Working together

Getting things in order

A Learning and development professional works with many things. With technology advancing like never before and the pandemic squashing 10 years of cultural shift regarding remote solutions into 2 years, traditional classroom or in-person training is making way for e-learning.

For many organisations, e-learning is seen as flexible and cost-effective; it breaks down the barriers of time and location; and can be customised or repeated easily.

There are many different project management systems designed to manage things. When you factor in the different outcomes, KPIs, and production methods of different businesses, it kind of makes sense that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to managing a project. However, most instructional designers, and other learning and development professionals, adopt the ADDIE approach. Analyse, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate.

Expand the accordion below to find out more about the things I work with at each stage of the course creation process. It’s far from an exhaustive list. However, whether it be guidance documents on any necessary compliance issues or following branding guidelines designed to integrate multiple documents into a cohesive whole, this gives insight into some of the things learning and development specialists work with during a project.

Things I work with:



Training needs analysis
Current process documents
Current training materials
Service level agreements
Existing analysis documents
Project outline documents
Compliance documents



Subject matter expert material
Authoring software
Storyboards
Lesson plans
Learner interventions
Branding guidelines
Text, images, and colours
Course navigation



Subject matter expert material
Authoring software
Feedback documents



Subject matter expert feedback
Learner testing feedback
LMS software



Learner surveys
Job performance reviews

That's how I work with things. I also work with people. People include: commissioning managers and project managers; subject matter experts and content editors; IT specialists and LMS administrators; academic staff and learners; and other stakeholders.

Go to how I work with people to find out more.



Working together

Toolkit

Of course, technology isn't the solution to every learning problem. Sometimes a well-designed Storyline interaction beats an AI chatbot. Sometimes a short explainer video is more useful than an API. The trick is knowing when technology adds value and when it's simply showing off.

For me, working with things looks something like this:

Learning technology toolkit

  • Articulate Storyline and Rise or Adobe Captivate so learning experiences can range from rapid development solutions to highly interactive bespoke content
  • Camtasia, Adobe Premiere Pro, and Adobe After Effects so demonstrations, explainer videos, and motion graphics can support learning beyond traditional e-learning formats
  • HTML, CSS, and JavaScript so standard authoring tools can be extended when a project requires something a little less ordinary
  • Microsoft 365, SharePoint, and PowerPoint so learning materials can integrate with the tools people already use every day
  • Moodle and Learning Management Systems so learning can be delivered, tracked, reported, and evaluated effectively

AI, automation & connected systems toolkit

  • AI-augmented learning experiences so learners can explore content through natural language conversation and self-directed enquiry
  • APIs and connected systems so learning experiences can incorporate live data, external services, and dynamic content
  • Automation workflows so repetitive tasks such as scoring, feedback, content retrieval, and learner support can happen behind the scenes
  • Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) solutions so AI-powered experiences remain grounded in approved and traceable source material