Week 2 - Group 1 Discussion

Hi everyone! Here is the course I built. I enjoyed working in Rise because I primarily develop in Storyline.

https://share.articulate.com/msNYFLSXiPHXMFlLYY32V

1. Three changes made to improve learner engagement (and why)

• I added hook-style introductions to the very beginning .This was to immediately capture attention and make the content feel more relevant to real-world situations.
• I broke up long text blocks into shorter, scannable chunks with clearer headings, because learners engage more when content feels less dense and easier to process.
• I included a few more knowledge checks throughout the course, not just at the end, to keep learners actively thinking instead of passively reading.

2. Most valuable AI feature and why

The most valuable feature was “Edit with AI” using instruction-based prompts (especially structured guidance like tone, hooks, and formatting rules). It was powerful because it could quickly transform flat instructional text into more engaging, learner-friendly content. What surprised me most was how effectively it could shift tone and structure without changing the core meaning when the instructions were specific enough. It saved so much time also! 

3. Challenges using AI

The main challenge was that AI often produces content that is too general or not tightly aligned to the learning objective unless the prompt is very specific. It also sometimes adds extra information that isn’t needed for the course level or audience. Getting consistent output required a lot of refinement in prompts, especially around tone, length, and instructional focus. This is a work in progress as we all know!

Hello!  Like Bridget, I do not use Rise very much -- we are a Storyline team.  I really enjoyed learning about Rise, though, and a lot of the tips will translate well into Storyline.

In my course, I tried two things that I think will be useful in my future work:

• Quickly re-grouping and re-formatting long sections of text
• Changing the level of feedback, depending on each quiz question

I'm also looking forward to trying out some of the features I played around with in Storyline, specifically layering audio to create more engaging narration.

Here is my course: https://share.articulate.com/tNcG8sEfMKdiRym-wd5VO

Hello everyone!  I exclusively use Rise in my organization. I found this activity to be a lot of fun!   Here is the course that I made:  https://share.articulate.com/l5goEEyd4ODRv6ww1zVsD

Share 3 changes you made to the Rise AI Course Draft to improve learner engagement. Why did you make those changes to your project? Be specific!

1. To enhance learning engagement I added images throughout the course. Using images with texts helps break up content so the learner isn’t overloaded by text heavy lessons.  I asked Articulate AI to create image prompts from the content section to help me pick images.  Images were used in the following ways:
   • To create a “space” between blocks. For example, between the section introduction and an accordion or other interactive block.
   • Changed regular text statements to images with text.  For example, the original course draft included introductory statements that I first used the AI to change to a “hook-style” statement and then instant converted the statement into an image with text.  
   • In conjunction with when I added content via the AI audio.  I would have the AI take a statement and change it into a hook-style statement or an analogy and then include the AI audio with an image that matches the situation (that was generated via an image prompt based on the statement/analogy).
2. I added instructions for interactive elements of the course, for example on accordions, flashcards, tabs, etc. add instructions on what the learner is supposed to do to interact with the content.  (Expand the sections, click the tabs, flip the cards).   I do this in my courses for two reasons: it helps guide the learner through the content but also to provide technical instructions in case the learner gets stuck and doesn’t know what to do.
   
   
3. Used AI Instant Convert to change content blocks. I changed flipcards to accordion in one section because I felt like the card was too small for the amount of text. I changed an accordion to a bullet list in another section because sometimes I feel like I use too many interactive elements and I feel like the learner will be overwhelmed.  I added a sorting activity when I felt like the content should be broken up by some kind of knowledge check (that wasn’t a quiz). 

Which AI feature or capability was most valuable in your workflow, and why? Did anything about it surprise you?

AI convert is a total game changer.  Before Articulate AI I would spend so much time copying and pasting content into new blocks (because I decided I didn’t like the way the content was presented).  Being able to instant convert is so amazing. It’s probably one of my favorite features that Articulate AI provides.

Additionally, I really enjoyed learning about and creating hook-style introductions and creating image prompts from content.  It seems kind of silly but I hadn’t thought about utilizing the Articulate AI to help generate image prompts from content.  I am excited to utilize both of these in future courses.

What challenges did you face when trying to get AI to produce the results you wanted?

What I found the most challenging was selecting the generated images.  While creating image prompts from content is something I found valuable, I still found it challenging to find the right image for the overall look and feel of the course, and that didn’t have weird text gibberish in the background.  It could also be that I am extremely picky or my image prompts are not good.   Refining those image prompts is definitely something I want to work on more.

https://share.articulate.com/CY_3n2S5cWAaWKgXDPocs

Three changes I made:

• Changed tab block to a process block, allowing for more interaction and visuals + audio.
• I kept to a color scheme that aligned with the overall course theme. I thought this created consistency throughout, and it was easy to keep to this theme with a custom style in the image generation interface.
• Added multiple audio elements to replace text, allowing for a constant narrator throughout while reducing text-heavy blocks.

