5 Insights from Dr. Philippa Hardman on How AI will Disrupt & Transform Learning Design

As learning professionals, we've all grappled with the challenges of creating impactful learning experiences at scale. But what if we could revolutionize how we design learning by harnessing the power of AI and learning science?

Enter Dr. Philippa Hardman, a trailblazing learning designer on a mission to transform the industry.

With a background in higher education and a PhD from Sheffield University exploring the impact of emerging technologies on teaching and learning, she has spent more than two decades at the forefront of learning science and pedagogy. Currently an affiliated scholar at Cambridge and the founder of the DOMS™️ AI learning design process, Dr. Hardman is spearheading research on AI-powered learning design that has garnered attention from leading organizations seeking to revolutionize their approach to training and development.

In the latest episode of Learning Unbound, Dr. Hardman offers her thoughts on the future of learning design. She explores the transformative potential of AI and learning science to create more engaging, effective learning experiences faster. From the practical challenges of the current learning design landscape to the philosophical shifts needed to harness AI's full potential, Dr. Hardman paints a compelling picture of a field on the brink of significant change.

If you're an L&D leader eager to stay ahead of the curve and unleash the full potential of learning in your organization, you won't want to miss this compelling conversation. Catch the full episode here:

For now, let's dive into 5 of my favorite insights from my conversation with Dr. Philippa Hardman.

• Use AI to supercharge the speed and quality of learning design (22:53)
• Solve for intrinsic motivation (09:31)
• Look across disciplines to design and deliver great learning (14:13)
• Shift focus from content to experience (42:34)
• Be the bearer of high standards in AI-powered learning design (37:35)

1. Use AI to Supercharge the Speed and Quality of Learning Design

Dr. Hardman shares early benefits she is seeing by applying AI in learning design:

"The hypothesis is that by using AI, we can make learning faster and higher quality across the board. We've been researching this with a number of pilot partners. Large corporates are our first focus because this is where we're finding the most pain and appetite for the process to be faster and the impact on outcomes to be better."

Currently, creating a single training program can take up to nine months and cost half a million dollars. This sluggish pace means that by the time a course is ready, it's often already outdated. AI promises to slash these timelines dramatically, potentially reducing months of work to days or even hours, while simultaneously elevating the quality of the final product.

2. Solve for Intrinsic Motivation

Dr. Hardman uncovers a critical yet often neglected principle of effective learning:

"Fundamentally, there are two things that we need to do. We need to design the right thing, but we also need to motivate our learners to want to do it. One thing we know very clearly, and it's an area that we're just not able to focus on enough and do well enough at, is this concept of intrinsic motivation. The carrot, not the stick. What's in it for me?"

While frequently overlooked, intrinsic motivation may be the most essential ingredient in transformative learning. By harnessing AI to deeply understand learners and design experiences that spark genuine drive, designers can unlock the holy grail of learner engagement and impact.

3. Look Across Disciplines to Design and Deliver Great Learning

Dr. Hardman emphasizes the diverse skill set required in modern learning design:

"A learning designer is a bit like a Swiss army knife. We have eight different jobs. We are project managers. We have to do budgeting. Communications. Stakeholder management. Change management. How to create great materials online. And then amidst all of that, we have to also be pedagogues. We have to also understand how humans learn."

The key is to use best practices from relevant disciplines to elevate your outputs. For instance, Dr. Hardman leans on insights from product management to design for the learners’ pains and aspirations, and then on insights from marketing to craft compelling narratives that help the learners see what’s in it for them .

4. Shift Focus from Content to Experience

Dr. Hardman challenges the obsession around creating more and more content:

"The way that I always put it with my students is: Serve content as a side dish. Think: What's the thing that the learner is going to do in order to demonstrate the knowledge and skills you want them to develop, and then think about what content is required to help them get there."

When you prioritize experience over content, it makes you think harder about how to help learners actively practice, integrate, and apply their knowledge and skills. It makes you build around the core principles of adult learning that ultimately lead to both higher learner engagement and outcomes.

5. Be the Bearer of High Standards in AI-Powered Learning

As we move towards an AI-powered future in learning design, Dr. Hardman reminds us of a crucial truth:

"In the kind of post-AI world where we're working increasingly with AI, human expertise will become the currency. Learning designers will probably find very specific niches where they will become the expert, where they will know how to prompt, guide, and validate what AI produces alongside them."

There's a risk of using AI to efficiently produce ineffective learning experiences. Learning designers need to bring their understanding of what great learning looks like, as AI doesn't inherently possess this knowledge. Our role will evolve into that of a conductor, orchestrating AI's capabilities to create truly impactful learning experiences, ensuring that efficiency doesn't come at the cost of effectiveness.

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