The Learning Design Compass

A resource for educators of all levels who want to innovate in their practice

The Learning Design Compass: click to read the guide
Design Teach Assess

Popular Tools

Learning Design Compass Tool Design your whole course on one compass face AI as a Craft See AI as more than just a skill AI Diligence Statement Builder State clearly how you used AI in your work Prof. Akeyo Test how far AI threatens your assessment OIMU Colour Wheel Colour palettes on a scientifically built wheel

Common Scenarios

Not sure where to start? Find yourself in one of these situations and we'll point you in the right direction.

"I'm not sure my teaching is having any impact"

This is one of the hardest feelings in education: putting in the work and not knowing if it's landing. The good news is there are practical ways to design for impact and make it visible.

Guides

Learning Design Compass Understand the framework that connects planning, designing, teaching, and assessing into a coherent whole Lessons from Advertising for Educators Learn techniques for making your message land with your audience

Tools

Learning Design Compass Tool Redesign your assessments and build a teaching cycle that creates natural feedback loops, so you can see what's working
"I need to design or redesign my module from scratch"

Starting from a blank page (or a module that needs a complete rethink) is daunting but also an opportunity. These tools will help you build something coherent and balanced.

Guides

Learning Design Compass The framework that underpins this entire toolkit

Tools

Learning Design Compass Tool Build a holistic map of your course and export it as a plan Student Workload Calculator Check whether what you're asking of students is actually realistic Module Planner Plan your module week-by-week and ensure balance
"I'm worried I'm not balancing theory and practice"

Getting the balance right between what students need to know and what they need to be able to do is one of the core challenges of learning design. These resources help you see and adjust that balance.

Guides

Learning Design Compass Understand how the four dimensions of learning design connect and balance each other

Tools

Learning Design Compass Tool Visualise the balance across your module and design teaching sessions that weave theory and practice together naturally
"I need to make my materials and teaching more accessible"

Accessibility isn't a bolt-on at the end. It's a design choice you make from the beginning. These resources help you build courses that work for a genuine diversity of students without adding a second pile of work on top of the first.

Tools

Student Workload Calculator Check whether what you're asking of students is realistic for the lives they actually have Module Planner Plan your module week-by-week so accessibility is designed in, not patched on Learning Design Compass Tool Build a course map you can sense-check for accessibility, with friction-point guidance embedded into each stage of your teaching cycle
"Group work always falls apart"

It's not you. Most group work fails because it's assigned rather than designed. The problem is structural, and the fix is structural too.

Guides

Designing Group Work A complete guide to designing group work that mirrors how real teams actually function

Tools

Learning Design Compass Tool Design group assessments with built-in individual accountability
"Students only seem to care about the grade, not the learning"

If students are grade-focused, it's usually because the system has trained them to be. You can shift this by redesigning what you reward and how you communicate the purpose of the work.

Guides

Lessons from Advertising for Educators Learn how to sell the value of learning itself, not just the qualification

Tools

Learning Design Compass Tool Rethink your assessment and design sessions where the learning process itself becomes engaging and visible
"I can't tell if students wrote their assignments or AI did"

This is the question everyone's asking. The answer isn't detection, it's redesign. These resources help you understand AI, assess its risk to your work, and build transparency into the process.

Guides

AI as a Craft Assessment Guide Design assessments that involve AI in ways that are sound for learning and honest with students AI as a Craft Teaching Guide Bring AI into your teaching without hollowing out the craft, so the thinking stays yours

Tools

Prof. Akeyo Evaluate the risk AI poses to your specific assessment and get redesign suggestions Keith A design companion who helps you work with AI as a craft in your teaching and assessment AI Diligence Statement Builder Give students a structured way to be transparent about their AI use

Training

Anthropic's AI Courses Explore Anthropic's courses on AI fluency and more AI Fluency for Students Share with your students so they build their own AI literacy
"I want to try something different but I'm worried it'll go wrong"

Innovation in education feels risky because institutions tend to resist change. But there are evidence-based ways to introduce new ideas that grow rather than get shut down.

Guides

Designing for Cultural Change Evidence-based strategies for making change happen in resistant institutions

Tools

Learning Design Compass Tool Map out your new approach so you can see the whole picture before committing
Are you still struggling?

Sometimes you just need to talk it through with someone. If none of the scenarios above quite fit, or you've tried the tools and still feel stuck, get in touch. I'm happy to help.

Drop me an email at david@learningdesigncompass.com or connect with me on LinkedIn and tell me what you're working on. The more complicated (or strange) the problem the better!