#idiodc instructional designers in offices drinking coffee by Chris Van Wingerden, Paul Schneider

Content creation has been L&D's comfort zone for years. But the role is shifting fast. Lavinia Mehedintu joins IDIODC to share what Offbeat's research reveals about where L&D professionals go from here.

Most eLearning tells learners things. Short Sims make them do things. Clark Aldrich joins IDIODC to unpack why this distinction is costing L&D teams credibility — and budget. Clark invented Short Sims: compact, decision-driven simulations that build both competence and conviction in under 12 minutes.

What happens to L&D when the training models we relied on for decades start falling apart? Donald H Taylor joins IDIODC to share what 3,797 practitioners from 105 countries told him in the 2026 Global Sentiment Survey. The answers are more honest, more urgent, and more revealing than any single year before.

Understanding the freelance instructional design market is crucial for both independent professionals and the enterprises that hire them. In this episode, Parker Grant and Andrea Dottling of IDLance pull back the curtain on the freelance L&D industry. They explore the daily challenges, unique opportunities, and business mechanics of working as an independent eLearning designer.

Many L&D programs build skills but fail to shift performance. Matthew Richter joins IDIODC to explore why that gap exists and what to do about it.

In the age of AI when content is a commodity, how do Learning and Development organizations actually make an impact? How can they build a learning function that is both efficient and effective, especially when scaling across an enterprise? Many L&D teams are caught between the demand for speed and the need for quality, often sacrificing one for the other. The secret isn't doing more, but designing smarter from the start.

Your team is probably using AI to write learning content. But does it actually make it better? AI hallucinations and weird text patterns can be spotted by anyone paying attention. Connie Malamed joins IDIODC to share what she's learned from experimenting with AI writing tools.

Christy Tucker joins IDIODC to share her journey into AI image generation for learning. With over 1,500 images created and extensive tool experimentation, she reveals why she moved beyond stock photos. We'll discuss what works, what doesn't, and how to navigate the learning curve of prompting AI tools like Midjourney, ChatGPT, and Gemini (Nano Banana).

Does your organization’s AI adoption feel scattered? All too often, teams are treating a strategic transformation like just another software rollout. Megan Torrance joins IDIODC with a better framework — one grounded in systems thinking. She maps the three zones where AI impacts learning organizations and the nature of training work itself, and the 14 conversations that organizations need to be having as we further our implementations of new tools and processes.

Managing learning at scale requires mastering both psychology and process. Guieswende Rouamba joins IDIODC to reveal why projects succeed or fail — rarely because of content, but because of broken human dynamics. Using Transactional Analysis, he'll explain how to move stakeholders from resistance to genuine collaboration, transforming "order taker" teams into strategic partners.

Dr. Alaina Szlachta, founder of By Design Development Solutions and the Measurement Made Easy community, tackles a critical challenge facing L&D teams today. How do you shift from measuring learning activities to measuring actual business outcomes? Her expertise in sustainable assessment frameworks addresses the real-world struggle of proving learning impact when executive leadership demands concrete ROI evidence.

Training that doesn't transfer is training that wastes budget. Katrina Kennedy joins IDIODC with a solution that addresses every L&D leader's biggest challenge: proving learning works. Her systematic reflection methodology turns ineffective training into measurable business impact through strategic design choices.

The gap between skills aspirations and reality is costing enterprises millions in learning inefficiency. Koreen Pagano, renowned skills transformation expert and Chief Product Officer at Build Capable, joins IDIODC to discuss how L&D leaders can bridge this divide through strategic data architecture and operational excellence.

Traditional assessments are often rigid, resource-heavy, and fail to fully capture on-the-job impact. In this session, Garima Gupta, founder of Artha Learning and creator of AIReady, shares a practical blueprint for modernizing assessments without losing scientific rigor.

Stop treating microlearning as "just short training" — and start tackling the misconceptions that kill most implementations. Robyn A. Defelice cuts through the hype to reveal what L&D leaders consistently miss when rolling out microlearning initiatives.

