Think about the most engaging teacher you’ve ever had. Chances are, they didn’t just deliver information or lecture at you. They told stories, made connections, and made the learning feel personal—for themselves and for you. That special spark isn’t limited to classrooms. It’s something we can bring into every learning experience, including digital ones.
Last week, we talked about implementing microcredentials with a focus on the end-to-end learner experience, from awareness and registration through to learning, assessment, and completion. This week, we’re looking at a very narrow focus, the actual learning itself. Specifically, how do we create learning experiences that really stick?
You need content that’s relevant and accurate—but that’s not enough. To truly engage and motivate learners, you have to start with them in mind. Who are you creating this for? What’s their story? What matters to them? Why would they find this interesting?
There are so many ways to approach this. Maybe you ask: What’s the big question I’m answering? Or is there a story that makes the importance of this topic come alive? Too often, learning design gets bogged down in being content-driven, assuming learners need to know everything. It treats them like empty vessels waiting to be filled. But we know learners bring a wealth of knowledge and varied experiences with them.
One of the most powerful ways to break free from content-heavy, one-size-fits-all learning is to rethink how we design the experience. Three approaches that can transform learning design are storytelling, curation, and personalisation. Storytelling draws learners in, making concepts more memorable and relatable. Curation helps cut through the noise, offering the most relevant and high-quality content. And personalisation ensures that learning meets people where they are, adapting to their needs and goals.
Let’s take a closer look at how these strategies can shape more engaging and effective learning experiences.
Storytelling
Years ago, I was working on an online learning project back when digital learning was in it’s infancy —think “point and click” page turners. We were designing a module about giving constructive feedback to employees, and we wanted to create something different, something that let people explore content in a non linear way..
We built a branching narrative where every choice learners made had immediate feedback. There wasn’t a “right” or “wrong” way to proceed, just different responses with different impacts and we worked hard to make all the responses plausible. Learners could see the immediate effects of their decisions, go back, try again, and experiment with other options.
What we found was that learners were fully engaged. They were working their way through the module and exploring all the different options. They were curious to see what would happen if they tried something different.
It wasn’t just about clever design; it was about the power of storytelling. Stories have a way of helping us make sense of complex ideas and ambiguous situations. They’re not just entertaining—they make learning meaningful.
If you’re doubting how much impact a short story can have, think about your favourite TV ad or watch the international advertising awards. In just 60 seconds, a good ad can make you laugh, cry, or think. That’s the power of storytelling: turning abstract concepts into something tangible and memorable.
Play: the tool we used was called Twine, it’s an open source story telling tool that’s still around today.
Curation
We often start by creating our own content, but let’s face it: for almost every topic, someone out there has already done something brilliant. There are so many amazing learning resources right at our fingertips. Our job as learning designers isn’t just to create—it’s also to curate, contextualise, and bring together the best resources to tell a cohesive story.
Think of it like a museum exhibition. Curators don’t create the artwork themselves, but they present works that build on a theme, offer fresh perspectives, and illuminate ideas and provide engaging and immersive experiences.
I once worked on a project where we were curating resources for a humanitarian assistance microcredential. Initially, we embedded all the resources into PDFs for easy access. But then we hit a wall—licensing and copyright issues. Authors were happy for us to link to their work, but republishing or repurposing required payment, which wasn’t in the budget.
So, we flipped our approach. Instead of repackaging the resources, we linked directly to their original locations. The result? Learners gained access to a curated, contextualised collection of expert voices and perspectives, and it was a much richer experience, and also much easier to enhance and update the course by adding new links.
Personalisation
Personalised learning is all about meeting learners where they are—their strengths, needs, interests, and existing knowledge. It’s about creating content that can adapt to different people.
For example, I’ve seen learning modules with layers—starting with foundational knowledge and offering deeper dives or additional resources for those who want to explore further. This way, learners can access content in a way that works best for them.
But the real game-changer in personalisation is going to be AI. AI tools can now adapt tone, examples, and difficulty levels to each learner’s needs. It’s like having a personal tutor for every lesson. AI can even provide immediate feedback and adjust pathways in real time, ensuring learners stay challenged but not overwhelmed.
In the past, personalisation was harder because content was static. But with AI, we’re opening up a world of possibilities to truly meet learners where they are. I’m really excited to see how this evolves - have a look at some of the work that Kathryn McGilvray does if you’d like to explore further.
Play: The Gunning fog index analyses text and gives you a readability score, drop a piece of complex writing into an AI tool and ask it to rewrite for different Gunning fog levels, the changes made are really fascinating, and quick. I used Chat GPT and a few paragraphs of Federal policy to experiment with.
Final Thoughts
Over the years I've come to see that designing engaging learning is more like gardening than construction. You can’t just build it once and expect it to thrive—it takes ongoing care, pruning, and sometimes even ripping things out and starting fresh.
One of the biggest lessons? Listen to your learners. Their needs and feedback should shape the content, not the other way around.
And choice matters. Some people love a video, others prefer to read or listen. Giving learners options isn’t just a nice extra—it makes the experience work for them.
Finally, don’t get distracted by shiny new tools. Technology is fantastic, but it should enhance human connection and engagement—not replace it. Fancy tools are only worthwhile if they genuinely serve a purpose.
Stories, curation, and personalisation—these are some of your secret weapons for creating learning that resonates and sticks.
I’d love to hear from you. What are some examples of engaging learning you’ve seen? What content made you want to keep watching, listening, or participating? What principles were used to create the learning? Share your thoughts in the discussion below.
Don’t forget to download the Storytelling Guide. I hope the ideas spark your creativity and help you create learning that truly connects.
Next week, I’ll be exploring the world of lifelong learners and how they shape curriculum and course design—including microcredentials. I’ll also share a Learner Persona Template to help you design with their needs in mind. Stay tuned!
Absolutely Wendy, you make me laugh - who hasn't expired under the weight of a report heavy on metrics/ dashboards and light on narrative flow. I think narrative in this broader sense is a vital mechanism to connect learners across professions and disciplines and a key to successfully skilling up in new fields because it carries context and meaning.
Hi Wendy thanks for your insights. I remember doing a free online course about IVF in which many learners shared their personal stories of going down the IVF path or attempting to. Their experiences were informative and very moving, causing me to think more broadly and deeply about IVF and parenting.
Storytelling can indeed be a powerful learning tool but what about where the fit is less obvious? A powerfully logical thinker may consider it irrelevant to their learning or when designing a course. I wonder if a problem-based focus is more helpful for some course design? Alternatively, perhaps reframing storytelling could add traction eg scientific method as a powerful narrative?