eLearning Authoring Tools: Dead or Evolving?

I came across this post from Tim Slade and Melissa Milloway, which sparked some reflection on my end. These two always get my brain buzzing🧠 🤓 This is a really interesting question, and having been in the industry for long enough to see many things come and go, I think it’s one we should be asking. At the same time, I can’t help but feel like we’re focusing heavily on the tools, while skipping over something far more foundational: the system those tools are meant to serve (that would be us, our brains, minds). Learning isn’t a content challenge or a tooling challenge; it’s a human process, and I see us getting further and further away from that, which is something to be seriously concerned about. I know I probably sound like a broken record, but I’m pushing this because it’s what will actually elevate the skills and tools we have as L&D professionals. But if we don’t understand the system first, then whether we’re using an authoring tool, AI, or “vibe coding,” we’re just getting faster at producing experiences that may not actually lead to learning and durable memory. So maybe the question isn’t whether authoring tools are dead. But are we advancing with it in a way that improves learning or just increasing output? These are my thoughts and feelings. Anyone else feeling the need for a balance in the force?

AI has accelerated learning content creation - but it’s also sharpened the focus on what actually matters. We can now create content quickly, with courses built in minutes and answers available on demand. Content plays a role, but it was never the whole story. It has always been about the application of learning—what people actually do differently once they know something. And that’s the part AI doesn’t solve. Application of learning takes judgement, context, confidence, and often a nudge at the right moment. It’s shaped through conversation, challenge, reflection, and human feedback that helps uncover blind spots, as well as the courage to try something new, not just information. When everyone has access to the same knowledge, the difference isn’t what people know; it’s what they do with it. AI can support knowledge. But it’s humans who turn learning into action. The shift isn’t in how we create learning, but in how we support people to apply it when it matters. #learninganddevelopment #landd #aiinlearning #workplacelearning #humanskills #leadershipdevelopment #learningculture #performancematters #behaviourchange #futureofwork #learningdesign #capabilitybuilding #askmehow

You don’t need months to build a great course anymore. With the right use of AI, what used to take weeks can now take days... sometimes even hours. But here’s the catch 👇 Speed alone doesn’t create effective learning. I’m seeing two extremes right now: ❌ Rushed, low-quality AI-generated courses ❌ Over-engineered courses that take too long to launch The sweet spot is AI-accelerated + instructionally sound design. Here’s how we’re using AI at Learning Developer: ✔ Generate first-draft content in minutes ✔ Rapidly storyboard entire modules ✔ Create scenario-based learning faster ✔ Iterate instantly based on feedback ✔ Maintain consistency across large programs But the real value? 👉 More time spent on learner experience 👉 More focus on behavior change 👉 Less time stuck creating content from scratch AI doesn’t replace instructional design, It removes the friction points. If you're still building courses the old way, you're not just moving slower, you’re missing the opportunity to scale. The question isn’t “Should we use AI?” It’s: “How do we use it well?” If you're exploring faster ways to build high-quality learning, let’s connect. #LearningAndDevelopment #InstructionalDesign #eLearning #AIinLearning #LearningExperience

AI isn't replacing great content it's amplifying the people who create it. 🍓 At Strawberry Solutions, we've been exploring how Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) can use AI as a thinking partner in the learning design process without compromising quality or accuracy. Here are 6 practical ways to make it work: ✅ Use AI for first drafts, not final products let it generate outlines and starter text, then refine with expert review ✅ Generate scenario starters, AI can suggest workplace dilemmas and characters for learning designers to customise ✅ Simplify complex language, rewrite dense content into plain English to reduce cognitive load ✅ Build question banks faster, draft MCQs from approved content, then have SMEs review for accuracy ✅ Brainstorm during workshops, use AI to expand definitions, generate examples, and test understanding in real time ✅ Always apply strong QA, AI supports rigour, but it doesn't replace it The magic happens when human judgement meets machine efficiency. 📖 Read the full blog post here: https://lnkd.in/gSzmxGiq #LearningDesign #eLearning #AIinEducation #InstructionalDesign #ContentWriting #StrawberrySolutions

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.

