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E-learning designers believe that people learn through "content". They assume that encountering content will lead people to change their behaviour. Games designers believe that people learn through "experience". They assume that having experiences - doing and feeling things - leads to change in behaviour. E-learning designers believe we must be "nice" to our learners in case they go away. They assume that the relationship between the course and the learner is a weak one so that if there's any significant challenge, the learner will give up. Games designers believe that we can challenge people and they'll stick with it. Indeed, it is progressive challenges that form much of the motivation for gamers. E-learning designers believe that we learn step by step (hence linearity, page-turning etc.). Game designers believe we absorb lots of things all at once (hence HUDs, complex information screens etc.). E-learning designers believe that learning experiences are emotionally neutral (in spite of all that's written about the importance of emotion in learning). Games designers always seek an "angle", an attitude.

At core was an alignment between what makes effective learning practice, and what makes engaging experiences.  Looking across educational theories, repeated elements emerge. Similarly with experience design.  It turns that they perfectly align.  If you recognize that, and can execute against it, your learning will be greater than the sum of the parts, and will both seriously engage and truly educate.  Learning can, and should, be hard fun!

Please, wherever you draw inspiration, however you figure it out, make more engaging learning. Align the elements of effective practice and the elements of engaging experiences, and make your learning rock. For your learners’ sake, please!

Get your child to a school that fits him or her…however you can.

Personalize each student’s learning experience to meet their diverse and individual needs to the maximum feasible extent.

Optimize a match between individual student learning needs, learning modalities, content and instructional resources through an algorithmic engine