Join Dave Vance, architect of the groundbreaking ISO 30437 standard for L&D metrics, as he reveals why the first comprehensive measurement framework is a game-changer for L&D leaders.

What if everything you think you know about learner engagement is wrong? Clark Quinn, renowned learning scientist and author of "Make It Meaningful," joins IDIODC to challenge conventional L&D wisdom. He reveals the research-backed approach to creating learning experiences that actually drive business results.

What if better visual design could simultaneously boost learning outcomes and meet accessibility requirements? Visual design expert Connie Malamed, author of "Visual Design Solutions," reveals how strategic visual choices enhance learning for everyone — then shows how to make those same visuals accessible without compromising effectiveness.

Let's be honest — L&D teams are drowning in meetings that feel like productivity black holes. But what if those same meetings could become your secret weapon for driving real business results? Communication expert Mike Simmons has figured out how to transform meetings from time-wasting rituals into strategic performance engines, and joins our IDIODC session to spill the secrets.

The future of workplace training is arriving faster than anyone predicted, and Donald H Taylor has a shocking forecast: traditional training courses have just 2-5 years left before they become extinct. Drawing from his latest Global Sentiment Survey and decades of L&D expertise, Donald will reveal how personalization, coaching/simulation and learner expectations are dismantling the training models we've relied on for decades.

L&D’s relevance crisis is here — and hope isn’t a strategy. Marketing expert Ashley Hinchcliffe flips the script on traditional learning functions with the People Impact Loop™, a bold framework to transform L&D from content factories to business-critical enablers. Discover why learner-centric buzzwords fall short, how to design initiatives employees actually want, and why marketing-led thinking is the key to driving real behavior change. Ready to stop shouting into the void and start proving value? This is your wake-up call.

Immersive tech isn't just cool. It's useful. And more importantly, it fits right into the blended learning you're already building. In this IDIODC session, Destery Hildenbrand, a Learning Technology Consultant and Immersive Technology Evangelist, will walk you through integrating mixed reality, such as AR and MR, into your learning experiences.

How do you move beyond endless checklists to bake quality into every layer of learning design? In this actionable conversation, Hadiya Nuriddin tackles this challenge head-on, drawing from her Quality Management in Learning and Development playbook and frontline experience. We’ll explore why “quality theater” fails, how to align standards with organizational DNA, and practical ways to transform reluctant teams into quality champions.

Danielle Wallace, Chief Learning Strategist at Beyond the Sky, merges decades of corporate marketing expertise with cutting-edge L&D innovation to tackle the crisis of ineffective training. In this episode, she dismantles why traditional content-heavy approaches fail to drive real-world performance, revealing how AI-powered role-plays, immersive scenarios, and precision feedback systems can transform skill acquisition.

Join us for a captivating conversation with Margie Meacham, famously known as "The Brain Lady," a pioneer in applying AI to learning and talent development since 2013. Drawing from her hands-on experience developing educational chatbots, Margie will take us on a journey through the powerful intersection of neuroscience and artificial intelligence.

Training content can only help create true change if it can help everyone in your organization. There is a whole range of reasons and circumstances why learners might find content inaccessible or exclusive, and it can seem very daunting to try and solve accessibility and inclusivity for all possibilities.

L&D teams face mounting pressure to prove engagement isn’t just a vanity metric. Join Becky Willis, learning strategist and co-founder of Tractus Learning, as she reveals how to transform engagement from abstract concept to measurable business driver.

Tune in as 2025 LPI Learning Professional of the Year Susi Miller reveals how inaccessible learning content creates significant organizational risks, including compliance violations, talent exclusion, and reputational damage.

It's been almost 12 years since Experience API (xAPI) version 1.0 was released, and it’s still experiencing some growing pains.

