Designing with Love

Jackie Pelegrin
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What does it take to design learning experiences that truly work? Join Jackie Pelegrin, award-winning instructional designer and Grand Canyon University (GCU) adjunct instructor, as she explores instructional design, e-learning, and AI integration. Expect actionable tips, real-world insights, and conversations with students, alumni, and industry leaders shaping the future of learning.

  1. 19h ago

    Human-Governed AI for Learning Design With James Gilchrist

    AI can hand you a polished outline, a full course draft, and a dozen “best practice” scenarios in seconds. The hard part is deciding whether any of it is worth a learner’s time. Jackie sat down with James Gildrist, founder of Lighthouse L&D Consulting, to talk about the real work behind AI in learning and development: protecting meaning, judgment, and instructional quality when speed is the loudest promise in the room. James brings a simple, memorable framework from his iSpring Days 2026 session: DDQ, Discernment, Direction, and Quality. We unpack how discernment helps us separate what’s truly needed from content bloat, how direction clarifies what AI should do versus what must remain human-led, and how quality standards keep eLearning and training experiences grounded in learner context, practice, feedback, and trust. Along the way, we connect the dots to a problem many instructional designers and educators are seeing right now: AI makes it easy to generate “everything,” while learners are scanning faster and burning out sooner. We also get real about the emotional side of adoption. A thoughtful audience question opens up the guilt and pressure people feel when AI is pushed top-down without time, resources, or support. We talk systems, collaboration, and why learning AI through a fun personal project can be the fastest way to build confidence that actually transfers back to work. If you care about human-centered learning design, AI guardrails, and keeping critical thinking alive in corporate training and education, you’ll get practical language and next steps here. Subscribe, share this with a teammate, and leave a review so more L&D pros can find the conversation. 📢 Call-to-Action: I’d love to continue this conversation with you. You can connect with me directly on my personal LinkedIn profile here: James’ LinkedIn Page, where I share ideas on leadership, learning, and authenticity in the workplace. You can also follow my Lighthouse L&D Consulting LinkedIn page for updates, resources, and insights from my consulting work. Send Jackie a Text Join PodMatch!Use the link to join PodMatch, a place for hosts and guests to connect.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show 💟 Designing with Love + allows you to support the show by keeping the mic on and the ideas flowing. Click on the link above to provide your support. ☕ Buy Me a Coffee is another way you can support the show, either as a one-time gift or through a monthly subscription.  🗣️ Want to be a guest on Designing with Love? Send Jackie Pelegrin a message on PodMatch, here: Be a guest on the show 🌐 Check out the show's website here: Designing with Love 📱 Send a text to the show by clicking the Send Jackie a Text link above.  👍🏼 Please make sure to like and share this episode with others. Here's to great learning!

    Human-Governed AI for Learning Design With James Gilchrist

  2. 4d ago

    Myth: Learning Styles Should Drive Design Decisions

    If you’ve ever heard someone say “I’m a visual learner,” you’ve seen how quickly learning style labels can shape training decisions. In this episode, Jackie unpacks a persistent instructional design myth: that learning styles should drive how we build courses, lessons, and eLearning. Learner preferences are real, but treating them like fixed categories can pull us away from what actually improves performance and understanding. Jackie explores why the myth sticks around, from how personal it feels to how neatly it simplifies something messy. Then I make the key design shift: stop asking what style a learner “is” and start asking what the learner needs to do. When the goal is understanding a process, visuals like diagrams may be the best support. When the goal is sound recognition, audio examples become essential. When the goal is decision-making, scenarios plus feedback often beat more content every time. The format serves the outcome. We also separate accessibility from learning styles. Captions, transcripts, alt text, clear headings, readable documents, and keyboard-friendly navigation are not extras for a certain “type” of learner. They’re inclusive, responsible design choices that remove barriers for more people. To wrap up, Jackie closes the episode with a practical myth reset challenge you can use to audit one learning experience this week and make one improvement that better aligns with goals, practice, feedback, and evidence-based strategies. If this helped you rethink how you design, subscribe, share the episode with a colleague, and leave a review so more educators and instructional designers can find the series. 🔗 Episode Links Please check out the resources mentioned in the episode. Enjoy! Myth Reset Case File: Learning Styles and Design Decisions Learning Styles: Concepts and Evidence by Harold Pashler, Mark McDaniel, Doug Rohrer, and Robert Bjork Multimedia Learning by Richard E. Mayer Send Jackie a Text Join PodMatch!Use the link to join PodMatch, a place for hosts and guests to connect.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show 💟 Designing with Love + allows you to support the show by keeping the mic on and the ideas flowing. Click on the link above to provide your support. ☕ Buy Me a Coffee is another way you can support the show, either as a one-time gift or through a monthly subscription.  🗣️ Want to be a guest on Designing with Love? Send Jackie Pelegrin a message on PodMatch, here: Be a guest on the show 🌐 Check out the show's website here: Designing with Love 📱 Send a text to the show by clicking the Send Jackie a Text link above.  👍🏼 Please make sure to like and share this episode with others. Here's to great learning!

