Introduction

Rather than being an isolated process, learning happens across time and settings and is influenced by critical interdependencies across contexts. When you learn a complex skill, such as team management, a leadership course is just one cog in the machine. Your conversations at home, and in professional circles, your experiences in leadership roles, explicit and implicit feedback, and many more factors go into how you integrate this complex skill into your day-to-day life. If you reflect deeply on your own learning journey of a skill you mastered, you will likely discover challenges, and rich relationships between contexts and experiences that shaped your thinking and practice. Effective learning is characterized by desirable difficulties, such as contextual variability.

Simply put, to design and manage more effective and equitable learning experiences we need to work towards building powerful learning ecosystems. This is not easy. As educators and edtech product designers, we need to recognize that theoretical integration and technical interoperability should both be key considerations when building digital-first or digital-leaning blended learning experiences. The former poses an intellectual challenge and requires a fundamental rethinking of how we design learning experiences regardless of context. The latter is increasingly straightforward in technical terms but requires strategic foresight and great prioritization.

Five Strategies for Building a Powerful Learning Ecosystem

Designing a well-integrated learning ecosystem requires thoughtful planning and iteration and is by no means an easy feat. The following five strategies offer a roadmap for educators and developers seeking to create effective learning ecosystems that capitalize on the strengths of diverse contexts, modes, tools, and platforms.

1. Design/Consider Comprehensive Learning Pathways

Comprehensive pathways should define clear learning goals across different contexts, whether through structured courses, practical projects, or social interactions. Pathways that emphasize cumulative learning, where each experience builds on previous knowledge, support deeper understanding and transfer of skills.

If your role is to build a product that fits into an ecosystem, designing comprehensive learning pathways may sound irrelevant to you. However, understanding what kinds of learning pathways your solution will fit into will help you survey the tools and platforms you will benefit from integrating with.

Some low-resource tips include:

Start Simple: For teams with limited time or budget, prioritize core learning objectives and break them into simple, progressive steps. Focus on essential milestones rather than complex sets of experiences. If needed, you can always add elements to your pathway based on feedback later on.

Leverage Existing Content: Instead of building content from scratch, use open educational resources (OER) or publicly available course modules from reputable sources. This approach may initially lead to some friction in the user experience, which you can ease by adding all resources into a unified platform and providing sufficient narrative and context between each touchpoint.

2. Prioritize Platform Interoperability

Interoperability is critical in creating seamless experiences across platforms and for building Next Generation Digital Learning Environments. This approach views each tool as part of a larger learning network, ensuring that users can navigate between tools without disruptions. Adopting standards like Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) and Experience API (xAPI) enables real-time data exchange, fostering a unified learner profile.

Learning designers and educators should aim to integrate interoperable platforms to track learner progress and synchronize data from multiple sources. When this is not possible, you can still explore available integrations offered by your existing providers - in many cases, you may have access to a bigger variety of tools than you would have imagined.

Here are some low-resource tips to prioritize platform interoperability:

Focus on Key Integrations: Choose one or two core platforms (such as an LMS and a content management tool) rather than trying to integrate every tool. Focus on platforms that support LTI or xAPI for future flexibility.

Use Free or Low-Cost Integrations: Zapier and IFTTT offer integrations that connect popular apps (like Google Sheets, Slack, or Trello) at a low cost. These tools can automate simple tasks, saving time and creating a more unified experience without complex development.

Enable Manual Interoperability: Where automation isn’t possible, create clear instructions for learners on transitioning between tools. For instance, provide direct links and simple “how-to” guides to help users navigate between a video platform and a quiz tool.

3. Leverage Multimodal and Multi-Context Content Delivery

A learning ecosystem that incorporates diverse content—such as videos, simulations, quizzes, and readings empowers learners to gain a deeper, more varied understanding of a topic. Further, research indicates that multimodal content increases retention and motivation. By combining content formats across platforms (e.g., video modules with interactive exercises), educators and learning designers can boost learning and motivation, while providing a more adaptable, and often also more accessible learning environment.

