Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs About the LCD Model

The Learning Cluster Design (LCD) model is both a method (a way of doing) and a philosophy (a way of thinking) about designing and delivering learning. It was created by Crystal Kadakia and Lisa MD Owens in response to gaps in traditional learning design when applied in the digital age.

The LCD model changes the job of anyone who is helping others learn. Rather than the goal being to deliver a single class, course, video, immersive experience or learning asset to a target audience, the goal is to deliver a Learning Cluster. A Learning Cluster is a set of learning assets, across times, ways, and places, tailored to meaningful learner personas to change on-the-job behavior.

The LCD Model, through five Actions, each with its own Tool, shows you how to create a Learning Cluster.

To get an overview of the model and learn more about the goals, you can watch these videos or see our About page:

When Crystal and Lisa benchmarked over 50 other learning theories and models, the biggest gap was the basic fundamental presumption. Every model assumed the goal for a learning designer is to design one learning asset (think course, eLearning, set of videos, etc) — and those theories and models certainly help designers do that well!

What we found was that there was no model to show us how to strategically design more than one thing or multiple learning assets to meet a business goal.

The LCD model truly acts as a comprehensive umbrella, that can help a designer designing one initiative and at the same time, can help a leader develop a whole new strategy or culture around learning.

While the LCD model has roots in the workplace training and development industry, the reality is that there are many roles where it is vital to help others learn.

These are just a few of the roles we’ve seen gain value from building capability in the model:

  • Training Professionals At All Levels and Roles – from instructional designers to facilitators to training managers to VPs of Talent Development
  • Customer Education Professionals – those involved in sales and marketing of a product. After all, every point of marketing involves a point of learning for prospective customers!
  • Change Managers & Organization Development Practitioners – Those looking to move beyond traditional powerpoint heavy/training roll outs + communication as the way to manage change, find the LCD model as a crucial way to truly create and implement a long term, long lasting change strategy
  • Executives & Leaders — leading a team or organization often involves constantly building capability and a learning culture. Often with the help of our consulting team, leaders use the LCD model as a foundational building block of their strategy, alongside other pieces.
  • Educators — Professors, teachers, and those managing the L&D of higher educators are finding the model incredibly useful in our remote learning world to re-imagine classroom learning approaches
  • External Consultants – Those who are hired by clients to create learning products are finding that being certified in the LCD model gives a significant competitive edge and new product offering, than the traditional outsourced design firm.
  • Education-Oriented Companies and Professional Associations — Organizations who sell training or offer education as their value proposition are reimagining their product strategy from classes and courses to learning clusters

Hear from Jen and Karen who share from their perspective and see our Case Studies page for use cases:

No, not at all! See previous question. 🙂

The Learning Cluster Design (LCD) model is both a method (a way of doing) and a philosophy (a way of thinking) about designing and delivering learning. It was created by Crystal Kadakia and Lisa MD Owens in response to the gaps in traditional learning design when applied in the digital age. In 2015, they were asked by the Association for Talent Development to explore modern learners and modern learning and the LCD model became the answer.

Some of these gaps include:

  • Gap #1 One and done events or programming – Digital age learners use many different ways to learn and use these ways in different times and places. If all we deliver is one class, curricula, e-learning, set of videos, we are not able to meet the need.
  • Gap #2 One size fits all – traditionally, we think of our audience as a single target audience and feel overwhelmed if we try to personalize or tailor. Yet, for learning to make a difference, digital age learners look for their unique needs to be met.
  • Gap #3 Technology Without a Why – Though there is lots of new technology, learning fails to have a strategic method for determining which technology to invest in and often relies on the same old tools we are familiar with. We also struggle to leverage the full capability of today’s technology, because we don’t have a way of thinking and doing to pair with the tools.

These are just a few of the gaps Lisa and Crystal sought to address. You can learn more about the origin story and what LCD model solves for below:


You might be wondering, “Where is the proof?”

We have a lot of evidence (and growing every day) on the impact and grounding of the model:

  • Lisa and Crystal, co-creators of the model, started teaching the model in 2015 and have now reached over 500 graduates
  • The Association for TAlent Development, the leading global association for the learning industry, published Designing for Modern Learning, Lisa and Crystal’s book showcasing the model. It continues to be a best seller and supported as a new foundational approach for all learning professionals to consider.
  • As Crystal and Lisa developed the LCD model, they conducted a literature review of over 50 learning design theories and models to ensure that the LCD model is distinct as well as supported by the latest neuroscience
  • There are many use cases that have made a material difference – you can see these in the testimonials the LCD model has received as well as the examples of learning clusters people have built

We now have reached thousands with the book, speaking engagements, and our own learning assets to upskill in the model. More results are being shared every day on the impact of the model. Stay tuned to our YouTube channel and newsletter to hear these.

