Why AI Could Turbocharge L&D Professionals
Amid all the excitement surrounding artificial intelligence (AI), there’s one glaring fear: “Is AI going to replace me?” It’s a reasonable concern. After all, generative AI can work a whole lot faster than we mere mortals.But here’s the deal: AI is a tool. And a tool is only as good as the person who wields it. At Articulate, we think of AI as an accelerator of human capability, not a replacer of human ingenuity. Let’s unpack why AI can’t do everything alone and how—when used effectively—it doesn’t take away potential but unlocks it. AI Has Limitations On the surface, AI-generated content truly feels like it could’ve been written by a human. But mimicking a human isn’t the same as being a human, and that makes all the difference. Courses built solely with AI are prone to the following hurdles: Inaccuracies. AI is a people-pleaser. If it can’t give you a correct answer, it will still produce a reasonable “something”—but that something might be riddled with half-truths or outright “hallucinations.” Without a human validating output, AI might deliver wholly fabricated content. Biases. Generative AI was trained on the internet, making it highly susceptible to biases. Take away ethical human input and guidance, and AI may reinforce stereotypes, spread misinformation, and deliver inequitable training with unapologetic conviction. Ineffectiveness. AI can’t independently create complex, engaging learning experiences like the L&D pros. It can work quickly, but only a human course creator knows the nuance that goes into helping learners wrap their heads around tough topics, develop complex skills, and work through real-world practice scenarios. AI Requires Guidance AI’s limitations remind us that it can’t work alone. The sidekick is only as good as the hero. And AI is only as good as the e-learning heroes who use it. High-quality training requires humans in the driver’s seat. If you don’t have professionals consulting with stakeholders, discerning learning needs, setting directions, iterating with AI, and validating outputs, you end up with training that misses the mark. What Can AI Do? So, if AI isn’t replacing L&D professionals, what is it doing? If you’re a course creator, think of AI as another tool in your kit—and a mighty valuable one at that. Use AI mindfully, and you can: Collate information quickly. Have several dense documents to sift through? Consider using AI to pull and synthesize the information—kick-starting your course-creation process. Get a first draft. Debating how to start a lesson or course? AI solves the notorious “blank page” problem by giving you a first draft. Then all you have to do is fine-tune it. Brainstorm. Need to toss some ideas around? Your AI helper is an excellent creative thought partner. For example, you might use AI to think through course outlines, come up with industry-relevant examples, and surface themes within your work. Modify and personalize your work. Want to change direction or adapt your training for a different audience? No problem! AI can switch up your tone or writing style in a flash. Accelerate monotonous tasks. Have a lot on your plate? You might free up your day by using AI to speed through time-consuming, repetitive work. For example, you could ask AI to generate a summary, knowledge check, or full-course quiz based on your content. Well-Guided AI Unlocks L&D Superpowers Ultimately, with course creators at the wheel, an AI sidekick helps course creators do more, work smarter, and achieve their goals faster. The result? Instead of replacing L&D pros, AI gives them superpowers. Learning teams who leverage AI have more time, freedom, and mental space to use their specialized expertise, dig deeper, innovate, and home in on the creative side of course creation and design. Wrap Up The scary robot takeover isn’t happening anytime soon. AI is an invaluable asset. But it only works if we keep humans at the center. As Articulate’s own Chief Technology Officer Kerry Munz puts it, “AI gives you time; it lets you go deeper. But it’s your magic that helps people grow.” For more information about AI, check out these helpful resources: 4 AI Basics Every E-Learning Creator Needs to Know in 2024 3 Ways AI Transforms Workforce Skill-Building Is Your Organization Ready for AI? How Articulate AI Safeguards Your Data You can stay in the loop by subscribing to our newsletter and finding us on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter). Want to try out our apps but don’t have an Articulate 360 subscription? Start a free 30-day trial today. And if you have any questions, please share them in the comments.How E-Learning Experts Are Shaping Articulate AI
What makes Articulate AI unique? It all started with a singular focus: Develop a tool, not a toy. Sure, AI is entertaining. But we recognize that what you really need as e-learning pros is functionality—something that inspires, elevates, and enables human creators to get things done. So, how do we get there? Our developers called in the experts, partnering with e-learning pros every step of the way. We’re working on a suite of features built with course creators like you, for you. Let’s pull back that creation curtain and unveil how the scene is unfolding. Consulting L&D Pros at Every Stage Articulate’s talented engineers, product developers, and designers aren’t working in a vacuum. From planning through creation, testing, modifying, and scaling, we’re developing Articulate AI iteratively with ongoing input and feedback from