    Myth: Learning Styles Should Drive Design Decisions

  3. Aug 2

    Lead Without a Title With Darrell Williams

    The fastest way to become a trusted leader isn’t getting promoted. It’s becoming the person people run to when something hurts, and you can help fix it. Jackie sat down with Darrell Williams, a master certified life coach and longtime military and federal leader, to translate high-pressure leadership into everyday skills for educators and instructional designers. We dig into why rank never guarantees someone’s best work, how culture and connection matter even more on remote teams, and what it looks like to lead through influence when you don’t have formal authority. Darrell shares practical language you can use right away, like asking colleagues what their biggest “headache” is and shifting from “boss energy” to a consultant approach that makes you a strategic partner. We also go deeper than tactics. If you feel stuck, stretched thin, or unsure about your next step, Darrell offers his “three R’s” framework to reconnect with purpose: re-look at your passion, reconnect with a mentor, and review options for a coach. Then we bring it back to performance under pressure with a story from presidential support missions, showing how calm leadership helps teams think, improvise, and own solutions. Plus, a memorable reframe for nerves: the butterflies may not leave, so learn to walk with them in formation. If you found value here, subscribe to Designing with Love, share this with a colleague, and leave a heartfelt review so more instructional designers and educators can find these leadership tools. 🔗 Website and Social Links: Please visit Darrell Williams’ website and social media links below. Darrell’s Website Darrell’s Facebook Page Darrell’s LinkedIn Page 📢 Call-to-Action: Collaborating toward success can help unlock the excellence from within. Alliance Seminars Coaching performs C.P.R. on lives by providing clarity, understanding, purpose, and building resilience. Most of life’s challenges can be solved with effective leadership and efficient mentorship. Send Jackie a Text Join PodMatch!Use the link to join PodMatch, a place for hosts and guests to connect.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show 💟 Designing with Love + allows you to support the show by keeping the mic on and the ideas flowing. Click on the link above to provide your support. ☕ Buy Me a Coffee is another way you can support the show, either as a one-time gift or through a monthly subscription.  🗣️ Want to be a guest on Designing with Love? Send Jackie Pelegrin a message on PodMatch, here: Be a guest on the show 🌐 Check out the show's website here: Designing with Love 📱 Send a text to the show by clicking the Send Jackie a Text link above.  👍🏼 Please make sure to like and share this episode with others. Here's to great learning!

    Lead Without a Title With Darrell Williams

  4. Jul 29

    Myth: Good Teaching Equals Good Instructional Design

    Good teaching is powerful, but it can also hide a trap: when a class goes well, we assume the design must be strong. Jackie unpacks a common myth in instructional design and education that shows up everywhere from K-12 to corporate training and higher ed: good teaching equals good instructional design. They’re connected, but they’re not the same job, and confusing them can leave gaps in practice, assessment, accessibility, and real-world performance. We talk through why this belief has lasted so long, especially because teaching is the most visible part of learning while instructional design happens behind the scenes. Jackie breaks down what designers actually do: analyze learner needs, clarify measurable goals, sequence content, build practice, plan feedback, choose tools, design assessments, and evaluate whether the learning experience worked. That work becomes even more critical in online learning, blended learning, self-paced courses, and scalable training where an instructor cannot adjust everything in real time. You’ll leave with a concrete “myth reset” and a simple review process you can run on one course, lesson, module, or training: What should learners be able to do by the end? Where do they practice? How will they get feedback? How does the assessment connect to the goal? What support is built in before learners get stuck? Pick one improvement and bring teaching and design together with intention. If this helps you rethink your next learning experience, subscribe, share the show with a colleague, and leave a review so more instructional designers and educators can find it. 🔗 Episode Links Please check out the resources mentioned in the episode. Enjoy! Myth Reset Case File: Teaching vs. Instructional Design Understanding by Design by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe  Send Jackie a Text Join PodMatch!Use the link to join PodMatch, a place for hosts and guests to connect.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show 💟 Designing with Love + allows you to support the show by keeping the mic on and the ideas flowing. Click on the link above to provide your support. ☕ Buy Me a Coffee is another way you can support the show, either as a one-time gift or through a monthly subscription.  🗣️ Want to be a guest on Designing with Love? Send Jackie Pelegrin a message on PodMatch, here: Be a guest on the show 🌐 Check out the show's website here: Designing with Love 📱 Send a text to the show by clicking the Send Jackie a Text link above.  👍🏼 Please make sure to like and share this episode with others. Here's to great learning!

