholders will help keep the process organized. Regular evaluation of learning outcomes and tools used will help to ensure that improvements can be made quickly and effectively.

Implications for Stakeholders

• Learners: Learners will have more agency in creating the learning experience, and will find that the content is more relevant to their work. This vision also increases engagement and motivation; however, learners will be expected to participate more in the design process.

• Designers: Designers will shift to a collaborative role and will be more reliant on the input of others to create an inclusive and impactful design. The designer will need to be a facilitator of technology, sharing what would work best for the design and also taking on more of a project management role. The designer will be more reliant on feedback, which may delay design creation. 

• Employers: Employers will also assist in co-designing learning experiences, sharing what knowledge gaps currently exist. They will share scenarios and examples, and serve as subject matter experts.

• Organizations: Organizations will experience a culture shift in which gathering input and partnering with employers will be necessary for design creation. We can stand out among other organizations by co-creating learning experiences with learners and stakeholders, rather than telling learners what we assume they need to know. The organization will be more reliant on feedback and act on that feedback to maintain trust. 

Addressing Current Challenges

This vision addresses three specific challenges in learning design. First, we shift away from collecting feedback at the end of a design. This vision would integrate regular feedback throughout the design process and create opportunities for input from learners and stakeholders. Crans et al. (2024) stated that “in the context of workplace-based learning (WBL), actionable feedback plays a crucial role in enabling learners to leverage specific feedback to enhance their performance, skills, and conceptual understandings.” Gathering and acting on feedback throughout the design process builds trust and buy-in, and ensures that the design continues to address specific skill gaps.

Second, learners may not understand the purpose of the learning design and may be unable to commit to extensive training programs. This vision would improve intrinsic motivation by connecting learning to the participant’s work environment and converting training into more digestible segments. As Rof and Bikfalvi (2024) stated, “microlearning is gaining interest and popularity, with growth in both its creation and demand, largely due to its expected potential to enhance worker performance and tackle some higher education challenges." Delivering learning in smaller, more digestible segments makes larger, sometimes overwhelming, trainings more approachable to learners. Microlearning also increases intrinsic motivation through direct application of learning to workplace tasks.

Busy employees who do not have time to engage in training or professional development. Microlearning also offers the ability to learn while completing work tasks, integrating learning seamlessly into an employee's schedule. According to Hug (2005), integrating microlearning "embeds learning activities into daily life according to user dependent patterns." This approach supports ongoing skill development and makes professional development sustainable.

Finally, designers working in isolation and creating designs that are not directly addressing current training concerns. As Trovas (2025) discussed, “providing access to learning resources, offering career development opportunities, and recognizing achievements are all ways to embed a culture of continuous learning within your organization.” By inviting learners and stakeholders into the design process, we can distinguish ourselves as responsive, transparent, and learner-centered.

Reflection

Microlearning, though effective, may not ensure sustained learner motivation. As Al-Huda (2024) shared, "learners who prefer more immersive experiences might feel disconnected or disengaged when learning in microbursts." Microlearning has benefits but should be integrated with other methods. Additionally, this vision may be too broad and may need to be narrowed to ensure the organization isn't being pulled in too many different directions or there may be an opportunity for misinterpreting the vision.

I noted that stakeholders could become stuck if there is a break down in communication and contributors become siloed. For example, employers and organizations may lose interest in supporting the project if there are major delays in the project, or their feedback isn't being followed up on. Also, designers could become overwhelmed in managing input from multiple sources, which would slow development of the project. To prevent these potential barriers, regular communication with targeted milestones for project elements will be necessary.

Implementing Matrix of Change

In the table below, I have applied the Matrix of Change Elements to identify how learners and employers, both key stakeholders for this vision, impact the following:

1. How each stakeholder participates in the vision

2. The skills needed to help enact the vision

3. Incentives for each stakeholder to participate in the vision

4. Tools and resources needed for each group

5. Specific action steps that need to occur to make the vision possible

References

Al-Huda, N. (2024). Microlearning and its effectiveness in modern education: A mini

review. Acta Pedagogia Asiana, 4(1), 33–42. https://doi.org/10.53623/apga.v4i1.496

Crans S, Aksentieva P, Beausaert S, Segers M. Learning leadership and feedback seeking behavior: Leadership that spurs feedback seeking. Front Psychol. 2022 Jul 22;13:890861. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.890861. PMID: 35936269; PMCID: PMC9355701.

Hug, T. (2005, May 6–8). Micro learning and narration: Exploring possibilities of utilization of narrations and storytelling for the designing of “micro units” and didactical micro-learning arrangements [Paper presentation]. Media in Transition 4, MIT, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved from https://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/legacy/mit4/papers/hug.pdf

Rof, A., Bikfalvi, A., & Marques, P. (2024). Exploring learner satisfaction and the effectiveness of microlearning in higher education. Internet and Higher Education, 62, 100952. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2024.100952

Trovas, S. (2025, September 10). Cultivate a learning culture within your organization. Center for Creative Leadership. https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively- articles/cultivate-and-sustain-a-learning-culture-within-your-organization/