people who live and breathe e-learning. It started with consulting experts both inside and outside Articulate. As production began, the collaborative efforts only skyrocketed. Business as usual for us means regular brainstorming sessions, routine updates, rapid-fire discussions, shared docs, testing, working meetings, and feedback, feedback, feedback. Shaping the AI Features and Interface Thanks to this collaboration, e-learning experts are helping define what features Articulate is prioritizing and how the AI interface will work. More specifically, the L&D pros are: Molding the workflow. They share their typical workstreams and outputs with developers—ensuring that Articulate AI will work for you, not against you. Influencing features. L&D pros brainstorm AI’s limitations and values and present their findings, pitching ideas and rating features by the potential impact on Rise 360 work. Refining outputs. They help shape ideal AI outputs, influencing decisions around what questions AI should ask and when, how many outputs AI should generate, and how frequently you should touch base with AI before getting your final results. Shaping the user interface. E-learning creators are further helping our product designers customize how AI shows up to bring you a seamless and easy-to-understand authoring experience. Setting the Benchmark Articulate’s e-learning experts are working tirelessly throughout testing to help ensure you get the best possible AI outputs. Here’s how these subject matter experts are making a difference: Improving back-end prompt instructions. Leveraging e-learning best practices, they’re helping craft and test back-end prompt instructions to improve output quality. Developing the standard. Our e-learning experts are also developing weighted criteria for judging the AI outputs against instructional design frameworks—setting the benchmark for what “good” looks like. Testing the features. Who better to judge AI than those who use Articulate’s tools every day? With each update, the pros test the features, assessing what works and what doesn’t, and share their findings with developers. Our Goal? Tailored AI That Delivers Results We truly believe our deep collaborative efforts will pay off. When we release Articulate AI it’ll be specialized to meet your needs as an e-learning creator. Rather than offering a one-click magic button with subpar results, Articulate AI will complement your workflow. The built-in processes will keep humans at the center, incorporating instructional design best practices and enabling you to iterate every step of the way. Wrap-Up Thanks to direct, ongoing input from e-learning experts, Articulate AI will empower you to do more. Magic happens when great minds come together—and a whole lot of minds are melding to create Articulate AI. We can’t wait to share that magic with you! Ready for more? For more details about these upcoming features, check out the following resources: Boost Productivity with Articulate AI—Coming Soon to Rise 360 4 AI Basics Every E-Learning Creator Needs to Know in 2024 How Articulate AI Safeguards Your Data Why AI Could Turbocharge L&D Professionals Before you take off, remember to subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest product updates, e-learning examples, and expert advice directly in your inbox. You can also find us on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter). Want to try out our apps but don’t have an Articulate 360 subscription? Start a free 30-day trial today. And if you have any questions, please share them in the comments.Upcoming Articulate 360 Training Webinars
Stay ahead of the curve with our free Articulate 360 Training webinars. These weekly sessions are designed to help busy course creators like you enhance your e-learning skills without investing too much time. As an Articulate 360 subscriber, you can grow your expertise through targeted training on the latest techniques and best practices – all at no additional cost. And if you want to view some on-demand training to view at your own time, visit the Articulate 360 training site to see what's available. Check out our upcoming webinars and level up your e-learning game. If you can't attend, that's OK. We record all of the sessions, so just sign up and you'll get a recording emailed to you. Date Title September 17, 2024 Typography Basics for E-Learning September 17, 2024 Getting Started with Reach 360 September 24, 2024 Guiding Principles of Instructional Design September 24, 2024 Getting Started with Reach 360 September 26, 2024 Quick Tips & Tricks: Episode 108 October 1, 2024 Getting Started with Reach 360 October 1, 2024 Getting Started With Rise 360 October 1, 2024 Storyline 360: Creating Social Personality Quizzes October 8, 2024 Getting Started With Storyline 360 October 8, 2024 How to Build Compliance Training in Rise 360 October 15, 2024 Getting Started With Rise 360 October 15, 2024 Getting Started with Reach 360 October 22, 2024 Branding your Rise 360 Course October 22, 2024 Getting Started With Storyline 360 October 24, 2024 Unleash Your Inner Spark: Supercharge Your Self-Care with E-Learning with Guest Presenter Misty Wert Not yet an Articulate 360 subscriber? Sign up for a 30-day free trial and check out as many as you’d like. And if the live webinar time doesn’t work for you, no worries! Simply sign up anyway and you’ll receive the recording in your inbox so you can watch it whenever you have time. Hope to see you at one of our upcoming webinars!Coming Soon: Articulate AI (With Video!)
