Kim Schlesinger

What happens when a national organization needs better learning tools, and fast? Jeannine Reilly, Vice President of Education Delivery and Technology Solutions at Junior Achievement USA, explains how they approached the decision to switch learning management systems, starting with a broad evaluation. Then they narrowed the field based on what educators needed and what would feel familiar in the K-12 market, eventually choosing D2L Brightspace. As Reilly puts it, “the relationship with D2L has been amazing.” Watch the video to hear the story behind the switch.

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It's so important to understand what the real learning need is, if we're going to create learning g that has a lasting impact and is useful to learners. Once you understand the need, making it learner cented and engaging is essential to achieve measurable desired outcomes. What do you use to measure learning outcomes?

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This was one of my favorite moments from the Agile in Action with Bill Raymond Podcast 👇 He asked me: “What’s the one piece of advice you’d give instructional designers right now?” My answer: Use AI to better market your courses. Not just to create them, but to sell the *value* of them. Here’s what I’ve noticed: Instructional Designers, SMEs, and instructors are amazing at teaching new skills and knowledge. But when it comes to getting people to want to take the course? That’s often where things fall short. If I were in your shoes, I’d be using AI to sharpen the front-end of the learning experience: - A course title that makes someone stop scrolling - An overview that explains what the course is about and WHY the learner should take it now - Lesson titles that grab attention and spark curiosity - Hooks within the first 90 seconds of every lesson that draw learners in and keep them engaged — that’s the moment to win them over - The goal of each lesson is to keep people watching, reading, clicking These are all marketing tactics — and they really matter if you want learners to engage, finish, and actually retain what they learn. And this is where AI tools, like Genie from GoSkills.com, really shine. What you don’t have to do anymore: ❌ Build everything from scratch ❌ Summarize long-winded company policies ❌ Stress over the right words for titles and intros What you do get to do: ✅ Shape the content with your SMEs ✅ Curate what’s most important for your learners ✅ Create a genuinely useful and engaging experience ✅ Develop a marketing strategy that helps your course thrive That’s where your real value is. Let #AI do the grunt work — you do the stuff only humans can. Had a great time diving into this with Bill. Hope you enjoy the episode as much as I did! 🎧 Full episode here: https://lnkd.in/epDihEUH P.S. If you’re building training for your team, give Genie a try — it’s free: 👉 https://lnkd.in/ezGvKa_W #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment #AIinLearning #EdTech #Agile

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Instructional Design Methodologies: Are They More Alike Than Different? After working in compliance-based training since 1997—as a graphics/multimedia designer, programmer, and now an instructional designer—I’ve had the chance to see firsthand how companies approach instructional design. Over the years, I’ve noticed recurring debates about methodologies like ADDIE, SAM, Bloom’s Taxonomy, instructional design versus instructional systems design, waterfall versus agile processes, and more. These discussions often present the methodologies as fundamentally different, with some arguing you have to choose one based on the project or context. But here’s a question I’ve been reflecting on: Are these methodologies truly as distinct as they seem? For example, ADDIE defines five phases—analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation—and yet, those same phases exist in SAM, agile processes, and even waterfall methods, just expressed differently. It makes me wonder—aren’t we all ultimately working toward the same goal: creating meaningful, effective learning experiences? From my experience, I’ve found that flexibility and adaptability matter far more than rigidly adhering to a single framework. I often blend approaches depending on the project, the team, and the moment. Of course, there are exceptions when one methodology is clearly a better fit, but most of the time, I rely on whatever serves the learners and the project best. So here’s my question for you: How do you approach these methodologies? Do you stick with one for consistency, combine them like I do, or see them as entirely distinct? I’d love to hear your perspectives—especially if your experience has led you to different conclusions.

