D299 Learning Experience Design Lab is the Western Governors University course where you stop planning in the abstract and build a functional e-learning module that solves a real instructional problem.
WGU's program guide for the M.S. Learning Experience Design and Educational Technology lists it at three competency units. Degree-seeking learners must finish the foundations series and two pathway courses (K-12 or adult) first, and the lab is the prerequisite for the three capstone courses that follow.
The course is also social. You give quality feedback on other learners' modules, receive feedback on yours and plan how to use it, which many students find harder than the build itself.
Course at a Glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| University | Western Governors University (WGU) |
| Course code | D299 |
| Level | Graduate (master's) |
| Competency units | 3 |
| Before this course | Foundations series and two pathway courses |
| Typical work | An e-learning prototype, peer reviews, a feedback implementation plan |
What D299 Covers
The program guide lists three competencies. They follow the order of the work itself:
| Competency (summarized) | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Create an e-learning experience that addresses a specific instructional problem | Identifying a problem, then designing and developing a working prototype module |
| Provide quality feedback and recommendations based on peer evaluation | Reviewing another learner's module with specific, usable suggestions |
| Plan how to implement feedback to improve an e-learning experience | Deciding which comments to act on, how and why |
The course description also stresses experimenting with e-learning design tools and techniques, and the habit of gathering user feedback to keep improving a learning experience.
Key Concepts Explained
A Functional Prototype, Not a Finished Course
A prototype is a working slice that learners can actually click through: enough content, interaction and assessment to test whether the design solves the problem. Polishing every screen before anyone has tried it wastes effort the feedback cycle is meant to save.
Example: The problem is that new call-center staff mishandle refund requests. Instead of building a full onboarding course, the prototype is one 15-minute branching scenario: a customer call, three decision points, feedback after each choice and a short check at the end. It is small, but a peer can test whether it changes decisions.
Feedback That Someone Can Use
"Looks great" helps nobody. Useful peer feedback names the issue, shows where it happens, explains the effect on the learner and suggests a fix. Tie each comment to a design principle you studied, such as alignment, accessibility or cognitive load.
Triage Before Revision
Not every comment deserves action. Sort feedback by impact on learning and effort to fix, act on high-impact items first and explain why you set some aside.
Typical Assignments and How to Approach Them
| Task element | What it tests | How to approach it |
|---|---|---|
| Problem statement | Clear, specific design target | Name the learners, the gap and the evidence that it exists |
| Prototype module | Applied design skill | Keep scope small, align objective, activity and check |
| Peer review | Professional critique | Use issue, location, effect, suggestion for each point |
| Improvement plan | Reflective, user-centered practice | Rank feedback, plan changes and say how you will retest |
Where Students Get Stuck
- Scope creep. Trying to build a whole course leaves no time to test or revise. One well-aligned module is the goal.
- Tool before problem. Picking an authoring tool first and fitting a problem to it produces weak alignment.
- Vague peer reviews. General praise or criticism does not meet a competency that asks for quality recommendations.
- Defensive improvement plans. Explaining why feedback was wrong reads poorly; show what you learned and what you will change.
Study Tips for D299
- Reuse the learner group from your pathway courses so your problem statement rests on work you have already done.
- Storyboard on paper or slides before opening an authoring tool.
- Ask one person outside the course to click through the prototype and note where they hesitate.
- Keep a feedback log (comment, source, decision, change made) from the first review onward.
How We Help with D299
Send the task instructions, rubric, your instructional problem, storyboard or screenshots and any peer or evaluator comments. A tutor with instructional design experience can help you narrow the problem, review the module's alignment and accessibility, or coach you on writing useful peer feedback.
GradeEssays is independent of Western Governors University. We do not build modules for submission: our help is tutoring, model examples and editing, so the prototype, reviews and plan you submit are your own under WGU's academic integrity policy. Revisions within the scope of your original request are free.
Make Your D299 Module and Improvement Plan Stronger
Share the instructions, prototype notes and peer comments. A learning design writer helps you plan, critique and refine your own work.
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Frequently Asked Questions
WGU's program guide says degree-seeking learners must complete the Learning Experience Design foundations series and two pathway courses before this course.
Use any tool your course materials allow. The competencies focus on solving an instructional problem, not on a particular product.
Large enough to test whether it addresses the problem. A single focused module or scenario is usually more effective than a broad, shallow build.
No. The competency is about planning how to implement feedback, which includes explaining why some suggestions are lower priority.
The first capstone course, D300 Identifying Learner Needs and a Research Problem, lists the lab as its prerequisite.
No. We can review your design, explain principles and model good feedback, but the module you submit must be your own.