Pioneering Learning Experience Design at MSU
by Emma Kolakowski
Michigan State University faculty are pioneering the discipline of learning experience design in an effort to examine the entirety of the student experience in higher education. The focus is not just on the traditional classroom, but also examines how things like residence halls, student wellness, and campus culture can affect learning. Learning experience design considers the entirety of the student experience.
A university like MSU is an amalgamation of these many experiences. There is no one project that will fundamentally change the nature of the university — rather, learning experience design aims to help shape, piece by piece, the future of the institution.
What is Learning Experience Design?
Learning experience design (LXD) is revolutionary because of its differences from the already established subsets of user design. User experience design focuses on the user’s experience with a specific product or service, provided by a company. Instructional design is the study of how learning experiences serve those being taught. It is a very empirical and traditional approach to improving learning, as opposed to the more holistic learning experience design. Learning design, frequently abbreviated as LX, is the study of and shaping of learning experiences, based on insights from different fields. LX combines science and design, blending neurology-based research on how the human brain learns with the design-based practices from industries like advertising, marketing, and user experience design. All of these pieces together to shape the new discipline of learning experience design, where students’ ability to learn and be well is evaluated based on all the factors that affect daily student life.
Learning Experience Design in Action at MSU’s HUB for Innovation in Learning and Technology
The HUB aims to be a resource to faculty at Michigan State University in a way that helps them shape the future of the institution by innovating learning experiences. Part of the work of the HUB is balancing between innovation and service — exploring new opportunities while still meeting institutional requirements. In this, the HUB serves as an intermediary between the university and those wanting to try something new. It functions as an internal consultant agency for those affiliated with MSU who want to consider the whole of the student experience. With that in mind, Hub employees focus on a variety of disciplines, one of which is learning experience design.
MSU’s Dr. Sarah Gretter calls this focus on improving learning the “north star” of every learning experience design project. Is this work making a difference to the students?, she asks. In order to fulfill this objective, learning experience design seeks out the student perspective whenever possible. “As a human-centered design practice,” Gretter says, “we try to embed those who are directly affected by how we design learning experiences (often, students) in the conversations we have about them at the institutional level”. This is what LXD professionals mean when they say their design is human-centered — the reactions of those affected by the project are the guiding force. Gretter says it is essential for learning experience designers to “stay curious about human beings…just think about the human beings behind the learning, behind the experience”.
Despite the relative infancy of LXD, the design approach already has a long list of success stories. Michigan State University’s French program went through a period of administrative transition a few years ago, and decided to consult learning experience design experts for assistance in adjusting the curriculum. After three design-focused conversations, the French department was able to have their Master’s and PhD programs approved by the university.
Another brainchild of the burgeoning LXD field has had an impact not only on MSU students but on the greater Michigan community. MSU’s iOS design lab (http://iosdesignlab.msu.edu/) was intended to bring together entrepreneurship, coding, and design, by facilitating partnerships between students and Apple. Not only has this program aided many MSU students in realizing their specific interests in their careers and studies, but it has also inspired the launch of the Apple Design Academy. Based in Detroit, the program is the first of its kind in the nation, and will provide the chance to work on real-world app development challenges.
Learning More About Learning Experience Design
Innovation can be as simple as having a conversation that has not happened before. To invent implies creating something completely new, while innovating is making changes to things that already exist. In education, innovation can range from new research on teaching and learning, to the improvement of educational technologies, or a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion in education. As learning experience design continues to evolve, students everywhere can look forward to learning, extracurricular, and living experiences that are holistically built.
These insights into learning experience design were shared by several HUB experts in a panel with Science Gallery Detroit to explain their transformative work in layman’s terms. A video recording of the discussion is accessible here. The website lxd.org, and the Online Learning Consortium are both good resources for learning more about LXD. Studying experience design in any capacity, especially instructional design, would be conducive to learning experience design. The HUB also has plans for its first book, Design For Change In Higher Education, to be published through John Hopkins University Press in February 2022. Online pre-orders will begin in fall 2021. Learn more about the Hub at https://hub.msu.edu/.
