I may be coining a new term, the Lobby Effect (capitalisation makes it a thing, right?). It refers to the illusion that the work and ideas that occur in buildings that have an expensive and impressive lobby are better than those that happen elsewhere. In about 2014 in such a building,  a well-meaning consultant asked if I had considered looking into online learning as Director of Education and Training at a regional TAFE. My inner voice did the sarcastic response “No, I haven’t thought about that at all, thanks so much for suggesting it”.  If the man who was wearing shoes that probably cost as much as my car had done a bit of research on what we were already doing, he may have had more to offer other than a very fancy lobby. We were already in the middle of problem-solving the design of learning products for mobile platforms which were new at the time.

Sometimes it seems the questions we hear have not changed much. We still focus on the new trends in medium and mode. When a new trend arises, like microcredentialing or technology platforms, we can be tempted to view these as the must-have silver bullet that will transform the student experience.

However, consideration of how learning might be delivered should be way down the track in the design journey. In working with different sectors, we have seen firsthand the pitfalls of starting with the platform, the medium or the content. It often can result in a product that misses the mark, is confusing or lack cohesion and relevance. Just as with other products, poor design results in the need for more marketing and for helpdesk support, creating ongoing costs, dissatisfaction and disengagement. Unfortunately, poor to average learning experiences have been normalised across all sectors.

 

Educational design starts with the why of learning, the change we want to see. The questions we should ask are: What for? What are you trying to achieve? Who is your audience? What do they need now and into the future? There is no one right answer. This is why facilitating good learning, enhanced productivity and behavioural change is mostly a design problem that needs creativity and collective intelligence.

I am wary of expert claims, although we certainly have access to deep and broad expertise. What we are is curious. About what a really great learning experience can look like. About how tools (including digital) can be used in interesting ways to support effective learning. We listen, we think, we wonder, we discuss, we ask questions, we develop frameworks and proposals and test them out. We follow the process of our Infinite Design loop in flexible ways including revisiting stages as the program evolves and this is often messy and unpredictable.

What we don’t do is simply put information on a digital platform, even if it is really attractive, interactive and engaging, and call it learning. And another thing we don’t do, is promote the message that online learning, microcredentials or any other wrapping, is the panacea for all skilling problems.

If we could change people’s behaviour through simply adopting a new mode, every child would be able to read, everyone would eat healthy food and all workplaces would be a continual upward trajectory of productivity. Being human means, it is just not that simple. An impressive lobby is no guarantee of a quality result.

Ailsa Leacy