iSpring Competition Project

A 10-minute microlearning module teaching foreign residents in Spain how to recycle household waste. Entered in the 2025 iSpring Course Creation Contest, it placed 4th in the Start category, and the following year I was invited back as a mentor for the 2026 contest.

The challenge. The contest set an open brief with fixed requirements, including a built-in knowledge test. I treated those requirements exactly as I would a client’s, since designing to a brief is the core discipline of the job.

Audience and need. Having lived in Spain for years, I identified a specific, underserved audience. Non-Spanish-speaking residents often don’t know the local recycling system, which works differently from the one in their home country. The barrier is both procedural and linguistic.

My role. Sole instructional designer, from needs analysis through build.

The approach. I kept the scope deliberately small, distilling the essentials into a 10-minute module rather than overloading the learner. I designed for accessibility, providing a downloadable, printable job aid built from images alone so it works regardless of the user’s first language. I built in active learning through a sort-the-waste activity that lets learners test their understanding by doing, and closed with a knowledge check to meet the brief and confirm recall.

Deliverables. A 10-minute interactive module, an image-based printable job aid, a hands-on sorting activity, and an end-of-module assessment.

Result. 4th place in the Start category in 2025, followed by an invitation to return as a mentor for the iSpring Course Creation Contest 2025 & 2026, a recognition of the design quality by the organizers themselves.

Mentor Certificate Summer Course Contest 2025_Andrea Varga (1)

Andrea Varga (2)

Reflection. My main takeaway was the primacy of the brief. Competition requirements are the client’s requirements, and meeting them precisely is what separates a strong submission from a self-indulgent one.