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(Reposting because my initial comment was too long to post to the thread. Guess I had a lot to say about this topic.) This is so unbelievably true. I've been saying for a while now that we need to bake accessibility into every program we teach about design or leadership (or, really, any place where it overlaps with a skill or function). Dr. Nicole L'Etoile, CPACC really nailed it here. But not everyone goes through formal training, *especially* in the L&D space. So much is self-taught, which is why we have to make our tools accessible from the start. The big one, I think, is to just integrate accessibility into all of our discussions. It's still not mainstream. We have the beloved and much-needed Accessible and Inclusive Design Conference, the Summer of Access series, etc. Those are fantastic and they're needed. But we *also* need accessibility to be a keynote at other L&D conferences that aren't specifically about accessibility. Or we need people to chat about accessibility in our webinars the same way we chat about AI. It doesn't even need to be the main focus of the presentation; it just needs to be included at any moment it's relevant. I remember watching a YouTube video a while back from this really talented and well-known graphic designer in the tabletop gaming space. He was showing how he uses Adobe InDesign to do layout for card games. Very technical, design-oriented work. Then at one point he just dropped this in (paraphrasing): "So it's really important to not depend only on color when you're laying out your cards. A red or green border is nice, but it needs to be paired with an icon or text, because some people won't be able to tell what colors you're using." Boom! WCAG SC 1.4.1:Use of Color right there. It wasn't overt. It wasn't in a presentation about accessible card design. It was just a presentation about design basics. Because accessible design should just be part of design.

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The first time I worked on an instructional design process with actual corporate resources, I was so confused. What do you mean I have that much time? That many review phases? Access to that stock image platform and that internal library? What do you mean there’s a graphics team? You’re telling me we have BUDGET? You see, I was raised in a family that always prefers to make do. I mend my own clothes, I replace the liners of shoes instead of buying brand new ones, I thrift shop long before I ever enter a mall. Could I afford to buy the new version? Sure. But it’s not my first instinct. I don’t like to waste time or money on things I could do myself in a short time, and I’ve picked up a LOT of obscure creative skills over the years. No icons? I’ll draw them. No video team? Let me go learn audacity and get back to you. So when I started in this field, pre-generative AI, with volunteer projects where I had to source and create all of the content myself, it was like, “okay, how can I make this look excellent with as few paid resources as possible.” And I did. But corporate resources make SO much more possible, and faster too. So if you’re still in that early stage, know that the scrappy skills you’re building now are going to be just as valuable later, but it won’t always be this hard. Hang in there, Happy designing~

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We keep hearing about AI-ready content advice: "write chunk-sized content," "use structured formats," "create Q&A sections." As instructional designers and content creators, these recommendations sound familiar. But I was curious about the WHY behind these specific suggestions. So I dug into how AI systems actually process content during indexing (the first stage of AI search). It turns out these recommendations align with how AI creates semantic chunks, vector embeddings, and knowledge graphs from our content. Understanding this indexing process (https://lnkd.in/eXX5vu3W) made those recommendations click for me. #AIready #ContentDeveloper #InstructionalDesign #TechnicalWriter #RAG #indexing

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Ask Sage AI has become my daily copilot for instructional design. In the Analysis & Design stages of ADDIE, I load policy docs, course maps, and old course notes into datasets and use grounded prompting to produce CLO/LO alignments, Bloom’s mappings, rubrics, and lesson storyboards for new course design in minutes, not hours! Recent use example: I transformed a course that existed only as a PPT deck (with notes) into a foundational text/lesson–based course. Ask Sage parsed the slides, organized concepts into a clean module flow, turned notes pages into first-pass lesson narratives, and proposed assessments aligned to our objectives. Even better, it crosswalked the newly generated content against our updated learning objectives, flagged gaps and then adjusted sequencing and phrasing so lessons, activities, and assessments stayed aligned. Outcome: no blank-page pain, easier starting point for the SME to do their magic, fewer rework loops, faster reviews, and clear traceability back to source materials. For IDs who need rigor at speed, Ask Sage is a force multiplier. Nicolas M. Chaillan Ask Sage, Inc. #InstructionalDesign #ADDIE #LearningScience #AIinEducation #AskSage #GenerativeAI

