Articulate Rise vs dominKnow Flow: Choosing the Right Authoring Tool

Instructional Designers, the best in the field quietly stopped buying standalone authoring tools last year. If you're still stitching seven SaaS subscriptions together, you're paying twice and shipping half as much. I've tested 11 LMS platforms over the last 14 months. Real builds, real learner cohorts, not demo logins. The one I now recommend to ID teams under 5 people did this for us: ✅ PPT-to-SCORM converter that handles narration timing, branching, and quiz logic in one upload. Saved us roughly 9 hours per course. ✅ AI Storyboard that turns a learning objective into a draft outline with media placeholders. ✅ AI Media Studio for voiceover, captions, and avatar video, all native, no vendor swap. ✅ AI quiz builder that drafts knowledge checks from the source material so they actually match the content. ✅ Course recommendations that nudge learners through skill paths without me hand mapping every prerequisite. The reframe that landed for our team. Stop buying tools, start buying time. Want to try it yourself? Here's the link: https://lnkd.in/dmJk639q Want to talk through whether this fits your workflow? Drop "LMS" in the comments and I'll connect with you directly. #InstructionalDesign #LMS #LearningAndDevelopmen

Instructional Designers, the best in the field quietly stopped buying standalone authoring tools last year. If you're still stitching seven SaaS subscriptions together, you're paying twice and shipping half as much. I've tested 11 LMS platforms over the last 14 months. Real builds, real learner cohorts, not demo logins. The one I now recommend to ID teams under 5 people did this for us: ✅ PPT-to-SCORM converter that handles narration timing, branching, and quiz logic in one upload. Saved us roughly 9 hours per course. ✅ AI Storyboard that turns a learning objective into a draft outline with media placeholders. ✅ AI Media Studio for voiceover, captions, and avatar video, all native, no vendor swap. ✅ AI quiz builder that drafts knowledge checks from the source material so they actually match the content. ✅ Course recommendations that nudge learners through skill paths without me hand mapping every prerequisite. The reframe that landed for our team. Stop buying tools, start buying time. Want to try it yourself? Here's the link: https://lnkd.in/ghmkhzNA Want to talk through whether this fits your workflow? Drop "LMS" in the comments and I'll connect with you directly. #InstructionalDesign #LMS #LearningAndDevelopmen

Optimizing for Output vs. Designing for Meaning In late December 2025, I paused to ask this community what was actually useful, what resonated, and what you wanted to see more of. Since then, I’ve been sharing with that feedback guiding my focus, and I recently took some time to reflect on what’s changed. As I can see, a few things stand out: Even though I’ve been posting less frequently since January, the impact of each post has grown. I’m seeing stronger engagement both in numbers, and in quality. More saves, more thoughtful conversations, and more people choosing to stay connected and follow along. In many ways, this shift has reinforced something important for me as an instructional designer and educational developer: impact is not defined by output volume, but by the strength of alignment between content and audience needs. When content becomes more intentional and grounded in real use cases, it naturally becomes more valuable, and more used. More importantly, the feedback continues to point to what matters most: 💎 Clear, actionable insights that can be applied in practice 💎 Credible, experience-grounded perspectives on instructional design and AI 💎 Space for reflection and professional growth 💎 Opportunities for collaboration and shared learning What this tells me is simple but important: listening made a difference. It helped me shift from focusing on consistency for its own sake to focusing on relevance, usefulness, and contribution. And in practice, that meant designing less around frequency, and more around cognitive value, what is actually worth engaging with, reflecting on, and keeping. And that shift is what’s driving a more meaningful connection within this community. So thank you. Because your feedback helped shape the content, and improved it. Now, as this quarter (April 1-July 1, 2026) progresses, I want to keep building in that same spirit: reflective, practical, and grounded in real challenges in higher education. I’m still learning, still refining, and still listening. So I’ll ask again: 💡What questions are you sitting with in your own teaching or educational development work right now? 💡What real (instructional design/education) challenges are you currently navigating that you’d like more perspective on? Because the way I see it, this has never been just a platform, but it’s a shared space for thinking, questioning, and improving practice together. - Quarterly Check-in (Jan 1 -April 1, 2026) #InstructionalDesign #HigherEd #EducationalDevelopment #FacultyDevelopment #TeachingAndLearning  #ReflectivePractice  #HigherEducationLeadership  #CenterForTeachingAndLearning

