Translate Freely with Articulate Localization—No Sign-Up Needed
If you work with a global audience, you’ve likely run into the time consuming task of translating content. Even if you haven’t had to translate a course yourself, you’ve almost certainly heard how time, energy, and knowledge intensive the process is. Add in needing to shift things for regional context? You may as well ask for the moon. Fortunately for the stars of e-learning, Articulate Localization is now available to all users! There is no sign-up required. Users can instantly translate content and share it directly with language validators within Rise and only pay when you are ready to publish. You no longer have to hope someone will understand the difference between a work function and a party, or has the time to correct every instance a translation tool replaces “logged in” with something about timber. 🌍No Global Audience? One in five people in the United States, and nearly half of Canada is multilingual. The chances of your audience benefiting from localization is significant, and goes up with every new learner. Still not sure if localizing your course is the right decision? Check out this article with three simple questions to help. You can also review our recent case study about Global-First approaches. “If you have one course in multiple languages, it means you are connecting people even inside your own corporation.” 🔎The Details How to Get Started and What is the Cost? Getting started with Articulate Localization is simple: you can instantly access it within Rise without any required sign-up! While localization typically begins at $5,000 per year, we strongly encourage you to contact our sales team for pricing customized to your specific needs. Need help with buy in? Don’t just take our word for it. Customer case studies show the ease, utility, and advantages of localization in action. 👟Get started localizing your courses today! Log into Articulate to get instant access to Localization. Start an Articulate 360 trial to try Localization—no credit card required.Community Insights: How Support Takes You Far
If you’ve spent time checking comments, posting examples, or asking questions in the ELH community it’s likely you’ve seen Thomas_Shayon offering advice and encouragement. This Member Spotlight highlights how Thomas’s career journey was buoyed by support, and how he pays it forward now. Given a chance Like many people in learning design, Thomas did not start out in a training role. His first opportunity to teach was while he worked as a project manager on a quality assurance team for a small auto insurance company. As many roles do, this expanded until he was teaching independent insurance agents about how to position their products to their ideal customer. This “short stint” was laying the groundwork for what would turn into a 20 year career in corporate learning ranging from nonprofits to technical training and more. Making a difference In another early training position Thomas found “great pride and joy” in what his non-profit team built and delivered to “support some of the most vulnerable folks” in his community. This ability to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those around him (kids aging out of foster care) solidified his love of teaching, and led to the next defining element of his career: receiving that support back. Senior leaders, executives, and other coworkers were crucial to Thomas’s growth, showing “what leading with your heart” truly looked like. “When I spoke, my ideas were heard, and several were implemented. When I gave critical feedback, they were humble and listened,” he shares. In addition to the interpersonal support various senior leaders offered, some also created critical opportunities for Thomas. Opportunities like regularly attending executive business strategy meetings, allowing him to weigh in on how KPI’s could be achieved with L&D initiatives, and otherwise being “empowered to do my best work ever.” The mindset The culmination of these experiences has led to a specific mindset that Thomas takes into his everyday - not exclusive to learning design, but wholly integrated in his life. The core elements are: Discover what you enjoy doing Thomas’s answer is, of course, “helping others evolve into the most excellent version of themselves at work and at home” Learn as you go “I am not a technically trained instructional designer. However, over time, I’ve read, taken online courses, earned certifications, and so on to develop the ID-specific skills needed to do the work. Do not worry about trying to “learn everything” in a year or two; give yourself grace and time.” Doubt is a monster we carry with us “Learn and embrace it sooner than later, doubt is a part of the journey; everyone deals with it. Uncouple who you are from the work that you do.” You are enough “Navigate your life and career with that fact neatly tucked into your spirit and move boldly in your life.” Paying it forward True to the people who helped shape this mindset, Thomas now offers encouragement, advice, and other support everywhere else he goes. Leading from the heart can be seen scattered across our own community: from welcoming new members, offering insight on best practices, or sharing professional examples. He’s filled the role of Peer Guide with flying colors, and ELH is made better for the care Thomas brings to our community. I’m sure his learners feel the same way. In that spirit: leave a comment below tagging someone who has helped support you, and how you can pay it forward by reviewing a project, offering advice, or welcoming someone new.4 Quick Tips to Make Your E-Learning Stick
