From Insight to Impact Part Two: Inside InnovED’s July MicroLab

In March, InnovED‘s “From Insights to Impact” Part One MicroLab brought together educators, entrepreneurs, and intrapreneurs to examine the systems they were working to change. They looked at root causes, stakeholder landscapes, and the conditions that help or hinder an education innovation from ever taking hold. It was rich, necessary work. And it was just the beginning. 

On July 16th, the series continued with From Insight to Impact, Part Two: Applying Design Principles to Transform Your Ideas into Action. Facilitated again by Samantha Presutto Quercia and Shareef Alshareef, Part Two asked participants to move from understanding to building. Once you know what you’re trying to change, how do you design a solution that will actually change it? 

The room held a wide range of perspectives and project stages. Some participants had attended Part One in March. Others arrived fresh. Some were early in their thinking, drawn by curiosity and a growing sense that something in education needed to change. Others were further along, refining existing solutions or looking to scale. What they shared was a commitment to doing this work well. 

Over 90 focused minutes, participants worked through structured activities that pushed their thinking in three directions. First, they mapped their solution against the problem it was responding to, thinking through all of the conditions that would determine whether their idea could actually work. Then they applied principles of Learning Experience Design to ensure the solution would be genuinely useful to the people it was built for. The Learning Experience Canvas, developed by Niels Floor, was a key tool here, helping participants think through learning outcomes, activities, environment, and strategy. A final quality review asked them to step back and look at their work honestly: Does this solution create real value for learners? Is it feasible? Is it equitable? Does every element point toward the intended impact?.

The session wasn’t designed to produce finished solutions. It was designed to shift how participants think about the challenges they’re trying to solve. As Samantha noted, “…one session doesn’t complete the work. These are thinking tools meant to be returned to, refined, and built upon over time”. That framing matters. It takes the pressure off perfection and puts the energy where it belongs: toward honest inquiry, careful iteration, and the next good question. 

 

Participants were working on ideas across three broad themes: language learning solutions across the lifespan, technology-mediated approaches to mentorship, and well-being initiatives in education. At the tables, the collaboration was genuine and generative. Groups were “blowing through the allocated timeframes,” as Samantha noted, which is always a good sign.

Taken together, the two MicroLabs help edupreneurs build a Theory of Change: a clear articulation of the problem, the solution, the desired impact, and the path between them. Each lab contributes a different layer. Part One builds understanding. Part Two builds the solution. Together, they make the full journey from insight to impact visible and actionable. 

Both facilitators were aligned on what they hope participants carry forward. The curiosity to keep asking questions when you think you’ve found the answer. The humility to recognize how much there is to learn about the system you’re trying to serve. And a deep commitment to quality. As Samantha put it: “Education is a system of care. If you’re designing a solution for it, it should reflect the same level of care that happens within that system.“ 

Shareef added: “I hope they left with concrete action plans, or at least the foundation of one they can realistically implement within their own resources, culture, and context.” 

That is what the MicroLab series is designed to build: the tools, frameworks, and capacity to turn strong thinking into something real. 

 

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Interested in going deeper? OISE CPL’s Advanced Learning Experience Design Master Certificate is coming Winter 2027. And if well-being in education is central to your work, it’s the focus of our upcoming October 26 EduForum. Contact oise.cpl@utoronto.ca to learn more. 

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By Allie Houghton
Marketing Manager
OISE Continuing & Professional Learning

July 23, 2026

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