Designing Engaging, Future-Ready Learning Experiences with TLI

On October 28, the Teaching & Learning Innovations team — Tom Esson, Chantal Hutchinson, and Ben Halsall — joined Continuing Studies and Corporate Training to share evolving practices for online and hybrid learning. We focused on how thoughtful design and emerging tools can help us build courses that are engaging today and flexible enough to adapt to tomorrow.

Where Course Design Is Heading

As learning environments evolve, programs benefit from clearer structure, stronger accessibility, and intentional alignment. Approaches like Backward Design and ADDIE help us plan for future success:

• Clarity and alignment support both current and future learners
• Modular design simplifies long-term updating and delivery
• Accessible and consistent navigation improves student confidence

Keeping Students in the Learning Environment

A key theme from our discussion was the importance of designing courses so that students can stay focused on learning — not on navigating multiple tools or platforms. When course content is built directly inside the LMS, students don’t need to jump between apps, manage new logins, or learn unfamiliar interfaces. This reduces cognitive load and helps keep attention on what matters most: engaging with the course material.

• Improve accessibility for learners using assistive technology
• Reduce frustration caused by external accounts and compatibility issues
• Minimize distractions that interrupt the learning flow
• Support mobile and low-bandwidth users more effectively
• Create consistency across programs and terms

Designing “in one place” not only improves the student experience — it also makes courses easier to update, maintain, and future-proof as technologies continue to evolve.

Understanding ADDIE

One of the most widely used models in instructional design is ADDIE — a structured approach that supports thoughtful planning and continuous improvement. Each phase ensures courses are created with clear purpose and adapted over time to meet learner needs:

• Analyze – Understand the learners, their goals, and the learning context
• Design – Plan outcomes, assessments, and the learning experience structure
• Develop – Create materials, media, and course activities
• Implement – Deliver and support learning in the environment
• Evaluate – Gather feedback to refine and continually improve the course

ADDIE keeps courses aligned, intentional, and responsive — helping us build learning experiences that grow stronger over time.

Tools to Build for Tomorrow

• Camtasia — reusable, polished screen-based learning with AI assistance
• Vibe Coding — future-proofing content layout directly within the LMS
• FlipBuilder — interactive digital resources adaptable across delivery modes

These tools help us keep students in a cohesive, accessible environment — no distractions, no barriers, just learning.

Looking Ahead: Is It Time for a Refresh?

Courses naturally evolve over time — and sometimes that means navigation becomes cluttered or content becomes outdated. With OC’s ongoing digital transformation, now is the ideal moment to plan improvements that will benefit learners this year and beyond.

If you're preparing a new course or refreshing an existing one, TLI can help make it future-ready.

Thinking ahead about course updates? Invite us into the conversation — we’re excited to support what comes next for teaching and learning at OC.