Effective e-learning needs to be engaging enough that learners will want to take the time for it, and yet substantial enough for learners to recall and apply later. As such, e-learning pros are challenged to use a little creativity to persuade busy learners to pay attention to what we’re teaching them and then apply it to their jobs. That means making the information easy for them to remember later on. But how do we do that? I’ve got a few ideas to share with you, so keep on reading! 1. Make It Useful One surefire way to make something memorable is to make it useful and relevant. This means designing content that’s helpful and concise. Here are some tips to try: Start by asking questions. Instead of a tedious setup (opening titles followed by navigation, objectives, an introduction, etc.), drop your learners right into the action by asking them a thought-provoking question or giving them an engrossing scenario. If you think about it when people ask you a question, it’s pretty attention-grabbing, isn’t it? The same applies to your learners. Get them intellectually and emotionally stimulated and you’ll have them engaged right from the start. Demonstrate the value early. People are more apt to focus on information when they see that it has value in their everyday life. Try using a pre-test, a self-assessment survey, or a compare and contrast exercise to challenge your learner’s assumptions about your topic and grab their attention right away. Give them practice. It might seem obvious, but demonstrating steps with a short how-to video or a screencast is helpful, but what works even better to get people thinking and applying new knowledge is to follow it up with practice. Let learners hear from their peers. Most people pride themselves on doing good work and contributing to their teams. Hearing from folks who’ve successfully applied what they’ve learned in your training can signal that the content you’re sharing is relevant and helpful—and foster a healthy sense of competition among peers. 2. Get to the Point Sometimes the key to making your e-learning more memorable is knowing which information to emphasize first. There are many ways to approach organizing your content for learning, but one go-to is to put the most critical information front and center, followed by progressively less critical information. Structuring content in an “inverse pyramid” is an approach journalists use. It looks like this: This structure helps prioritize information and minimizes the nice-to-know details that can add unnecessary bulk to your course. Particularly for longer courses, where learners might lose steam, this approach helps you be sure that the essential information is communicated right from the start. 3. Use Analogies Analogies are great for helping learners connect new ideas with the information they already have. Making these connections, in turn, increases the chances they’ll remember what you’re sharing with them. For example, if you were trying to teach someone about how a tornado forms, you might compare it to the way water spins as it goes down the drain of a sink. Water spinning down a drain is a simple, relatable concept and a good starting point for talking about the forces of nature at work. 4. Use Visuals When it’s time to design your e-learning, think about ways you can visually present information other than a bulleted list of text. For instance, can you morph that new product info into a series of labeled graphic interactions that’s both eye-catching and inviting for learners to explore? Can you turn those dos and don’ts into an interactive scenario with realistic characters and an immersive background? If you’ve enjoyed these tips and want to learn more about how people absorb information, don’t miss this fascinating interview with Julie Dirksen, founder of Usable Learning and author of Design for How People Learn. What are your tried-and-true tips for making e-learning that sticks? Share your thoughts with me in a comment below. I’d love to hear what’s been working for you! New to e-learning? Sign up for our E-Learning 101 email course, a series of expertly curated articles that'll get you up to speed with course development.How I Built This: I Developed an Award-Winning Ethics Course