Exciting news: We’re working on some AI features that’ll help amplify your creativity and accelerate course creation. Check out this short video for a quick preview of what’s in store: We hope you’re as excited as we are about these upcoming features! Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest product updates directly in your inbox. If you have questions, please share them in the comments.Engineering Journal: Demystifying 64-Bit Storyline
I’m Jesse Taber, engineering manager for Storyline 360, here with the first Engineering Product Highlight. My plan is to regularly cover a new or upcoming Storyline enhancement from an engineering perspective to provide technical insights you won’t find in release notes or product documentation. This first highlight is all about 64-bit. In November 2023, we released a 64-bit version of Storyline 360 to public beta that appears in the Articulate 360 desktop app as “Storyline 360 x64.” Since then, we’ve heard a lot of excitement about this new version of Storyline 360—but also some confusion. To address this feedback, I wanted to offer an FAQ that goes beyond the basics covered in the support article about 64-bit Storyline 360. What is Storyline 360 x64, and how does it differ from the version of Storyline 360 I’ve been using? Storyline has traditionally been a 32-bit application. The primary difference between 32-bit and 64-bit applications is the amount of system memory they can use. In Windows, 32-bit applications can access, at most, ~4GB of memory, while 64-bit applications can access far more memory than any modern consumer-grade PC can accommodate. Put simply, the 64-bit version of Storyline 360 can take advantage of the relatively large amounts of memory available on most modern PCs. Does Storyline 360 x64 provide performance improvements? The primary benefit of targeting 64-bit processor architecture is the ability to use more system memory. When Storyline 360 opens a project file, it loads it all into memory. Very large projects, particularly those with many rich media assets, can experience issues opening, saving, and publishing in the 32-bit version of Storyline 360. Projects like this should be much more stable in Storyline 360 x64. Aside from memory usage, most authors will likely see performance on par with the 32-bit version of Storyline 360. While performance improvements were not a primary driver for creating Storyline 360 x64, we plan to invest more directly in performance improvements going forward. Is Storyline 360 x64 a full rewrite of Storyline? No. Storyline 360 x64 comes from the same source code as the 32-bit version of Storyline 360. The difference is that it’s compiled to support 64-bit processors and operating systems. What functionality differs between the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Storyline 360? Because both versions of Storyline 360 share the same source code, their functionality should be identical. However, certain third-party components Storyline 360 uses don’t work with a 64-bit processor architecture. We’re currently working on removing, updating, or replacing those features. For example, the screen recording feature was not available in early builds of Storyline 360 x64 because a third-party component it relies on did not support 64-bit. As of Update 85, however, the screen recording functionality is available in the 64-bit version. The support article about 64-bit Storyline 360 lists the features we plan to remove (deprecate). Storyline 360 x64 is in public beta. Is it okay to use for my day-to-day work? We feel confident that Storyline 360 x64 is stable and suitable for production work. We have been using it internally for months without issue. We have also gotten positive feedback about its stability from several Storyline 360 users who have been using it regularly since it was in private beta. We plan to move Storyline 360 x64 out of public beta and into general availability in the second half of 2024. Most of the remaining work centers around providing a seamless experience for all customers to migrate from the 32-bit version. Because it shares source code with the 32-bit version of Storyline 360 there are no compatibility issues. That means that if you run into problems with Storyline 360 x64, you can always close your project and reopen it with 32-bit Storyline 360. Why did it take Articulate so long to deliver a 64-bit version of Storyline 360? Articulate released Storyline 1 in 2012. At that time, 64-bit processors and operating systems were becoming more popular in consumer-grade PCs, but 32-bit software was still prevalent. In the years that followed, memory got cheaper, which meant more PCs with memory greater than 4GB hit the market. Larger amounts of memory drove the need for 64-bit processors and software that supported them. We opted not to update Storyline 360 to support 64-bit until 2023, which we now realize was a mistake. When we consider the changes we want to make to Storyline 360, we have to weigh the impact that each change will have and the effort required to implement it. We must also consider the opportunity cost of choosing certain changes over others. We believed the effort to make Storyline 360 support 64-bit processor architecture was far higher than the impact it would have on our customers since it wouldn’t bring dramatic performance improvements. The Storyline codebase is over a decade old, and to say it is large and complex would be a gross understatement. Ensuring this code and the various third-party components would work properly in a 64-bit environment was daunting. Customers were also asking for many other features that