Erin Murphy, Director of Partnerships and Senior Facilitator at Experience Institute (Photo: Daniel Kelleghan Photography)
CivicActions is currently working on the Digital IT Acquisition Professional (DITAP) Program Refresh as part of a contract awarded by the United States Digital Service (now the United States DOGE Service). Building on our experience delivering DITAP training to over 400 Federal contracting professionals across 30 agencies, this project represents an exciting opportunity to evolve and modernize the curriculum. To make that happen, we’ve partnered with TandemGov and Experience Institute.
We spoke with Erin Murphy, Director of Partnerships and Senior Facilitator at Experience Institute, about how their experiential learning approach aligns with the DITAP refresh. Erin highlighted key methods in the refreshed curriculum — like project-based learning, structured experimentation, peer learning, and reflection cycles — that make training practical and impactful. She also reflected on the unique strengths Experience Institute brings to the partnership with CivicActions, combining agile practices with transformational learning experiences.
Read on to hear more from Erin about how this collaboration is shaping the future of digital acquisition training.
How does Experience Institute define experiential learning, and how does this approach align with the goals of the DITAP refresh?
At Experience Institute, we believe the best way to learn is by doing…and then reflecting on and applying that learning. That’s at the heart of everything we design. Our core methodology, called Leaps, helps people step outside their comfort zones, experiment with new approaches, and apply what they’re learning in real time.
While working on the DITAP curriculum refresh has been a bit different from Ei’s typical work — which usually involves partnering with corporate teams, HR and L&D leaders, and innovation teams to create live learning experiences for their employees — the underlying need is surprisingly similar: giving people space to practice, reflect, and refine their approach so they can work smarter and with more confidence.
That’s why our experiential approach is such a natural fit for DITAP. Procurement professionals in this program aren’t just learning about digital acquisition and agile principles in theory — they need to apply those principles within the realities of government procurement. That means working through real procurement challenges and leading change in systems that can be complex, regulated, and sometimes slow to evolve.
It’s certainly not rocket science, but experiential learning gets left out of a lot of corporate training and online courses. It’s been **refreshing (ha!) to work with a team that understands the value of designing experiences that don’t just deliver information, but actually shift the way DITAP learners think and work on a daily basis. And, there were already a lot of experiential learning components in the DITAP course, so there’s a great foundation to work from.
What are some of the most impactful experiential learning methods you’ve seen, and how can they be applied to the DITAP curriculum?
A few methods stand out as particularly effective in our work at Ei — whether we’re working with first-time managers, cross-functional innovation teams, or senior leaders preparing for major strategic shifts — and we’ll be doubling down on these in the refreshed DITAP curriculum.
- Project-based learning: Instead of abstract exercises, we help people apply concepts to real projects they’re working on or problems they’re wrestling with, so the learning feels relevant and immediate. I’m especially excited about the updated case studies in the DITAP refresh.
- Structured experimentation: Agile is all about testing, learning, and iterating, and is embedded in both our approach to the refresh and a core part of the DITAP course itself. Within the course itself, we’re designing to give people space to try new approaches, reflect on what worked, and refine their process.
- Peer learning: Government procurement professionals have ample institutional knowledge and lived experience, so we’re creating opportunities for them to learn from each other, not just from instructors.
- Reflection cycles: Learning isn’t just about what happens in the moment — it’s about making connections over time. We build in structured reflection points to help learners recognize what they’re learning and what’s shifting in their work.
What unique strengths does Experience Institute bring to this partnership, and how do they complement CivicActions’ approach to digital transformation and learning?
What I love about this partnership is that we each bring something unique to the table:
CivicActions is an expert in digital transformation, agile, and human-centered design in government. They bring the deep knowledge of how government teams can modernize their work and the technical expertise to guide them through that process.
Experience Institute specializes in making that learning stick. We focus on creating transformational learning experiences — experiences that equip people to take action, develop new mindsets, and build confidence in applying what they’ve learned long after our programs end.
Together, we’re making sure the DITAP refresh is a catalyst for long-term impact in the industry.
Every great partnership teaches something unexpected — what’s one lesson Experience Institute is taking away from working with CivicActions?
A few things come to mind: one’s a helpful reminder, one’s an open question, and one’s a delightful surprise.
A helpful reminder: It’s not exactly a surprise, since empathy-building is such a core part of design thinking, which is at the center of so much of our work — but this process has reinforced the importance of deeply understanding the needs and challenges of the learners, and putting them squarely at the center. As someone with little knowledge of how procurement worked before this project, the alumni interviews and surveys have been incredibly rich — they’ve surfaced so many insights that have helped me better understand what we’re really solving for. And I’ve been relying on my go-to questions for all learning engagements: What are the pain points we are trying to solve? What do our learners need to know and know how to do? How do we want them to feel different as a result of this experience?
An open question: Another big takeaway for me is around future-proofing our work. That’s been a huge focus in DITAP — how do we design this refresh so it stands the test of time? How do we prevent the need for another refresh in 5 or 10 years, knowing the landscape is evolving so quickly? It’s a question I’m carrying with me into future projects at Experience Institute too, though I can’t say I have a perfect answer.
A delightful surprise: I’ve learned so much from the CivicActions team and the procurement professionals who’ve served as our subject matter experts. I’ll admit, I didn’t fully appreciate how much care and thoughtfulness goes into procurement work. It’s such a unique and complex space, and I’ve developed a deep respect for the role these professionals play — not just in acquiring goods and services, but in shaping how government serves the public.
If you’re ready to take your skills to the next level with a DITAP program that’s shaping the future, learn more about CivicActions DITAP.