Why I Built This: When I first learned about branching scenarios, something clicked for me that I hadn’t seen other eLearning developers execute: visually compelling, philosophically rich thought experiments. I studied Moral Philosophy in my undergrad and became obsessed with ethical dilemmas. Naturally, I decided to build an ethics course about technology. Think The Trolley Problem, only I wanted to pose questions about the growing reliance on AI and its implications by employing Instructional Design strategies. An opportunity came up through my Master’s program to attend DevLearn and compete in DemoFest, so it was time to start building my concept. I designed and developed a course in Storyline called The Agency Algorithm that confronts learners with issues regarding three main topics: algorithmic warfare (The Armory), AI assisted resource allocation (The Triage Garden), and surveillance (The Mask Archive). The Experience & Design Intent: A quick walkthrough of the multi-room experience. The Agency Algorithm is a multi-room interactive learning experience that blends instructional design, game-like mechanics, and philosophical inquiry. It immerses learners in ethically complex scenarios by leveraging branching logic, and integrating experiential aesthetics with conceptual depth. My primary goal with this project was to encourage critical reflection on the role of technology on human agency and autonomous choice. The concept itself was pretty clear to me, but I wanted to push the limits of Storyline visually, so I acquired a number of 3D assets from Adobe Stock, some of which I further modified in Adobe Dimension. I wanted the visuals to anchor the learner in a unique environment that did not feel reminiscent of traditional eLearning, and rather create space to explore and feel like a participant in something unfolding. There aren’t often black and white answers to ethical questions, and branching scenarios are an excellent way to illustrate this while offering learners a safe place to experiment and think through various outcomes based on their decision making. Visual Worldbuilding/Making It Not Feel Like eLearning: Initially, I intended to hand draw assets myself to really hone in on the human vs AI dynamic, but quickly realized the time I’d have to accomplish this was dwindling. While I drafted a few loose concepts in my journal, I ultimately decided to stick with digital assets. While I landed on 3D assets largely due to time constraints, the outcome is reminiscent of an old experimental video game or some sort of immersive idea gallery. As an artist, I often approach my work from a minimalist lens so this project was a fun way to really add some artistry that corporate training often doesn’t have room for. Variables, Multi-state objects, Cue points, and other mechanics: I relied heavily on multi-state objects to create hover states, “tip” cards, text labels, and more, for example in the circuits with definition reveals. I enjoyed building the “loading” effect in the Mask Archive, although it was a bit clunky and took a lot of trial and error! I learned a lot along the way and used a cue point on an orb with a glow effect beneath the mask and used triggers to cause the effect to work. The course overall has a few hundred triggers (slide, object, and variable triggers) and somewhere around 40 variables (mostly T/F variables). What I learned: I think it is important that we don’t hand-hold learners through every learning experience. I want users to think through complex challenges and autonomously choose and feel like a true agent in the process of acquiring knowledge. A lot of eLearning makes it too easy for the learner and we lose engagement when we undermine the intelligence of our audience. I learned SO much about how to leverage Storyline in new ways. I am still a relatively new user to the tool, so this project allowed me to freely explore and be guided by curiosity. Link to my portfolio: https://www.abigailvettese.com/Comfortable with Studio 360 but Curious About Storyline 360? This Article Is for You
Note: We're ending support for Studio 360, Replay 360, and Peek 360 on December 31, 2026. Learn more. When I talk to Studio 360 users, they often tell me that they’ve been wanting to give Storyline 360 a try, but feel too intimidated. Sound familiar? I get it. Change can be scary. But thanks to the PowerPoint-like interface and the easy-import feature, the transition from Studio 360 to Storyline 360 is super-smooth. And since Storyline 360 is included in your Articulate 360 subscription, you can start using it right away—at no additional cost. Still on the fence? Take a peek at some of the things Studio 360 users appreciate most when they start using Storyline 360. 1. Creating Interactions That Reduce Cognitive Load When you’re building a course in PowerPoint, it can be hard to find ways to cut down on the amount of on-screen text—and reduce the cognitive load—so learners can focus. In Storyline 360, slide layers make it easy to create click-and-reveal interactions that let learners view content in smaller, more digestible, chunks. For example, instead of a slide like this: You can create an interaction like this: Click here to compare the two versions Not only does this second version feel less overwhelming, but presenting each point one at a time invites learners to interact, increasing the likelihood that they’ll remember the content. 