would need to be put on hold if we committed to the 64-bit work. The team discussed 64-bit support many times in the 10 years that I’ve worked here. Each time, we reached the conclusion that it didn’t make sense. So what changed? Why now? Over the past several years, some of the third-party components that were roadblocks to 64-bit support have been updated or removed through the normal course of expanding and improving Storyline 360. More importantly, some intrepid software engineers on the Storyline team spent their Hackathon—a quarterly event where engineers can work on self-directed projects—proving that getting Storyline to support 64-bit processor architecture was more feasible than previously thought. When Kerry Munz came on board as our CTO, she brought a fresh perspective. She correctly surmised that our customers interpreted the lack of 64-bit support as a signal that we were not investing in Storyline 360. She directed us to prioritize this work as the first of several projects to modernize Storyline 360 and cement our commitment to its future. Will there always be both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Storyline 360 available? The number of 32-bit processors and operating systems actively in use today is extremely low. Eventually, we will only build and ship Storyline 360 in a 64-bit configuration. We’re currently working on a plan to make this transition as seamless as possible for our customers. We’ll share more details when they’re available. Wrap-Up I hope this product highlight has clarified the “what, how, and why” of Storyline 360 x64. If you haven’t already, I recommend trying out the public beta, particularly if you need to work with large or media-heavy projects. And remember to use the “Report a Bug” option at the top right corner of the application window to share any feedback directly with the engineering team. Stay tuned for future engineering journal entries! And please leave a comment below if there are specific topics you’d like me to cover.E-Learning Heroes Community Guidelines
Did you know that Articulate, creator of the industry-leading Articulate 360 platform, is also the founder of E-Learning Heroes, the world’s largest community for course creators? We built E-Learning Heroes to be a friendly, welcoming space for all e-learning professionals—customers and non-customers—because everyone deserves opportunities to learn and grow. One of the things e-learning professionals appreciate most about E-Learning Heroes is the supportive, respectful environment. To maintain this environment, we ask that you follow these simple guidelines along with our Terms of Use to make sure the community stays a safe place for everyone. Be transparent E-Learning Heroes is your go-to spot for developing your professional network. Follow these guidelines to participate in the community: Set up your community profile with your real name (not a pseudonym) Don't use any company logo, name, or product name in your profile name or photo (including Articulate's). Use one of the default avatars, a real photo of yourself, or another image that belongs to you as your profile photo. Avoid creating multiple profiles. Don’t share someone else’s work or content as your own. That’s plagiarism—and it’s not okay. Don’t use AI (Artificial Intelligence) to generate discussions or replies. Be respectful The E-Learning Heroes community welcomes people from all walks of life and we want everyone to feel safe sharing their perspectives. To do your part in creating this sense of safety, express your opinions and ideas in a way that’s kind, considerate, and professional: Never use explicit, offensive, or rude language. Avoid making accusations or insults directed at other community members or Articulate employees. Don’t repeatedly send messages to community members or Articulate employees about the same topic or continue to reach out after they’ve asked you to stop. Don’t use the community to hack or encourage others to disrupt or disable Articulate products or services. Before you post or send anything, think about how others could perceive it. With the real-time web, there is no “Undo” button. If something makes you even slightly uncomfortable, figure out what needs to be changed, fix it, then post. Remember: you’re legally responsible for any content you post and may be liable if your posts are found defamatory, harassing, or in violation of any applicable law or our Terms of Use. Be helpful The best communities are full of genuine people giving advice, support, and inspiration to one another out of the kindness of their hearts. Help us keep E-Learning Heroes the friendly, helpful space it’s always been. To do that, please don’t post or send messages that are: Duplicative. Unrelated to the discussion topic. Blatantly promotional or spammy. Keep it safe We want E-Learning Heroes to remain a trustworthy space for sharing. E-Learning Heroes members must be at least 18 years old and should never link to inappropriate, discriminatory, violent, or illegal content, viruses, or malware. Don’t share confidential or proprietary information The community is open to the public, so anyone with internet access can view anything you share. With this in mind: Don’t share contact information—whether yours or someone else’s—such as your phone number or address. Don’t share courses or files containing proprietary content you don’t have permission to share publicly. Articulate isn’t responsible for the security, confidentiality, or use of content you share on E-Learning Heroes. The Bottom Line To ensure our community continues to thrive, we reserve the right to delete content or close the E-Learning Heroes account of any member who doesn’t respect these guidelines. If you notice anything inappropriate, please click on the Ellipsis button next to the reply or the Gear icon in the upper right-hand corner of the post and choose “Report” from the drop-down list to flag it for review by Articulate staff. Here’s what those areas look like: If you have questions or notice anything inappropriate,reach out to support@articulate.com.All 12 Quick Tips & Tricks Webinars From 2023
