My Experience as a Learning Experience Designer for an Interview

1.What led you to become an LXD and ID?
A Learning Experience Designer is a person who helps to create fun and interesting ways for you to learn new things. They might create videos, games, or other activities that make learning more engaging and memorable. Their goal is to help you enjoy learning and remember what you’ve learned.
An Instructional Designer is a person who helps to create educational materials that are easy to understand and remember. They might create workbooks, quizzes, or other materials that help you learn step-by-step. Their goal is to make sure you understand and remember what you’ve learned, so you can use it later on.

2.What experience do you have in developing educational materials and resources?
In fact, many teachers have become Learning Experience Designers (LXDs) and Instructional Designers (IDs) in order to create effective educational materials and resources for their students.
As a teacher, you already have a lot of experience in designing and delivering lessons that engage students and help them learn. By developing your skills in LX and ID, you can take your teaching to the next level by creating more engaging and effective learning experiences for your students.
As an LXD or ID, you can create a wide range of educational materials and resources, such as videos, interactive multimedia presentations, quizzes, and assessments. By using your knowledge of instructional design principles, you can create learning experiences that are tailored to your students’ needs and help them achieve their learning objectives.
So, if you’re a teacher who’s passionate about creating effective learning experiences for your students, becoming an LXD or ID can be a great way to do that!

3.How do you collaborate with subject matter experts to ensure the accuracy and effectiveness of instructional materials?
👥🗣️ Establish clear communication: The first step in collaborating with SMEs is to establish clear lines of communication. IDs should explain their role and responsibilities, as well as the purpose and goals of the instructional materials. SMEs should be informed of what is expected of them, such as providing accurate and relevant information.

📝🎯 Define the learning objectives: IDs should work with SMEs to identify the learning objectives and goals for the instructional materials. This will help ensure that the materials are relevant and effective in helping learners achieve their goals.

🕵️‍♀️👥 Conduct a needs analysis: IDs should conduct a needs analysis to identify the specific needs and requirements of the learners. SMEs can provide valuable insights into the target audience, their learning styles, and any specific challenges they may face.

📝👀 Review and validate content: SMEs should review and validate the content of the instructional materials to ensure accuracy and completeness. IDs should work with SMEs to identify any gaps or inaccuracies in the content, and make the necessary revisions.

🧑‍🏫🧒 Pilot test the materials: IDs and SMEs should work together to pilot test the instructional materials with a small group of learners. This will help identify any issues or challenges with the materials, and allow for revisions to be made before the materials are rolled out to a larger audience.

By following these guidelines, IDs and SMEs can work together effectively to create instructional materials that are accurate, effective, and relevant to the needs of the learners.

4.What do you think is the most important skill for an instructional designer to have?
Let’s say an instructional designer is working on developing a lesson plan for teaching fractions to 4th-grade students. In order to design an effective lesson, the instructional designer would need to use critical thinking and problem-solving skills to identify the key learning objectives and develop strategies to help students achieve those objectives.

First, the instructional designer would need to analyze the curriculum standards for 4th-grade math and identify the specific learning objectives related to fractions. For example, the learning objectives might include:

Understand that fractions represent equal parts of a whole
Identify and write fractions in various forms (e.g. 1/2, 2/4, 3/6)
Compare and order fractions with like denominators

Once the learning objectives have been identified, the instructional designer would need to develop strategies and activities to help students achieve those objectives. For example, the designer might create a hands-on activity where students use fraction manipulatives (such as fraction bars or circles) to understand the concept of equal parts of a whole. They might also create practice exercises where students have to identify and write fractions in various forms, and compare and order fractions with like denominators.

Throughout the design process, the instructional designer would need to continually evaluate and revise their lesson plan to ensure that it is effective and engaging for students. For example, they might pilot test the lesson with a small group of students and use feedback from the pilot test to make improvements to the lesson.

So, in summary, the most important skill for an instructional designer working in the K-12 segment is critical thinking and problem-solving. They need to be able to analyze curriculum standards, identify learning objectives, and develop effective instructional strategies to help students achieve those objectives.

5.How do you go about analyzing the learning needs of young children?
Analyzing the learning needs of young children means figuring out what they need to learn and how best to teach them. It’s like figuring out what tools you need to build a house and how to use them. Here’s an example to help you understand:

Let’s say you’re an instructional designer who wants to create a lesson plan about animals for a group of second-grade students. You might start by looking at what the students are supposed to learn according to the school curriculum. In this case, the curriculum says that second-graders should learn about different types of animals, their habitats, and what they eat.

Next, you might observe the students to see how they interact with different types of learning materials. Maybe you notice that they really enjoy hands-on activities like making animal dioramas or doing science experiments with animal habitats.

You might also talk to the students’ teacher and ask for feedback about what topics the students are most interested in and what they find challenging. The teacher might tell you that the students are really curious about animals that live in the ocean, but that they have a hard time remembering the differences between different types of animals.

Finally, you might consult with experts in child development and education to learn more about how young children learn and what teaching strategies are most effective. They might suggest using visual aids like pictures and videos to help the students remember the different types of animals, or incorporating more hands-on activities to keep them engaged.

