Design for Learning

Design for Learning is a compelling read that not only demystifies teaching and learning practices, but also reimagines the way we think about the connective power of digital learning spaces in our changed world. I found myself nodding, grinning, and cheering as I poured through the chapters, as Cohn and Greer’s personalities sparkled within the prose, bringing their humanity and heart to our broad work in education. Design for Learning offers a comprehensive picture of learning experience design as a way for educators to understand the salient theory and praxis that drive engaging and equitable digital learning environments that center care. Through clear and actionable practices, you’ll be able to immediately improve your teaching and learning, situating this engaging and endearing read as a prized work in your collection of trusted resources.

—Angela Gunder, Chief Academic Officer, Online Learning Consortium 

Many people have written about how to design online courses. Jenae Cohn and Michael Greer have woven together expert argument and insight in this wonderful book about how to design for learners and learning. Using rich examples and relatable explanations, they surface the many ways that learning happens beyond a classroom while connecting the dots between a learning designer’s intentions and the actual learning experience. If you design or facilitate digital learning experiences of any kind, then you need to read this book.

—Lorna Gonzalez, Director of Digital Learning at California State University Channel Islands

This is a thorough and thoughtful guide for designing good learning experiences. Jenae and Michael have so much practical and concrete experience that they share in this book.

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. Increasingly, learning experiences are going to be online, so having a good guide to creating digital resources is very important for learning design.

—Julie Dirksen, Author, Design for How People Learn

Good learning experiences combine content and context, and Design for Learning masterfully navigates readers on the journey of making better learning experiences. The authors provide context with just enough theoretical backing to provide you with a solid foundation for action, regardless of your background of the topic.

—Cara North, Owner of The Learning Camel, an Instructional Design Agency

Cohn and Greer’s accessible text offers practical processes and heuristics for designing interactive online learning environments, with particular attention to video production and webinar facilitation. Their emphasis on building a full learning experience, not just generating content, will benefit both novice and experienced online instructors and instructional designers. This is a must-read for those who are committed to creating engaging, human-centered online experiences that facilitate deep and transferable learning! 

—Mary Stewart, Associate Professor of Literature and Writing Studies, CSU San Marcos

A practical-minded and lucid instruction manual for teaching online.

—Kirkus Reviews