Our monthly Quick Tips & Tricks webinars provide answers to your questions, practical tips to further your skills, and creative tricks to help speed up your course development. Whether you’re brand new to e-learning or a seasoned professional, our quick tips sessions offer something for everyone. We record each month’s session since we know that you’re busy, and it’s not always easy to attend a live webinar. For your viewing pleasure, we’ve compiled this year’s Quick Tips & Tricks into one on-demand video. If you’re ever looking for help with your own projects—technical, creative, or want to try out some new ideas—just post your question in the community where helpful folks are always willing to help. And who knows? Your question might get featured in the next Quick Tips & Tricks. Here's an outline of the featured tips and tricks we shared over the past year. January 2023 Creating Graphics in Google Slides Working with Combined Hover and Selected States Storyline 360 Workflow Updates Using a Simple Text Effect to Increase Readability February 2023 Working with Audio in Markers in Storyline 360 Using the Embed Block in Rise 360 Working with Conditional Navigation in Accordions Audio for Sound Effects March 2023 Using Subtle Backgrounds in E-Learning Creating Dividers for Use in Rise 360 Creating Smoother Mouseover Interactions with Characters April 2023 Unrestricting Access in Storyline 360 if You're Using a Pre-Assessment Test Working with a Click and Hold Timer in Storyline 360 Recent New Features and Updates to Storyline 360 May 2023 New Features in Review 360 Tips for Working with Drag-and-Drop Interactions Trimming a Long Audio Track into Smaller Track Using Studio 360 June 2023 Working with a Zoom Region in Storyline 360 New Features in Rise 360 Resetting Only the Incorrect Drag and Drop Choices in Storyline 360 July 2023 Skipping Animations in Storyline 360 Creating a GIF from a Peek 360 Video New Review and Collaboration Features in Articulate 360 August 2023 Creating GIFs Using PowerPoint Creating a Magnifying Slider Effect Adding Numbers to Markers in Storyline 360 September 2023 Additional Ways to Create Scenarios in Rise 360 Using the Morph Transition in PowerPoint to Make GIFs Tips for Working with Audio in Storyline 360 October 2023 Ways to Work with a Drag and Drop Out Animation Using a Checklist in Storyline 360 and Rise 360 Using Sliders to Measure and Align Objects November 2023 Ways to Have a Consistent Character Size Background Playlists and the New Trigger to Control Audio in Storyline 360 Finding an Image's Size and Resizing Images Without Stretching Them December 2023 Animation Effect Example Optional Content in Rise 360 Share Link Permission in Review 360 Common Questions from Recent Webinars
What Makes a Training Team? 11 Common Job Titles in E-Learning
The training and e-learning industry has never been a more exciting field to work in than it is today. First, technology—and let’s face it, e-learning is technology!—is a booming, growing industry that is ever-evolving, providing job variety as well as the opportunity to constantly learn new skills. Before the age of the Internet, training was mostly face-to-face and classroom based. But now, with globalization and increased access to the Internet, training departments are hotbeds of technology, adopting trends like gamification and interactive video. For these reasons and more, it’s easy to get excited about a career in training and e-learning design. Let’s look at some of the common job titles in today’s training and e-learning industries. Keep in mind, there are always nuances at each organization about job titles and the job functions they actually represent. The definitions below are simply a general idea of what each job title could entail. Trainer AKA: Facilitator, Instructor, Teacher What do trainers do? Simply put, they deliver instructor-led training—in either a physical or virtual classroom. Trainers deliver instructional content (designed by instructional designers), administer activities, and provide feedback to learners. To be a trainer, you need to be comfortable speaking in front of groups. Effective trainers are usually confident, dynamic, and engaging. You should also have strong communication skills and a knack for sharing information with learners in a concise and efficient way. If you have any doubts, there’s a whole industry dedicated to, well, training trainers on how to train! Two other key skills are time management and adaptability, which means being able to adjust your material or delivery on the fly to meet a group’s learning needs. And if you’re a virtual trainer, it’s important to have technology skills, like experience with web-conferencing or virtual classroom apps. Instructional Designer (ID) AKA: Training Designer, Instructional Systems Designer, Curriculum Designer Instructional designers (IDs) design training experiences. Whether the requirement is an instructor-led classroom training session, a one-hour e-learning module, or a single-page job aid, the ID needs to have the skill set to transform raw source content (often a Word document or a PowerPoint) into a meaningful and effective