See our case studies page for just a few examples of proof.

Blended learning, while using different ways of reaching and engaging learners, is designed with a particular start and stop, sequence, and often a cohort in mind. In Blended Learning, the learning deliverer retains control of when, where, and how learning will take place.

A Learning Cluster includes learning assets that are independent of time and place, that the learner decides when and where they want to engage. A Learning Cluster may still include formal assets that have a start and stop or time and place, but also includes social (through people) and immediate (accessible 24/7, on their own) learning assets. In these social and immediate assets, we let go of our control as designers and learning deliverers.

Social, Formal and Immediate are what we call the three learning touchpoints – and an effective learning cluster will have assets in all three touchpoints, addressing the needs of 3-5 learner personas.

We think of Blended Learning as the early 2010s evolution for learning. Learning Clusters is the evolution for the late 2010s and 2020s and beyond.

There are many benefits users of the LCD model gain over traditional learning approaches. Here are just a few:

  • They shift from being “order takers” (Create me some training!) to strategic partners
  • They receive more positive feedback that their work is actually making a difference to learners and stakeholders – and they see on-the-job behavior metrics change
  • They receive more funding and resources to continue doing the work
  • They have an easier job explaining how what they will be delivering is worth it
  • They have more confidence that what they are doing is working
  • They have more fun because they aren’t doing the same old thing, using the same old tools for every challenges, and are growing themselves!
  • They win best in class awards! (see Loc Nguyen, L&D and Customer Education Leader awarded the BEST award for his efforts using LCD model as his foundational strategy)

and many, many more.

See our case studies page for more or hear from these folks on what they think will change if everyone uses the LCD model.

No, not at all! One of the great things about the LCD model is that it’s an evolution, not a revolution. We want you to use everything you know and everything you observe in your workplace. To that end, we share how the model works with other models (such as Bloom’s Taxonomy, Kirkpatrick’s Levels of Evaluation, Design Thinking, etc) in our book, practicum, and other learning assets. Our Tools are designed to work with your intelligence – they are frameworks to guide you – not prescriptions!

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Most choose to start with the LCD CoP.

FAQs About the LCD Group

The mission is for Learning Clusters and the LCD model to become the norm when helping others learn.

We do that through three means:

  • Thought Leadership to drive awareness of the model
  • Upskilling as many people as we can in using the model on their own through our learning assets
  • Consulting on complex projects or to provide a role model win to enroll organizations in the approach

Most choose to start with the LCD CoP.

If you are looking for support in figuring out your first step, don’t hesitate and contact us! We’d love to hear what you have going on and recommend the next best step.

FAQs About the 2-Week Public LCD Practicum

A practicum by definition implies a practical experience, guided by an expert. While we have introductory ways to learn about the LCD model or to grow elementary capability, the two-week practicum is THE essential learning asset to make Learning Clusters a norm for you in your toolkit.

It will give you an intermediate level of capability in the model – which you can grow to advanced through further practice, implementation, and becoming certified in the model.

The two weeks are not immersive – they work with your flow of work. Across two weeks, you will engage in live sessions, self study, social learning, coaching, case study practice, and real work application.

The outcomes include:

  • Gaining a fundamental understanding along with the expert nuances of the LCD model, its five Actions, and accompanying Tools
  • A Learning Cluster for a project you are currently working on (you will get work done by participating in this practicum!)
  • Confidence that you can build an effective and successful learning cluster on your own
  • A new community of modern learning professionals who align with your thinking

You can learn more about the practicum here.

It for anyone who wants to become an LCD practitioner – who wants the LCD model to become the normal way they create learning for others.

For those experienced in the training industry, we will help bridge tradition with modern.

Though we do bring in fundamentals from the training field, for those who are outside of learning & development, you will find it easier in the sense that you might have more of a blank slate or less “baggage” when thinking about the principles shared with the model.

While our book certainly says a lot in thousands of words, learning by doing is a crucial way to change your behavior towards application. As the many alumni of the practicum share below, it gives you a chance to actually experience what you’ve read – with expert guidance and coaching to push you to new edges and learning.

The course is roughly 3 days spread across 2 weeks. We also provide 1-2 weeks of early access, so you can get a head start on the self-study.

