--- title: "Class summary: Designing E-Learning Experiences for Adults" description: Summary of the instructional design master's degree class Designing E-Learning Experiences for Adults --- [Jen Bergren Blog](https://www.jenbergren.com/blog) # [Class summary: Designing E-Learning Experiences for Adults](https://www.jenbergren.com/blog/class-summary-designing-e-learning-experiences-for-adults) Written by [Jen Bergren](https://www.jenbergren.com/blog/author/jen-bergren) | Oct 17, 2026, 12:09:09 AM In a previous blog, I explained the Western Governors University instructional design master's degree program I completed. The fifth class in the program was about Designing E-Learning Experiences for Adults. ## Class Competencies As a competency-based program, these are the competencies students need to demonstrate to pass this class: - Course Planning - Design Collaborative E-Learning Experiences - Design Experiential and Transformative E-Learning Experiences - Design Problem-Based E-Learning Experiences - Design Competency-Based E-Learning Experiences ## Brief summary Designing E-Learning Experiences for Adults discusses best practices for supporting adult learners as they acquire knowledge and develop new skills, including collaborative, experiential, transformative, problem-based, and competency-based approaches.     | ## Course topics: [1. Collaborative E-Learning Experiences  (click to scroll down to this section)](https://www.jenbergren.com/blog/class-summary-designing-e-learning-experiences-for-adults?hs_amp=true#collaborative) - What Are Collaborative E-Learning Experiences? - Design Elements - Implementing Collaborative Experiences [2. Experiential & Transformative E-Learning Experiences (click to scroll down to this section)](https://www.jenbergren.com/blog/class-summary-designing-e-learning-experiences-for-adults?hs_amp=true#experiential) - What Are Experiential and Transformative E-Learning Experiences? - Design Elements - Implementing Experiential & Transformative E-Learning Experiences [3. Problem-Based E-Learning Experiences (click to scroll down to this section)](https://www.jenbergren.com/blog/class-summary-designing-e-learning-experiences-for-adults?hs_amp=true#problem) - What Are Problem-Based E-Learning Experiences? - Design Elements - Implementing Problem-Based Experiences [4. Competency-Based E-Learning Experiences(click to scroll down to this section)](https://www.jenbergren.com/blog/class-summary-designing-e-learning-experiences-for-adults?hs_amp=true#competencies) - What Are Self-Directed Competency-Based E-Learning Experiences? - Design Elements - Implementing Competency-Based Experiences | | --- | ## Collaborative E-Learning Experiences Collaborative learning is when groups of students work together on a problem, product, assignment, presentation, or other task and learn from one another, thereby promoting life skills such as communication.  This type of learning is student-centered, meaning that the responsibility of learning lies with the student, not the teacher.  #### Types: - Gamification & rewards - Leverage expert knowledge - Role play - Case studies - Forums and discussion boards - Wikis #### Benefits include: - encouraging team-building - developing critical thinking skills - producing more innovative results than an individual learner could - exploring multiple perspectives and diverse understandings of a situation - inspiring alternative learner assessments - addressing learning differences by adding flexibility to the work - creating a space to practice communication and leadership skills - encouraging active participation and discussion - increasing emotional well-being, such as a sense of belonging - providing continual feedback: - demonstrating conflict management skills - enhancing communication skills - increasing awareness of personal responsibility - improving confidence - strengthening interpersonal skills #### Tools and techniques of collaborative learning include: - FAQs and forums - discussion boards - wikis - leveraging expert knowledge - gamification and rewards - role play - case studies ### Design Elements #### Best Practices for Designing Collaborative Experiences - Use asynchronous and synchronous activities - Choose technologies that support diverse learner collaboration - Provide examples of and rules for respective interactions for appropriate peer communication - Encourage self-reflection before, during, and after the experience - Choose relatable and relevant activities for adult learners - Use peer collaboration to help explore new ways of thinking - Make activities challenging yet manageable #### Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Designing with UDL accommodates the needs of differently-abled and non-native English-speaking learners. It also helps promote equity and inclusion in e-learning design.  UDL uses three scientific insights of learning: - multiple means of engagement - multiple means of representation - multiple means of action and expression #### Aligning Assessments to Instructional Goals To use assessments to measure the accomplishment of instructional goals, ask: - What do learners need to know and be able to do? - How can learners demonstrate achievement of the instructional goal? - What role does collaboration play in achieving the instructional goal? - How does this collaborative experience prepare learners to demonstrate learning? ### Implementing Collaborative Experiences #### Best Practices for Incorporating Collaborative E-Learning - Monitor the pacing of activities to make sure learners communicate with teammates about adjusting project timelines - Participate in project feedback loops for open communication with learners - Maintain a safe learning community by promoting respectful interactions and setting expectations about group collaboration. - Help build peer relationships and equity by enabling learners to share personal information and interact with peers outside of formal learning - Collaborative learning is not instructor-centered; the instructor's role is as a resource and facilitator in the background - Ensure learners have equal access to materials and technology. ## Experiential and Transformative E-Learning Experiences Experiential learning is learning by doing and holds that the best way to learn is through experiences that help you retain information and remember facts.   