The goal of any L&D department is to influence and change behavior. And guess what? That’s the same goal of the marketing department.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is in the spotlight these days, and many L&D teams are exploring the role it can play in their development processes—and even in the learning content itself.

It’s time to dust off our trusty coffee mugs and get back on the mic!

We've all heard of Sales Enablement roles. But why is it that only sales teams get special attention enabling them to do their jobs better? Shouldn't we be enabling the entire organization?

Have you asked yourself lately why you don't put a stronger focus on accessibility when creating eLearning content? Oh c'mon, you know you've made excuses why you "can't" do it. We all have at one time or another in our careers. I include myself in that. Here are just a few I'm sure you've used:

Just because you have the skills to shoot and edit a video doesn't mean it's instructionally sound. This is why some videos are easier to learn from than others. And why that learning sticks. Watching video is a passive experience and therefore you might think there isn't much more to it than just making it more entertaining. Yea, you'd be wrong.

AI is the hottest topic in L&D since Learning2.0. It's even hotter than Virtual Reality. Why? Because it's something everyone can use and doesn't require additional hardware expenses.  And more importantly, when used creatively, AI apps can supercharge your individual productivity. But if you're a manager/director of an L&D or Training department, you need to build your knowledge of these tools as well. They are changing how your team will work and support stakeholders.

Nonprofit organizations need training too. Just like the for-profit enterprise, a nonprofit has learning needs. Some of that learning is unique to the nonprofit world. And just like SMBs and large enterprises, nonprofits come in all sizes. And as these organizations scale up, so do their training needs. If you're an L&D professional you may have considered working for, or consulting with, a nonprofit. Much of your work will remain the same, but understanding the unique nature of the nonprofit entity will help you succeed and avoid common pit falls.

Artificial Intelligence is the hottest thing since the internet. And it's the fastest growing, and fastest changing technology in human history. The businesses that survive will be those that can quickly adapt and incorporate these changes with minimal business disruption. Learning and Development will play a critical role in the future of this augmented enterprise.

Oops! I tripped on a lego, and got back up as an accidental instructional designer.

Is your company, or department, growing and needing to upgrade the training systems you've outgrown? Or maybe you're just curious about the future of your career in L&D or corporate training? Perhaps you just like to stay informed about the training industry for other reasons. Digital technology has been changing our industry for over 50 years. Keeping up is not easy, but IDIODC is here to help.

The 5 Moments of Need exist in every department of every enterprise, and requires a strong and efficient learning ecosystem. Both formal and informal learning solutions support each of the moments in different ways. When you need to learn NEW stuff or MORE stuff, those are the first 2 moments of need and probably the most obvious. But there is also APPLY, CHANGE, and SOLVE. These are moments that require learning solutions supported by solid design and development processes, and systems as well.  

As your career progresses you will be asked to be a speaker, or deliver a presentation, more and more. And it doesn't matter if you enjoy it or not, your thoughts and ideas will need to be communicated to others if you expect to succeed in your career. Working from home, virtual meetings and training sessions, have become the norm. Just because you can open up the zoom app doesn't mean you're good to go. You need a plan for delivering your message in virtual rooms and spaces.

Learning and Development leaders and their teams support many different stakeholders. But all of these stakeholders play an important role in the success of each enterprise. If our job is to help them improve their performance than we must learn to become better advisors to those lines of business.

Industry research is an important part of advancing our profession. Did you know that, sometimes, researchers discover interesting trends that don't make the final edit of a report? Obviously, if it was industry changing findings it wouldn't hit the cutting room floor. But even the stuff you never read about can very interesting and helpful in your career growth.

Data literacy is not something traditionally taught to training teams, but leveraging data for decision-making is critical in today's workplace. But just counting butts-in-seats doesn't cut it. It's necessary to interpret the business data you are expecting to impact with your training solutions. But that's often easier said than done. Especially if you're new to the world of training and development.

When you hear about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, how often do you associate them with accessibility? Probably not immediately, right? But when you see it, your brain says "of course"!  

