Hadiya Nuriddin, MA, MEd

The job of a subject matter expert is to understand complex things. The job of an instructional designer is to explain complex things. These are different skill sets. Can subject matter experts possess both? Absolutely! Should they be using them? Absolutely – if they have the time for it. But just as we wouldn’t expect the engineer who built a Formula 1 car to race it, we shouldn’t expect subject matter experts to do the work of instructional designers. Do you agree?

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What do you like the most about authoring tool?🚀 👉 A standout authoring tool excels when it blends powerful multimedia support with flexible, brand-aligned design—allowing instructional designers to embed engaging videos, craft visually rich long pages, and maintain consistent branding through customizable layouts and styles. 👌 The best platforms also offer rapid update capabilities, enabling course content to evolve in tune with new product launches or regulatory changes. 👍 When paired with automatic translation or localization workflows, such tools empower brands to deliver dynamic, high-quality training globally and with zero compromise on aesthetics or intuitiveness.

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I'm still amazed how often “interactive and engaging” just means “build it in Articulate Storyline.” It’s a slide tool with triggers. Accessibility takes workarounds, updates are clunky, and suddenly we’ve spent weeks producing something that’s hard to revise and easy to outgrow.

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Here’s how I estimate time for an eLearning development project. I wrote recently that a typical instructional design and development eLearning project in a tool like Storyline is usually 10 to 12 weeks for us. https://lnkd.in/erT_92mt That’s my starting calendar for a project plan, but the actual time needed (and therefore the weeks) can vary wildly. Some projects we’re doing in mere days. Some we’re working on for multiple months. So, this is a little deeper dive into how I approach that estimating. The four main factors I consider when quoting a project are: 1️⃣ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭. Has the front-end analysis work been done? Does the content already exist? How complete and stable is it? Does it provide actionable steps for the learner? 2️⃣ 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐭𝐲 is driven by the learning objective and relates to what the end product might be. Has it already been designed and we are simply production or are we performing the whole project? What level is needed and how much effort will it take to build? 3️⃣ 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 relates to how my team will need to work the project in order to meet the request. Is it a typical timeline or a rush? Is there an available SME to answer questions and how responsive will this person be? 4️⃣ 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚 comes from our PM tool. As I scope, I try to find similarities with previous work. Then, I run reports on those past projects and see how much time we spent. My team and I will take those numbers and debate it, such as this project went well because we had a great SME or that one went off the rails because the content kept changing. All of this helps us hone in on what the new project might be like. Try to build in some contingency. I’ll also sometimes take our own historical time spent and cross-reference it with data from the L&D industry. My three favorites to reference are: Bryan Chapman, How Long Does it Take to Create Learning? Despite this PowerPoint being 15 years old, the time estimates are still really strong. https://lnkd.in/eTbC-KgU Robyn A. D., How Long Does It Take to Develop Training? New Question, New Answers. I don’t agree with the numbers in this 2020 ATD survey quite as much, and they used a variety of course lengths, but still good info. https://lnkd.in/ef8gVSeQ Christy Tucker, Time Estimates for eLearning Development. This 2019 post walks through Christy's thought process for estimating hours on a big project. https://lnkd.in/ex6_ykQ7 I hope this info is helpful to you. My biggest advice is to track your time spent and build formulas based on that and industry resources like the links I’ve included. What other steps do you take when estimating an eLearning project?

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Did you know you can Vibe Code for Articulate Storyline as well? Create custom games and interactions with AI that work perfectly inside of your eLearning course? I have talked a lot about getting something you #VibeCoded into the #Rise code block but had someone ask about how to use the code inside of #Storyline so wanted to create a video walking you through how to take something from Claude #AI and use it as a fully functional page inside of Storyline. There are a couple of extra steps to do but I do hope that Storyline implements something like the Rise code block in the future where you can just copy and paste in the code or just import a zip. This however opens up a lot of possibilities still within Storyline, being able to create customizable interactions without complex triggers or logic. I took the game I vibe coded last week and got it fully functioning inside of Storyline. Full video here: https://lnkd.in/gQJt-hEX

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🎯 New Intellum Evolve Tutorial – Timed Interactions That Reflect Real Life Timers often get a bad name in eLearning — and fair enough, when they’re used poorly. But in the right context, a timer can help replicate how decisions are made in real life. In Arck Learning's latest tutorial, I show you how to build a stylised countdown timer in Evolve, ideal for simulating high-pressure decisions in areas like emergency response, finance, and customer service. The timer is: ✅ Fully responsive ✅ Logic-based ✅ Can be set up with an optional opt-out using simple logic 📽️ Sneak peek below. To watch the full tutorial, head to the latest blog post on our website or find it on the Arck Learning YouTube channel. 💬 Want a copy of the working course file with all the logic and theming in place? Drop me a DM and I’ll send it over. #elearning #learningdesign #instructionaldesign #digitallearning #leadershipdevelopment