2. Converting Static Slides into Engaging Interactions With PowerPoint, it can be hard to find ways to get learners to interact with your course beyond clicking the Next button. With Storyline 360, you can put learners in the driver’s seat by converting static slides into engaging interactions in just a few clicks, thanks to the Convert to Freeform feature. For example, let’s say you’re creating a course on sun safety. You might have a slide that looks something like this: It’s informative, but not interactive. Now let’s see how you could use that same content to create a lean-forward interaction that’s sure to captivate your audience: Click here to compare the two versions Put yourself in your learner’s shoes. Which version would you find more interesting and engaging? My money’s on the drag-and-drop interaction. 3. Designing Nonlinear Courses Building a single course for a target audience with varying knowledge and skill levels can be a real challenge. One way to ensure you meet everyone’s needs is by building a nonlinear, or branched, course. You can do this by creating a menu that allows learners to navigate the course content freely or by designing a choose-your-own-adventure-style course where the learner’s path through the course changes depending on their actions. Building nonlinear courses in PowerPoint can be extremely challenging. But with Storyline 360, it’s a snap. You can easily see and make changes to the flow of your courses by simply dragging your slides in Story View, as shown in the GIF below. The ability to create nonlinear courses is just one example of how building your courses in Storyline 360 allows you to quickly and easily deliver a more personalized experience to your learners. And the more personalized the experience, the more relevant the course will feel to your learners—making them more likely to remember and apply the concepts to their jobs. Want more tips on personalizing your courses? Check out this article: 3 Ways to Personalize Your E-Learning Courses. 4. Building Custom Navigation That’s Intuitive With Storyline 360, you have total control over the learner experience. You can turn virtually any object into a custom button that behaves the way learners expect it to—making navigation intuitive. Let me explain. When you’re navigating the web, how do you know that an object is clickable? If you pay close attention, you’ll notice a couple of visual cues. For example, when you hover your mouse over a clickable object, the cursor changes from an arrow to a hand. There’s also usually a slight change to the formatting of the object itself—the fill color might change to a slightly lighter or darker hue. These visual cues help you navigate the website and find what you’re looking for. You can do the same thing in your e-learning courses to ensure your learners never feel lost. Check out the GIF below to get a better idea of what that experience can feel like: Click here to explore the interactive version With easy-to-use features like states and triggers in Storyline 360, you can make any object clickable in just a few seconds. And because these objects will behave just like learners expect them to, they’ll be able to focus on the course content—instead of trying to figure out where to click. The Bottom Line Importing your Studio 360 courses into Storyline 360 is fast and easy. And with Storyline 360’s PowerPoint-like interface, the learning curve is almost nonexistent. What do you have to lose? Give it a try today! Here are some resources to help get you up and running: Tips for Importing Microsoft PowerPoint and Articulate Presenter Content into Storyline 360 Storyline 360 tutorial videos Storyline 360 training webinars Storyline 360 user guide Want to try Storyline 360, but don’t have Articulate 360? Start a free 30-day trial, and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning. If you have any questions, please share them in the comments.Made by Members: On-boarding New Team Members
This month we’re spotlighting submissions across several eLearning Challenges that, when combined together, make an onboarding experience. These examples show how a variety of techniques can create memorable and easily referenced guides to simplify the fire hose of information that accompanies onboarding. Mix and match these examples for your specific use case if you’d like to give it a try, and be sure to comment below with what inspired you! A Blueprint for Day One and Beyond by SMcNicol Designed as a leave behind for after an interview, this course shows not only what an interviewee could use as a pitch for their first months in a job, but a clean and organized method for general 30/60/90 day plans. 💡Inspiration to take: How to use what Shannon describes as an “AI assisted workflow” to tailor plans and content Layered descriptions of not only what a process looks like, but concrete tactics for success Who is behind the scenes? By Kate_Golomshtok A bright example of vector image use, this submission shows a quick and memorable way to introduce different team roles. This approach makes it easy to understand the division of responsibilities in complex teams or projects. 