Are you tired of hearing the term "gamification"? Do you even hear it that much any more? Was it just a trend that has finally passed?

Facilitation is about mastering how to deliver an engaging learning experience, all in the effort of improving workplace performance. Instructional designers work hard to do the same. But often times lack facilitation skills or the nuanced understanding of facilitating a learning experience. Let's connect these valuable skillsets and improve training experiences for everyone.

Telling stories is a tried and true method for helping people learn. You've probably studied the traditional story arc, and the hero's journey, but have you ever tried the Sabido Method? Have you heard about it? Yea, I haven't either.

Colors, fonts, images, shapes, white space, and so much more. Our work as instructional designers requires a significant understanding of digital visual design. Even if you're "just an instructional designer" and hand your work over to a "developer", there are still many basics of digital design that make us all better at the work we do.

Artificial Intelligence is the hot topic for 2023. Useful applications seem to be popping up daily, and existing platforms, like Canva and Microsoft, are creating new "magic" features within their existing apps. Do these news apps and new feature sets make our jobs easier? Some might argue they will someday make our jobs obsolete. The only thing we know for certain is that AI is here to stay, and getting better every day, whether we like it or not.

Before technology we had 1 method of instruction: Classroom based learning with student/teacher guides. But as technology and the internet began to grow the world gained many new options. Sadly, this initially led to thoughts of learning solutions that would replace the classroom and the instructor.  

In today's global economy instructional designers are increasingly needing to create learning solutions that meet the needs of many cultures communicating in different languages. For decades the answer was simply mandated within large companies requiring all employees anywhere in the world to understand English. Problem solved? Not so much.

Who remembers seeing their first CommonCraft video? I remember seeing RSS in Plain English back in the day and thinking, "Wow, this guy if FANTASTIC!" That particular video is now considered a classic, and low budget, compared to today's Explainer Videos. But the cool thing is that it STILL works.  It takes a relatively complex topic and explains it "in plain english". 

Do you know if your eLearning is accessible? If no, why not?

Allison Rossett's web site has a great quote, "She works on Learning and Technology in a way that is creative, concrete, and quirky." But what it should say is The Greatest of All Time! And her credits and accolades prove it. Not to mention being a genuinely wonderful human being.

Sure you can find a lot of different free images on the internet, but there's always a project, or 2, that need that extra special custom graphic element. You could pay a graphic designer to create something, but that also comes with some headaches. Why not just learn to create it yourself?

In the past we've covered 15-20 items in one IDIODC episode. And as much as I feel that I'm connected to all things tech, he always surprises me with something I haven't discovered yet. Everything from media creation apps to microphones lighting kits and fancy desks.

Most skills will never be learned without actually DOING the skill. Duh. It's basic training 101 that if it's too expensive or too dangerous to simply practice a skill many, many, times, then you the design should include a simulated version of the skill. And all knowledge can only be valuable to a business if it is applied to the work being done. Well, coding skills and knowledge are neither dangerous nor expensive for learners to practice. And because of that fact, proving proficiency in coding skills should be easy to do. Or is it?

You may not know Aaron Silvers, but around here we affectionately refer to him as the OG of xAPI.  He has been driving it since its inception as Tin Can and worked tirelessly promoting the benefits for our community of instructional designers and L&D professionals.

Having instructional design skills and knowledge can open up many different career paths. The easiest distinction for many is either being in education/higher ed or going the corporate route. If you decided to go the corporate route, you would typically land in the HR department designing training solutions for internal employees.

Learning Engineer may sound like a fancy new title for instructional designers, but it's so much more than that. The current state of our "industry" is spread quite thin across many domains. There is art, science, technology, humanity, politics, business, and so much more all part of the work we do as corporate training professionals of one form or another. Learning Engineering finally brings it all together under one banner.

So much changed in the spring of 2020. In our L&D world there was a massive shift to online learning to deal with the elimination of in-person events.

