Learning Path Design

"I'm looking to pivot into L&D. What should I learn? Where do I start?" This is the question I answer the most during my mentoring sessions. And I always recommend the same 4-step process for people to dive deep into the magical (and scientific) world of L&D. 😁 1️⃣ Gain clarity by researching the field. L&D is broad. Explore the part that matches your interests and talents most. 👉 Access the Association for Talent Development (ATD) Capability Model and see which ones 'speak to you' most. —Are you looking for a specialist role? Hands-on? Strategic? Leading? —Is it instructional design, training, facilitation, program development, strategic, or performance consulting? 👉 Then chat with folks doing that work in those roles already, to understand what their day-to-day looks like, and what challenges they are solving more often. 2️⃣ Get the basics right: knowledge and skills There's LOTS of content out there, so no wonder folks are overwhelmed. Here's my "starter pack" for L&D—These are the basics: 🧠 5Di Toolkit of learning design by Nick Shackleton-Jones (+ his book "How People Learn") 🧠 Five Moments of Need for performance-support by Bob Mosher 🧠 The Learning-Transfer Evaluation Model (LTEM) by Will Thalheimer 🧠 Performance Consulting Masterclass by The The LPI (Learning and Performance Institute) 🧠 Action Mapping book by Cathy Moore 🧠 "Joining Forces with your Brain" course by Lauren Waldman, Learning Pirate AI and Learning: 🧠 The AI Crash Course and The AI Accelerator by Ross Stevenson 🧠 The AI Learning Design Bootcamp by Dr Philippa Hardman Facilitation and experience design: 🧠 KAOSPILOT certifications: "Designing & Facilitating Learning Space" by Simon Kavanagh and "Experience Design" by Andy Sontag 🧠 Leading Groups Course by Mischief Makers B.V. Other resources: 🧠 "Learning Ecosystems" book by Katja Schipperheijn 🧠 "The Social Learning Guidebook" by Julian Stodd 🧠 Offbeat Newsletter + "The Learning Brief Newsletter" from L&D SHAKERS + anything on human-centered design + design thinking + agile ways of working If you are choosing the Instructional Design path, pick a strong certification (check out Devlin Peck, Tim Slade and IDOL Academy) 3️⃣ Immerse yourself! Join an L&D community (L&D SHAKERS, for example 😅) & surround yourself with diverse learning opportunities from peers and experts. Bonus if you start to get involved in projects, and learn by doing! 💪 Rolling up your sleeves and volunteering is how you gain practical experience and start building your portfolio. 4️⃣ Learn out loud and build your network Slowly start to share your learning process, with wins and setbacks, your adventures, takeaways, and lessons learned on LinkedIn. This will attract those who care about the same things as you do. Curate your feed: Use the notification feature, don't scroll at the mercy of the algorithm. Beware: This is the long game. Don't expect to see changes overnight. But it compounds, trust me!

When you align learning strategy with how the brain actually learns you'll find that performance improves. In many organisations, learning still means content delivery - I battle this challenge regularly. L&D teams measure outputs like number of courses, completions, attendance rather than outcomes. But humans don’t learn by consuming information. They learn by connecting ideas, making meaning, and putting their knowledge and skills into practice over and over again until their brains physically change. If you want to genuinely change behaviour and performance in your organisation then your whole strategy needs to be designed with the brain in mind. Here are three practical principles to share with your design and delivery teams: 🧠 Space, don’t cram Learning needs time to settle. Encourage teams to design experiences that build over time rather than delivering everything in one go. The return on retention is remarkable. 💡 Engage peoples emotions People remember what feels relevant and real. Challenge your designers to stimulate learners emotions with hooks like stories, challenges and personal connections. Don't just design pretty slides. 🔄 Practice and retrieval Learning journeys, rather than one off events, give people time to apply, reflect, and test new skills where it matters - on the job. This doesn't mean repetition for its own sake; it's simply how neural pathways are strengthened. When your learning strategy aligns with how the brain naturally works key metrics like engagement, performance and business impact improve. How do you enable your teams to bring brain science into the way they design and deliver learning?

