Education Posts
Reflections and strategies related to teaching and learning across educational settings and modalities.
Feb. 15, 2026
Designing Learning, Not Just E‑Learning with Connie Malamed
Breaking into instructional design can feel like standing at the edge of a maze made of tools, terms, and templates, but the path clears when you start with a simple truth: design for how people learn, not for what software can do. That framing sits…
Feb. 8, 2026
From Haiti to Edge AI: Building Privacy-First Learning Tools with Sebastien Fenelon
Education changes when resilience meets practical technology, and that is the thread running through this conversation with founder and technologist Sebastien Fenelon. He grew up in Haiti, where electricity and internet access were scarce, yet carve…
Feb. 4, 2026
Beyond The Basics: A Practical Blueprint for Microlearning
Microlearning works best when it is small on purpose and built for a single job moment, not a shrunken course. The heart of the approach is clarity: define one moment where a performer needs help, name one move they should make next, and choose one …
Feb. 1, 2026
Alpha Minds, Real Tools with Queen Michele
The conversation with Queen Michele begins with a simple truth many educators feel but rarely name: survival can quietly replace purpose. She describes retiring after 27 years in classrooms and admin, then facing a pension that covered rent but not …
Jan. 28, 2026
Gamification Strategies to Improve Learner Engagement
Many teams rush to add points and badges to their training, only to discover that nothing important changes. The reason is simple: mechanics cannot save muddled outcomes. To design gamified learning that actually works, start with a sharp performanc…
Jan. 25, 2026
People First, Tools Second with James Gilchrist
Compassionate, human-centered learning design sounds soft until you see what it does to performance. When projects stall, it is rarely because the storyboard was weak or the platform missed a feature; it is because the learning was dropped into an e…
Jan. 21, 2026
Mobile Learning Design: How to Create Courses for Any Device
Mobile learning succeeds when content meets the realities of time, attention, and context. The core shift is designing for mobile moments rather than shrinking desktop modules. These are the brief windows in a day—on a bus, in a hallway, betwe…
Jan. 18, 2026
Rediscovering Creativity: A Conversation with Patrick Williams
In a world increasingly dominated by technology and rigid systems, many of us feel disconnected from our innate creative abilities. The latest episode of the Designing with Love podcast features creativity expert Patrick Williams, who shares profoun…
Jan. 14, 2026
Stay Ahead: The Learning Designer’s Playbook
Staying current in learning and development without burning out is a real challenge. The pace of tools, frameworks, and workplace change is relentless, yet the demand for measurable results only grows. This episode focuses on a practical playbook th…
Jan. 7, 2026
Top Emerging Technologies Shaping Instructional Design
Emerging technology promises a faster, safer path to real skill, but only when we pair it with clear outcomes, tiny pilots, and simple metrics. In this episode, we explored five areas shaping modern learning design: spatial computing, generative AI …
Jan. 4, 2026
Rewiring Dyslexic Brains: The Writing-First Approach with Russell Van Brocklen
In a fascinating continuation of the Designing with Love podcast series on dyslexia, host Jackie Pelegrin welcomed back Russell Van Brocklen, a New York State Senate-funded dyslexia researcher, to delve deeper into practical strategies for helping y…
Dec. 31, 2025
How to Use Data to Improve Instructional Design
Data-driven design gets thrown around a lot, yet many teams still chase vanity metrics or implement sweeping redesigns that create risk without results. The heart of effective instructional design is clarity: define what success looks like in learne…
Dec. 28, 2025
Reflecting on Growth: Highlights from the Designing with Love Podcast and What’s Next for 2026
As we close out another year, it’s essential to reflect on our achievements and set our sights on the future. In this special bonus episode of the Designing with Love podcast, host Jackie Pelegrin takes us through an insightful overview of 202…
Dec. 24, 2025
Feedback Without Fear
Great learning products rarely come from a lone genius; they come from steady loops of clear, respectful feedback that aim at outcomes. When we treat reviews as collaboration instead of confrontation, teams move faster and learners benefit sooner. T…
Dec. 21, 2025
Beyond the LMS: Karen Nix's Instructional Design Journey
Karen Nix's journey into instructional design showcases the diverse pathways professionals take into this dynamic field. Starting with a journalism background, Karen found herself drawn to learning and development through an unexpected administrativ…
Dec. 17, 2025
Scope Creep Survival Guide
Projects rarely fail all at once; they slip one small “yes” at a time. That pattern is the heart of scope creep—expanded requirements that outgrow the original plan and drain time, budget, and focus. For instructional designers, it…
Dec. 14, 2025
Performance Beyond Training with Dr. Norina Columbaro
The recent episode of the Designing with Love podcast featuring Dr. Norina Columbaro offers a compelling exploration of modern instructional design practices that focus on performance rather than just creating training materials. As an instructional…
Dec. 10, 2025
The SME Connection: Your Roadmap to Success
Strong learning starts with strong partnerships, and the most important partnership in corporate training is the one between instructional designers and subject matter experts. When that relationship is grounded in clarity, respect, and a shared des…
Dec. 3, 2025
The Secret Sauce of Learning Experience Design
Learning experience design often gets framed as a matter of software choices, templates, and timelines, but the work that truly moves learners' lives at a deeper level. The through-line of effective design is not a tool—it’s a point of v…
Nov. 30, 2025
Guerrilla Scholarship: Breaking Academic Boundaries with Dr. Sheldon Greaves
In a captivating episode of the Designing with Love podcast, host Jackie Pelegrin welcomed Dr. Sheldon Greaves, an author and educator with a fascinating background. What unfolded was an illuminating conversation about unconventional approaches to l…
Nov. 26, 2025
Click, Swipe, Learn: Crafting Interactive Content That Works
Great learning design starts with intent, not with widgets. Before adding a single hotspot or video, define what learners should be able to do. Clear, measurable objectives anchor every interactive element to a purpose that matters on the job. Use a…
Nov. 23, 2025
Tech That Works For You, Not Against You with Michael Toguchi
In today's rapidly evolving educational landscape, technology plays a pivotal role in determining institutional success. The recent episode of the Designing with Love podcast featuring Michael Toguchi, Chief Strategy Officer at Orchestrate, del…
Nov. 16, 2025
From Structure to Freedom: Balancing Creative Flow in Design with Peter Swimm
In a recent episode of the Designing with Love podcast, host Jackie Pelegrin welcomed Peter Swimm, a project management consultant at Toilville, to discuss the delicate balance between structure and creativity in design processes. Peter shared his u…
Nov. 12, 2025
From Theory to Practice: Bringing Learning Theories to Life in Instructional Design
As instructional designers, we often encounter various learning theories during our education and professional development. However, understanding these theories conceptually and applying them effectively to our design projects are two different cha…