You should budget for:

  • 6-10 hours for the self study
  • 5 live sessions – 3 of which are one-hour long and 2 of which that are two-hours long
  • 5+ hours to build your Learning Cluster (depending on the level of depth you’d like to go into)

Here’s a sample course outline:

We cap at 15 participants to keep a high quality experience with plenty of individual coaching and attention. We offer practicums open to the public once every quarter. You can see the current sessions available for registration here.

We can help you! Just contact us and we can send you resources based on your specific needs and culture.

After the practicum, you can continue to grow by:

  • Staying engaged via our free monthly community dialogues
  • Contacting us to speak or otherwise share your learning cluster through our dialogues or newsletter – we love featuring modern learning leaders and it gives you a chance to revisit and reflect!
  • Become certified in the model – this is an annual commitment to demonstrate that you are continuing to learn through engaging with our community and applying the model in real life

Just sign up here and you’ll receive welcome information about a month before the practicum begins.

*If you’d like to register and pay via check, please email info@learningclusterdesign.com and we will be happy to send you an invoice.

FAQs About the 2-Week Private LCD Practicum

If you have a team over 4 people, we highly recommend investing in a private team practicum. With a private experience, you get the opportunity to:

  • Work in pairs or trios on building learning cluster projects – in the public experience, we cannot accommodate team members from the same company who want to work with one another
  • Coaching for the leader of the team – we make sure you have guidance on how to continue building your L&D strategy with the LCD model as a component
  • Deeper facilitation – we are able to tailor all of our coaching and facilitation towards your company’s culture, challenges, and nuances
  • Team building and momentum – teams that learn the model together, speak the same language and have new energy towards their work
  • Custom live session times if needed – we can shift our regular schedule times if needed for your team

Here from the learning leader at Atlassian and his team members about the impact of  the private experience:

We are committed to delivering the experience in the flow of work as possible.

Learning by doing isn’t simply about using case studies we offer.

Not only do we intend for your team to get work done together, their work will actually be accelerated. In just two weeks, your team will have build draft learning clusters together by using the model.

In addition, since the practicum centers around an asynchronous social learning platform, participants have the autonomy to manage their participation around their other work responsibilities.

The base estimate is $3500/participant, up to 15 participants per session, with a minimum of 4 participants.

If you have less than 4 participants, we recommend using the public practicum approach.

If your team is larger, we are happy to discuss discounts for multiple sessions.

We can help you build a custom business case – just contact us and we are happy to help!

FAQs About Other Learning Assets

We first start with a discovery calls to clarify the scope and contracting. We can help you figure out where to start and what the engagement would entail. Some of the most common types of engagements we do are:

  • LCD “Lite”: Based on existing data you already have and talking to 1-3 stakeholders, we can pull together a recommendation for a learning cluster within 2-3 weeks
  • LCD by the Action: You might just want help with a specific action, such as the Learn Action and developing Learner Personas, for an initiative. This can be as short as a one-day engagement (for the Change Action for example) or can be multiple weeks (usually for the Learn or Upgrade Actions)
  • Full LCD Execution: For business critical or complex initiatives, we can engage in a multi-month execution of the LCD model, including upwards of 30 learner interviews as well as developing learning assets. These projects usually take 3 to 6 months.

We then select the best resources to work on your project. You decide how involved you would like to be – from getting a window into our design process to just staying involved during major milestone reviews.

The magic is in the scoping – we are not order takers ourselves! We will work with you to understand your context and your why, before deciding what and how to approach the solution.

You can do any or all of the following:

Our YouTube Channel is a great resource for a lot of questions you might have. You can find playlists that cover:

  • Basic questions about the model
  • Examples of learning clusters people have actually built
  • Insight into each Action
  • Insight from Modern Learning Leaders who have spoken at a past free monthly dialogue
  • Partners whose solutions support Learning Clusters

The YouTube Channel is a great learning asset we offer for growing capability in the model.

Lots is coming!

  • Official launch of our certification process for LCD practitioners
  • One Day Intro to LCD Class
  • Masterclasses for niche or advanced topics

Keep a look out by staying in touch with our newsletter.

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Our community of professional learning & education leaders is growing globally!

5,000+ readers of the top-selling ATD book, Designing for Modern Learning: Beyond ADDIE and SAM
Over 300 graduates of the LCD foundational learning experience: the 2-week practicum
1,000+ attendees across the past year of free monthly dialogues on modern learning
130+ videos, 75+ articles and podcasts, and more!

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