training solution. The output of an ID’s work varies depending on the type of training experience they are creating. If they’re designing an e-learning course, the output will likely be a storyboard, which is often passed along to a developer to create the content. On the other hand, if the ID is designing a classroom-based training activity or a simple job aid, they might develop those training materials themselves and then pass them on directly to the trainer for delivery. What skill set do you need to be a successful ID? You should be familiar with adult learning principles, learning theories, and instructional methodologies and models, such as ADDIE, SAM, and Kirkpatrick’s Levels of Evaluation. Since there’s a lot of writing involved in creating training materials, you should also strive to be a clear and effective writer. You also need to be analytical, logical, organized, and creative to design courses that present the key messages in a way that makes sense and engages the learners. E-Learning Developer AKA: Multimedia Developer, E-Learning Designer, Course Developer The e-learning developer takes the instructionally designed content (typically a storyboard or Word document) created by the instructional designer and develops them into a functional online course using e-learning authoring software. Depending on the level of detail the ID includes in their storyboard, the developer may or may not need to make some visual design and content layout decisions. They might also be the point person to replace any placeholder content (such as images or videos) and provide the final content. The e-learning developer’s skill set, ideally, would include strong experience using e-learning authoring software, a certain level of graphic and visual design abilities, an ability to manage timelines and due dates, and a level of comfort working with audio and video. Subject Matter Expert (SME) The Subject Matter Expert (SME) is someone who’s an expert in their field. SMEs aren’t usually specifically hired for the purpose of developing e-learning courses (though that does happen in certain cases). The SME is usually the person in an organization who has the most knowledge or skill in a specific topic and is simply helping out with the course creation process. The SME could be an HR staff member, an engineer, a researcher, a product manager, a sales manager, a finance person, etc. SMEs have the content, experience, and insights that are essential to creating great e-learning courses. They provide the course content to the instructional designer, who picks out the key messages and decides how to present them to learners in an effective way. Then the SME reviews the course to ensure the content is still accurate. In addition to being an expert on the subject, ideally the SME is someone who’s got a basic understanding of what makes training effective and how the course creation process works. If that’s not the case, it’s a good idea for the instructional designer to give them a quick overview, so they know what to expect. Here’s a course that was designed for this exact purpose. It’s also important for SMEs to be detail-oriented, since the accuracy of the content depends on them reviewing the course carefully, every step of the way. Finally, a good SME also has great communication skills, allowing them to provide clear feedback, so the instructional designer can then adapt the course accordingly. Here are some tips for first-time Subject Matter Experts. Content Editor AKA: Proofreader Some larger e-learning course creation companies hire content editors to review their courses. Their job is to ensure that everything is explained clearly, terms are used consistently, and the text is free of typos, grammatical mistakes, and spelling errors. When the project team is smaller or if courses are created internally, the content editor role is often done more informally by, say, a willing coworker. No matter who proofreads your course, it’s important that they have excellent writing skills and are detail-oriented. If you don’t have access to a professional content editor, here’s an article that outlines some things to ask your coworker to watch out for as they review your course: Top Writing Tips for E-Learning. Quality Assurance (QA) Tester AKA: Usability Tester Some training companies hire QA testers to review their courses from a technical standpoint and ensure everything works properly before they roll them out to learners. In smaller companies, this step is often something the instructional designer or e-learning developer hands off to a friendly coworker. QA testers spend time going through the courses and exploring any and all possible paths a learner might take, to ensure the learner doesn’t run into any issues. In addition to having patience, QA testers need to be extremely observant and meticulous—taking note of anything that works in a way they wouldn’t expect. Here’s a list of things to look out for. Graphic Designer AKA: Illustrator Not every company has the budget to have a dedicated graphic designer, but having one can really add value. Graphic designers can design custom slide layouts, icons, illustrations, and more that will make your courses look even more professional. For those of you working on teams without a graphic designer, don’t worry! If you’re an Articulate 360 subscriber, you’ve got access to tons of great templates, icons, illustrations, and photos for no additional cost in Content Library 360. Graphic designers working on e-learning project teams require a skill set similar to those working in other environments: a great eye for design, creativity, and a familiarity