Publication
The Lab is an Innovation Engine
By centering our learn+work solutions on the New Majority Learner, we discover new solutions, design them right, and validate that they work before scaling them broadly. And when we scale them within an institution or across an ecosystem, (l)earner centricity equitably aligns the silos and breaks down the barriers that are the root cause of the skills crisis.
Since 2013, the Lab has worked on the ground with over 1,200 colleges + organizations, 1,000 employers, and thousands of learners, who need education programs and pathways that better serve their futures.
Our Areas of Work
Design Shorter and Stackable Pathways
- Micro-pathways that transform lives and institutions
- Accelerated dual enrollment pathways
- Making transfer pathways seamless
Catalyze the Transition to Skills-based Hiring
- Credentialing the durable skills employers seek
- Data infrastructure for noncredit programs
- Learning and Employment Records (LERs) and digital wallets
- Helping employers move to skills-based hiring
Train for Human-centered Design + Change Management
- Immersive workshops for learning institutions
- User-centered research
- Rapid prototyping tools + training
- Innovation capacity diagnostic + training
Scale Solutions with Equity at the Center
- Transforming the rural ecosystem
- Putting single moms at the center of design
- Communities of practice
Explore key publications
- Publication
Skills Visibility: Why and How a Skills-Based Economy can be More Equitable
How might we reinvent the talent ecosystem to include the (l)earner perspective? This March 2022 thought paper offers a vision and urgent call to action. 
PublicationRural Revival: BRIDGES Rural College Transformation Insights
This November 2023 Design Insights Brief spotlights the transformation that five rural community colleges experienced as they listened deeply and designed for learners in the…- Publication
Design Insights: Single Moms Success Design Challenge
Education Design Lab shares six design insights after developing four pilot programs through the Single Moms Success Design Challenge (2021).
Latest news from the Lab
Career Ready by Design expands dual-enrollment learning network across 7 states
Education Design Lab is building on the momentum of Georgia’s Career Ready by Design initiative by supporting cross-state learning, locally grounded pathway design, and a growing community of leaders advancing career-connected learning. Career Ready by…View Story
Webinar recording: How colleges can build a culture of skills visibility
A conversation with leaders from two N.C. community colleges — Forsyth Technical Community College and Alamance Community College — on connecting learning, skills, and economic mobility. What does it take to make the skills learners…View Story
New report: What parenting learners say colleges need to change
New design insights from Education Design Lab’s Student Parent Success community show why belonging, visible support, childcare, and co-design must be central to student-parent success. Nearly one in five college students is raising children or…View Story
Skills validation won’t scale on technology alone
New report by Education Design Lab explores what it takes to build skills-validation ecosystems that work for people — and at scale. As employers, educators, and workforce systems move toward skills-based practices, the challenge is…View Story
New study: 15 community college presidents on what it will take to lead higher ed’s next chapter
Community colleges are at a pivotal moment. As learners, employers, and regional economies change, these institutions have an opportunity to lead the next evolution of higher education — if they can move beyond structures built…View Story
Making real work visible: Credentialing Community Justice Workers with Frontline Justice
How Education Design Lab is co-designing a micro-credential that signals demonstrated skills, not just completed coursework. Across systems, new career roles and credentials are being built to respond to real gaps in access, capacity, and…View Story
