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The Power of Prospection: Psychology Lessons for Learning Design

By Richard Mee | What is it that draws a student into learning? Why would they invest time and resources, time away from family, mental energy, into the piece of learning that I produce? Why would they choose one course over another? We invest where we expect the greatest value. The…
A sketch image of a persons face pinpointing the different angles. Edtech Design.

EdTech Design and Psychology: Why ‘Pretty’ is Not Enough

It was the height of 1922 when William Addison Dwiggins first coined, the term, graphic design to communicate his technical abilities to lay out type settings and imagery for the books he published. However, contrary to popular belief, this was not the birth of graphic design. Graphic design truly began…
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Why Authentic Learning Matters and How to Cultivate It

  By Firdous Sonia Butoni | “Why do I need to know this?” If you've asked this question during a class you were taking you surely are not alone. One of the implications of education is the disconnect between what is taught in class and what learners encounter in the…
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Death of the Office Space (5 Pros of Remote Work)

By David Atherstone | Before I begin, I need to acknowledge that this is not a one size fits all approach. I realize that companies require office space for their business to run in the manner it was designed. My articles' main focus is on Construct and the tech industry at…
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The Digital Divide in Education

By Cara O'Malley | I fully believe that online learning has the power to democratize education and change the world. We’ve never had a time like this before. One where humankind’s collective knowledge is a click away and ever-growing. One where sifting through information is as easy as a Google search and…
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Gamification in Education

By Ofentse Mabiletsa | Studying and going to school has become a chore. Personally, I day-dreamed through school and university. Apart from not understanding why I was going to school except to ”get a job,” I was bored and frustrated 88% of my school life. Until a few months ago, I…
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Remote Onboarding: Lessons From the Virtual Classroom

By Laura Meredith | I started my new job at Construct in July when South Africa was in Level 3 of our lockdown. By that time, most businesses had moved to a fully remote setup. I had spent more time talking to my plants than other humans, and I hadn’t met…
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Add Character to Your Course

By Justin Lawrence (updated 8 February 2023) | When creating a course, you want to make sure that the learner can easily grasp the concept. Crafting perfect learning outcomes that align with the course content often takes precedence over content such as graphics, film, or animation. However, you need to be…
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Failure’s Fortune

By Tauriq Latief | The Master and The Student “You must unlearn what you have learned." - Yoda If you love Star Wars, you’ll most definitely recognize the above phrase. Yoda schools a young Luke Skywalker in Star Wars Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back, as part of his Jedi training. To start…
Locations that Construct is in

Better Together: Online Education Services Acquires a Majority Stake in Construct

By the Construct PR & Marketing Team | Online Education Services (OES), the leading online education enabler in Australia, has expanded its operations in the US, UK, and South Africa through a majority stake investment in Construct. Both our team and the OES team, combined, serve learners in more than 190 countries…
Textbook vs online

Make Your Online Course Better Than a Textbook

Have you seen an online course that essentially resembles a digital textbook? Such courses contain page after page after page of informational text or lecture videos. Upon arriving at the end of a module or unit, there is a multiple-choice assessment (or something similar). In the next module, you rinse…

This Chaotic Time Will Pass, Leaving a Crop of “New Learning”

By Michael Atkinson | "Today is the day after the U.S. election and it is a close one, perhaps closer than some thought it'd be. I think it's a good idea to remember that close elections are not all that infrequent, and can even feel pretty turbulent. Anyone remember the ,hanging chads in…
The word Fun, and its meaning

The Ancient Art of Fun

By Chloe Fyvie Adams | We live in a world of scheduling, where every hour is planned and spontaneity feels like an unpleasant surprise. We spend our present time calculating how we will spend future time, and our “real” adult life has been reserved for a serious nature. In between all…
Online Learning Delivery

Navigating Brick to Click

By Lindsay Thomas | The era of click is here to stay, and everything you try will be about continuous iteration. For the EdTech space, this has brought many exciting and sometimes daunting navigation opportunities. The year(s) of surprise navigation has forced many educators to adopt online learning delivery. If you're still…
A broken chain

How to Thrive Using Synchronous Learning in Online Courses

By Percy Mkhwanazi | Online education has been growing in popularity and accessibility, especially over the last few months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Online learning has attracted both students and teachers with its flexible and schedule-friendly format options. These formats can be grouped broadly into two categories: synchronous and…
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Embracing Scrum to Support Students Through COVID-19

By December Kinney | It’s not uncommon for me to wake up from a dream panicked about having a major assignment due, despite being several years removed from the classroom. I remember the time and effort it took to complete work well in more ordinary times. I know that the required…
Accessibility is an ally

A11Y Stands for Accessibility

By Suvesan Pillay | The Web is fundamentally designed to work for all people, whatever their hardware, software, language, location, or ability. When the Web meets this goal, it is accessible to people with diverse hearing, movement, sight, and cognitive ability. Thus, the impact of disability is radically changed on the Web…
Puzzle pieces fitting together

Why Project Management Means Nothing Without People Management

By Tebogo Matome | Recently, the demand for Project Management across various fields has been increasing. While at the same time, it seems that People Management (not to be confused with Human Resources (HR) Management) has been neglected. While HR Management refers to the optimal utilization of organizational human resources, People Management…
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Don’t Dance Around Diversity, Embrace It!

By Zahrah Isaacs | If 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic have taught us anything, it is that ultimately, humankind has to work together in order to survive. The same principle can arguably be applied to the working environment, particularly within online learning where a similar concept is always needed—the concept of…
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A Beginner’s Guide to Learning Design

By Jana Krige: Senior Learning Designer | Starting as a learning designer (LD) in the rapidly changing world of online learning feels like stepping into a tornado, especially when you’re new to the role and trying to figure it all out as you go. Naturally, you’ll develop your strongest skills…