I think that I picked up this book after seeing Colin Beard speaking about learning experience design on LinkedIn. I’m not particularly familiar with his work, but I do know that he’s something of a divisive figure amongst the learning designers that I’ve spoken with. And, to be fair, I get it. Leanring Experience Design is a tough read – at least at the start. In this book, Colin unpacks his ideas about what constitutes LED, and he maps it against a framework that is comprehensive. A couple of things really surprised me about the book.
The first is that, while the term learning experience design has been around a while (and is sometimes used interchangeably with learning or even instructional design), Beard is the first one to really pay attention to the experience in the design process. In doing so, I think that he rejects the essentialism that seems to be infecting education – and especially school education -at the moment, where there is a single-minded focus on cognitivism. Beard (to be fair, in a similar way to many other academics) recognises the validity and utility of cognitivism, but also argues (convincingly) that there is more to learning than simply what occurs in our minds – and the experience of something can contribute to that.
And here’s the AI review:
Colin Beard’s Learning Experience Design: How to Create Effective Learning that Works offers a timely and comprehensive exploration of the evolving field of learning design, placing the learner’s experience at the center of educational development. Drawing on decades of research and practical application, Beard presents a compelling case for rethinking traditional instructional models and embracing a more holistic, sensory-rich, and experiential approach to designing learning environments.
The book is grounded in experiential learning theory but extends well beyond it, providing readers with a robust toolkit for designing learning that is engaging, impactful, and adaptable across diverse settings. Beard introduces key frameworks, such as the Learning Combination Lock and the Six Modes of Experience, which help educators and designers understand and harness the cognitive, emotional, and physical dimensions of learning. His emphasis on authenticity, context, and embodiment challenges conventional approaches and encourages practitioners to consider learning as a multisensory and socially situated process.
What distinguishes this book is its balance between theory and application. Beard offers numerous practical strategies, design principles, and reflective questions that readers can use to assess and enhance their own practice. Whether designing a corporate training program, a university course, or an informal learning experience, the book provides insights that are both actionable and thought-provoking.
Learning Experience Design is particularly relevant in a post-pandemic world where digital, hybrid, and place-based learning continue to converge. Beard’s work speaks to the need for more meaningful and human-centered design in education and training, making this book an essential read for educators, instructional designers, and learning professionals seeking to innovate with purpose.