- Home
- Services
- Social Impact & Public Good
- Education & Learning Design
Education & Learning Design
Effective learning design measures success by what learners do afterward, not by completion rates. We draw on adult learning, behavioral science and years of university teaching to build programs that change practice in classrooms, clinics and workplaces.
The problem behind the problem.
Organizations invest heavily in education and training, yet much of it fails to change behavior. Continuing education courses are completed for credit and forgotten. Professional development days leave teachers inspired on Friday and back to old routines on Monday. Online modules produce completion certificates without new practice. The underlying issue is that many programs are designed to transfer information, while the real goal is a change in what people do under real conditions, with competing demands and limited time.
We have taught behavioral design, user testing, human-computer interaction and data visualization at a design institute, and we bring both classroom experience and behavioral science to learning design. Adult learners need relevance, autonomy and the chance to apply new skills to their own problems. Habits change through practice, feedback and prompts in context. Learning design that respects these principles, and that is evaluated by changes in practice, produces programs that matter to learners and to the people they serve.
How we deliver education & learning design.
- 01Observe
Understand learners at work
We interview and observe learners in their real settings, whether classrooms, clinics or offices, to understand what they need to do differently and what makes it hard. We also speak with supervisors, students or patients who are affected by that practice, since they help define what better performance looks like.
- 02Signal
Define target behaviors
We review existing learning data, assessments and performance indicators, and work with stakeholders to specify the target behaviors a program should change. Each behavior gets an observable definition and a way to measure it. This step often shows that existing programs teach knowledge that is not the real barrier to performance.
- 03Design
Build for application
We design curricula, activities and materials using adult learning principles: problem-centered content, active practice, spaced retrieval, peer learning and feedback. We build in prompts and supports that carry learning into daily work, such as job aids, follow-up challenges and coaching conversations, so new skills have a chance to become habits.
- 04Test
Pilot and evaluate
We pilot programs with a representative group of learners, testing usability, engagement and early application. Evaluation design looks beyond satisfaction surveys to measure learning, application and, where possible, effects on outcomes. Findings drive revisions before broader rollout, so the full launch reflects what learners actually need.
- 05Scale
Equip educators to sustain it
We prepare facilitators, faculty and instructional teams to deliver and adapt the program, with facilitator guides, measurement tools and a review cycle. We coach program leaders to use evaluation evidence in ongoing decisions, so programs improve over time instead of being repeated unchanged year after year.
Deliverables.
What changes.
Who engages us.
We work with school district leaders, curriculum and professional development directors, university faculty and deans, academic medicine educators, continuing education teams at associations, and learning and development leaders in organizations. Common triggers include a new curriculum or credential, professional development that is not changing practice, a move to online or blended learning, accreditation requirements, and new programs addressing topics like behavioral health or AI literacy.
Industries
Beyond the balance sheet.
Learning that changes practice has effects far beyond the classroom. When teachers adopt better instructional practices, students learn more. When clinicians apply new evidence, patients receive better care. When adults gain skills that matter, their careers and families benefit. We design for accessibility and for learners with different backgrounds, time constraints and prior experience, because equitable learning design is part of social good, not an afterthought.
Frequently asked questions.
What is behavior-focused learning design?
It starts by defining what learners should do differently and designs everything around enabling and sustaining that behavior. Content is chosen for relevance, practice and feedback are central, and supports extend into the workplace or classroom. Evaluation measures application, not only knowledge or satisfaction. This approach treats a course as the beginning of a change in practice rather than the end of a requirement.
What are adult learning principles?
Adults learn best when content is relevant to their current problems, when they have autonomy in how they engage, when they can draw on their experience and when they can apply new skills immediately. These principles, along with spaced practice and retrieval, guide how we structure programs for professionals. Ignoring them is one of the most common reasons professional learning fails to change practice.
Do you design K-12 student curricula?
Our education work focuses mostly on educators, school leaders, district initiatives and family engagement, as well as higher education and professional learning. We collaborate with curriculum specialists when student-facing materials are needed, contributing behavioral science, research and evaluation design to their content expertise. For districts, we also support family engagement and communication efforts that help students attend, participate and succeed.
How do you evaluate whether learning worked?
We design evaluation at the start, measuring reactions, learning, application and, where feasible, outcomes. Methods include pre and post assessments, observation, self and supervisor reports, follow-up surveys and performance data. Comparison groups strengthen conclusions when they can be arranged ethically and practically. Findings are reported in plain language so educators can act on them in the next cycle.
Often paired with.
Behavioral Science Workshops & Training
Practical workshops that teach teams to apply behavioral design, user testing, measurement and ethical persuasion to their own real challenges.
ExploreImpact Measurement & Evaluation
Measure whether programs are changing behavior and outcomes, with logic models, behavioral indicators and evaluation designs suited to real-world constraints.
ExploreResearch Translation & Knowledge Dissemination
Make scientific knowledge accessible and usable for clinicians, educators, policymakers and the public, through tested knowledge translation and dissemination strategies.
ExploreRelated insights.
Closing the Research-to-Practice Gap
Why good evidence so often fails to change real-world practice, and how knowledge translation, behavioral design and implementation science can close the research-to-practice gap.
Read
Habit Formation for Products and Organizations
How habits form, why they matter for products and organizations, and how to design cues, routines and contexts that help valuable behaviors persist over time.
ReadReady to talk about education & learning design?
Every engagement begins with a conversation. Tell us what you are facing and we will tell you, candidly, how we would approach it.
Start a conversation