A Design and Research Framework for Learning Experience Patrick Parrish The COMET Program Brent G. Wilson University of Colorado Denver Recent literature in a variety of design fields has called for a shift in focus from products and usability, and from effectiveness and efficiency, toward characteristics of user-experience (McCarthy & Wright, 2004; Hassenzahl & Tractinsky, 2006). For example, instead of simply making products that work and provide ease of use, designers are looking more at ways to provide meaningful and enjoyable use – culminating in a satisfying and fulfilling user experience. While creating a technically reliable, easy-to-use product clears an initial hurdle, many designers are looking for ways to deepen and strengthen the user’s experience with the product. This shift from utility to user experience is not purely altruistic of course – it is largely a response to increasingly competitive market conditions. Users of educational products, for example, face a glut of messages demanding their attention about an intimidating array of products and choices. Within an “attention economy,” learners attend to messages that are inviting and engaging in addition to those expected to fill functional needs (de Castell & Jenson, 2004). For good reason instructional designers have shown increasing interest in exploring the learning experience, frequently drawing from the sister design fields and from the arts (Dickey, 2005; Hokanson, Miller, & Hooper, 2008; McLellan, 2002; Parrish, in press; Wilson, Parrish, & Veletsianos, 2008). The surge of interest in educational gaming reflects this new focus on learner experience. A similar shift is happening in the health professions, with new emphases on patient wellness (not just a physical state, but a relationship of increased connectedness to one’s body and the world) rather than merely curing illness, and on nursing care and presence (being there for all patient needs, including social, emotional, and spiritual ones, rather than just carrying out patient treatments—see Watson, 2008; Woodward, 2003). This is partly a competitive response, based on perceived threats to the profession from alternative medicine and standardized healthcare delivery. But it originates in the recognition that traditional approaches are limited in their impacts, often unnecessarily costly, and, in their focus on technical solutions, frequently fail to address quality-of-life issues. Instructional designers might learn from the health professions through a similar broadening of intended outcomes, substituting wellness with its educational parallels, including open-mindedness and a healthy desire to learn. A focus on the learning experience raises many questions for instructional design (ID) practice. Unlike behavioral objectives or discrete cognitive skills, the construct of learning experience lacks the precision or control that instructional designers are accustomed to. The notion of experience is more holistic, requiring simultaneous attention to cognition, behavior, and affect – even agency and identity. Clearly a conceptual framework of the learning experience is needed. This could then serve as a basis for advancing knowledge through research and theory, and shaping the learning experience in real situations, as instructional designers would be called to do. This paper offers a framework for understanding the learning experience that can guide instructional designers in creating more engaging designs and contribute toward a research agenda for advancing knowledge in this area. The framework is consistent with pragmatist and phenomenological perspectives of experience, and is also informed by current learning theory. A Range of Learning Experiences Before detailing the framework, the next section describes two contrasting cases. They diverge in several dimensions that will become clearer as the framework is discussed. We will revisit them later when we apply the framework to analyze their qualities. Pat’s Experience with Psychology 302 As an undergraduate, I (Pat) took a sophomore-level course in Developmental Psychology to fulfill one of my core requirements. This was a popular course, and so it was taught in a large lecture hall to more than 200 students. As was my habit in such courses, I sat nearer the back than the front of the hall, and rarely offered to interact by asking questions or providing answers. Instructor contact consisted of twice-weekly lectures, following the comprehensive text students were assigned to read in sequence and nearly in its entirety. Lectures were