A Learning Design Canvas - Take 1!
Business Model Generation
At work, I've been working through a very helpful book called Business Model Generation that walks you through the various components of a business model. The book is not your average, deadly-boring, text-and-chart heavy textbook; it's fun, funky and funk-tional! I really like the attention to visuals and design that they gave throughout the book (Anyone else a V-A-K?), including this great hand-drawn overview graphic of the 9 elements of a business model.
But I also like the more conventional table or "canvas" that they provide for recording the details of your own business model:
It really gives you a simple, one-page overview of the key components of your model, making analysis and communication much easier.
Which got me thinking.....
What if we did something similar for creating learning designs? So often, I've just written my designs in a prose format in the classic order from "WHO to HOW", but never on a simple chart. What would it look like if we had a Learning Design Canvas that would lay out the key elements or Jane Vella's "7 Steps of Design" on one page?
Much doodling ensued....
Here's a first draft:
A Learning Design Canvas: Take One
Now, it's only a first draft, but I think that it does illustrate the interconnections between the four design parameters:
Who (Participants - Learners, Facilitators & Sponsors),
Why (The Situation that Calls for the Learning,
Where (Location & Venue) and
When (Date and Time)
and how they literally frame the subsequent design decisions that I need to make about the:
What (Content),
What For (Achievement Based Objectives) and
How (Process, Topical Program or series of Learning Tasks).
It also illustrates the tight connections between:
The Who and the What: pick the right content for your learners
The Why and the What For: the ABOs need to support the overall purpose of the event
The When and Where to the How: since time and venue often limit the type of learning tasks that we can design
But I'm not sure how it will work when I actually start to fill in the details; it might be tricky to include enough detail and keep it to one page, unless I only include key terms or use a tiny font
It also doesn't leave much space for the remaining 3 design steps; something that I'll consider adding in the another draft.
But what do you think? Do you have any learning design templates that you use? Your How About's are always welcomed!
Dwayne
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