A year ago I shared a framework called GROWTH™. It didn’t perform particularly well. Which is funny, because over time it’s become one of the models I rely on most when designing learning experiences. Most training programs are built as courses. But the way people actually develop capability looks very different. Progress happens across a series of experiences—practice, feedback, reflection, and iteration. In other words, it happens through a learning journey, not a single event. The GROWTH framework is a way to design those journeys more intentionally. It breaks the process into six stages: G — Goal Setting R — Research & Empathy O — Outline the Experience W — Work in Layers T — Test & Adapt H — Highlight Progress Over the past year, I revisited the framework, expanded it, and turned it into a practical guide with examples, worksheets, and a full case study on redesigning onboarding as a learning journey. I also realized something interesting. GROWTH is actually one of the foundational pieces behind another model I’ve been developing called The Academy Engine™, which focuses on building scalable learning ecosystems. If the Academy Engine explains how education systems operate, GROWTH focuses on how the learning journey itself should be designed. If you’d like the full guide and templates, you can download it below. Curious how others think about this. When you design learning, do you think in terms of courses or journeys?

Most learning is designed as if forgetting is a bug. It isn’t. 🧠 Forgetting is a natural part of how memory works. The real problem is when learning design pretends it will not happen. We run a training session. Share the slides. Maybe send a recording. And then quietly hope that people will remember, apply, and change their behavior. Cute optimism. But not exactly a strategy. 🙂 The forgetting curve reminds us of something simple and uncomfortable: If learning is not revisited, recalled, applied, and supported in real work, it fades. That does not mean every course needs to become longer. It means learning needs to be designed as a journey, not as a one-time event. A stronger learning experience usually needs several moments: → Explain Create a strong first learning experience: a micro-course, simulation, or scenario-based lesson. → Recall Reactivate memory with a first knowledge check: a micro-quiz, case-based check, or scenario test. → Reactivate Use spaced reinforcement: nudges, flashcards, short challenges, or a quest-style follow-up. → Apply Move into real work: a workplace mission, case-based task, or “try it tomorrow” challenge. → Reflect Add feedback and reflection: AI feedback bot, peer debrief, manager check-in, or reflection journal. → Transfer Support implementation in the flow of work: job aids, workflow support tools, and manager follow-up. This is where blended learning becomes more than a mix of formats. It becomes a memory strategy. 🔁 Because the goal is not to deliver content. The goal is to help people remember the right things at the right moment, and use them when it matters. Don’t fight forgetting. Design learning moments around it. And which reinforcement methods work best in your experience? #LearningDesign #InstructionalDesign #LearningExperienceDesign #LXDesign #CorporateLearning #BlendedLearning #LearningAndDevelopment #Memory #ForgettingCurve #WorkplaceLearning #PerformanceSupport

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 🌐 Struggling with disconnected learning platforms and resources? I get it—fragmented learning experiences can derail your L&D programs, making them less efficient and effective. When your team has to juggle multiple systems, it hampers their ability to learn and grow seamlessly. Here’s how you can build an integrated learning ecosystem to connect all your platforms, resources, and tools for a smooth, unified learning experience: 📌 Centralize Your Resources: Start by consolidating all learning materials into a single, accessible repository. This can be a Learning Management System (LMS) or a centralized digital library where employees can easily find what they need. 📌 Integrate Platforms: Use APIs and integration tools to link your LMS with other systems like HR software, productivity tools, and communication platforms. This ensures a cohesive experience where data flows seamlessly between platforms. 📌 Standardize Processes: Develop standardized protocols for content creation, curation, and deployment. This includes using consistent formats and templates, which help maintain quality and uniformity across all learning materials. 📌 Personalize Learning Paths: Leverage data analytics to create personalized learning paths for employees. Tailored content keeps learners engaged and ensures they acquire the skills most relevant to their roles. 📌 Foster Collaboration: Encourage peer-to-peer learning and knowledge sharing through forums, social learning platforms, and collaborative projects. This builds a community of continuous learning and support. 📌 Track Progress and Feedback: Implement tools to monitor learning progress and gather feedback. Use this data to continuously improve your L&D programs, ensuring they remain relevant and effective. By developing an integrated learning ecosystem, you’ll transform fragmented experiences into a cohesive journey that enhances learning efficiency and effectiveness. Your team will thank you for making their learning process smoother and more intuitive. What strategies have you used to create a seamless learning ecosystem? Share your insights below! ⬇️ #LearningAndDevelopment #TrainingInnovation #OnlineLearning #EdTech #LMS #EmployeeEngagement