Most valuable AI feature or capability:

• Highlighting or selecting a section of text -> Edit w/ AI -> Generate AI image prompt -> copy and paste into AI image generator. The process of finding images was extremely shortened due to this feature, and it is one I will be using ASAP at work.
• "Talking" with the AI assistant while it was editing text, specifically the quiz at the end, was very helpful. I had the opportunity to edit in real time and fine-tuned my prompting skills.
• Instant convert is also a favorite. I wish there were more options with this, but I did see an option for images in beta so that makes me excited.

Challenges:

• One consistent challenge I have with gen AI is not having the ability to provide exclusionary terms, e.g., "no words on the whiteboard" when trying to generate an image. AI will take those words and ensure they are included in the picture, which is frustrating at times. It does a better job with text.

wrong group sorry :)

AlyssaGomez​ and team - Did anyone else have trouble with the Custom Block? I was able to select it and edit by adding audio and an image, but it won't save the edits to my course.

Hello! I also use primarily Storyline, so spending time with Rise was a lot of fun.

Just for kicks, I used image prompts that include "in the style of Pixar" and "Use characters from The Office."

https://share.articulate.com/GeU68JL9h79z8vguShl-N

I focused the requirements for this activity primarily in Lesson 1.

1. Changes made to improve learner engagement.
   • I used the hook style introduction.
   • I used prompts to shorten paragraphs and to change paragraphs to bulleted text.
   • I added a couple of knowledge checks in the lessons.
   • I rewrote quiz questions to remove "NOT" statements.
   • I used instant convert to change text to an interaction.
2. Most valuable AI feature.
   • Instant Convert is a new favorite. This is an area where I can get stuck creatively, so it is really nice to have.
   • Quiz Generation! So much time saved!
   • I'm also looking forward to the Custom Block. I tried to use it (image attached) but could not get it into the lesson.
3. Challenges using the AI Assistant.
   • Again, focusing mostly on Lesson 1, I found quite a bit of repetitive content, which I caught and edited.

Hi, I don't have the Quick Share option.  I only LMS, Web, PDF and Reach 360.  I've watched the tutorial, and simply don't have the option to be able to share?  Any ideas? 

Hello everyone

https://share.articulate.com/cXTlhcKBC3kU3RDvvO6Xp

Changes I made to improve engagement:

• Broke up longer content into cleaner sections so it’s easier to follow.
• Converted some info-heavy blocks into interactive blocks.
• Adjusted the tone to feel more conversational and less like a formal course.

Most valuable AI feature:
AI was most helpful for quickly drafting and reworking the quiz & knowledge check.

Challenges with AI:
Getting the tone right was the hardest part—early outputs felt either too generic or too polished, so it took a few prompt tweaks to get something that felt natural and usable.

Hi everyone. I had limited bandwidth to work on this, but here the course I built. I have started working with Rise again after many years, I enjoyed this brief course!

Quick Share link: 

https://share.articulate.com/-z4mcMRoooqScVuBnildH

Share 3 changes you made:

- Improved visual design and inclusivity:
I added diverse and inclusive images to ensure representation across different genders, and backgrounds, helping learners see themselves reflected in the course. I also introduced consistent color-coded sections to break up content and guide attention.
Why: These changes make the experience more visually engaging and inclusive, which helps learners feel connected to the content and improves focus when navigating the course.

 Reduced cognitive load:
I shortened long paragraphs into concise, easy-to-scan content and added audio narration for dense sections.
Why: Learners can feel overwhelmed by large blocks of text, so simplifying content and providing audio supports different learning styles and keeps engagement high. 

 Increased interactivity and engagement:
I adjusted the tone to be more conversational where needed and refined interactive elements to keep learners actively involved rather than passively reading.
Why: Interactivity and a more approachable tone maintain learner attention and encourage participation.

- Most valuable in your workflow..: 

I found the summarize, audio generation tools especially useful because I previously relied on external AI tools for these tasks. Being able to do this directly within Rise made my workflow faster and more streamlined, allowing me to quickly refine content without switching tools.

Another valuable feature was generating custom images. This helped me create more relevant and engaging visuals while being intentional about inclusivity. I could guide the prompts to avoid stereotypes and low-quality  content, ensuring the visuals aligned with the course’s tone and learning goals.

- What challenges:

I found that AI design and formatting capabilities are still somewhat limited.

It is not always possible to easily apply consistent changes, such as adjusting the size, format, or colors of different blocks, across the course in bulk. Having a centralized AI-powered menu or library to manage these elements would make a big difference.

Especially during rebrands, updating content to match new visual guidelines required a significant amount of manual work in a short time. In this context, I could see how more advanced AI-driven theme customization (e.g., automatically updating styles across all sections) would save considerable time and effort.

I’m looking forward to future improvements in this area, especially around streamlining theme customization and enabling bulk updates, which would make the workflow even more efficient.