Duration plays a key role in learning design. If a learning experience is too long, learners will get bored. But if it’s too short, it can produce anxiety and strategic learning. In this episode, Phil and I examine how designing short, purposeful learning ‘sprints’ can help learners overcome procrastination by making something quickly. We'll also discuss the Kick About, a fortnightly sprint-based creative challenge that has been running for nearly four years.

January is the season for trends. In this episode Phil and Tony confront the issue of trends head on and question the extent to which learning design should be influenced by trends. We’ll be looking at how the trend of personalised learning paths might actually be working against the need to professionalise learners. We’ll also be talking about microlearning, slow learning, and the value of detoxing from technology altogether.

In corporate training, a learning experience is much more likely to work if it aligns with the existing culture of the business. But how do you do this? Marisa Knowles from the People Untapped agency has done this a lot, and in this episode she shares her top tips and advice for designing into a company's culture and values.

We're proud to introduce our new Thinking Tools series - a collection of bite-sized deep dives into learning theories. In this episode, we're looking at Cognitive Load Theory and why it's such a useful tool for learning designers.

The strategic value of learning design is not yet widely recognised. In this episode, data specialist Penelope Bellegarde explains how learning design can help businesses make better use of their data. We examine what good looks like in terms of data-driven learning, and what kind of training programmes can help businesses use their data more effectively to learn and adapt.

It's easy to overlook what happens before learners embark on a learning experience. But failing to 'onboard' learners effectively can have a significant impact on their success. In this episode, Ellie Soccorsy explains how she onboards new hires into the company culture at Edyn, a hotel and hospitality business, and discusses the implications of onboarding for learning design.

Amy Whitehead is the Director of Red Stag Recruitment, and a learning design recruitment specialist. Amy helps businesses businesses of all sizes find quality learning designers, from startups to edtech giants, and has a wealth of experience at placing candidates in learning-related roles. In this episode, Amy explains what hiring managers want from learning designers, the differences between university and more corporate learning design roles, the core skills that learning designers need, and why the ability to work with and manage stakeholders is a core skill.

Heather Maclean is an Education and Recognition advisor at Queen Mary university, London, and is a Specialist in Inclusive learning strategies. Heather has extensive experience in working with both tutors and students to identify and remove barriers to learning. In this episode, Heather shares a wealth of practical tips and advice for designing more inclusive learning experiences.

In this episode, we talk with Rob Hamblen, founder of the LEAP design agency where he helps companies build better digital products and experiences. Rob provides an insight into the relationship between UX design and learning design, and explains how design sprints can guide the learning design process. He also shares his views about the value of learning designers working alongside other design disciplines in organisations.

Geraldine Murphy was a learning designer before learning design was invented. She's worked with universities, startups and large organisations to design and deliver engaging learning experiences. In this episode, Geraldine explains how using principles of andragogy can help learning designers harness intrinsic motivation in learners, and shares her views on how learning designers can work alongside UX and UI specialists to add value to businesses.