DevLearn is always filled with new solutions, forward thinking conversations, and great people. This episode of IDIODC will be a special DevLearn episode to discuss the most exciting new trends in eLearning. Most of these trends will be on display during the event, so it's a great opportunity to discuss and experience the future of eLearning.

There are many frustrations working in Corporate Learning & Development. And there are many opinions as to why Learning & Development, and training departments struggle to be recognized as important parts of the business.

Designing and developing instruction is a creative and fun process.  But it can also be filled with boring and frustrating details and "administrivia". In the not so distant past automating simple workflow processes meant learning to code and programming sequenced tasks, or worse, doing them yourself, over and over again, manually. But not any more.

Visual design is a big part of building successful learning experiences. Whether you’re an instructional designer producing training or an ID that manages a team that creates your vision, you have to be tuned into the presentation of visual information. How slides are laid out can make, or break, the learning experience.

What happens when experienced Hollywood professionals join the corporate training industry and begin to solve real world safety and training problems? I get very curious. That's what happens. And when I find out they're creating successful training using Hollywood storytelling skills instead of instructional design methods, then I invite them to be on IDIODC to talk about it.

Storyboarding is only one part of the instructional design process.  But storyboarding is a craft that's been around for a very long time, and used in the design process of many creative endeavors.  There are many different techniques for storyboarding as well.  Some IDs will start with pen and paper sketching out their concepts.  Others use templates in digital applications.  And many designers who also develop will storyboard directly inside their authoring tool.

Nudge-Learning. Is it micro-learning? Is it slow-drip learning? It is work-flow learning? Whatever it is, it's become another hot new term being used amongst instructional design communities.  It's a new one for me, so of course we needed to learn more about it.  I reached out on LinkedIn, commented on an article about it, and found Amy Parent from Salience Learning.

Communicating clearly is probably the most difficult thing anyone can do in business.  Our job as Instructional Designers is often to make better communication happen under the guise of "we need everyone to be better trained on _______". 

The Organization Enablement movement is coming. But what is it? And how does this impact our role in corporate training learning and development?

Our Drink'n'Draw host, Kevin Thorn, recently took his family to Disney World and he sketchnoted the entire experience.  

The corporate 9 to 5 isn't for everyone, and never has been. In a post-pandemic world nobody is even really sure what "work" looks like any more. Are you going back into the office? Maybe, you're in the office for half the week and working from home the other half. Or maybe not. It's been a frustrating experience for many, and a liberating experience for others.

Did you know the same percentage of employees who quit due to pay also quit for not having career advancement opportunities (63% - Pew Research)?

If you're new to Instructional Design, or a more experienced L&D professional, you've probably seen the need for our skills spike recently.

Damn it, Jim! I'm an Instructional Designer! Not a scientist!

Building a learning culture is the latest trending priority within many organizations. It's a daunting task. However, it's not impossible. Even the smallest shift in the corporate culture towards a learning culture can offer significant outcomes. But where do we start?

In this episode of IDIODC we have the pleasure of talking with the founder of the 5 Moments of Need, Dr. Conrad Gottfredson.

Building measurement skills is critical for corporate training professionals who seek to align their L&D programs to business outcomes for organizational success.

As an aspiring, or new, instructional designer, PowerPoint is okay to start building eLearning graphics. But at a certain point you'll need to level up your skillset in graphics creation by moving to Photoshop.

We often forget that creating a training event is only one part of the process. Just because you build it does not mean anyone in the business will hear about it, or want to engage. Some might say that if you use good enough instructional design practices that you don't need to do anything else.  However, if you've spent any time at all working on large launches, or new initiatives, you know there is more to it than simply good instructional design.

VR Headsets? Avatars? Metaverse? You may have heard these terms, but aren't sure how you might apply them in your learning solutions.  You may still believe they are too expensive and out of reach for you and your team.  In this episode we wanted to help training professionals understand where the VR industry is at and if anything has changed over the last few years.

