Here’s a concise, critical review of Design For How People Learn (2nd Edition) by Julie Dirksen, part of the Voices That Matter series. In one sentence: This book bridges the gap between abstract learning theory and practical, visual, brain-friendly course design better than almost any other on the market. What Makes It Great 1. It’s Visual & Skimmable Unlike dense academic texts (e.g., Clark & Mayer, Sweller), Dirksen uses hand-drawn sketches, diagrams, flowcharts, and margin notes. You can grasp a concept like cognitive load or the forgetting curve in seconds.
Chapters on “What motivates learners?” and “Design for habit formation” go beyond standard ADDIE models. She draws from BJ Fogg’s behavior model (B=MAP) and Daniel Pink’s Drive — but makes it feel concrete. Design For How People Learn -Voices That Matter-
If you buy only one beginner-to-intermediate learning design book, make it this one. Pair it with eLearning and the Science of Instruction (Clark & Mayer) for depth, but start here for clarity and heart. Here’s a concise, critical review of Design For