What happens when learners are trusted to choose their own path? This article looks at agency as a design principle — and why optimising for control often undermines real growth.
Efficiency is often treated as the ultimate goal in learning design. Shorter courses. Faster completion. Clear pathways. Measurable outcomes. On paper, it all makes sense.
But when learning is optimised purely for efficiency, something essential is often lost: agency.
At Disceray, we believe that meaningful learning doesn’t come from being pushed down the fastest route. It comes from being trusted to choose where to go, when to linger, and when to change direction.
The problem with “optimised” learning
Many learning platforms are built around control. They decide what comes next, when you’re allowed to progress, and what success looks like. Learners are guided through predefined tracks, nudged towards completion, and rewarded for compliance.
This approach is efficient — but it assumes that learning is linear, predictable, and the same for everyone.
In reality, learning is messy. People arrive with different goals, experiences, motivations, and constraints. They explore sideways. They skip ahead. They circle back. They follow curiosity before outcomes are clear.
When design prioritises efficiency over agency, learners may complete content — but they rarely own it.
Agency as a design principle
Agency means giving learners genuine choice and control over their learning experience. Not just cosmetic choices, but meaningful ones.
It means:
- Letting learners decide what matters to them right now
- Allowing exploration without immediate objectives
- Supporting different paces, formats, and depths of engagement
- Treating deviation as a feature, not a failure
This isn’t about removing structure entirely. It’s about designing systems that respond to learners instead of directing them.
Games offer a useful parallel here. The most compelling games don’t tell players exactly how to play — they create spaces where players experiment, fail, adapt, and discover strategies for themselves. Progress feels earned because it’s self-directed.
Why control undermines real growth
When learning is tightly controlled, motivation becomes external. Learners focus on ticking boxes, earning completion badges, or meeting imposed requirements. Once the structure disappears, so does the engagement.
Agency shifts motivation inward. Learners stay because they’re curious. They return because something feels relevant. They invest effort because they’ve chosen the challenge.
This kind of learning is harder to measure, slower to standardise, and less predictable — but it’s far more resilient. It supports growth that lasts beyond the platform.
What this means for Disceray
Disceray is designed to support agency without abandoning guidance.
Instead of rigid pathways, we surface possibilities. Instead of enforcing progress, we reflect it back to the learner. Personalisation isn’t about optimisation or prediction — it’s about discovery.
The platform adapts to interests, behaviours, and choices over time, helping learners uncover connections and follow emerging curiosities. Structure exists, but it flexes. Feedback exists, but it informs rather than controls.
Learning becomes something you navigate, not something you’re pushed through.
Designing for trust
Designing for agency is ultimately about trust — trusting learners to make meaningful choices, and trusting that learning doesn’t need to be forced to be effective.
Efficiency has its place. But real growth requires space: space to explore, to hesitate, to experiment, and to change direction.
At Disceray, we’re designing for that space.