Online Course Design

Many people believe live trainings work better simply because people can talk to each other face‑to‑face, but that’s not the real reason. In reality, their effectiveness comes from something else entirely, they naturally follow a powerful learning rhythm. Great offline trainings follow one simple logic: action → reflection → understanding → application. This is Kolb’s Cycle. And it’s incredibly powerful. The problem? It was almost impossible to implement it in online learning. That’s why 90% of online courses look like “interactive lectures”: nice slides, videos, quizzes. But that’s content consumption, not transformation. And now - the unexpected twist. For the first time, online learning has caught up with offline experiences. Because AI removed the main barrier: it finally allows learners to get experience, reflection, and practice in a personalized way. Here’s how Kolb’s Cycle looks in modern learning design: 1️⃣ Concrete Experience — action Essence: the learner must do something, live through a situation, face a task — ideally experiencing difficulty or making a mistake that shows their current model doesn’t work. How online: role-based dialogue, scenario simulation. 2️⃣ Reflective Observation — reflection Essence: pause and think — what happened, what actions were taken, and why the result turned out this way. How online: interactive reflection prompts; AI coach provides feedback based on performance and the learner’s own reflections. 3️⃣ Abstract Conceptualisation — understanding Essence: form a new behavioural model — concepts, principles, algorithms that explain how to act more effectively. How online: short video lecture, model breakdown, interactive frameworks, checklists, interactive infographics. 4️⃣ Active Experimentation — application Essence: try the new model in a safe environment and observe the result. How online: AI-based simulation, situational exercise, case-solving with the new approach; AI coach supports and adjusts. The outcome? Online learning stops being “content” and becomes a behaviour tracker. A course becomes a training simulator, not a film. Kolb’s Cycle finally becomes real in digital learning. Do you use this framework? What results have you seen?

So…let’s talk about how instructional design actually works. Not the LinkedIn version people pretend is true. A subject matter expert pops into your office, sends you a DM, or forwards you a 47-slide PowerPoint deck and says, “Hey…we need training.” Sometimes they’ve already “designed” the whole thing. They’ve built the slides, written the talking points, and even gone behind your back to buy their own Storyline license. Now they just want you to “publish it” by adding a next button, locking the menu, and throwing in a quiz. So what do you do? Because here’s the part no one tells you… You can’t prompt your way out of that conversation. You can’t vibe-code a response that magically turns a poorly defined request into a performance solution. And reorganizing content into flip cards and drag-and-drops won’t fix a problem that was never clearly defined. This is where real instructional design begins. It starts with better questions. What’s happening right now? What does success look like? What are people doing (or not doing) that’s creating this issue? Is training even the right intervention? Then comes the harder part: designing something that balances what stakeholders want with what learners need. That requires negotiation, explaining your reasoning in business language, and making trade-offs when timelines are tight. None of that is about tools. And AI isn’t automating this the way people claim. Sorry, not sorry. You have two options. You can be the ID who converts slides into courses and calls it done. Plenty of organizations will let you stay there…until they decide AI can generate the same slop faster. Or you can be the ID who slows the conversation down just enough to clarify the real problem before building anything. That choice determines whether you’re brought in early to shape a solution or handed a deck and told to “add interactivity.” Whether your role is tactical support or strategic influence. Most new instructional designers never get to practice that shift in a safe environment. They learn a tool, build a pretty project, and create a portfolio that looks like everyone else’s. But they don’t practice responding to messy, politically charged, poorly scoped requests in real time. That’s why I designed my new Instructional Design Certificate Program as a live, facilitated experience. We’re not just walking through models. We’re working through scenarios like this one. Practicing how to respond when requests are vague, how to reframe without alienating stakeholders, and how to guide conversations toward performance instead of production. Enrollment opens next Tuesday, February 24th, for our Spring, Summer, and Fall sessions. For this first run, I’m offering a $500 Founder’s Discount. If you want to practice the part of instructional design that actually shapes how you or your team works, you can review the full details here: https://bit.ly/4cugk7X — Tim #eLearning #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment

Hello #Leaders 👋🏽. My fellow #HR & #L&D professionals. At what point should we start thinking about #measuringlearning impact? Today, let's talk about The #KirkpatrickModel. One of the most missed understood models. Most of us know there are four levels. Many of us can even name them. But at what point should we start thinking about applying it? After the learning intervention or Before you design it? I hope you said before because if you don't know what #success looks like from the beginning how will you know whether your #learningintervention worked? 😬 So, how do we use the model: 😊 Level 1 – Reaction What does it measure? Whether participants found the learning valuable, relevant and engaging. Examples: ✔ Was the learning relevant? ✔ Was it engaging? ✔ Do participants feel confident applying what they've learnt? 📍When? #Postlearning (Immediately after the session.) 🧠 Level 2 – Learning What does it measure? Whether #knowledge, #skills, confidence or #attitudes have improved. Examples: ✔ Knowledge checks ✔ Practical demonstrations ✔ #Skillsassessments 📍When? During and immediately after learning. 🚀 Level 3 – #Behaviour What does it measure? Whether people are actually applying what they learnt. Examples: ✔ Managers #coaching more effectively. ✔ Improved #leadership behaviours. ✔ New processes consistently followed. 📍When? 30–90 days after learning, once people have applied it. 📈 Level 4 – Results What does it measure? The #businessoutcomes influenced by the learning intervention. Examples: 📉 Reduced customer complaints. 📈 Increased productivity. 💰 Higher sales. 😊 Improved #engagement. 📍When? Several months after implementation, once business results can be observed. Here's the lesson I wish more L&D professionals are taught. #Successmeasures should be agreed before the programme is designed. Not after it's has been delivered. In fact, I always encourage practitioners to design backwards. Start by asking: 🎯 What #businessresult do we want to influence? (Level 4) ⬇️ 👥 What behaviours must #change? (Level 3) ⬇️ 📚 What #knowledge or #skills are needed? (Level 2) ⬇️ ✨ What #learningexperience will best enable that? (Level 1) When you #design this way, #evaluation becomes much easier. Because you've already defined success. This is actually one of the most practical sessions we cover in our L&D #MentorshipClass. Together, we unpack how to: ✅ Design learning backwards. ✅ Build meaningful success measures. ✅ #Evaluatelearning beyond attendance. ✅ Write #strategicreports that leaders value. The goal isn't just to understand the Kirkpatrick Model. It's to confidently apply it in your own #organization. If you're ready to strengthen your L&D practice and become more #strategic, I'd love to have you in the next cohort. 📌 Register using this link https://lnkd.in/dM5g_5BP 💬 I'll leave you with one question: Are you measuring learning or are you measuring whether learning made a difference?

I scrapped an entire video yesterday. Not because the content was bad. The writing was clear. The visuals were polished. The delivery was energetic. But I realized it was solving the wrong problem. Our customers don't struggle with WHAT to do in our software. They struggle with WHEN and WHY to use certain features. Context is everything in learning design. You can create the most beautiful explanation of a feature, but if learners don't understand when to apply it in their workflow, you've failed. Great instructional designers don't just organize information—they organize relevance. They don't just deliver content. They deliver the situational awareness to make that content useful. This is why we need to stop obsessing over content creation and start obsessing over context creation. Ask yourself: Do your learners understand not just the "how" but the "when" and "why"? What's one way you've improved the context in your learning experiences?

That webinar you ran six months ago? It’s not just a webinar—it’s marketing gold waiting to be mined. Here’s the magic of content repurposing: one great piece of content can live on across platforms, formats, and audiences. That webinar could become: ✅ A blog post highlighting the key takeaways ✅ A LinkedIn carousel breaking down your insights ✅ A short video for Instagram or TikTok ✅ A thread on X, sharing actionable ideas ✅ A case study to build credibility You’re sitting on a treasure trove of content opportunities, but it takes a strategic mindset to see the potential and make it work for you. Repurposing isn’t just about squeezing more out of your work—it’s about meeting your audience where they are with content that resonates in the format they prefer. Here’s how to get started: 1. Audit your existing content. Look for webinars, whitepapers, or even old posts with untapped potential. 2. Slice and dice the content into digestible formats tailored for each platform. 3. Add value—adapt, don’t copy-paste. Make each piece stand out by speaking directly to the platform’s audience. Need more ideas or a process for repurposing? Let’s talk — Foundation Marketing will help you see that your next great piece of content might already exist—it just needs a little transformation. #ContentMarketing

One of the smartest things you can do for your marketing and business development is to stop treating your content as one-and-done and to start repurposing it. If you’ve invested time in creating something valuable you’re leaving opportunities on the table if you only use it once. Repurposing is how you extend its reach, reinforce your expertise and make the most of the work you’ve already done. Here are smarter ways to repurpose content: ✔️Slice long-form content into micro-content. Take a 1500-word article and pull out 5 to 7 strong ideas that each become their own social media post. ✔️Change the medium. Turn a webinar recording into a short video series or an article into a carousel or infographic. Different formats reach different learners. ✔️Build a theme series. Link several related posts into a weekly or monthly series that keeps you top of mind and positions you as the go-to on that topic. ✔️Reshare with a twist. Post the same piece again but change the lead-in. Frame it around a question, a new trend or a current event. ✔️Create evergreen libraries. Pull your best performing posts together into toolkits, guides or resource pages to which you can point clients and prospects (this is a great way to check in with contacts and provide value). ✔️Elevate key quotes. Use a statistic, case study or strong line from a piece as a standalone graphic or thought leadership snippet. ✔️Cross-pollinate channels. Adapt content from LinkedIn for your email newsletter, your blog or speaking notes for panels and client meetings. Most people in your network won’t see your content the first time for a variety of reasons. Repurposing it ensures your message travels further, reaches more of the right people and reinforces for what you want to be known while enabling you to be more efficient and effective. Let me know what you think of content repurposing in the comments below and follow me for more tips! #contentmarketing #legalmarketing #contenttips