Behind the Scenes of SCORM Part 1: Inside the SCORM Package 📦 If you are an Instructional Designer or eLearning Developer, save this post. Most of us use SCORM every single day, yet few actually know what’s happening under the hood. I’m not going to give you a textbook definition; I’m going to give you a deep technical understanding of how it actually functions inside your LMS. In 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 1️⃣, we are diving into the package structure and the most critical file in the bundle: 𝗶𝗺𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁.𝘅𝗺𝗹. Think of this file as the 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 of your course. It’s the roadmap that tells the LMS exactly how to organize, launch, and interpret your content. Without it, your SCORM package is just a zip file of disconnected assets. 🔗 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗗𝗙 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://lnkd.in/dUqbn-HA 🧐 Why I’m Doing 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗠 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗽𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳: ● Vibe coding ● AI assisted development ● Less dependency on traditional authoring tools In this new era, understanding the core mechanics of SCORM is no longer optional, it’s a superpower. When you understand the architecture, you can implement tracking in custom coded games, web apps, or interactive experiences without ever touching a standard authoring tool. 👉 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸: SCORM Runtime Architecture 𝗟𝗠𝗦 ⇄ 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘀𝗲𝗿 ⇄ 𝗝𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁 I’ll explore how the SCORM API is injected, how API discovery works, and why the dreaded 𝗔𝗣𝗜 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 error actually happens. #InstructionalDesign #eLearningDevelopment #eLearning #InstructionalDesigner #eLearningDeveloper #SCORM #EdTech #LMS #Articulate #Storyline360 #AI4ID #InstructionalGuides

Learning design has more than one lane. And honestly? I think that’s a good thing. Some Instructional Designers are excellent at organizing content, writing objectives, structuring learning paths, building clean Rise modules, creating assessments, working with SMEs, and publishing LMS-ready courses. That work matters. But over time, I’ve realized that my strongest lane is a little different. I’m at my best where instructional design overlaps with visual storytelling, UI-quality screen design, learner experience design, multimedia direction, brand-level polish, creative strategy, AI-enhanced production, and human-centered learning experiences. In other words, I don’t just want to “build a course.” I want to transform complex content into something clear, modern, engaging, visually polished, and genuinely useful. Something people actually want to interact with. That distinction matters because “instructional designer” can mean a lot of different things depending on the organization. Sometimes it means rapid content production. Sometimes it means compliance training development. Sometimes it means curriculum strategy. Sometimes it means learning experience design. Sometimes it means multimedia, UX, visual communication, and performance support all rolled into one. None of those are inherently better than the others. But they are not all the same role. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in my career is that fit matters tremendously. I do my best work in environments that value quality, clarity, design thinking, visual communication, creative problem-solving, and learner experience. Not just speed, volume, or checking a training box. That’s the kind of work I’m looking for. And I suspect many other IDs, learning designers, LXDs, developers, enablement professionals, and creatives have had to learn a similar lesson: Sometimes the goal isn’t to prove you can do every version of the job. Sometimes the goal is to clarify the version of the work where you bring the most value. So I’d genuinely love to hear from others: What’s your lane? Are you more strategy, curriculum, enablement, visual design, systems training, facilitation, multimedia, UX, compliance, performance consulting, or something else entirely? And have you ever had to clarify what kind of “instructional design” work you’re actually best suited for? #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment #LearningExperienceDesign #ElearningDesign #VisualStorytelling #UXDesign #ArticulateStoryline #AIinLearning

Most eLearning interactions don’t fail because of design — they fail because they lack meaningful feedback. 🚀 Built a Dynamic State Transition Interaction in Articulate Storyline to solve that. • Real-time visual response to user actions • Clean, intuitive interaction flow • Built using custom triggers & variables (beyond default templates) 💡 Simple idea: when users see the impact of their action instantly, engagement improves. Looking to build more scalable, high-impact learning experiences. #elearning #articulatestoryline #uxdesign #instructionaldesign #learningexperience

