Week 1 Discussion

1. What surprised you about how AI handled text or media generation? I was pleasantly surprised how detailed and descriptive the "Create an AI Image prompt" is. I sometimes struggle with prompting for images and feel this could be very helpful in tailoring the prompts to my content. 
2. What challenges did you face when trying to get AI to produce the results you wanted? As stated earlier, I struggle with prompting for images. The exercise that had us create an image using the word "cookie" in reference to a computer and not a baked good challenged me to come up with another term. Also, when I tried to use AI in storyline I did not have the option to prompt the AI assist. Someone else mentioned they had the same issue, but resolved it by updating. It seems that my storyline is up to date, but my AI Assist does not state "Beta". I've reached out to my admin for help .

Which editing tools did you find most valuable and why? I had never really explored the full list of editing tools and mostly relied on the ones in the “edit selection” section at the top of the list. Taking more time to explore the “generate from selection” options provided some interesting perspectives I hadn’t previously considered. As someone who can sometimes struggle with getting started, these tools help spark my own thinking. I find that once I see an example written out, it often jumpstarts my creative process and I'm able to build from there. 

What challenges did you face when trying to get AI to produce the results you wanted? Image generation has been my biggest ongoing challenge, particularly around achieving visual consistency across a set of images. In one exercise using the Vector style, my first image came out exactly as intended. But subsequent images were overloaded with elements and didn't match the tone I was going for. Despite multiple rounds of prompt revision, I couldn't get them where I wanted them. In the end, I spent more time working on prompts than it would have taken to find a cohesive image set created by a single artist. It's a good reminder that AI image tools still require some trial and error, and sometimes a traditional approach is the more efficient one for me.

#1 - The AI features I found most useful were the AI image generation, AI prompt creation for image generation, and AI voiceovers.

#4 - I found it unfortunate that you can download the AI Images but not the AI voiceovers. It'd be great to know that I have the voiceovers saved somewhere else just in case, just like the images. 

1. Which AI Assistant feature felt most intuitive or useful to you during the practice activities? I use the course creation AI tool more than anything for Rise. It's such a great tool for just starting to brainstorm. If we are talking about program design, I typically use AI text tools.
   
   
2. What challenges did you face when trying to get AI to produce the results you wanted? I still have challenges when I want to use AI assistance across multiple paragraphs or blocks within a lesson. I think I want to do things that the AI tool can't quite do yet. Like only work on two out of four blocks, or not all paragraphs in a block, just a few.
   
   

1. Which AI Assistant feature felt most intuitive or useful to you during the practice activities? I appreciate learning about the instant convert option as well as generating audio and the ability to adjust tone to fit the vibe of the content. 
2. Which editing tools (rewrite, shorten, change tone, etc.) did you find most valuable, and why? I love the rewrite and shorten options because it allows me to start with my version (which can tend to be on the lengthier side) and provides great customization options where you can continuously revise until you're happy with the outcome.

1. Which AI Assistant feature felt most intuitive or useful to you during the practice activities?
   1. I felt like the convert AI tool was very easy and intuitive to use, it was also very exciting because there have been times where I have spent time building in one block, only to realize another block would have done a better job displaying the information for learners. Now, I can convert instead of starting over.
2. Which editing tools (rewrite, shorten, change tone, etc.) did you find most valuable, and why?
   1. I'm excited about the outline component and being able to add resources for the AI to reference. Since AI is only as good as the prompts (and resources), I feel like allowing us to upload documents and resources within Rise itself can drastically improve the results.

I found so many useful features of the AI Assistant in Rise. It proposes learning objectives, breaks down the course topics, and even suggests an entire course outline! You can even edit the outline and make it your own and even share it with your SMEs to get their input before you continue.

What surprised me is it even generates a complete draft of the course. I really loved how it creates actual interactive blocks, and it even provides relevant images. Based on everything provided, you can still edit anytime, if needed. This feature provides so much efficiency and saves a ton of time. I can’t wait to start using the AI Assistant!

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

Editing a list block and asking the AI to take the list from my SME, reformat it, and replace the list. I had no issues with this feature and thought it was very intuitive.

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

I asked the AI to create a quiz based on the course content. I gave it instructions to create a 5-question quiz with only multiple-choice and true/false questions. It ended up giving me a fill-in-the-blank question as part of the quiz, and it struggled to change the format. This is not a deal-breaker with the tools, but it will take some finessing in the prompt and/or the tool's understanding of what I am looking for.

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

Most of them felt pretty intuitive except Modify Flashcards with AI and Create AI Audio 

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

Rewrite and shorten.  

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

I struggled a little with modifying the flashcards with images. It definitely helped when I choose a style. Leaving it on "None" did not get very good results. And I kept forgetting to choose square for my aspect ratio.

I also struggled with Audio. I had initially chosen a women's voice. Inserted it and then decided to change it to Niraj, a male's voice. I regenerated it and kept clicking preview, but it kept playing the women's voice. I finally deleted the script, reentered it and then clicked generate again and it finally switched to the male's voice. I don't know if I was doing something wrong.

Also, I initially struggled to find the right voice I wanted. I used the filter feature but I wanted more options and then realized I could use the search field to get more specific, such as American or British accent.  But I still found myself just clicking on each voice one by one to listen and find one that I liked which was a little tedious. But I love the favorite features. Once I find ones I like, I'll defiantly be using that. 

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

One of my biggest challenges has been getting AI to generate assessment questions that go beyond simple recall. For example, when using the AI quiz generators in Rise or Storyline, the output is generally fine for basic knowledge-check questions, but I’ve struggled to get meaningful scenario-based or application-level questions.

In the technical courses I design, learners need to demonstrate application, analysis, and decision-making in context—specifically, how they would apply concepts to realistic, job-relevant scenarios. Despite experimenting with different prompts, I’ve had limited success guiding the AI to consistently produce scenario-based or application-level questions that support knowledge transfer. I would appreciate recommendations or prompt strategies that help shift AI-generated assessments from recall-focused to application- and transfer-focused outcomes.

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

One thing that’s really surprised me is how good the AI-generated narration has become. The overall quality is much higher than I expected, and the voices sound far more natural now than they did even a short time ago. I also appreciate the range of voice options—it makes it easier to find something that fits the tone of the course.

I do wish there were more built-in controls for things like acronym pronunciation, especially for technical content. That said, I’ve been able to find some workable solutions, so it hasn’t been a dealbreaker. Overall, the improvements in AI narration have been a pleasant surprise and have made it a much more viable option for my courses.