LEARNING EXPERIENCE DESIGN

June 2021 Blog

BECOMING A LEARNING EXPERIENCE DESIGNER

The demand for digital education continues to rise across sectors, as organisations continue to transfer their learning and training online. Dependence on digital during the global pandemic has led more and more frustrated users, both teachers and learners, to expect higher standards of quality. There is a wider appreciation now for the purposeful and professional design of learning experiences for digital, as a far cry from emergency remote learning. Learning Experience Designers have emerged from within this context to take an increasingly prominent role in education. As an important element of our own work in creating digital education, we made the decision to launch UnfoldEd to help guide anyone new to this field of Learning Experience Design.

The title of Learning Experience Designer is still unfamiliar to many people, but discovering what this role actually means is not a straightforward task. As a relatively new term, a consensus is yet to be established on what Learning Experience Design means and how it relates to other processes in education. The briefest of forays into the heated debates that have sparked would soon reveal contrasting definitions of Learning Experience Design, which include anything from describing it as an innovative and disruptive process to simply an unnecessary new name for well-established processes in education.

In developing the First Fold of the UnfoldEd edventures, we acknowledged the significance of this contest over the meaning and impact of Learning Experience Design for education. There is no such thing as a neutral process in education and these opposing perspectives on Learning Experience Design are ultimately for someone and for some purpose. They represent a wider struggle for the soul of education. We decided not to lead learners directly into this debate right away in the First Fold, but we would not avoid it altogether. As a great source of inspiration for the work in UnfoldEd, we take seriously the declaration of the philosopher and educator, Paulo Freire, that educators have the duty of not being neutral. We would dive into a much deeper discussion on who and what these diverse perspectives on Learning Experience Design are for, further along in the edventures. Deferring a definitive declaration on the meaning of Learning Experience Design also enabled us to keep a space open for new learners to participate in their first encounter with a digital learning experience and make their own reflections before they begin to critically deconstruct and reconstruct it in the Second Fold.

The selection of Learning Experience Design as the path for this edventure is less about a statement of its superior status over other similar roles and titles that are also important in education today, and more about how this specific title helps to emphasise the experiential learning that is at the heart of UnfoldEd. Maybe there will come a time soon that we choose instead to guide a journey towards becoming an Experiential Learning Designer. We make a firm commitment that digital education needs to be more experiential. In that sense, we situate Learning Experience Design within a wider evolution that is both fundamental to the future of education and based on a long history of philosophy and practice. This perhaps makes the Learning Experience Design in UnfoldEd more of a new look at an ancient idea.

Regardless of how others define their roles, we consider Learning Experience Designers as those willing and able to inspire the curiosity and reflection that new generation of digital learners need to openly explore and make sense of their diverse encounters out in the world and online. The long journey ahead invites us all to start charting new courses that critically investigate the assumptions and interests that are hidden in the currently established philosophies and practices of digital education. We hope to make UnfoldEd one of many new spaces that nurture a network of educators and engage them in conversations and collaborations that can lead to innovation in the design, development and delivery of digital learning experiences.

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1ST FLOOR, 40 Kent Road,

St Crispin Local Centre,

Northampton, NN5 4DR

WORK INQUIRIES

INFO@SPOKESEDUCATION.COM 

+44 (0) 3003 03 07 08

LEKSHMI ANIL

Lekshmi loves listening to music and spending time with her family and friends when away from work. She enjoys dancing and is a pretty good cook!

 

Kyle homer

I spend most of my spare time listening to music and usually plan my weekends around watching live music! I am also a huge Arsenal fan and try to go to games as often as possible, if not I watch them whilst hiding behind the sofa.

I have just finished my MA in Modern History and can often be found with a dull-looking book in hand! When I get the opportunity I enjoy travelling and experiencing new cultures and especially food!

DANIEL MENDONÇA

Daniel has a degree in Advertising and Publishing. He moved to the UK from Brazil to pursue new creative challenges.

Daniel is a DIY enthusiast. He is often painting, wallpapering, changing furniture or just turning his place upside down. He also loves cooking and you are likely to find him looking after the BBQ at a party. 

HAZEL SEPPINGS

Hazel has always been fascinated with creating things in her free time, and you’ll find her working on a painting or creating something from clay.

While waiting for those to dry, she’s either watching her latest tv obsession, exploring the local area, or going to gigs and exhibitions.

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vicky stafford

Vicky is happiest when spending time with her family, especially when exploring the outside!

She is also an avid theatre-goer (especially musicals!), loves a family film night on the sofa, and cosying up with a good book.

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MIA ABRAHAM

Mia enjoys attending gigs and festivals, and snowboarding in her spare time.

When she’s looking for something more chilled, you’ll often find her mooching around a good charity shop.

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EMMA EYTON-JONES

Emma loves exploring the UK and Europe in her campervan and having adventures with her dog Skip.

When she is not away, she can be found playing tennis (badly) or watching a good film.

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DANIELLE MARCH

Danielle loves spending time with her family and enjoys day trips to the beach, watching a new crime drama with a good cuppa and baking for her friends and family.