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The last Learning Designers Community (LDC) meetup brought together 17 learning designers from ed tech, L&D, K12, and LX design to reflect on #CarlHendrick’s webinar on the Five Illusions of Learning. Like all LDC meetups, the focus was on practice in real learning contexts. As I co-facilitated for the first time, three things stood out for me. #Illusion1: engagement does not always mean learning. We ideated on how to look beyond visible cues, what deep learning means & how activities remain in memory & not learning! #Second, discovery learning may not work for novice learners. We spoke about sequencing content more carefully, providing clearer guidance to new leaners while amping up self-learning challenges for advanced ones. #Third, Small wins help retain continued motivation, especially among younger learners. Most of us were raking our brians on how to find the balance between designing for easy wins vs friction for deeper learning. This space helped access a sense of validation, engagement & fun! Big shout out to Shraddha Rawat Miriam Elnaggar #LDC #LandD #peerlearning #learningcommunity

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SMEs don’t give clean content. They give expertise in knots 🧶 Most learning fails not because of poor tools… but because raw SME content is never transformed. Here’s what actually happens behind every effective e-learning course 👇 🧠 SME content arrives messy, dense, and overloaded 🪢 Instructional designers untangle the content by making sense of intent 🎯 Learning objectives bring clarity, focus, and learner outcomes 🧵 Everything is then braided into an e-learning course that is structured and engaging This is the real value of instructional design. Not converting slides. Not decorating content. But turning expert knowledge into learner-centered experiences 🚀 If you’ve ever worked with SMEs, this will feel very familiar 😉 💬 Which step do you think is the hardest for instructional designers? #instructionaldesign #elearning #learningdesign #idcommunity

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Is your eLearning actually learning; or just content delivery? There’s a huge difference between sharing information and designing experiences that lead to behavior change. I still see so many people confuse content creation with instructional design. It’s not just: ❌ Putting slides in order ❌ Narrating facts ❌ Slapping “Next” buttons on screens It’s about: ✅ Aligning to business goals ✅ Solving real learner problems ✅ Reducing friction between learning and doing ✅ Designing with the learner, not just at them When we treat learning like a one-way broadcast, we’re missing the point. Instructional design is a creative, strategic process rooted in human behavior, brain science, and business impact. Let’s stop measuring our work in slide count and start measuring it in transformation. 💬 What’s your go-to tip for turning passive content into active learning? #InstructionalDesign #eLearning #LearningExperienceDesign #DigitalLearning #IDOLAcademy #LearningThatSticks #CorporateTraining

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Designing eLearning content doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated! Here are 5 FREE tools that can instantly elevate your course design; from visuals to fonts and icons. Whether you're an instructional designer, educator, or content creator, these resources will help you make your learning modules look as good as they teach! Check them out 👇 #Canva | #Unsplash | #Freepik | #Flaticon | #GoogleFonts #eLearning #InstructionalDesign #DigitalLearning #DesignTools #EdTech #ContentCreation #LearningDesign #OnlineEducation #VisualDesign #Vaidikeduservices

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“𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗼𝗿𝘆, 𝗲𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.” In this clip, Tim Slade reflects on the overlap between accidental instructional designers and those who view eLearning as just content output. The result? Designs that don’t always serve the learner. Great reminder that tools alone don’t make great learning; thoughtful design does. 🎧 Watch the full episode via the link is in the comments. #InstructionalDesign #eLearning #LearningTheory #AdultLearning #LearningAndDevelopment

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🚀 Level Up Your Skills in Advanced eLearning Development! 🎮✨ Are you interested in mastering advanced development techniques and creating gamified eLearning experiences using Articulate Storyline 360? I’m planning to share step-by-step tutorials packed with practical tips and tricks. But here’s the deal: 👉 If this post gets 50+ comments saying “Interested”, I’ll launch the tutorials! 💬 Drop your “Interested” below ⬇️ and let’s start building engaging, game-like learning experiences together. #eLearning #Gamification #ArticulateStoryline360 #GameBasedLearning #LearningAndDevelopment

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🚀 From Text to Interaction in Articulate Storyline In a recent project, I was challenged to turn plain text into something more engaging — an interactive graph that shows how stressors impact Animals growth. 💡 The solution? A creative use of two built-in Articulate Storyline features: the Dial and Slider. When combined, they helped transform static content into a dynamic, learner-driven experience. Love finding ways to make learning more visual and interactive! #InstructionalDesign #ArticulateStoryline #Elearning #UXDesign #elearning #LearningExperience #GrowthMindset #elearningBrewery

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