Week 2 - Group 1 Discussion

Here's the link to my WIP: https://share.articulate.com/V04Gj4nEnet-VQf4MqnIg

I wish I could have spent more time on this because by the time I finished editing the whole course I had new ideas and would have loved to implement some of them, But am now inspired to apply all that I learnt when I develop my next course. 

3 changes I made:

1. I added a hook in the beginning of the course and reworded some sections to make the content more crisp.
2. I used images and text for the front of the flip cards - something I've never done before. 
3. Used AI audio for a few blocks. 

Most valuable AI feature: 

Instant convert was a great way to see how content could be presented in different ways. What I also like is that the AI image generation has improved so much from when I first started using it at the beginning of the year. Quizzes for me have always been a challenge and the generation of an AI quiz from the content in the course is a bonus. 

What challenges did you face: 

One challenge that I face was with the editing text with AI. When asking to make things shorter it didn't seem to really make the content shorter and also it changed a lot of language from the original sentence/paragraph. 

Course: Leading Positive and Purposeful Teams: A Guide for New Managers

Three changes I made to improve learner engagement:

1. I opened Lesson 2 with a brief workplace scenario to immediately connect the content to a realistic management challenge.
2. I transformed the “Types of Work Motivations” flashcards into a sorting activity so learners could apply the concepts instead of only reading about them.
3. I added an audio-guided Custom Reflection Block and a supporting Reflection Questions document to encourage learners to connect healthy leadership behaviours to their own practice.

Most valuable AI capability

The AI quiz-generation feature was the most valuable capability in my workflow. Rise AI was able to build a complete quiz from scratch based on the course content, significantly reducing the time required to develop the assessment. I was surprised by how quickly it generated relevant questions that I could then refine by changing the feedback type and customizing the learner feedback.

Challenges

When I used Instant Convert, some details from the original content were occasionally lost, so I had to compare the converted block with the source and restore missing information. Some generated images also had a noticeably AI-created appearance. Achieving more natural and relevant visuals required refining the prompts and generating several versions.

https://share.articulate.com/_y68IhQkFtdltomJ6LBED

1. Share 3 changes you made: 
   
   I created a new custom theme and applied it to the entire course. I also regenerated several images - I tend to like the minimalistic option best! I also used the AI replace feature to change some of the content into a matching interactive block. Another change I made was to shorten the text in several areas. I would've liked to spend more time on this, but I found a lot of iteration was needed to get things to look the way I wanted... 
2. Which AI feature or capability was most valuable in your workflow, and why? Did anything about it surprise you?
   I would say the AI voices are still the most helpful feature for the work I do. My team uses storyline a lot for screen recording based trainings in Epic. 
   
   
3. What challenges did you face when trying to get AI to produce the results you wanted?
   I struggled a bit with the AI feature that allows you to shorten the text. I would apply it several times and it would still be very similar to what I started with. 

https://share.articulate.com/nPqTrjiJYAZNGcR4nsEGl

1. Three changes made: 
   1. I changed the tone throughout the module.  I first tried casual but then went with a custom - professional and casual.
   2. I used custom AI images throughout using the cartoon feature with an accent colors of gold, black, and white.
   3. Added AI generate audio in several location throughout the module.  
2. Most Valuable AI Feature:
   1. I really enjoyed using the AI image feature and feel it saved me the most time in development.  I was able to use the same prompts and the same style. Then download presented options to use later. I copied the prompt text and changed the key terms as needed, keeping the same format.
3. Challenges:
   1. My biggest challenge was to know when to stop editing with AI!  I wanted to keep going and adding images, audio and changing the tone. 
      
      It would be nice if I was able to change the tone in the theme that would apply throughout the entire module. 

https://share.articulate.com/YBhUDqTZiYFoR9iC_vklh 

Three changes made:

• I used AI text to speech in a storyline interaction in the 3rd lesson of the course
• I used custom AI images throughout but especially to indicate a "knowledge check" section
• I used the convert blocks quite a lot throughout

Most valuable feature:

• The convert blocks feature gave me lots of "instant" options to change up the course and avoid repeating interactives for more of a balance throughout.

Challenges faced:

• I initially had in mind to use a character in storyline throughout and generate different images/settings with the same character but found it difficult to generate the images I had in mind. I'm sure it's indicative of how I could improve my prompts.