When done well, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training creates space for courageous conversations that acknowledge hard truths around systemic inequities and explores topics that touch on people’s vulnerabilities in all facets of their lives. For those of you who do this work, there has not been a clear path to follow for making progress. As a DEI trainer, you have forged your own way and learned as you went.

"You must ENGAGE your learners!"  Have you heard anyone say that before?

Blockchain, NonFungible Tokens, Crypto, ethereum, and other terms are making their way into L&D. Welcome to Learning3: The L&D version of Web3.  Nobody has any idea what it is, but we might as well start calling it what we always call these evolutions when they hit our industry.

Instructional Designers and eLearning developers play an important role in DEI programs.  When stock characters are required it's often difficult to find the right image that reflects your requirements.  And when you do find something that works it's often quite boring and unfitting of the style you had designed. So, we're often left wondering, "I wish I could make my own diverse set of characters for my eLearning content".

The world of Learning and Development has changed over the decades, but many companies have a difficult time deviating from the comfortable path of "the way they've always done it."  As instructional designers and corporate training professionals we make it our responsibility to improve all forms of learning within the organizations we serve.  But that is no easy task.  It's often a very long journey that requires a strategy, patience, and more than a few skills we're never taught in our graduate school ID programs.

As instructional designers, we're often working on projects related to very specific processes.  We want to be clear, precise, and concise, in training that process.  However, there are many other situations where training is asked to influence behaviors and build better cultures.  This requires nuance, and creating training that impacts how the learners feel.  This is where dramatic storytelling has a powerful effect for learning.

We had so much fun with Jeanne Bakker last year that we had to invite her back.

It seems like every time you blink, a new learning platform pops into existence with some new innovative twist. There are now well over 800 learning platforms on the market. The real question is: what are we supposed to do with that information? How does any organization even begin to make sense of the crazy LMS (...or more like Learning Platform) market place.

Have you ever wondered why training solutions often don't actually solve business problems? Or maybe you just inherently know that the REAL issue is something other than a training issue. How can you be sure? And if you're right, how do you effectively communicate that to management?

Do you still look at Microlearning as simply shorter videos? That's not necessarily wrong, but if that's all they are, then why don't we just call them "short videos"? Microlearning has been a hot topic for several years now and we finally know what makes great microlearning more than just short videos.

Video content is the future... of the internet. If you haven't noticed, everyone is creating and consuming more video content than ever before. Even interactive eLearning programs incorporate more video than I can ever remember. Not everyone has jumped on this particular trend, but it's never too late to get onboard.

Many Instructional Designers work within Human Resource departments.  So, it would makes sense to learn as much as possible about the things that are important to HR leaders.  Learning and Development has been a hot topic for HR departments for many years.  However, in a post pandemic world suffering from "the great resignation" it is more important than ever.

Most new small businesses fail.  You've heard that, right?  It seems even more common within our industry.  But don't let it scare you. Some succeed where most fail.  

From agriculture to transportation, entertainment to medicine, and banking to social media, artificial intelligence (AI) is changing how humans do practically everything. We experience AI in our daily lives through our fitness trackers, home digital assistant systems, and curated news services, to name a few examples. For talent development, this is no different.

Most eLearning designers and developers don't have much say in choosing the LMS or authoring tool provided by their company. But successful practitioners always have a few tech tools and toys that level up their production capabilities. We all wear many hats. Building your own tool kit is part of being a successful eLearning practitioner in today's work environment, and even more so in a post-COVID workplace.

Games are great tools for learning.  And just so we're clear, designing games for learning is very different from gamification.  Learning is a large part of all games, but building a game with the specific intent of teaching a specific concept, idea or process, is not easy.  

Supporting the future leaders of L&D is an important task for us all. The new young minds entering our field are unhindered by the past.  They forge new trails in the training departments of businesses around the world.  Unafraid of new technologies they experiment and innovate. They are curious and want to make corporate training better than it's been.