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
Impact Snapshot: What employers really mean by ‘durable skills’ — and how N.C. community colleges are making them visible
Through the Lab's human-centered design process, North Carolina community colleges worked with advanced manufacturing employers to turn critical thinking and initiative from vague hiring demands into more visible durable skills that can be taught, assessed,…View Story
A letter from our CEO about Education Design Lab’s new chapter
There are moments in an organization’s life when you pause, look at the work you’ve been doing, and realize the way you’re telling your story no longer fully captures who you’ve become. This is one…View Story
Education Design Lab and Axim Collaborative to make durable skills courses available as open educational resources (OER)
Education Design Lab's full Durable Skills Framework — nine micro-credential courses and 27 sub-competency modules — is coming to the Open edX platform as freely available, open educational resources (OER) in fall 2026. By Tara…View Story
Impact Snapshot: From auto detailing to banking: How a micro-pathway opened a door
Nathan Perez, 26, always had his sights set on a career in finance — he just needed a way to get there. Through the Community College of Rhode Island’s Banking Micro-pathway, he found not only…View Story
Impact Snapshot: IT micro-pathway at Bunker Hill Community College is making the American Dream possible
Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) in Boston is the second-largest community college in Massachusetts and one of the most diverse public institutions in New England. BHCC’s IT micro-pathway was designed especially for adult learners who…View Story
A new playbook (and webinar) for community colleges navigating an AI-driven economy
The playbook is the culmination of a multi-year collaboration between the Project on Workforce at Harvard and Education Design Lab. What does it take to design a more responsive community college that can change as…View Story