Learning content demand is growing faster than ever but creating it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. This week, April 9th, I’ll be sharing how CreatorUp helps teams use AI to produce more courses, videos, and assets—faster, smarter, and at scale. If you’re in learning, L&D, content, or communications, I’d love for you to join the conversation! 📅 Join me: 9:00 AM PST: https://luma.com/cuedz4jg 12:00 PM PST: https://luma.com/2nc04h52

AI hasn’t reduced the need for learning content. It’s completely changed how it gets produced. Across K-12, higher ed, and corporate learning, teams are under pressure to create: ��� More courses   – More video   – More learning assets  Faster. At scale. Without increasing cost. Most are stuck between traditional production (too slow) and AI tools (too fragmented). We’re hosting a session next week on what the new model actually looks like. Nick Almond (COO, CreatorUp)—who has led AI and content discussions across global conferences—will break down how organizations are building AI-enabled content production systems that actually work. If you're involved in learning, L&D, content, or communications, this is directly relevant. Register for Thursday, April 9  9:00 AM PST: https://luma.com/cuedz4jg 12:00 PM PST: https://luma.com/2nc04h52

There’s a lot of conversation around AI tools right now, but for me the real value is in how they can streamline development while still keeping learning intentional and grounded in real learner needs. Today I attended a webinar on AI Assistant in Storyline and came away intrigued with how it supports the content creation process—from writing and structuring to visuals and audio. What stood out most to me is how purpose-built it is for learning and development work. Because it understands instructional context, it helps simplify early-stage content creation without requiring heavy prompting—making it easier to focus on building clear, practical training. I also appreciated the accessibility features, especially image descriptions, which help support more inclusive training design by default. Looking forward to continuing to explore how AI can support more efficient, thoughtful, and accessible learning experiences. #LearningAndDevelopment #AIinLearning #InstructionalDesign #ProfessionalDevelopment #ContinuousLearning

Most L&D professionals are not utilizing AI tools effectively. They're using Claude. But they're using maybe 20% of what it can actually do. And the professionals who've found the other 80%? They're not talking about it much. They're just quietly getting ahead. Here's what that other 80% actually looks like: Projects, the feature most people walk straight past: Claude's Projects feature lets you load in your instructional design guidelines, tone of voice docs, learner personas just once. Claude then carries that context into every single conversation. No re-explaining your standards. No copy-pasting background every time. It just knows. Custom prompts that work like a trained colleague: The L&D pros using Claude properly aren't typing fresh prompts every session. They've built a saved instruction set "Review this module as a senior instructional designer for a mid-level corporate learner. Flag anything too dense, too jargon-heavy, or missing a practice moment." One click. Consistent output. Every time. Using Claude to challenge your own thinking: This one surprises people. Ask Claude to argue against your course design. Push back on your learner assumptions. It's not a content generator at that point but also a thinking partner that doesn't have your blind spots. Prompt chaining, a skill gap nobody talks about: One big prompt gives you one mediocre output. Breaking a complex task into steps that outline, then structure, then draft, then review, is where the real quality difference shows up. The L&D teams who've figured this out aren't just faster. They're producing better work. Most of the professionals I speak to are one or two habit changes away from a completely different experience with this tool. The question isn't whether AI is worth learning properly in L&D. It's whether you want to be the person who figured it out early or the one catching up later. Which feature here are you actually using? And which one are you sleeping on? . . . . #LearningAndDevelopment #LnD #AIForWork #ClaudeAI #InstructionalDesign #LandD

What would you build if you forgot everything you already knew? I've been sitting with that question since a heart-to-heart with Andrew Matsiavin. It’s been a hard one. Because reflecting on it, I realized the tools and structures we use don’t just get the job done, they shape the way we think. And if I’m admitting that, I might as well admit I’ve had an imagination problem. For a while, my answer to AI at work was to drag it into the existing system. How do we make the LMS smarter? How do we scale content, personalize faster, maintain more? I was using new tools to do old things. And I wasn’t even proud of it. It took a keynote from Todd Olson at Pendomonium, a stretch of conversations with Andrew Matsiavin, Yehonatan Ben Haim, and Sneha Raghavan that pushed me past my own limits, and a piece by Vicky Kennedy that cracked the frame open. Vicky argues that agentic AI can’t work without an education architecture; the who, the what, the when, the sequence, the signals that tell the system what to do next. Without it, agents can automate tasks, but they can’t make good instructional decisions. Face-palm moment. Because OF COURSE. In an agentic world, a deep understanding of the learner isn't a soft skill. It's the input that teaches the system what the next right action is. That's not a small thing. That's the whole thing. But to see that, I had to stop optimizing for what exists and start imagining what doesn't >>yet<<. This question keeps calling me back. Not just for Customer Education, but anywhere fear has made me hold tighter to the old model instead of dreaming in a new one. What would you build if you forgot everything you already knew?