    Myth: Good Teaching Equals Good Instructional Design

  5. Jul 26

    Alumni Engagement That Works With Jennifer Cunningham

    Most schools and nonprofits don’t have an “engagement problem” they have a follow-up problem. If you’ve ever gone to a campus event, felt a quick burst of nostalgia, and then never heard anything meaningful again, you’ve seen the gap firsthand. I sit down with alumni engagement and nonprofit consultant Jennifer Cunningham to unpack what actually turns a one-time attendee into a connected community member who mentors, hires, volunteers, advocates, and eventually gives back.  Jennifer shares how alumni engagement has shifted from planning social gatherings to designing intentional experiences with a clear return for both the institution and the alumni. We talk about building an engagement journey that has logical next steps, why student success and career outcomes make alumni networks more important than ever, and how “lifelong learning” can be the thread that keeps people coming back through webinars, certificates, executive education, and other professional development opportunities.  If you care about community building, alumni relations, nonprofit engagement strategies, or career networking for graduates, this conversation is packed with practical ideas you can apply right away. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review, then tell us: what’s one follow-up you wish your school or organization would send? 🔗 Website and Social Links: Please visit Jennifer Cunningham’s website and social media links below. Jennifer Cunningham’s Website Jennifer’s LinkedIn Page 📢 Call-to-Action: This is a link to buy my minibook called Give Back and Get Ahead: Alumni Volunteering That Builds Your Career.  Send Jackie a Text Join PodMatch!Use the link to join PodMatch, a place for hosts and guests to connect.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show 💟 Designing with Love + allows you to support the show by keeping the mic on and the ideas flowing. Click on the link above to provide your support. ☕ Buy Me a Coffee is another way you can support the show, either as a one-time gift or through a monthly subscription.  🗣️ Want to be a guest on Designing with Love? Send Jackie Pelegrin a message on PodMatch, here: Be a guest on the show 🌐 Check out the show's website here: Designing with Love 📱 Send a text to the show by clicking the Send Jackie a Text link above.  👍🏼 Please make sure to like and share this episode with others. Here's to great learning!

    Alumni Engagement That Works With Jennifer Cunningham

  6. Jul 22

    Myth: Technology Automatically Improves Learning

    A shiny new tool can feel like instant progress, but what if it quietly makes your course harder to learn? Jackie is tackling one of the most stubborn myths in instructional design and education: the idea that technology automatically improves learning. Whether you’re rolling out a new LMS, testing an AI content creation tool, or adding interactive features to eLearning, the real question isn’t “Is it modern?” It’s “Does it help learners do something meaningful?” Jackie breaks down why this belief sticks around, especially when organizations are pressured to look innovative. Technology is easy to point to, while the deeper work of alignment, practice, feedback, accessibility, and transfer is less visible. Jackie also brings in Richard Mayer’s multimedia learning principles to ground the conversation in what we know about cognitive load and attention. When media and interactivity add noise, learners pay the price, even if the experience looks impressive on paper. You’ll leave with a purpose-first design mindset and a set of practical questions to audit any platform, app, simulation, or AI tool before it becomes “required.” Jackie also shares a weekly myth reset challenge to review one technology-supported lesson and make one intentional adjustment, like simplifying the flow, removing an unnecessary tool, or adding clearer instructions and feedback. If you want learning technology that actually supports performance, press play, then share this with a colleague and subscribe for more myth resets. If it helps, leave a review so more instructional designers and educators can find the show. 🔗 Episode Links Please check out the resources mentioned in the episode. Enjoy! Myth Reset Case File: Technology with Purpose Mayer’s Principles of Multimedia  Send Jackie a Text Join PodMatch!Use the link to join PodMatch, a place for hosts and guests to connect.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show 💟 Designing with Love + allows you to support the show by keeping the mic on and the ideas flowing. Click on the link above to provide your support. ☕ Buy Me a Coffee is another way you can support the show, either as a one-time gift or through a monthly subscription.  🗣️ Want to be a guest on Designing with Love? Send Jackie Pelegrin a message on PodMatch, here: Be a guest on the show 🌐 Check out the show's website here: Designing with Love 📱 Send a text to the show by clicking the Send Jackie a Text link above.  👍🏼 Please make sure to like and share this episode with others. Here's to great learning!