You’re bored of your own content. But your audience hasn’t even seen it yet. That’s the mistake most creators make. You launch a campaign, publish a post, or drop a video…and you’re already sick of it. But your audience is just seeing it for the first time. Content Coach and Consultant Justin Simon proved the opposite approach works. Here’s how: 1. He threw out a random LinkedIn post. It popped. 2. He spun it into a newsletter.  3. Then a podcast.  4. Then clips.  5. Then a LinkedIn carousel. That one idea repurposed generated 361X more impressions than the original. That’s the real metric: the repurposing multiplier, not the vanity of a single post. When you track the chain, not the post, over a month. Over a quarter. That’s where you see compounding: 10X, 50X, 100X returns. The playbook’s dead simple:  Cornerstone → Core → Cut. Big pillar → weekly content → social slices. Or flip it. Start small. If it hits, level it up. Repeat until the message sticks. You’ll be sick of it long before your audience is. Watch the full episode with Justin at the link in the comments. Borrow his framework and watch your efforts multiply. 

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬? 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐝. 🏁 I used to think my job as an L&D professional started with a syllabus. I was wrong. Recently, I was tasked with building a learning solution for our Talent Acquisition (TA) team. The goal wasn’t just to "train recruiters"—it was to solve a business problem. Instead of looking at what they needed to know (Level 2), I started with what the business needed to achieve (Kirkpatrick Level 4). The "Reverse" Approach I didn’t start with slides. I started by analyzing Voice of the Customer (VOC) survey results, focusing on various metrics from both Hiring Managers and Candidates. Working Backwards: ✅ Level 4 (Results): I defined the business KPI. ✅ Level 3 (Behavior): Based on the VOC metrics, I identified the specific actions recruiters needed to change—specifically around "Precision Intake" and "Candidate Experience Management." ✅ Level 2 & 1 (Learning & Reaction): Only then did I design the actual training content that addressed those specific behavior gaps. The Result? The training didn't feel like a chore; it felt like a solution. Because I built it based on the actual metrics revealed in the VOC surveys, the TA team saw immediate value, and the business saw a measurable shift in hiring efficiency. The Lesson: If you want your learning solutions to be more than just "check-the-box" exercises, stop asking "What should we teach?" and start asking "What does the data say I need to solve?" How do you use VOC data to shape your enablement programs? 👇 #LearningAndDevelopment #InstructionalDesign #TalentAcquisition #KirkpatrickModel #Enablement #DataDrivenLD #BusinessImpact

If you’re only using webinars as a single piece of on-demand content, you’re missing a huge opportunity. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of my workflow using Descript to turn a 1-hour webinar into 10-20 short-form clips: 1. Set Up Dual Recordings - Use Zoom for the main webinar, but record yourself separately in Descript. - Why? Zoom’s resolution isn’t ideal, and I like to have a clean, high-quality video of the speaker alone for repurposing. 2. AI-Powered Cleanup - Descript’s AI Underlord is a game-changer: - Remove Filler Words: Automatically delete all the “ums,” “uhs,” and awkward pauses. - Shorten Word Gaps: Set the AI to trim silences longer than 0.25 seconds for faster pacing (perfect for short-form content). 3. Generate Video Clips with AI - In Descript, create vertical video templates with captions, branding, and background music. - Tell the AI how many clips you want and what topics to focus on (keywords like "storytelling" or "examples"). - Preview, tweak, or discard clips as needed. (lots of platforms offer this, but I've yet to find one as easy as Descript even for non-video editors) 4. Bulk Export - Export your selected clips in one go, saving hours of manual editing and uploading time. - This workflow consistently produces high-engagement clips without the typical editing time--and I love that I can do it in a tool like Descript that offers a lot more than a single-function clip creating software. How do you currently repurpose your webinars? What’s working (or not) for you? Would love to swap notes. #B2B #marketing #contentmarketing #video #webinar (btw...I recorded & edited THIS video in Descript too, fwiw)

Knowing the theories makes you an Instructional Designer. Knowing the tools helps you build courses. But knowing the complete project workflow is what helps you deliver successful learning solutions.💯💯 👩💻Based on my experience, this is the workflow I typically follow while developing a learning solution from scratch: ➡️ Receive the training requirement ➡️ Conduct a kickoff discussion with stakeholders and SMEs ➡️ Understand the business goals, audience, scope, timelines, and available content ➡️ Analyze the content and identify any gaps ➡️ Create the course outline and learning strategy ➡️ Develop the storyboard or prototype ➡️ Gather visuals and learning assets ➡️ Get stakeholder approval on the design ➡️ Develop the course using the authoring tool ➡️ Perform QA and testing ➡️ Implement review feedback ➡️ Final approval, publish to the LMS, and deploy I've learned that “great eLearning isn't created by opening an authoring tool first. It starts with asking the right questions, understanding the business problem, and following a structured design process”. This is the workflow I've followed in my instructional design journey. Every organization may have slight variations, and I'm always open to learning.🤩 If you're an Instructional Designer or L&D professional, did I miss any important step? 🙋I'd love to hear your perspective in the comments! #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment #ELearning #InstructionalDesigner #LXD #ADDIE #Storyboarding #ArticulateStoryline #CorporateLearning #TrainingAndDevelopment #LearningExperienceDesign