1. Clarifying Digital Goals through Visual Structure
Digital Journeys is informed by goal-setting theory, which emphasises the role of clarity in supporting effective learning. Locke and Latham argue that goals are most effective when they are specific rather than vague, as they direct attention and support persistence (2002).
Within Digital Journeys, this theory is operationalised through visual structure:
- Digital expectations are made explicit at each project stage
- Tasks are clearly linked to appropriate software
- Progression is visualised through a structured roadmap
By translating abstract assessment briefs into visible, sequenced actions, Digital Journeys functions as a goal-clarification tool, reducing uncertainty and helping students decide how to begin their work.
2. Supporting Confidence through Mastery-Oriented Learning
The project also draws on goal orientation theory, particularly the distinction between mastery and performance orientations. Dweck describes mastery-oriented learning as focused on developing competence through process and understanding, rather than demonstrating ability or correctness (1986).
Digital Journeys supports a mastery orientation by:
- Emphasising process over outcome
- Normalising iteration and experimentation
- Framing software learning as developmental rather than evaluative
By shifting attention away from “getting it right” and towards understanding workflows, the resource supports confidence, resilience, and risk-taking, aligning with later work by Dweck on growth-oriented learning environments (2006).
3. Learning through Experience, Reflection and Scaffolding
This process-led approach aligns with experiential learning theory. Kolb defines learning as knowledge created through the transformation of experience (1984), a model that closely reflects how fashion students engage with creative software through project work.
Within Digital Journeys:
- Interaction with software constitutes concrete experience
- The visual roadmap supports reflection by making workflows visible
- Clear explanations of when and why tools are used support abstract conceptualisation
This experiential cycle is reinforced through scaffolding. Wood, Bruner and Ross describe scaffolding as enabling learners to achieve tasks they could not complete independently (1976). Digital Journeys provides:
- Step-by-step visual guidance
- Task-specific software recommendations
- Graduated support that reduces cognitive overload
Together, these features support increasing independence, confidence, and autonomy in digital workflows.
4. Visual and Emotional Design as a Pedagogical Strategy
Beyond functionality, Digital Journeys deliberately foregrounds visual and aesthetic design as a pedagogical strategy. Research in multimedia learning suggests that emotionally engaging and visually considered materials can enhance motivation and comprehension when aligned with learning goals (Mayer and Estrella, 2014; Um et al., 2012).
This aligns with CAST’s assertion that barriers to learning are located in curriculum design rather than in learners themselves (2018), and with UAL guidance that frames inclusive design as central to student engagement.
As a result, Digital Journeys is designed to be:
- Visually clear and intuitive
- Interactive rather than text-heavy
- Engaging without being distracting
Design is treated not as decoration, but as a tool for supporting understanding and motivation.
5. Accessibility, Inclusion and Transparent Learning Pathways
The project is grounded in principles of accessibility and inclusion, recognising that digital literacy is unevenly distributed. Research shows that implicit expectations around digital competence can disadvantage students without prior access to specialist tools (Selwyn, 2010; Helsper and Eynon, 2013; Beetham, 2017).
In line with the Social Model of Disability embedded in the UAL Inclusive Teaching and Learning Framework, this project understands barriers as produced by educational design rather than by individual students.
Digital Journeys responds by:
- Reducing reliance on dense, text-heavy instruction
- Providing visual scaffolding and structured pathways
- Making software expectations transparent and explicit
Text-heavy instructional design is widely recognised as a barrier for diverse learners, including disabled and neurodivergent students, students from non-design backgrounds, and students with English as an additional language (CAST, 2018; University of the Arts London, n.d.).
By making workflows visible and navigable, Digital Journeys aims to reduce cognitive overload, support equitable access to digital knowledge, and enable students to engage more confidently with creative software.
A more detailed discussion of the theoretical and pedagogical foundations underpinning Digital Journeys is explored in a separate blog post. (click here)
Bibliography
Beetham, H. (2017) Developing digital literacies. London: Jisc.
CAST (2018) Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. Wakefield, MA: CAST.
Dweck, C.S. (1986) ‘Motivational processes affecting learning’, American Psychologist, 41(10), pp. 1040–1048.
Dweck, C.S. (2006) Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York: Random House.
Helsper, E.J. and Eynon, R. (2013) ‘Distinct skill pathways to digital engagement’, European Journal of Communication, 28(6), pp. 696–713.
Kolb, D.A. (1984) Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Locke, E.A. and Latham, G.P. (2002) ‘Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation’, American Psychologist, 57(9), pp. 705–717.
Mayer, R.E. and Estrella, G. (2014) ‘Benefits of emotional design in multimedia instruction’, Learning and Instruction, 33, pp. 12–18.
Selwyn, N. (2010) ‘Degrees of digital division’, Learning, Media and Technology, 35(4), pp. 491–507.
Um, E., Plass, J.L., Hayward, E.O. and Homer, B.D. (2012) ‘Emotional design in multimedia learning’, Journal of Educational Psychology, 104(2), pp. 485–498.
University of the Arts London (n.d.) Inclusive Teaching and Learning Framework. London: University of the Arts London.
Wood, D., Bruner, J.S. and Ross, G. (1976) ‘The role of tutoring in problem solving’, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 17(2), pp. 89–100.