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Every educator and leader I know asks this before trying a new #EdTech tool: Will this actually save me time? They have 800+ things to do and maybe 30 minutes of prep time to do it (plus squeeze in a restroom break). ⏳ Yet so many tools still lead with flashy outputs like auto-generated lesson plan, a rubric template, a worksheet. (Ohhh... ahh... 🙄) Most teachers can crank those out in their sleep or already have banks of resources they trust. That’s not the pain point. Having been on both sides (in the classroom and now in edtech), I see the gap. Educators are asking for time back, while too often products and marketing highlight features that miss the mark. 👇 Try highlighting use cases that actually win like: - Providing multilingual learner scaffolds so teachers can support all students without extra prep - Generating personalized learning resources that adapt to student needs - Pinpointing knowledge gaps to help teachers target instruction efficiently So here’s my question for the edtech community: What’s the first thing you think educators and leaders really want to know before they’ll even try a new tool? #K12 #Education #Marketing #ProductDesign #AI *The views expressed in this post are my own and do not reflect those of my employer.*

After the long and restorative break of summer, K–12 learners can return feeling disconnected and uneven in their skills. The gap in learning that may have emerged during those slower months requires a thoughtful response. Instructors and instructional designers have the opportunity to craft a fall transition that brings everyone together. Starting the new term with a well-designed re-orientation helps students re-engage with routine and classroom culture. Gentle pacing is key: shorter lessons and assessments help minds that have been off the school rhythm to refocus. It is also crucial to re-evaluate where students stand. Whether through formal assessments or informal observations, understanding their current levels informs a more responsive instructional plan. Equally important are meaningful breaks that include social and reflective moments to rebuild trust and rapport. Setting and revisiting meaningful goals promotes ownership and momentum over time. Brightspace’s instructional design community reminds us that when we plan the return with intention, compassion, and structure, we create transitions that support every learner in reconnecting and flourishing. https://ow.ly/t3CQ30sPbrS

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Let's talk about what AI can't replace. One of our true superpowers as instructional designers is how we build and manage human relationships. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) are one of the most valuable and often most stretched resources in any organization. How we manage that relationship can make or break the success of the learning experience. Strong SME management isn’t just about extracting information, sending off review emails, and closing the project. It's about creating a collaborative partnership that respects their expertise and protects the integrity of effective adult learning. Their expertise can't be replaced and neither can yours. A few principles that have made a difference for me: 🔹 Respect their time like it’s your own Come prepared. Send clear agendas. Ask focused questions. Do the heavy lifting before and after meetings so their time is spent where it matters most. 🔹 Be ruthlessly efficient SMEs don’t need to sit through your process. They need to contribute to it. Summarize decisions, confirm takeaways, and keep momentum moving forward. 🔹 Lead with learning expertise They are the expert in what. You are the expert in how people learn. Not every “must include” or “this is how we’ve always done it” aligns with adult learning best practices. It’s your role to guide, challenge, and elevate — respectfully. 🔹 Set and uphold clear standards Clarity builds trust. Explain what they can expect from you and what you need from them EARLY. Confirm availability and key players EARLY. When expectations, timelines, and decision points are defined upfront, it reduces friction later. And when pushback happens (because it will), you can anchor back to shared goals and agreed-upon principles. 🔹 Design the SME experience intentionally Just like your learners, SMEs are having an experience too. If they feel organized, heard, and valued, collaboration becomes easier, faster, and more productive. Here’s the part people don’t talk about enough: When SMEs feel that you truly respect their time and are committed to delivering a strong, successful end product, resistance drops significantly and collaboration soars. They start to trust your decisions. They push back less. And often, they ask to work with you again. That’s when you know you’ve moved from “project manager” to trusted partner. You offer a superpower that AI can't. Have anything to add? I'd love to hear your best practice for working with SMEs and other partners around the business.