with apps like Photoshop and Illustrator. It’s also helpful if graphic designers are organized and used to working in teams. That way they’ll be used to clearly labeling the assets they create so other people can easily find and edit them as needed. E-Learning Project Manager AKA: Training Project Manager Much like project managers in any field, an e-learning project manager is responsible for organizing and coordinating the creation of e-learning courses. Typically, this kind of role exists in larger e-learning content creation companies. In smaller organizations, the person managing the course creation might also be the instructional designer and/or the e-learning developer. In this case, they’d need to have the required skills for all three of those roles. The project manager is the main contact for external clients. As such, they serve as a liaison between the client and the project team members (instructional designers, e-learning developers, etc.), making sure everyone stays on the same page. The project manager also manages the course creation schedule, ensuring that things move forward as expected and stay on track to meet the deadlines. To be successful in this role, you need to know how to manage a team, a project schedule, and work with clients effectively. You need to have excellent relationship-building skills and be able to communicate clearly. And since you’ll need to anticipate any potential pitfalls that could pop up throughout the project, it’s helpful to have basic instructional design skills, a general understanding of what’s possible in the authoring tools you’re using, and a working knowledge of the way LMSs work. Training Manager AKA: Training Coordinator, Manager of Training and Development The training manager designs, develops, and executes an organization’s training strategy (which is usually outlined by the director of training). They typically work with internal stakeholders and teams to develop training programs—including in-person and online training—that align with the organization’s business goals. The training manager often takes care of scheduling instructor-led training sessions, booking training venues, communicating with participants about class logistics, ordering classroom materials, and more. They also identify training and developmental needs by analyzing job requirements, operational opportunities, and current training programs. After completing this research, they analyze the data and use a metrics-driven approach to develop training solutions and learning initiatives. Often, they will oversee other members of the training team, including the IDs, developers, and trainers. A training manager’s skill set should include the ability to manage a team, timelines, and projects. They should be well-versed in instructional design methodologies, performance management, needs analyses, and adult learning techniques to develop appropriate training programs as required. Director of Training AKA: Director of Learning, Chief Learning Officer, Director of Talent Development The director of training is a step above the manager of training. Directors are at the top of the chain; they provide the vision and direction for the training department and then oversee the managers as they execute the training strategy. Directors must think about the future of an organization, its assets, and its reputation with every decision they make. A director’s skill set should include leadership skills, broad knowledge of the industry at hand, a deep understanding of instructional design and learning methodologies, performance analysis skills, experience creating learning and development programs, and strong communication skills. LMS Administrator AKA: Training Systems Administrator, Training Implementation Specialist An LMS administrator uploads and tests the e-learning courses created by the e-learning developer in a company’s learning management system (LMS). This specialist also manages all tasks related to the LMS, including communicating with the software vendor, troubleshooting and fixing user issues, compiling reports and data, and communicating about performance metrics. What skills should an LMS admin possess? They should be a subject matter expert (SME) on the LMS platform an organization uses, possess strong technical capabilities, and hopefully have some experience in IT systems management. An LMS admin should also have in-depth knowledge of industry-standard publishing formats such as SCORM, xAPI (Tin Can API), cmi5, and AICC—and it doesn’t hurt to have experience uploading courses created with the authoring software being used by the organization. More Resources These are some of the most common job titles in the training and e-learning industry. Of course, plenty of jobs out there include a blend of the various roles. For instance, we see a lot of IDs who are also e-learning developers or trainers, and some training managers who act as directors, setting the training strategy. It really varies from one organization to another. Looking for some more insight into the day-to-day activities of e-learning pros? Check out these eye-opening articles: A Day in the Life of an Instructional Designer A Day in the Life of an E-Learning Freelancer A Day in the Life of an E-Learning Project Manager Is your job title listed here? Does the description above accurately reflect what you do and the skills you believe are required to do it? Leave us a comment below and let us know! Follow us on Twitter and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning.Coming Soon: A New and Improved E-Learning Heroes
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