The Midjourney Artificial Intelligence (AI) image- generating tool was introduced to students in a senior interior design studio for early ideation. It was employed on a competition project, which required a two-week timeline from research to presentation. Midjourney was used to rapidly translate concept ideas, atmospheres, and keywords into images for use as inspiration. The project topic was to create a mental health respite space on the students’ university campus. The end results for the project were promising, but a collection of generated images representing gender and stereotypes made it clear that I needed to integrate intentional analysis of text-to-image software and strengthen of visual literacy in design students when introducing image generators.

As educators, we are witnessing and experiencing the rapid proliferation and development of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools, which are raising urgent questions about authorship, ethics, and instruction in higher education (cf. Eaton, 2023). Amid uncertainty and reactive policy responses, we designed a graduate seminar titled “Generative AI—Emerging Implications for Teaching, Learning, Language, and Research: ChatGPT,” offered in Spring 2024 at the University of Rochester. We aimed to immerse students in GenAI environments and offer opportunities to explore both the “what” and the “how” of generative AI, including tools such as ChatGPT and their implications for teaching, learning, language, and research across K–12 and higher education contexts. Following extensive discussions with department leadership, faculty members, and prospective graduate students, we developed this course between February 2023 and January 2024 and implemented it with students during the Spring 2024 semester.

This design case explores how an AI-supported, narrative-centered science learning game (SciStory: Pollinators) was designed over multiple iterations to support middle schoolers’ socioscientific learning, engagement, and persuasive writing. The case highlights how AI-driven conversational agents were designed to support student-led socioscientific inquiry, and the tensions our team explored as we integrated agents into a story game about community food systems, pollinators, and neighborhood land use.

In this instructional design case, I described a final project implemented in a Software Systems Engineering course and explored the integration of generative AI tools in undergraduate engineering education. I, as the course instructor, asked students to design and develop text-based educational games using C programming, incorporating Microsoft Copilot as an assistive technology. I generated the project description and rubric with a generative AI tool, focusing on ethical, creative, and effective AI use. Students reflected on their design process, learning outcomes, and challenges. Highlights of this design include a practical approach to preparing students to use generative AI tools responsibly and productively in Software System Engineering, while identifying areas for improving guidance on their implementation.

This design case details the ten-year (2014-present) iterative process to design and develop a graph-based computer-assisted program to support middle school students’ development of collaborative argumentation. We begin by describing the first two iterations of the design and discuss how we learned from the process failures. This paper focuses on the most recent iteration of the graph-based computer-assisted program that has evolved to incorporate the multiplayer function to support the representation of collaborative scientific argumentation for middle school students. The students’ and teacher’s experiences using the multiplayer game-based computer-assisted program are documented.

In this design case, I discuss the design and development of an open educational resource textbook on teaching methods of early literacy, primarily geared toward preservice teachers in Iowa. This design case intends to provide an interdisciplinary example of an accessible, multimodal, interactive, contextually relevant, and culturally inclusive open-access eBook on early literacy for effective teacher preparation.

Design cases, originally introduced in 2010 to the field of Instructional/Learning Design and Technology (I/LDT) via the International Journal of Designs for Learning (IJDL) as means of documenting and disseminating design precedent, now appear frequently in multiple I/LDT scholarly venues (e.g., TechTrends journal, the Journal of Applied Instructional Design, the American Educational Research Association Conference, and in edited volumes from the AECT Summer Research Symposiums). Being the venue devoted exclusively to design cases in the I/LDT field, IJDL now introduces a new feature titled Quick Hit Design Cases. By incorporating short-form design cases into the journal, IJDL extends its original goal to make many instances of design precedent available in the field by (1) bringing the journal’s scope of published design knowledge into alignment with other fields of design, (2) providing a venue for authors without time or professional impetus to write longer design cases, and (3) recognizing the multiple formats in which design knowledge can be represented. This Editorial introduces IJDL “Quick Hit” Design Cases. It explains the long-established tradition of short-form design cases and outlines the requirements and the guidelines for authoring a “Quick Hit” Design Case for publication in IJDL.

The International Journal of Designs for Learning (IJDL) is pleased to publish this Special Section on Ethics in Learning Design. This Special Section includes six design cases that highlight different aspects of ethical considerations that instructional designers make as they go about their everyday work. These design cases include instances where ethical tensions were amplified or made central by the author for critical discussion as well as cases where ethical considerations, principles, or frameworks played a key role in enabling design work to occur in a more ethical manner.

In this design case, we review the iterative process of designing EdTech Books (ETB)—an online platform through which open educational resources can be published and accessed by the public. We discuss the context and framework within which the platform was created. We then review the chronology of the platform’s evolution through the lens of discovering and addressing challenges the developer faced, particularly those that relate to the 5 Rs of Openness and challenges specific to the publishing of open educational resources (OER).

This design case describes the curricular transformation process undertaken by San José de Las Vegas school, a K4-11 school in Medellin, Colombia, committed to educating students as conscientious global citizens. The case outlines the school’s multifaceted design choices, including the sequential steps and activities to develop and implement a pedagogical strategy that integrates diverse content areas. The final design, denominated STEAM+H, promotes holistic student development by cultivating personal, local, and global identities while instilling a deep sense of social responsibility. Central to this design is the integration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as a thematic framework to connect subjects and engage students in solving local and global challenges. Additionally, we highlight how Design Thinking was used as a methodology to facilitate interdisciplinary learning, influencing the resulting STEAM+H activities and learning spaces. This transformation is presented in three phases, from local to global comprehension, emphasizing the roles and involvement of different stakeholders, including students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Finally, we discuss the challenges and successes encountered and share our reflections and insights gained from this transformative journey. The design team focused on incorporating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as the central theme to connect different subjects or disciplines and engage students in solving local and global issues. Additionally, the team employed active methodologies such as Design Thinking and Design for Change to connect the different disciplines. We outline this process in three phases, progressing from local to global understanding and highlighting various stakeholders' roles and crucial involvement, including students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Finally, we share our reflections and insights gained from this transformative journey.