Theresa Jackson

🚀 eLearning Professionals ... free tool alert! 🚀 #Microsoft just rolled out #Copilot Audio Expressions. It turns plain text into expressive voiceovers -> dramatic, fun, calm, or even multiple characters for scenarios. I tested it and was surprised at how real it felt. The voices don’t just read… they perform. 🎭 It can come handy if you need scenario voices with emotion for your course. Generated audio can be downloaded as an MP3 so you can easily drop into #Storyline or #Camtasia 👉 Try it here: https://lnkd.in/gmTJBm44 Watch me create a quick audio narration in the video below. #CopilotAudioExpressions #VoiceOver #EdTech #eLearning #AI

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When converting instructor-led training to online eLearning, you need to have a solid plan in place before your designers build one module! Here are your ten steps to cross the ILT to online-training chasm without fear. https://lnkd.in/grwrzJGU

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Before you open your storyboard, LMS, or favorite authoring tool… Ask this: 👉 “What do learners need to DO, not just know, after this?” It sounds simple. But it’s one of the most overlooked questions in instructional design. Because when we skip this? 🚫 We end up with info dumps. 🚫 We focus on coverage over impact. 🚫 We create content that checks boxes but changes nothing. Instructional designers are performance partners. Our job is to bridge the gap between knowing and doing. So if your course ends with learners “understanding” or “becoming aware”... go back to the drawing board. 🎯 What’s the behavior? 🎯 How will they apply it? 🎯 How do we design for that? 💬 What’s YOUR first question before you start designing? #InstructionalDesign #PerformanceFirst #LearningDesign #LXD #IDTips #IDOLAcademy #CorporateLearning #LearningStrategy

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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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Here’s something most teams never test: What does your Storyline course sound like when read by a screen reader? Inaccessible content often hides in plain sight, in unlabeled buttons, skipped focus orders, or interactions that screen readers can’t interpret. That’s exactly what we’ll uncover in the Storyline Accessibility + WCAG 2.2 AA training on March 24 at 12 PM ET. This isn’t about checklists or templates. It’s about showing what real accessibility looks like, and how to build courses that are truly usable for every learner. If you’re ready to move beyond “audit-passing” design and create genuinely inclusive learning, you’ll want to be there. Save your seat today: https://lnkd.in/dQjsUVHU

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I have been working with the Articulate Storyline Accessibility Checker on two projects. One project was done before the checker was available and the other is just starting. It is easier to include accessible content as you start a project. I have always tried to name all elements on the timeline as a good practice. However , I discovered on the older project I was not always doing that. I had several images named picture. What good is that? For accessibility, that is going to get flagged. I did find out that a good way to make corrections on an existing project is to use the Focus icon on the HOME tab for each slide. This lets you see all of the items on the slide and you can decide which objects, text, etc. should be visible to accessibility tools. The list will also show anything that does not have a name that you can identify what it is. This allowed me to find all items labeled "picture" and change the name. I also found out that anything with states shows up in the checker with each state. Go to this resource for more detailed help.

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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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Rise courses don’t have to look “cookie-cutter.” Most people don’t realize how powerful Custom Blocks are in Articulate Rise. They let you build a library of your best layouts—then reuse them across courses so your work is: ✔️ consistent ✔️ scalable ✔️ faster to produce ✔️ easier to maintain I recorded a quick tutorial showing exactly how I use Custom Blocks in real builds: 🎥 https://lnkd.in/guX5rucm If you’re creating training under deadlines, this is a must-know.

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Most instructional design teams are not slow. They’re trapped inside a production model that is. One hour of eLearning still takes months to build. Too many handoffs. Too many review cycles. Too much production work. And instructional designers spend more time formatting slides than designing learning. That model is overdue for replacement. On March 26, we’re hosting a live LinkedIn session: The 10x Instructional Design Team A practical look at how modern learning teams are building faster, thinking deeper, and delivering stronger outcomes without adding headcount. 📅 March 26 ⏰ 1 PM EST / 10 AM PT Register here: https://lnkd.in/gY5SXjPG Stop building learning like it’s 2010. #eLearning #MissionFuelAI #InstructionalDesign #LandD #FreeWebinar #LiveStreaming

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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Articulate Storyline 360’s Accessibility Checker — A Game Changer for Inclusive eLearning. Learn how the built-in tool helps you catch and resolve accessibility issues before publishing. 👉 https://lnkd.in/gY_3TibH #eLearning #Accessibility #Inclusion #Storyline360 #EdTech

