Learner Persona

This worksheet enables you to define and document key characteristics of your ideal learners, helping you tailor your course design, content, and marketing strategies to meet their specific needs and preferences. By having a clear picture of your learner personas, you can enhance the relevance and effectiveness of your educational offerings.

By thoroughly completing the Learner Persona worksheet, you ensure a deep understanding of your audience, which is crucial for designing courses that are highly relevant and engaging. This targeted approach not only improves learner satisfaction but also enhances overall course effectiveness and success.

A learner persona cannot be accurately created from behind a desk; engaging directly with the target audience through interviews or questionnaires is essential for capturing their true needs, motivations, and challenges. Sample questions are provided in the materials to assist in this process.

It will help you answer the following questions:

1. Who is the ideal participant for your micro credential programme?
2. What specific characteristics distinguish them from other potential learners?

How to Use This Worksheet:

1. Personal Information:

• Name: Enter a name for your typical learner
• Age:  Enter the typical age range of your target learners. Note: Be as specific as possible. While the course may be suitable for a very broad age group, it is important to divide them into smaller, similar subgroups. After all, you wouldn’t market to an 18-year-old and a 64-year-old through the same channels, would you?
• Educational Attainment: Specify the general level of education most learners have.
• Occupation: List common occupations or careers or industries your learners come from.
• Job Responsibilities: Describe typical job duties or roles that your learners perform in their work.  
• Personal Characteristics: Note important personality traits or attributes common among your learners.

2. Background and Goals:

• Biography: Give a brief narrative or background story typical of someone who would take your course.
• Primary Goals: Outline the main objectives or aspirations learners have when enrolling in your course.
• Pain Points: Identify key challenges, problems, or roadblocks that your course helps to address.
• Learning Mindset: Describe how your learners typically approach education and learning.

3. Motivations and Gains/Benefits:

• Motivators: List factors that motivate your learners to take this course, such as career advancement, skill development, or personal interest.
• Gains/Benefits: Specify the desired outcomes or capabilities that learners hope to achieve by completing your course.
• Additional Notes: Provide any other relevant information that helps to develop the learner persona in more detail.

Tips for Effective Use:

• Research-Based: Base your personas on actual data and research where possible. Use surveys, interviews, and feedback from current students to inform your learner persona development. See the added example of the Persona Questionnaire.
• Multiple Personas: Consider developing several personas if your course targets diverse groups with different characteristics or needs.
• Continuous Refinement: Update personas periodically based on new insights from ongoing courses and learner feedback to ensure they remain accurate and relevant.
• Integration with Marketing: Use the detailed personas to guide your marketing strategies, ensuring that promotional materials and messages resonate strongly with your target audience.