Here is my course link: 

https://share.articulate.com/NHlfZF9Aky2KxDHohiY7Y

I changed many of the text blocks to be shorter and to be written at an 8th grade level. I changed a couple of blocks to image and text and then added a narration of the text below it. I was surpised at how quickly the Rise course was generated from the source content - a huge time-saver. I also liked being able to use AI to write for a specific audience (like 8th grade). It is a requirement in my position, so this is a really helpful feature. I found it challenging to stay within the block choices. I do find them repetitive and limiting, even though there are more choices than there used to be. Rise is a rapid development tool, but is still lacking in ways to creatively present the content for maximum learner retention.

I have finally finished! I thought the course was great. I really loved the little videos they helped so much!

Here is my course link: 

https://share.articulate.com/maOhl56mlsaUg7xjibaY7

I made changes to instant convert block types, change the tone of text, and I had AI Assistant review the full course to shorten the content as I found it repetitive. I also created a custom block with a "quote" from a leader related to co-developing growth plans for team members.

The feature that I find most valuable is just being able to upload source content and AI Assistant creating the first draft. This is a huge time-saver as my role is not solely an instructional designer. With a small team, this allows us to accelerate course creation. AI picture generation is also a great one so we can make courses more visually appealing without relying solely on our internally-licensed images. 

A challenge I faced is the AI assistant not converting blocks appropriately... for example, converting an accordion tab to flashcards, sometimes there would be way too much text on the flashcards. With some trial and error I figured out how to prompt appropriately to fix this.

https://share.articulate.com/D-yASyWS7VE4zpjmydE7J

I customized only the first lesson.

Three Example Changes:

• Used AI image generation to convert photo style to custom photorealistic monochrome line drawings. The photo style is used everywhere and I wanted something different. In general, the AI generated photos showed diversity without extra prompting. All the AI-generated line drawings showed only white people on the first go and I had to specifically call for diversity or specify a gender and ethnicity to get what I wanted.
• Added "quotes" to the beginning of each section. Since this is an exercise, I decided to have a bit of fun here. Didn't use imagery on these to avoid intellectual property issues.
• Used AI to change writing tone and length in many cases. I asked it to use "active voice" and told it to avoid "passive voice." Sometimes it did, sometimes it didn't.

Most Valuable AI Feature:

Like others, I think it's the Instant Convert, just because of the speed and ability to experiment.

Challenges:

Quiz generation to be sure. At first I got 10 questions on the entire course even though I specified use only the first lesson as the source because I wanted to create a lesson quiz. I also specified making all questions scenario-based with active voice. I still got multiple response questions (with only 1 correct answer) and matching questions. When I asked for the matching question to be changed to MC, it took 3 attempts. I ended up deleting some questions and I edited all remaining questions manually.

https://share.articulate.com/Gx1Qx922RjjCbqsd1I4u4 

Three changes I made:

1. My project was superhero themed, with the leader being consistent throughout the course. Each AI image was changed to fit this theme and thoughtfully curated to align with content. I also added some images in areas and deleted some in others to balance the course as best I could.
2. I used AI to change the tone of the entire course to align with the theme as well. I played with the feature a little and found the result I was looking for by requesting a "casual and exciting tone". Minor tweaks were made throughout, but overall, it worked very well.
3. I used the instant convert feature and converted course blocks to be consistent in each lesson and to better deliver the content being presented.

Most useful AI tool:

1. I think the Magic Text feature will be most applicable in my role at my organization. While I didn't use it in this course, I found the video tutorials very interesting and helpful. I am an eLearning Developer at an insurance company and the content we work with is not to be paraphrased or reworked. Our SMEs are knowledgeable and the experts on the content we create- so we don't want to change the verbiage in any way.
2. In this course, I found the most useful and effective tool in AI to be the instant convert feature and the ability to change the tone of the way content is presented to the learner.

Challenges:

1. With custom AI images, it's difficult to produce what you envision and maintain a consistent theme throughout the course. I think it's possible, but very time consuming heavily depends on what you're looking to generate (I certainly chose a challenging theme for my course).
2. I struggled with the added elements and what I would describe as "filler" content that AI adds based on the source documents uploaded. When you don't have the content memorized, it's not simple to analyze where AI has made mistakes and maybe added too much or included incorrect information. It kind of feels like undoing a puzzle and putting it back together again. I think AI is definitely a very useful tool for a starting point though, as was conveyed in the instructors' videos.