Instructional Designer — your portfolio shows what you've built. It doesn't show whether any of it worked under pressure. You've spent years perfecting course architecture. Writing learning objectives. Mapping competencies. And yet the gap between content completion and actual performance keeps showing up. Because building a course and preparing someone for a real moment are two completely different things. A team of new sales hires at a tech firm went through four weeks of onboarding. Modules completed. Assessments passed. Managers signed off. First live call. Silence. Fumbling. Lost deal. Because passing a module is nothing like handling a real objection under pressure. Here is what the readiness gap actually looks like: → 87% of sales skills are forgotten within a week of training without practice → Most onboarding ends at content delivery — no simulation, no live reps → New hires average 6 months to full productivity without structured practice → Completion rates look good on dashboards. Performance data tells a different story. This is not a content problem. It is a practice problem. The best courses in the world cannot replace repetition under realistic conditions. After trying multiple AI roleplay tools, one completely changed how fast teams moved from trained to ready — not by adding more content, but by giving learners a place to fail safely before the real moment. Here is what shifted when teams started using it: → 75% faster readiness — new hires hit confidence benchmarks in weeks, not months → 45% improvement in confidence scores before first real customer interaction → 50% better quality of customer interactions reported by managers → Instructional designers spent less time updating content and more time designing practice scenarios They fail in simulation. Not in the field. The old way builds knowledge. The new way builds readiness. One is measurable on a completion report. The other is measurable in the field. Try it free — https://lnkd.in/g36MW9Sk Comment PLAYBOOK and I'll send you a free PDF — a complete AI Roleplay Scenario Design Framework with 10 scenario templates, a readiness scoring guide, and a 4-week implementation flow for L&D teams. #LearningAndDevelopment #AIRoleplay #InstructionalDesign #SalesEnablement #CorporateTraining

Some instructional designers say they love innovation… …but panic the moment their workflow changes.😱 That’s a problem. Because experimentation is no longer optional in modern eLearning development. Recently, after Articulate demonstrated their new AI Avatar + text-to-speech feature, I decided to experiment with it inside a real eLearning project currently in development. Not a fake sandbox. Not a “someday I’ll try it.” A real project. Here’s what I did: → Took an image I had already refined in Copilot → Uploaded it into Articulate Rise as a custom avatar → Added my script → Generated narration using one of the ElevenLabs voices inside Rise → Then generated the avatar video The output? Honestly…better than I expected. Will I use it in the final deliverable? Maybe. Maybe not. But that’s not the point. The point is this: Experimentation expands your creative range. Every time you test a new workflow, tool, interaction style, or development approach, you gain another mental reference point: 👉🏾 “This works.” 👉🏾 “This doesn’t.” 👉🏾 “This could work under the right conditions.” 👉🏾 “This would improve learner engagement if I modified it.” That’s how stronger instructional designers are built. Not by endlessly consuming webinars. By testing things. Even awkwardly. Even imperfectly. Even when the result never ships. Because the next breakthrough in your work usually comes from an experiment that almost failed.# What have you experimented with recently inside your eLearning workflow? Share in the comments. 👇🏾 📲 >>> If this resonated, 👣 FOLLOW ME for more. I write at the intersection of instructional design, company culture, encouragement, and leadership. >>> 🌟 STAY ENCOURAGED 🌟 #eLearning #IDProThomas #NewIDCareerTips #InstructionalDesign

I can't tell you how many times I've had the compliance conversation at work only to hear: "We don't have time to address this in our entire catalog! And it's so much work!" That's not an excuse to not start. Thanks, Sheri Lee, CPACC, for sharing a roadmap to help companies start to eat the elephant.

Can Gemini design an entire eLearning module for you? The answer is no—but here’s how it saved me dozens of hours. Inspired by Tim Slade, who recently worked with Claude to design an eLearning module, I wanted to see how Google’s Gemini would handle a full instructional design cycle. Specifically, I wanted to test the SAM model approach—using AI for the iterative design phase rather than just asking it to "build me something." Instructional Design in the education space has too many nuances for a "one-and-done" prompt. I started by creating a specific user persona: a High School AV student needing to master Final Cut Pro for gameday sports content. The Process: The Sandbox: I provided Gemini with my storyboards and scripts to generate a 45-slide mock-up in Google Slides. Iterative Design: Through the SAM approach, we conducted multiple rounds of refinement. Within 2 hours, the core instruction was solid. The Prototype (The "Exit Ticket"): This is where the coaching got real. Gemini struggled at first with the interactive code, but after 6-8 rounds of "coaching" the model, we produced a functional web-based exit ticket. The Result? A usable, 45-minute eLearning module designed in about 15 hours from start to finish. That is a fraction of the time a traditional build would take. AI isn't a replacement for the ID—it’s a powerful collaborator that requires a human in the loop to maintain instructional necessity. Check out the full module and case study here: https://lnkd.in/gZJCeMxu #InstructionalDesign #eLearning #AIinEducation #GoogleGemini #FinalCutPro #EdTech