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NEW: In this week's Storyline update, Articulate added an accessibility feature that's going to change how you build accessible e-learning: https://lnkd.in/guG7E5ic More info can be found in the user guide https://lnkd.in/gkPqVANx

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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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Rethinking eLearning Development: Beyond Levels and Rate Cards   The Industry Norm: A Templatized, Cost-Based Model Most eLearning projects today are scoped and priced using predefined "levels," typically Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3. Levels 1 and 2 "designs" correspond to a fixed mix of screen types (static, interactive, media-rich) and align with a standard rate card. This model is transactional, not creative. It simplifies costing but limits the quality of the content. Bespoke eLearning: A Misused Term? Despite industry buzzwords like "bespoke" and "tailored," most "custom" eLearning boils down to one thing: content chunking. Instructional design becomes a mechanical exercise involving breaking content into screens and populating old templates. Most corporate eLearning today falls into this routine category, mostly under Level 2.   The Cost Challenge: Rising or Slightly Reducing Despite Repetition Why Is Cost Still Rising or Not Decreasing Much? Even with repeatable processes, eLearning development costs have either risen or not reduced much over time. One primary reason is inefficiencies from reinventing the wheel on every project. Another reason is fragmented team structures, where writers, designers, developers, and SMEs work in silos, and a lack of synergy between various teams within an eLearning company. AI: Used, But Not Smartly eLearning vendors are increasingly using AI primarily for content chunking or summarization. However, the core structure still uses the same old templates. So, while AI speeds up tasks and reduces the development costs, it doesn't lead to better learning outcomes unless integrated intelligently.   The Real Opportunity: Creative Use of Templates Design Templates What the industry needs is a creative rethink of how templates are used. Instead of just technical templates, we need "Design Templates" that are creative, learner-centric screen formats aligned to each level. Each template should balance engagement, instructional integrity, and visual consistency. Once they are designed, even less senior instructional designers can write creatively with the help of AI. All involved in the development team use copies of the same templates from the repository for production. With well-designed templates and an integrated team approach, development time and cost can drop significantly, while the courses move one notch up at a reduced price.

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Storyboard_V1.0: “Looks great!” Storyboard_V17.0: “Let’s just add one small thing…” Every instructional designer knows this story. You submit your first storyboard. Clean. Structured. Beautiful. ✨ Then the feedback starts rolling in: 👉 “Can we add this? It’s important.” 👉 “Let’s include one more example.” 👉 “Maybe a quick scenario?” 👉 “Oh… and a short video.” 👉 “And this compliance point.” Seventeen versions later… Your storyboard has officially entered its ✨ expansion era ✨ Welcome to the world of stakeholder feedback, scope stretch, and evolving learning requirements. But here’s the twist — this is where real learning design magic happens. 🧠 Because behind every “small addition” is: ✔ clearer learning objectives ✔ stronger business alignment ✔ better learner relevance ✔ richer instructional strategy Iteration isn’t the enemy. Unstructured additions are. 😅 The real skill? Turning feedback overload into structured, high-impact eLearning design. 🎯 Be honest… What’s the highest version number your storyboard has reached? 👇😂 #instructionaldesign #elearning #learninganddevelopment #storyboarding #corporatetraining #instructionaldesigner

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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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If building eLearning still takes months, something is broken. It is not your team. It is the way courses are produced. CourseEngine and the Mission Fuel Instructional Design Team has replaced the old production model, with greater speed and quality. Turn any content (PDF's Word, PPT, transcripts from webinars) into real, SCORM ready courses in minutes. Review with SMEs without endless loops. Publish once. Update fast. And choose how you want to work: - Do it yourself (DIY) - Do it with expert designers (DWY) - Or let us do it for you (DFY) That's Mission Fuel. Stop building learning like it is 2010. missionfuel.ai

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We've all been there. New eLearning project lands on your desk. Within minutes, you're thinking about authoring tools, templates, and animations. You're already knee-deep in Development before you've done any Analysis or Design. And that's exactly where eLearning goes to DIE. Development is seductive; it's fun, it's tangible, you can show stakeholders something concrete. But if you've skipped Analysis and Design, you're building on sand. You'll end up in endless revision cycles, trying to retrofit strategic decisions into a course that's already half-built. Read why jumping to Development kills your eLearning: https://lnkd.in/eUtTQ3VK

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