Interview with Dr. Kelly Edmonds
Professional Instructional Designer
Interview Summary
Dr. Kelly Edmonds, a professional instructional designer with over 15 years experience at universities and corporate organizations, shares her expertise on finding your course's "big idea" and applying instructional design principles to create powerful learning experiences.
Find Your Big Idea
Kelly's central teaching: every great course needs a "big idea"—a compelling frame that's bigger than practicalities or technical details.
For example, if you're creating a course on photography, don't just teach camera settings. Frame your course as being about "capturing light." Use that bigger framing to motivate and inspire your students. TED talks are excellent models for this—study how they concisely present compelling ideas.
What's your big idea? If you're creating a course on photography, wrap your teaching into an idea that's bigger than practicalities. Frame it as being about 'capturing light.'
Being Authentic Means Being Present
For Kelly, authenticity isn't about sharing personal details—it's about being fully present in your course and truly caring for your clients and community. Take the journey with your students rather than lecturing from a distance.
This presence transforms the learning experience. Students can tell when an instructor genuinely cares about their success versus when they're just delivering content.
Being authentic means being fully present in your course and truly caring for your clients and community. Take the journey with your students.
Chunk Everything Down
From her instructional design background, Kelly emphasizes one critical principle: chunk down your content into bite-sized pieces. This is perhaps the most important takeaway from professional instructional design.
Large blocks of information overwhelm learners. Small, digestible chunks allow for processing, practice, and retention.
Chunk down your content into bite-sized pieces. This is a critical takeaway from instructional design.
The Do, Know, Feel Approach
Kelly introduces a powerful framework: Do, Know, Feel. Identify 2 or 3 actions or outcomes you want for students, and create content that supports these. Fight the urge to add extra information.
This framework forces you to focus on what actually matters. Every piece of content should connect directly to what you want students to do, know, or feel.
Use the Do, Know, Feel approach. Identify 2 or 3 actions you want for students, and create content that supports these. Fight the urge to add extra information.
Courses Should Be Experiences
Kelly reframes what a course actually is: your goal is to guide students by providing coaching, support, and activities. Don't just talk at your students—invite them to try things.
The difference between information and education is experiential. Anyone can read a book, but a course should be an active, engaging experience that transforms through participation.
Courses should be an experience. Your goal is to guide students by providing coaching, support, and activities. Don't just talk at your students—invite them to try things.
Embrace the Reality of Adult Learning
Kelly offers a realistic perspective: completion and participation will always be a struggle, especially in informal learning. But that's okay.
Her advice: keep your course open and allow learners to come back. Adults are self-driven and know their own needs. They'll engage when they're ready, and return when they need a refresher.
Dr.'s Action Steps
Dr. recommends these 3 steps to improve your course planning:
Define your big idea
What's the compelling frame for your course that's bigger than the technical details? Watch TED talks for inspiration on presenting ideas concisely and compellingly.
Apply Do, Know, Feel
List 2-3 specific things you want students to do, know, and feel after your course. Audit every piece of content against this list.
Convert lectures to activities
Review your course for sections where you're 'talking at' students. Transform at least one into an active exercise or try-it-yourself experience.
About Dr. Kelly Edmonds
Professional Instructional Designer
Dr. Kelly Edmonds is a professional instructional designer with over 15 years experience working with universities and corporate organizations. She recently expanded her business to provide coaching to independent experts and entrepreneurs who teach online.