Week 1 Discussion

The tool I found most valuable was the ability to add AI blocks, because there are so many different options and they’re all very intuitive. In several clicks I was able to add images that perfectly captured my intent and add summaries and key points in seconds that wrapped up content beautifully.

The only challenge I faced was familiarization, trying to get more comfortable with what options I have available, as well as how to properly utilize, and actually keep track of the use steps. 

Which editing tools (rewrite, shorten, change tone, etc.) did you find most valuable, and why?

I found the shorten tool to be the most beneficial. Often times I find myself writing a bit too much while creating e-learning content and having a tool right there to help me trim some of the fat quickly is awesome. 

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

I found getting AI to produce the slide content entrance animations the way I wanted them challenging. I think part of the challenge was the fact that I did not create or name the individual elements on the practice slide so my prompts to the AI might not have been clear or called out the correct name. Another part that contributed to my challenge came down to the fact that I knew exactly what I wanted the content to do and how to edit the timeline easily to get the results I was looking for but trying prompt after prompt and not getting what I was asking for was frustrating and felt inefficient.  

1. Which AI Assistant feature... I found the AI Audio the most helpful and time saving in my work. Being able to made an edit to a script as I work and have an immediate update to the audio allows me to avoid adding one more thing to my task list. 
2. What challenges... Some of the words used to create AI audio are unique to our company and are mispronounced by AI. For example, testing a variety of AI voices I included the word "Onvio" (ON-vee-oh) in the script to talk about one of the products TR offers. In order to get a close (but not perfect) pronunciation, I rewrote Onvio as ON-vee-o, On Vee Oh, On-V-O and a variety of other variations. It would help if there was a way to adjust which syllable is emphasized and how letters are pronounced. In addition, it would help save time having to go in and edit the closed captioning as well to display the correct spelling since the altered version for AI Audio generation is also used in the CC. If there is a way to create a library of these types of changes that would be helpful and bonus points if the library can be shared amongst the team!

The most intuitive feature for me was using natural‑language prompts to quickly generate and refine content. It made starting drafts, outlining ideas, and reworking existing material much faster than beginning from scratch. I was surprised by how well the AI understood context and tone, even with minimal input, and how clearly it could restructure complex information.

The most valuable tools were rewrite and change tone, since they helped adapt content for different audiences while keeping the original meaning intact. The biggest challenge was learning how specific my prompts needed to be—vague prompts led to generic results. Overall, the experience showed that AI works best as a thought partner, with clear direction and human judgment guiding the final output.

1. 1. Which editing tools (rewrite, shorten, change tone, etc.) did you find most valuable, and why?
   • I found the rewrite and tone‑adjustment tools especially helpful because they allowed me to quickly reshape content to match the learner experience—whether simplifying complex information or making language more conversational.
2. What challenges did you face when trying to get AI to produce the results you wanted?
   • One challenge I encountered was needing to be very specific with my prompts. When my instructions were too broad, the AI produced generalized results. Giving clearer direction and structure made the outputs far more accurate and aligned with what I needed.

Which AI Assistant feature felt most intuitive or useful to you during the practice activities?

The most intuitive feature for me was using the AI assistant to help with writing and improving clarity. It’s very easy to input a draft and quickly get suggestions that make the wording clearer, more concise, and more professional. This was especially useful for refining messages and simplifying complex information.

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

One challenge I faced was that the AI image generator works well for simple images but struggles with more detailed visuals, especially those needed to show step-by-step processes. The outputs can miss key details or change a lot with small prompt adjustments. It’s still a learning process, and I’m sure there are prompt techniques that can help improve the results over time.

#1 The AI Assistant feature I felt was the most intuitive or useful during the practice activities was the Edit with AI. I love how easy it is to modify your text for different audiences! I also am loving the AI course generation itself, already starting to use it to develop outlines and objectives from a variety of source materials. Crazy how fast it is! 

#3 The editing tools I found most valuable were shorten and change tone since it makes my job so much easier as an Instructional Designer to take something already created and turn it into text that works for training. Love it that understands the learning and development aspect. 

1. Which AI Assistant feature felt most intuitive or useful to you during the practice activities? I love the Generate Lesson Summary option. I started using it even before I began this certification and it saves me so much time. I usually only need to tweak little things and am done in 2 minutes.
2. What surprised you about how AI handled text or media generation? I had experimented with the media generation before and didn't get the results I wanted. I got much better results running the exercises and feel like I'll be more successful going forward. And I agree with everyone about the quality of the voices for text-to-speech. I learned way more than I thought I would and really appreciated the in-lesson videos as a guideline.

What surprised you about how AI handled text or media generation?

What surprised me most about AI’s text-to-speech capabilities was how natural some of the voices sounded. I was also impressed by the variety of voice options available and how simple it was to adjust the wording or tone. Conversely, I found the cinematic images somewhat disappointing; they often appear noticeably “AI-generated” and lack the realism I expected.

Which editing tools (rewrite, shorten, change tone, etc.) did you find most valuable, and why?

The editing tools I found most useful were shorten, change tone, and lengthen because they make refining content quicker and save time. Shorten helps turn dense material into clear, easy-to-digest bits, while lengthen lets you add more detail when needed. Change tone is great for tailoring content to different audiences or goals so it sounds right. I also appreciated the instant convert feature for brainstorming; it quickly generates alternative block options that can reveal more engaging ways to present material to learners. 

1. Which AI Assistant feature felt most intuitive or useful to you during the practice activities? The knowledge check feature was the most intuitive and useful AI Assistant feature for me. It efficiently generates relevant assessments directly from course content, saving significant time and ensuring alignment with learning objectives. The ability to quickly create varied question types and refine them offered a streamlined approach to assessment development.

2. What surprised you about how AI handled text or media generation? What surprised me most about the AI Assistant's handling of text and media generation was its ability to automatically generate closed captions for uploaded videos. Previously, my workflow involved a much more manual process: uploading videos into editing software like Premiere Pro, exporting an SRT file, converting that to a VTT file, and then uploading it into the course. The AI Assistant's capability to generate captions directly upon video upload significantly reduces this tedious work and saves a considerable amount of time. This feature streamlines the accessibility process, making it much more efficient.