There are four stages: - concrete learning - reflective observation - abstract conceptualization - active experimentation. #### **Types of Experiential E-Learning Experiences** - Simulations - 70/20/10 Training - Internships and Cooperative Education - Online job shadowing Transformative learning states that the best education happens when the foundation of reality is challenged, when an experience is so powerful that you can't ignore it. There are several phases: - A disorienting dilemma - Self-examination - Critical assessment of assumptions - Planning a course of action - Acquisition of knowledge or skills to carry out a new plan - Exploring and trying new roles - Building self-efficacy in new roles and relationships Experiential learning and transformative learning are separate approaches that are also natural partners.  #### Types of Transformative E-Learning Experiences - Formal debate - One-minute self-debate - Moot court - Pair-share - Metaphorical thinking - Which patient would I choose? Find more details here. #### Benefits of both types of experiences - Creates opportunities to examine new perspectives - Supports the development of self-reflection - Encourages learners to find professional and real-world applications ### Design Elements #### Best practices: - Some learners are reluctant to challenge their current beliefs, which can be overcome if you use active experimentation to engage learners with new ideas - Choose tools that support experimentation, such as virtual simulations and scenarios of real-world situations - Add self-reflection activities when learning new concepts and developing a professional identity - Use disorienting dilemmas to challenge pre-established assumptions and create a growth mindset #### Aligning Experiential and Transformative E-Learning with Instructional Goals Experiential or transformative instructional goals should focus on what the learner will do, rather than on passive objectives such as 'understanding.' Use the higher-order thinking skills on Bloom's taxonomy. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles can guide experiential and transformative e-learning design in many ways, such as: - Allowing for multiple means of engagement - Creating multiple means of representation - Asking for multiple means of action and expression #### Aligning Assessments to Instructional Goals Examples of experiential assessments: - a reflection of events that took place during the learning experience - a virtual project to showcase new skills - a virtual presentation based on the learning outcome - questionnaires to assess skills progression Examples of transformative assessments: - a self-assessment at the beginning and end to reflect on new concepts or experiences - a blog on the transformative process with a series of reflections - tracking individual progress with skills development and achievement - a discussion board prompt to share personal experiences ### Implementing Experiential and Transformative Experiences #### Best Practices for Incorporating Experiential and Transformative E-Learning - Encouraging vulnerability and normalizing failure, such as taking chances and making mistakes - Modeling healthy and professional communication with examples of peer feedback - Creating a safe e-learning environment - Supporting open dialogues and feedback loops to support learners - Allowing iterations and revisions from learners to encourage framing and reframing learning when learning new concepts ## Problem-Based E-Learning Experiences Problem-based e-learning experiences are grounded in real-life problems. The teacher or instructor serves as a facilitator or knowledge provider for self-directed learners. #### Types of Problem-Based E-Learning Experiences - Authentic: concepts that are meaningful with real-life applications - Case-based: uses case studies - Challenge-based: instructors and learners collaborate on real-world issues and realistic solutions - Gamified: uses points, quests, and achievements - Inquiry-based: focuses on questions and curiosity - Open-ended: prompts that do not have just one right answer - Scenario-based #### Benefits: - Develops problem-solving skills - Improves motivation - Promotes long-term knowledge retention ### Design Elements #### Best Practices for Designing Problem-Based E-Learning - Use tools that simulate real-world problems in professional practice - Clarify complex concepts using multiple tools, such as synchronous and asynchronous e-learning platforms - Choose scenarios that encourage analysis and new ideas - Use activities that increase complexity, such as multi-step problems with multiple solutions - Design activities that consider the cultural differences that might influence problem solutions. #### Aligning Problem-Based E-Learning and Instructional Goals Problem-based learning goals focus on examination, application, or creation and always involve an authentic problem and a cooperative, collaborative approach. Problem-based e-learning is experiential, meaning that learners must engage with the problem's environment and connect with the topic based on their individual skills and abilities. Equity and inclusion must be considered when creating a successful problem-based e-learning experience. - Make the experience meaningful - Create it so that all learners can access and understand it - Promote diverse perspectives - Include real-world context that every student can be part of Problem-Based Learning leverages equity and inclusion. by: - encourages high expectations for all learners - appreciates diverse backgrounds by using personal experiences, knowledge, and perspectives to investigate a problem - redistributes power by enabling learners to solve real-world problems ### Implementing Problem-Based Experiences - Pacing  - Learners' progress must be evaluated to keep the experience moving at the expected pace. - Help pace learners by prompting those who are struggling and setting deadlines or goals. - Project Iterations - At the end of a learning experience, instructors should reflect upon what was successful and what should be improved. - Use both