L&D should fuel business growth... Otherwise, it's just a cost. Too often, L&D operates in isolation. Without alignment, training feels like an chore. Align L&D with business goals for measurable impact. Here’s a roadmap to get started: 1. Identify Key Business Goals: Define your strategic objectives. Gather top goals from leadership for clarity. 2. Map L&D to Business Outcomes: Tie learning directly to tangible outcomes. Use needs analysis to target high-impact skills. 3. Prioritize Core Skills and Gaps Focus on the skills that drive growth. Build a skills matrix to guide L&D investment. 4. Design Targeted Learning Initiatives: Create programs tailored to business needs. Personalize training paths to close specific gaps. 5. Track and Measure Success Use performance metrics to monitor L&D’s impact. Leverage LMS data to refine and improve outcomes. When L&D aligns with strategy, it becomes an asset. Drive growth by building a future-ready workforce. Follow Jonathan Raynor. Reshare to help others.

This Mother’s Day, I’m gifting my design kids something we all crave : structure and sanity. AI is expanding in a hundred directions, and let’s be honest - it’s overwhelming. I feel it every single day. The jargon comes fast and furious - agents, orchestrators, RAG, CAG, agentic models - and somewhere between trying to keep up and pretending we get it, we lose the space to ask, “Hey… can you explain that like I’m five?” We’ve all been there. Too hesitant to ask the basics in rooms full of tech bros who start where we haven’t even arrived. So, I built something for myself. A calm in the chaos. And then I thought, why not share it? There’s an AI PM path. An AI Engineer path. But strangely, there’s no defined AI Product Designer path yet. So, I created one - a 100-day learning path for designers stepping into the AI era. It’s simple. It’s foundational. It’s structured with every learning technique I’ve picked up from neuroscience and behavior science. No fluff, just clarity and a day-by-day journey to help you get started. I won’t be able to facilitate a learning circle right now, but I promise to keep sharing my reflections as I walk the path with you. For now, let’s make our way through AI 101 together. AIPID 101: https://lnkd.in/g38Us3K9 If you're still curious after 100 days, we’ll design AI 201. But for now, let’s breathe, begin, and build. You deserve this clarity. We all do. Happy Mother’s Day 🫶 Let’s do this. #ai

The counterintuitive approach to eLearning design that dramatically increases knowledge retention. Most training programs overwhelm learners with information overload. Let's break down why traditional approaches fail: 1️⃣ Content Chaos • Excessive information dumps • No clear structure or focus • Cognitive overload kills retention ↳ Solution: Strategic content chunking 2️⃣ Microlearning Magic • Break content into 5-10 minute segments • Focus on one concept at a time • Let learners control the pace ↳ Solution: Bite-sized learning wins 3️⃣ Clear Learning Pathways • Start with crystal-clear objectives • Guide learners step-by-step • Show progress milestones ↳ Solution: Transparent structure 4️⃣ Smart Content Layering • Hide supplementary details • Use accordions and tabs • Reduce cognitive load ↳ Solution: Progressive disclosure 5️⃣ Visual Power • Strategic multimedia use • Break up text walls • Enhance understanding ↳ Solution: Purposeful visuals 6️⃣ Active Learning Hooks • Regular knowledge checks • Self-reflection prompts • Engagement boosters ↳ Solution: Interactive elements The science is crystal clear: • 20-30% better retention rates • Higher engagement scores • Stronger knowledge transfer Think about it: When was the last time you remembered everything from a 3-hour training video? 🤔 Master these principles and watch your training shine: ↳ More intuitive learning ↳ Better comprehension ↳ Results that actually stick What small change could you make today to align your training with how people actually learn?