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Instructional Design in 2025: One Pattern Stands Out 🔍 If you look at the current data on instructional design, there are a lot of clear and predictable things. Most instructional designers spend 66% of their time creating new courses and only 34% improving existing ones - content fluency is huge. Most projects are still centered around workplace training: onboarding, compliance, soft skills, delivered in formats ranging from quick microlearning to full programs. It takes 2–6 years for many professionals to transition into the role, and by that point, they’ve typically built a portfolio of 5–10 projects. The compensation reflects that investment: mid-level designers earn around $70K–$90K a year in the USA, with top roles exceeding $100K. So far, nothing surprising. But there’s one thread running through all of this that is harder to quantify and I think it’s pretty important because it pops up in way too many survey subjects. AI. Right now, AI is simultaneously: 🔸 the biggest challenge (how do we use it without lowering quality?) 🔸 the main trend (it’s everywhere, whether we like it or not) 🔸 a real fear (will it replace parts of the role? or the entire role?) 🔸 a huge opportunity (it can remove a lot of manual work) 🔸 and increasingly, a core skill (knowing how to use it well is becoming expected) And when you connect this to the earlier numbers, you can notice this: If most of an ID’s time is still spent on manual course creation, then AI is not another tool. It’s a pressure point. It’s pushing the role to change, and sometimes so quickly that keeping up is a struggle, but an inevitable one. #InstructionalDesign #iSpringEvents #LearningAndDevelopment #LearningAndDevelopmentCommunity #AnnaPoli

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Over the past 3 years as an instructional designer, my relationship with AI has evolved significantly. 2023–2024: AI was my copilot. - Brainstorming partner - Reviewer - First-draft generator Helped me ship faster with things like MCQs and case/roleplay scenarios Tools I leaned on (and still do): ChatGPT/Claude, HeyGen/Synthesia, Napkin AI 2025: Agentic workflows hit… and “time savings” stopped being the only point. The real question became: How do I make AI + me > AI along / me alone? Here’s the model I use: (1) Human strategize: objectives, audience, quality bar (2) AI scales (with codified human expertise): outline → content (3) Human gates: review quality against criteria (4) Capture drift: capture what drifted and codify it into guidance so each iteration improves I believe the most valuable skill isn’t just knowing your domain + knowing AI. t’s being able to articulate what “good” looks like in your domain—so the human+AI system improves over time. Where are you on this journey right now—copilot, workflow, or system? Let me know any thoughts in the chat below! #InstructionalDesign #CustomerEducation #AgenticWorkflows #LearningOps #ContentStrategy (This info graphic was made with Claude)

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One of the core ideas behind my Substack, The Polymathic Designer, is that good design principles don’t belong to a single discipline. In my latest post, I share three lessons a decade in marketing taught me about instructional design—and why learning, marketing, product, and community work are all forms of behavior-change design. If your work spans disciplines and you’ve ever struggled to explain your role, this one’s for you! 👉 How Becoming a Marketer Made Me a Better Instructional Designer: https://lnkd.in/gfvJgkBr

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Every Edtech company is doing what they can to automate humans out of the system by building AI content generators Frankly, AI is faster, and cheaper. The only advantage instructional designers have is to show they have better outcomes There is only one Learning Measurment System, and we have made it super easy for L&D teams to show their impact. Instructional designers should be screaming at their CLOs to invest in measurement tools https://lnkd.in/ePND7S-D

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Instructional design isn’t dead. But how we deliver it? That part’s broken. Courses alone aren’t enough anymore. We need learning systems — workflows, tools, SOPs, and automation that actually support change. After 14 years in this field — working across government, corporate, nonprofit, and education — I stopped thinking like a course designer. I started thinking like a systems strategist. And that’s exactly how I built my company. 🔹 I design courses only if they’re part of a broader performance system 🔹 I create learning flows that live beyond the LMS 🔹 I use AI tools not just for content — but for speed, testing, and refinement 🔹 I build SOP ecosystems that double as onboarding and performance tools 🔹 I eliminate 70% of SME chaos with structured intake + prompt frameworks This isn’t about making courses prettier. It’s about making them smarter. This is my first post here — but not the last. #InstructionalDesign #LearningStrategy #ProcessImprovement #AIforL&D #ClarityOps

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Serious question for fellow Learning Experience Designers: Why don’t we have more defined specialties within LxD roles? When you look across job descriptions, “LxD” can mean very different things - multimedia production, documentation, software training, accessibility, and more. Many of us end up developing deep expertise in one or more of these areas over time. Yet career paths often remain fairly linear: LxD → Senior → Lead (or management). I’m curious - would introducing specialties (e.g., LxD – Multimedia, LxD – Accessibility, LxD – Content Design) create more meaningful growth paths for individual contributors? Or would it risk narrowing a role that benefits from being broad and flexible? Would love to hear how others are seeing this evolve in their organizations.

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