On the technical side, platforms should be capable of hosting or integrating varied content formats, supporting engagement across contexts. Enabling easy embedding and sharing of diverse content formats will help integrate your tool into broader, multimodal learning pathways.

These are some low-resource tips:

Curate Rather than Create: Identify high-quality videos, readings, or interactive simulations available online, and incorporate them into your program. 

Low-Tech Content Diversity: If platform limitations prevent interactive formats, try diverse but accessible formats such as PDFs, recorded webinars, and discussion forums. These can still provide varied learning experiences within budget constraints.

Encourage Peer-to-Peer Learning: Foster discussions, group projects, and feedback loops within a low-cost platform like a shared Google Workspace or a free Slack channel. This brings multimodal interaction into the learning pathway even if advanced tools are unavailable.

4. Empower All Members of the Learning Ecosystem

In any learning ecosystem, empowering not just learners but also educators, managers, peers, and other key stakeholders is essential for fostering a collaborative and supportive environment. Research emphasizes that when all members of a learning ecosystem are equipped with the right tools and resources, it strengthens engagement, improves outcomes, and enhances adaptability within the learning process. Whether in K-12, higher education, or corporate training, providing resources to those who facilitate and support learning is just as important as providing resources to the learners themselves.

Learning designers and educators should ensure that teachers, managers, and parents (in educational contexts) have access to relevant resources that enable them to effectively support learners. For example, teachers may need professional development courses, managers may need tools to track employee progress, and parents might benefit from guides on how to engage with their children's learning.

Product designers should provide customizable dashboards or access points for different user roles, allowing each member of the ecosystem to track progress, provide feedback, and intervene where necessary. These tools should also offer resources like training materials and guidance on how to use the system effectively.

These are some tips to get started:

Curate Training Materials: Use free online resources such as YouTube tutorials or open educational resources (OER) to empower teachers and managers.

Build Peer Learning Networks: In organizations or schools, set up peer-to-peer support groups where managers or teachers can exchange insights and strategies for using learning tools and learners can learn from each other. This promotes shared learning and reduces the burden on individual trainers or administrators.

5. Continuously Gather and Integrate Feedback

Feedback loops are essential to maintain a responsive, evolving learning ecosystem. Research highlights that regular feedback supports system adaptability and responsiveness to learner needs. Implement centralized feedback channels across tools, ensuring that insights are acted upon promptly for system-wide enhancement.

Technically, feedback mechanisms—such as surveys or in-app feedback tools—should be built into each platform, allowing insights to circulate across the ecosystem for continuous improvement. If you can, create accessible feedback features that allow for real-time user input to gain a more objective understanding of what is and what isn’t working.

To continuously gather and integrate feedback, you can use the following tips:

Use Free Feedback Tools: Use Google Forms, Typeform, or SurveyMonkey’s free version to collect feedback at different points in the program. These tools can help improve your offering iteratively based on real user input.

Create Feedback Loops Through Existing Communication Channels: Encourage learners to share feedback in group discussions or through email, and establish regular check-ins. Even without a formal system, creating a culture of openness enables a dynamic response to learner needs.

Prioritize High-Impact Adjustments: Focus on feedback that identifies urgent pain points rather than trying to address every piece of input. This selective approach allows you to make the most impactful changes without overextending limited resources.

Conclusion

A well-designed learning ecosystem should be dynamic, interconnected, and responsive to learners’ needs. By integrating various platforms and touchpoints in a thoughtful way, education providers can create cohesive and effective learning experiences that support diverse learner goals. Emphasizing interoperability, multimodal content, and personalized learning pathways fosters an environment where learners can thrive across multiple contexts.

Ultimately, powerful learning ecosystems enable a flexible and engaging approach to education that meets modern learners’ demands.