asynchronous and synchronous methods. - You can encourage asynchronous collaboration by having the instructor record an initial video introducing the problem and providing visual context, and by having learners respond with videos. - Foster student agency - Learners decide how to interact with the content and can focus on the activities that are the most meaningful - Create feedback loops - Check in with learners to ensure goals are met and concepts are understood. - For struggling learners, provide detailed feedback so they can implement it and reflect on their performance. - Clarify facilitator responsibilities - Instructors guide learners, rather than teaching them - Instructors are easily accessible to provide clarity and assistance, but only when necessary ## Competency-Based E-Learning Experiences Competency-based learning focuses on skills and prioritizes performance rather than content memorization or completing the course within a set time frame. It is a learner-centered practice in which learners receive feedback to make improvements and iterate, rather than relying on one-chance grades. (WGU's degree programs are competency-based learning.) The learner is provided with: - learning materials - a pacing guide - clear expectations to attain the competencies - examples of what mastery looks like for each competency - assistance from instructors or from other roles, as needed - formative assessments for the understanding of concepts as the learners go along - authentic assessments to demonstrate mastery of specific topics #### Types of Competency-Based E-Learning Experiences - Branching scenarios - Scenarios and simulations - Goal-driven immersive learning situations - Role-based individualized simulations - Digital portfolios #### Benefits - Promotes learners' autonomous learning paths - Pacing control by the student. Learners take control and have choices - Increases learning efficiency and precision - Creates a clearer journey to demonstrate mastery of a topic, as soon as one part of mastery is displayed by the student, they can advance to the next topic - Gives learners the potential to build self-efficacy and advocacy skills as they progress and succeed. - Presents assessments as a positive part of learning ### Design Elements Because each learner brings a unique set of existing competencies to any learning experience, personalizing a competency-based e-learning experience across diverse learners and instructional goals can be challenging. Consider: - Evaluation - Begin by evaluating the learners' current competencies. - Assess which skills or behaviors have been mastered and where competency gaps exist. - Personalization - Based on the evaluation results - Tracking mastery progress. #### Best Practices for Designing Competency-Based E-Learning - Spend time developing and mapping competencies before designing anything - Offer multiple learner paths - Design for higher-level thinking skills - Design meaningful and culturally aware experiences - Use appropriate technologies #### Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles in competency-based e-learning - Self-paced learning relates to the UDL principle of Multiple Means of Engagement, - Varied modalities of learning material relate to the principle of Multiple Means of Representation, - Demonstrations of higher-order thinking relate to Multiple Means of Action and Expression. Some learners' challenges, including learning differences and attention issues, can be addressed through utilizing different types of learning. Competency-based models allow learners to achieve mastery from multiple angles.   #### Aligning Assessments to Instructional Goals The goals should focus on the learner's mastery, so learners are asked to perform an action with the learning content to achieve the goal.  - The instructional goal should contain an action verb that the assessment measures - The goal needs to be measurable and/or observable behavior based on performance - Be specific when writing goals, and don't use relative adverbs such as "quickly" or qualitative phrases such as "with increased confidence." These are not measurable. #### Types of Assessments for Competency-Based E-learning Performance tasks are common competency-based assessments since they can be authentic, complex, rigorous, and personalized to a learner’s own journey toward mastery. Mastery on a performance task is measured fairly and consistently using a rubric, a matrix of clear criteria and performance levels for each aspect of the assessment. Task instructions should give learners a clear roadmap of expectations for demonstrating mastery of the task, and the rubric should also be visible to learners to know what they are being assessed on.  ### Implementing Competency-Based Experiences Best practices: - Create an equitable learning environment - Emphasize measurable, skill-building competencies. Be specific. - Give learners individual support as needed - Create assessments to measure growth and mastery - Monitor learner progress so they receive support when needed   *Thanks for reading this overview of the Designing E-Learning Experiences for Adults class! The next blog will be about the class on Quality and Impact of Adult E-Learning Solutions.*  [View full post](https://www.jenbergren.com/blog/class-summary-designing-e-learning-experiences-for-adults) ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Jen Bergren" }, "dateModified" : "2026-10-17T00:09:09.837Z", "datePublished" : "2026-10-17T00:09:09Z", "headline" : "Class summary: Designing E-Learning Experiences for Adults", "image" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "height" : 450, "url" : "https://4030614.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/4030614/Blogs/Designing%20E-Learning%20Experiences%20for%20Adults%20instructional%20design%20class.jpg", "width" : 800 }, "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://www.jenbergren.com/blog/class-summary-designing-e-learning-experiences-for-adults", "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "height" : 60.0, "url" : "https://4030614.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/4030614/Logos/JenBergren_LogoPurple-200px.png", "width" : 240.00002 }, "name" : "Jen Bergren Blog" } } ```