Based on this information, you might design a lesson plan that includes hands-on activities like building dioramas, videos and pictures of different animals and their habitats, and interactive quizzes to help students remember what they’ve learned. By analyzing the learning needs of young children in this way, instructional designers can create educational materials that are engaging, effective, and tailored to the specific needs and interests of young learners.

6.How do you incorporate feedback from users and stakeholders into your design process?
👀 Identify the feedback you need: Determine the specific aspects of your design that you need feedback on. This could include anything from usability to aesthetics to functionality.

🔍 Choose your feedback channels: Decide on the channels you will use to gather feedback. These could include surveys 📝, interviews 🗣️, focus groups 👥, or user testing 🧑‍🔬.

📝 Create a feedback plan: Develop a plan for how you will gather feedback, who will be involved, and what questions you will ask. Make sure you have a clear understanding of what you hope to gain from the feedback.

📊 Gather feedback: Use your chosen channels to collect feedback from users and stakeholders. Make sure to keep track of all the feedback you receive.

🕵️‍♀️ Analyze the feedback: Once you have collected feedback, analyze it to identify patterns and common themes. Look for areas where users and stakeholders have identified problems or areas for improvement.

🛠️ Make changes: Use the feedback you have gathered to make changes to your design. Make sure you are addressing the most important issues identified by users and stakeholders.

🔬 Test again: Once you have made changes to your design, test it again with users and stakeholders to see if the changes have improved the design. Repeat this process until you have a design that meets the needs of your users and stakeholders.

🤗 Remember, the key to incorporating feedback into your design process is to be open to criticism, willing to make changes, and to view feedback as an opportunity to improve your design.

7.How do you ensure that your instructional materials are accessible to all learners, including those with disabilities or language barriers?
📝 First, when creating instructional materials, use clear and concise language that is easy to understand for all learners, including those with language barriers.

🌎 Use universal design principles, such as providing multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement. For example, provide visual aids, such as images and videos, to supplement written instructions, and provide opportunities for students to engage with the material in multiple ways.

🔍 Use assistive technologies, such as screen readers, closed captions, and alt text for images, to ensure that learners with disabilities can access the material.

🧑‍🦽 Conduct usability testing with learners with disabilities to ensure that the instructional materials are accessible and meet their needs.

👩‍💻 Ensure that the instructional materials are available in multiple formats, such as HTML, PDF, and EPUB, to allow learners to access the material in the format that works best for them.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Finally, consider cultural differences when creating instructional materials. Be mindful of learners who may come from different cultural backgrounds and ensure that the instructional materials are inclusive and respectful of all cultures.

By following these steps, you can ensure that your instructional materials are accessible to all learners, including those with disabilities or language barriers.

8.What is your approach to developing engaging and effective game mechanics for educational games?
Developing game mechanics for educational games can be a lot of fun! 🎮👨‍🏫

First, I think about what the learning goals are for the game. 🤔 For example, if we want to teach math, we might want to create a game that involves solving math problems.

Then, I brainstorm different game mechanics that could be used to teach the concept. 🧠 This could include things like puzzles, quizzes, or challenges that involve using math skills.

Once I have some ideas for game mechanics, I start to design the game itself. 🎨 This involves thinking about how the mechanics will work together to create an engaging and effective learning experience.

As I design the game, I test it with a group of users to see if it’s engaging and effective at teaching the concept. 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 If not, I make changes to the mechanics or design until it is.

Finally, I release the game and continue to collect feedback from users to make further improvements. 👍

So, in summary, I think about what needs to be taught, come up with different ways to teach it, put those ways together into a game, test it, and keep improving it! 🤗

9.What role do learning objectives play in your design process?
Learning objectives are like a map that helps guide the design process of educational games! 🗺️🎮👨‍🏫

They are the goals that we want our players to achieve by playing the game. 🎯 For example, if we want to teach history, our learning objective might be for players to learn about a specific historical event.

By having clear learning objectives, we can design game mechanics and activities that will help players achieve those goals. 🧠 For example, we might create a mini-game within our history game where players have to answer questions about the historical event we want them to learn about.

Learning objectives also help us measure whether our game is effective at teaching what we want it to. 📊 We can test whether players are meeting our learning objectives and adjust the game accordingly.

So, in summary, learning objectives help us design games that teach specific things, guide us in creating game mechanics and activities, and help us measure whether our game is effective at teaching what we want it to. 🤗

10.How do you balance the need for evidence-based design with the need for creativity and innovation?
Designing educational games is like cooking a delicious meal! 🍴

Just like cooking, designing a game requires us to find a balance between following a recipe (evidence-based design) and being creative with our ingredients (innovation). 🧑‍🍳

On one hand, evidence-based design means that we use what we know works to create a game that is effective at teaching something specific. 🧐 This is like following a recipe, where we use ingredients that we know will work well together to create a delicious meal.

On the other hand, creativity and innovation means we come up with new ideas and ways of doing things. 🤔 This is like adding our own twist to a recipe, or even creating a new recipe altogether!

To balance the two, we can use evidence-based design to create a strong foundation, and then use our creativity to add new and interesting ideas on top of it. 🎨

For example, we might use evidence-based design to create a game that teaches math through solving problems, and then add our own creative twist by making it an adventure game where players explore a fantasy world and solve puzzles to progress.

So, in summary, evidence-based design gives us a strong foundation to build on, while creativity and innovation allows us to add our own twist and create something new and exciting! 🤗