    Myth: Technology Automatically Improves Learning

  7. Jul 19

    Human Connection in Teaching With Lou Hirsch

    Most of us can remember a teacher who noticed us, but we struggle to remember the worksheet, the lecture slide, or the exact content on the exam. That’s where this conversation with Dr. Lou Hirsch lands: the real unit of change in higher education isn’t another tool or another “coverage” strategy, it’s the small, intentional moments of human connection that create trust and make learning stick.  We talk about why modern systems built on speed, scale, and deadlines often squeeze out creativity, even though curriculum redesign and instructional design depend on reflection and iteration. Lou shares a vivid example from his own teaching that shows what students carry for years, and why being present with learners matters more than being the best content presenter. We also explore online learning and how purposeful use of technology can deepen connection instead of flattening it.  If you care about student-centered teaching, human-centered curriculum design, and building learning experiences that last, listen now, then subscribe, share the episode with a colleague, and leave a review to help more educators find the show. 🔗 Website and Social Links: Please visit Lou’s website and social media links below. Lou Hirsch’s Website Lou Hirsch’s LinkedIn Page 📢 Call-to-Action: To learn more about Dr. Lou Hirsch and his work in higher education innovation, student-centered teaching, and curriculum redesign, be sure to check out the links in the show notes to connect with him and explore his work at the University of Kentucky.  Send Jackie a Text Join PodMatch!Use the link to join PodMatch, a place for hosts and guests to connect.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show 💟 Designing with Love + allows you to support the show by keeping the mic on and the ideas flowing. Click on the link above to provide your support. ☕ Buy Me a Coffee is another way you can support the show, either as a one-time gift or through a monthly subscription.  🗣️ Want to be a guest on Designing with Love? Send Jackie Pelegrin a message on PodMatch, here: Be a guest on the show 🌐 Check out the show's website here: Designing with Love 📱 Send a text to the show by clicking the Send Jackie a Text link above.  👍🏼 Please make sure to like and share this episode with others. Here's to great learning!

    Human Connection in Teaching With Lou Hirsch

  8. Jul 15

    Myth: Accessibility Is Optional If Your Learners Don't Request It

    The fastest way to lock learners out of your course is to wait for them to ask for access. We’re tackling a stubborn myth in instructional design and education: “Accessibility is optional if learners don’t request it.” It sounds reasonable on paper because many organizations have formal accommodation processes, but it breaks down in real life when learners don’t feel safe disclosing, don’t have documentation, or don’t even know what to ask for until they’re already struggling. We unpack why this belief has lasted so long, including the way accessibility gets pushed to the end as a compliance checkbox instead of being treated as a core learning experience design practice. We also talk about the “invisible” side of access: small screens, noisy environments, fatigue, attention demands, language and processing challenges, and the messy constraints of work and family life. When we design only for the ideal scenario, we accidentally create barriers for a lot of people who never file a request. Then we shift to what to do instead: proactive accessibility. Using ideas from WCAG and Universal Design for Learning (UDL), we share practical, build-it-in steps you can add to your normal workflow, like planning captions and transcripts, using readable fonts and strong contrast, writing clear directions, structuring headings and navigation, and avoiding designs that rely on color, sound, or speed alone. You’ll leave with a simple Myth Reset Challenge to audit one learning resource and make one meaningful improvement right now. If this helped you rethink what “good design” really means, subscribe, share the episode with a colleague, and leave a review so more educators and instructional designers find the show. 🔗 Episode Links Please check out the resources mentioned in the episode. Enjoy! Myth Reset Case File: Accessibility from the Start Related Episode: Designing for Everyone: A Guide to Universal Design for Learning CAST UDL Guidelines Microsoft Inclusive Design W3C Web Accessibility Initiative Web Content Accessibility Guidelines  Send Jackie a Text Join PodMatch!Use the link to join PodMatch, a place for hosts and guests to connect.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show 💟 Designing with Love + allows you to support the show by keeping the mic on and the ideas flowing. Click on the link above to provide your support. ☕ Buy Me a Coffee is another way you can support the show, either as a one-time gift or through a monthly subscription.  🗣️ Want to be a guest on Designing with Love? Send Jackie Pelegrin a message on PodMatch, here: Be a guest on the show 🌐 Check out the show's website here: Designing with Love 📱 Send a text to the show by clicking the Send Jackie a Text link above.  👍🏼 Please make sure to like and share this episode with others. Here's to great learning!

    Myth: Accessibility Is Optional If Your Learners Don't Request It
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About

What does it take to design learning experiences that truly work? Join Jackie Pelegrin, award-winning instructional designer and Grand Canyon University (GCU) adjunct instructor, as she explores instructional design, e-learning, and AI integration. Expect actionable tips, real-world insights, and conversations with students, alumni, and industry leaders shaping the future of learning.

Information

  • Creator
    Jackie Pelegrin
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    141
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Designing with Love
  • Show Website
    Designing with Love