Building ATÖLYE Academy's Transformative Learning Community

Client: ATÖLYE, a strategic design and innovation consultancy. As co-designer, operator, community manager, and team lead, I spearheaded a first-of-its-kind project within ATÖLYE, a design and innovation consultancy specializing in community-powered transformation. We aimed to create an internet-native online learning community called "ATÖLYE Academy's Learning Community" that placed learning at its core, offering a transformative, social, and digital learning journey for individuals seeking lifelong learning.

Project Overview

ATÖLYE Academy's Learning Community was a digital, experiential, and social, cohort-based online learning journey designed to develop competencies crucial for navigating personal and organizational change in the 21st century. Participants had the chance to partake in five unique programs designed by leading figures from the ATÖLYE team and community. They also engaged in a distinctive no-code incentive system that rewarded valuable contributions and interactions. The learning journey was further enhanced with unique online event programming and support for launching community-powered initiatives. We successfully delivered a free first cohort and a paid second cohort.

Key Components

1. Cohort-Based Learning Experimentation: The project introduced cohort-based learning, providing an immersive and collaborative online learning experience. This model is known to have higher engagement and success rates in comparison to self-paced online courses.

2. Diverse Team Collaboration: The success of our experiment was a result of the collaborative efforts of a diverse team, including learning designers, interns, community builders, communications experts, visual designers, and consultants. ATÖLYE's support allowed us to explore the frontiers of online learning and community building.

My Achievements

1. Impactful Reach: Our initiative touched the lives of 600+ individuals from various regions of Türkiye.

2. Innovative Incentivization System: I designed the "Value Driven Incentivization" system, introducing a pioneering approach to tokenization within learning communities. This novel method added a new dimension to community engagement and participation.

3. Financial Milestone: Achieved a significant milestone for ATÖLYE Academy, securing ₺180,000 in B2C sales, showcasing the project's financial viability.

4. Online Learning Modules: Orchestrated 10 online learning modules, led by 20 facilitators, ensuring a comprehensive and diverse educational experience.

5. No-Code Integrations: Implemented 15 no-code integrations to streamline processes and lighten the administrative workload, enhancing the overall efficiency of the Learning Community.

6. Collaborations and Knowledge-Sharing Events: Collaborated with 3 local brands, hosted 4 public events, and facilitated 6 "Digital Campfires" for knowledge-sharing, enhancing the community's experience and expanding its reach.

Conclusion

My involvement as co-designer and team lead in creating ATÖLYE Academy's Learning Community was pivotal to its success. Through innovative learning models, diverse collaboration, and a commitment to empowering individuals, we achieved our objectives and set a precedent for the future of online learning and community building. This case study showcases our journey, our impact, and the lessons learned in the realm of community-driven transformation.