In Instructure's 2023 State of Student Success and Engagement survey, 75% of respondents named practical application of skills as a priority for their learning, and 67% named feedback on progress and performance. The survey covered 6,100 students, faculty, and administrators across 17 countries. Both of those priorities get settled when a course is designed, well before anyone walks into a classroom. Human-centered design is a method for making those decisions with learners rather than for them.
At a glance, human-centered design in education:
- Helps educators and institutions develop academic solutions
- Shifts focus to students, the consumers
- Embeds human pedagogy into the learning process
- Builds trust between students and their higher education institutions
- Increases student engagement and retention
- Reduces bias in the classroom
Take a look at the principles of human-centered design guiding modern instruction.
Principles of human-centered design in education
Human-centered design in education means building courses around verified learner needs rather than assumptions about them. Six principles carry most of the weight: empathize with learners, evolve alongside changing needs and technology, understand the context students learn in, provide equitable access, personalize instruction to pace and prior knowledge, and assess progress in a form students can act on.
1. Empathize with learners: Empathy is the key to designing an effective learning process that supports students, nurturing their academic success. Through objective observation and practice, educators can deduce what learners need. Consider students' prior knowledge, personal academic goals, and approaches to learning.
2. Evolve the learning process: With changing student needs, evolving educational technologies, and a shift in academic demand, educators are adapting strategies to best support instructional transitions. Having digital fluency also benefits both faculty and students as technology continues to advance in academia.
3. Understand educational context: Addressing specific student needs improves the overall success of the learning community. Context applies to the student's situational needs and approaches to learning. Traditional and non-traditional students can have different academic goals and experiences; however, designing instruction with context ensures each student is accommodated.
4. Provide equitable access: Providing equitable and inclusive instruction addresses diverse needs, offering access to all learners. Students with auditory, visual, motor, or cognitive impairments require quality instruction in face-to-face and digital learning spaces. Accessibility also extends beyond a student’s sensory or personal learning needs, ensuring academic opportunity and achievement across various student populations.
5. Offer student-centered instruction: Quality instruction reflects the learner's interest, builds on their prior knowledge, and encourages engagement, supporting the student's educational goals. Student-centered instruction personalizes the learning experience and pace, empowering students to take ownership of their learning journey.
6. Assess student progress: Assessment helps educators evaluate where students are in the learning process. Insights highlight the learner's strengths and weaknesses, improving the educator's approach to personalized learning.
Integrating human-centered design principles can prove challenging without a standard approach or process. Look at the 3 I’s of human-centered design for ways to incorporate effective principles and strategies in a higher-education institution.
The 3 I’s of human-centered design for academia
IDEO.org breaks human-centered design into three phases: inspiration, ideation, and implementation. The framework comes from The Field Guide to Human-Centered Design, published in 2015, and it transfers directly to course design.
Inspiration. Gather evidence about the learners actually in front of you. Surveys, polls, and office-hours conversations all count. The goal is finding out where students struggle, not confirming what you already assumed.
Ideation. Turn that evidence into options. Look for patterns across responses and sketch more than one approach before committing to any of them.
Implementation. Put a version in front of students, watch how it performs, and revise. This phase does not end when the course launches.
Successful human-centered design relies on listening to student demands and remaining vigilant to the shifting state of higher education. Take a look at what modern students expect from their educational experience.
How does human-centered design lead to student-centered learning?
As the goalpost for student success continues to change, learners need flexible and student-centric instruction to support their achievement. Student-centric learning focuses on the student's needs and goals, providing more autonomy and leadership in their education. In support, institutions are increasing their focus on career readiness, skill competency, and holistic development to meet learner needs. As students demand more control and transparency over their education, learning institutions prioritize them as consumers. Four common student-centric demands include:
- Engaging, collaborative, and immersive learning environments
- Convenience and self-service with more control over their academic choice
- Support and appropriate interventions to eliminate barriers to success
- Control and transparency over their data
Educators can support student-centric learning by implementing the following elements in both their curriculum and teaching style:
Competency-Based Education (CBE): With CBE, educators support their learners through skill-based instruction, constructive feedback, and providing real-world projects. Students can then demonstrate mastery of learning outcomes at their own pace, progressing when ready and building on their knowledge base.
Student Ownership: A personalized approach to instruction pushes students to take ownership of their learning journey. Students are encouraged to pursue academic interests that best fit their goals.
Positive Relationships: A positive learning environment provides healthy collaboration and community engagement. Students benefit from a professional relationship with peers and faculty. Provide networking opportunities that align with student goals.
Positive Identity: Understanding the student as an individual supports their growth, motivating them to develop a sense of identity in their academic communities.
Relevancy: Provide students with quality instruction relevant to their career goals. Students value real-world experiences and projects, increasing their future occupational prospects.
Flexibility: Each learner has their unique circumstances, pushing a need for accessible and equitable learning. Online and mobile learning has increased educational access, providing more learners with opportunities.
Health & Wellness: The student's physical and psychological health impacts their studies, proving its importance in educational communities. Institutions offer counseling and medical care, considering the student's basic and foundational needs.
In the 2022 State of Higher Education survey, 90% of faculty and students reported access to digital tools and learning resources has a major impact on the student experience. See how a learning management system and other digital tools can facilitate student-centric learning.
How does an LMS support student-centered learning?
A learning management system is where design decisions become visible to students. Canvas LMS by Instructure supports student-centered learning in a few concrete ways: students can check their progress and standing without having to ask, instructors can respond in text, audio, or video depending on what the assignment calls for, and course materials stay reachable on whatever device a student owns.
Learning management systems help educators enrich instruction, maintain an effective learning approach, and build better student relationships. Canvas LMS helps institutions keep up with the changing academic ecosystem, focusing on innovation and a customizable approach to learning.
Here is a quick look at how Canvas LMS enhances student-centric learning:
- Offers convenience and access to learning
- Incorporates human-centered and instructional design strategy
- Opens communication, driving collaboration and engagement
- Integrates well with other digital learning tools to improve instruction
- Shows student performance and insights in real-time
- Increases transparency between institutions, educators, and students
- Secures student data and keeps private information confidential
FAQ
What is human-centered design in education?
A method for building courses around verified learner needs rather than assumptions. Instructors gather evidence about their students, design against what they find, and revise based on how it performs.
What are the three phases of human-centered design?
IDEO.org defines them as inspiration, ideation, and implementation. Inspiration is research, ideation turns findings into options, and implementation means testing with real learners and revising.
How is human-centered design different from student-centered learning?
Human-centered design is a design method. Student-centered learning describes what a course looks like once that method has been applied to it.
Do you need an LMS to teach this way?
No. The principles work on paper. An LMS makes the feedback loops faster and gives students one place to see where they stand.
Appeal to higher ed learners by designing human-centered courses, teaching with student-centric instructional strategies, and preparing learners for a technology-enhanced workforce. Learn more about strengthening the student experience through student-centric learning.
