Designing for the User Experience in Learning Systems

While the focus of the UX research and design discipline and the Learning Sciences and instructional design disciplines is often similar and almost always tangential, there seems to exist a gap, i.e. a lack of communication between the two fields. Not much has been said about how UX Design can work hand-in-hand with instructional design to advance learning. The goal of this book is to bridge this gap by presenting work that cuts through both fields. To illustrate this gap in more detail, we provide a combined view of UX Research and Design & Educational Technology. While the traditional view has perceived the Learning Experience Design as a field of Instructional Design, we will highlight its connection with UX, an aspect that has become increasingly relevant. Our focus on user experience research and design has a unique emphasis on the human learning experience: we strongly believe that in learning technology the technological part is only mediating the learning experience, and we do not focus on technological advancements per se, as we believe they are not the solution, in themselves, to the problems that education is facing. This book aims to lay out the challenges and opportunities in this field and highlight them through research presented in the various chapters. Thus, it presents a unique opportunity to represent areas of learning technology that go very far beyond the MOOC and the classroom technology. The book provides an outstanding overview and insights in the area and it aims to serve as a significant and valuable source for learning researchers and practitioners.