When time allows, Danielle also loves to explore a new country but believes there are too many great places to go back twice (unless it’s the Maldives!).

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Zoe Barnes

Zoe is a PGCE-qualified English teacher, with experience of teaching in secondary schools both in the UK and internationally. During her teaching career, she particularly enjoyed delivering CPD sessions on good teaching and learning practices, and mentoring trainee and newly-qualified teachers. She now applies these skills to learning design and developing our courses.

Zoe loves to travel and see the world, and has lived in The Netherlands, New Zealand, and Portugal. She enjoys weekly Parkrun 5ks, and the occasional 10k race. She continues to create and share teaching resources with the online English teaching community.

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Emily HARDY

Emily has always had a passion for animation and digital media. After getting her masters degree back in 2013, she’s spent seven years in the industry, collecting knowledge and honing her skills. 

Her time animating professionally has given her a wide range of knowledge in everything from 3D to stop motion!

When she’s not at work, she’ll be at home chilling out and watching a film with her partner, dog, and two cats. Weekends are reserved for pub trips and beer-making!

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Hannah Webster

Hannah is responsible for social media and communications, and will likely be the first person you speak to if you get in touch with us.

Hannah has recently completed a degree in Business and Management at the University of Sussex. She manages our social media accounts and email inboxes, as well as helping out on development projects.

Outside of work, Hannah enjoys socialising with her friends and going out walking. You’ll find her happiest with a large cup of tea and a packet of biscuits.

PHIL HALSON

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AMBER MILLER

Amber is a talented graphic designer and an expert on accessibility. She can put her skills to anything creative, working with the Adobe suite to make courses, materials and collateral look attractive and professional.
 
Amber is involved with the local Autism Strategy and creating the local autism resource website. In her free time, Amber trains her rescue dog, Scout and she also enjoys learning Spanish and coding.
 

GARY FITZHUGH

With 20 years of creative experience, Gary brings a wealth of knowledge and skills in everything design, from print to video and 3D to web. As our motion graphics lead, he brings content to life through attractive and engaging videos and animations.

When he’s not busying himself at work, Gary enjoys long walks with his dog, running, snowboarding and watching an unhealthy amount of YouTube.
 

KAYLEIGH MESSINGER

Kayleigh is formerly a physiotherapist with a background in digital media. This means she is extremely versatile and can also use her Learning Design, Articulate and Adobe skills to work across all areas of the business.

Kayleigh is an English Kiwi, who loves travel and adventure. When she isn’t out and about with her friends and family, she can be found chilling at home with her partner and her cat, Pickles, where she enjoys creating art, reading and baking.

MATT GARVEY

Matt has an extensive background in the service industry enabling him to work across all areas of our business. He works primarily with the development team on Storyline projects, but he also leads our audio/visual work, managing our voiceover roster and producing our AV assets.
 
Matt is an avid reader, who loves queuing up the next thing to enrich his mind. He is also a gamer with his own YouTube channel, where he reviews retro-inspired video-games, as well as being a keen runner and keep-fit enthusiast.
 

CHARLOTTE SIDDALL

Charlotte brings a background in media production and content creation. She is another versatile member of our team, able to apply her skills and experience to an array of tasks, including storyboarding and course development.

Charlotte enjoys watching horror films (despite being terrified half the time), scenic walks around National Parks, yoga and reading whatever she can get her hands on.

CLAUDINO MONTEIRO

Claudino has 8 years of experience as a digital media designer and is an expert in Articulate Storyline. Heading up our development team, Claudino ensures all of our courses are interactive, accessible and functional. He is also a skilled designer and illustrator, so substance is always with style.
 
As a new dad, Claudino spends a lot of his spare time playing with his son. When not doing that, he enjoys cooking (he’s a major foodie) and playing video games.
 

RACHEL MURRAY

Rachel is a former teacher with a wide range of talents. She specialises in learning design and development in Articulate 360. She was our first employee so knows the business inside out and will be able to help with anything you need!

Rachel is at her happiest when spending time with family, reading her kindle, singing badly to loud music or drawing up pretty things on her iPad.

Phil Spokes

Phil is responsible for the smooth running of the business and ensuring the team and our partners are all kept happy.

Phil has 12 years of training and project management experience and specialises in digital learning design, development and delivery. As the company director, he is responsible for ensuring that our values are upheld, and the team have everything they need to provide an unbeatable service.

Phil enjoys travelling, road trips, dog walks in the woods and is a long-time season ticket holder at Northampton Town FC. He also enjoys volunteering with schools and is a STEM Ambassador and the Enterprise Advisor for Billing Brook School.

Linda Kalnina

Linda has nearly a decade of experience working in education and has postgraduate qualifications in creative industries. She leads the creative design team throughout the design process, from creation of concept to completion of course designs and animations.

Linda loves outdoor adventures and has led expeditions across Europe. She enjoys yoga and dog walks, or just keeping cosy with good coffee and good music.

Dr. Mark Spokes

Mark brings over a decade of experience in academic leadership within international higher education, specialising in digital teaching and learning. 

Mark is a qualified psychotherapist and expedition leader. He is often found on a mountain or in a forest.