💡Inspiration to take: Vector images that clarify tool use and positions for projects that could be confusing at first glance An “insider” approach to content presentation that includes field specific lingo Data Security Training by BrilliantTeams Submitted as part of the accordion interaction challenge, this submission shows how to make compliance training into an easily referenceable tool. New team members can easily dig down into more detail, while keeping high level information such as common initialisms above the fold. 💡Inspiration to take: Compliance training is notoriously a slog, so use engaging interactions to break up detail heavy content Stack information with the rationale behind it to help contextualize the “why” of procedures Meet the Team by AsweniGD Just what it says on the tin, this team introduction is a new team members’ dream for understanding organizational flow, titles, and personalities. Between the color coded org chart and detail on responsibilities this would help new hires understand who to ask what, when. 💡Inspiration to take: The morph transition makes for a clean transition from contextualized visuals to greater detail information Embrace color coded visuals to leave more room for what Ash describes as “human centered” introductions 🏅 Want to Be Featured Next? We’re always looking to highlight inspiring examples from the community, and your work could be next! Here's what we look for in a standout submission: A downloadable .story file or link to your Rise course so others can explore, adapt, and learn from your build. A clear explanation of what you built, how it works, and what makes it unique. Behind-the-scenes insight into your process, techniques, tools, or challenges you tackled. Purposeful design, whether it’s solving a problem, teaching a concept, or experimenting with a new approach. Bonus: Share your ideas for how your design is widely applicable beyond the specific example. Got something cool to share? Post it in Share Examples, and you might see it featured in an upcoming roundup!Community Insights: What You Can Learn from David Tait’s Career Pivot
One of the best things about creative careers is how flexible they are—you can take them in so many directions. For DavidTait, that flexibility led from graphic design to learning design, and eventually to co-founding 4pt, a learning design studio. 4pt has been creating meaningful learning experiences for more than 16 years. In this Member Spotlight, you'll discover how adaptability, curiosity, and community shaped David's journey, and how to apply these lessons to your own career path. From Design to Learning “Before starting my career in e-learning, I was a student focused on design,” David says. “I spent four years studying design. Two in graphic design and two in newspaper, magazine, and infographic design. That background gave me a strong foundation in visual communication, which has been incredibly useful in my learning and development (L&D) work.” While still in college, he took on a freelance project as a graphical user interface designer for the Northern College Network. “It was my first real step into the world of digital learning design,” he recalls. “It helped me see how I could apply my design skills in a completely different context.” Soon after, a former lecturer offered him a role at an e-learning startup creating online CPD courses for healthcare professionals. “Working in a startup meant wearing many hats,” David says. “That experience really shaped my path and helped me see how my design skills could grow into a career in learning.” 💡Tip: Apply your existing creative skills to a small digital learning project (freelance, volunteer, or self-initiated). Hands-on experience helps bridge design and instructional work faster than theory alone. Turning Change into Opportunity A few years later, the company was acquired, and layoffs followed. “Rather than seeing it as a setback, my studio manager and I took it as an opportunity,” David says. “When we started 4pt, all of those responsibilities suddenly became our job. Being able to adapt to new challenges was essential, and it’s a big reason why we’ve been able to thrive.” 💡Tip: When your path shifts unexpectedly, use it to test new skills or partnerships. Career detours often reveal strengths you wouldn’t discover in a stable role. Finding Flexibility with Storyline “One project in 2013 really shaped our company,” David says. “A client asked us to build a course in Storyline 1. We’d never used it before, but rather than turn the work away, we invested in licenses and learned as we went.” “Before long, Storyline became the tool most of our clients wanted to use,” he explains. “Storyline gave us the ability to solve problems ourselves, experiment more freely, and move much faster. That agility has stayed with us ever since—it’s a core part of how we approach learning design.” 💡Tip: Don’t wait to feel like an expert. Pick a project, open the tool, and build. Use the community forums and shared files when you hit roadblocks. The Power of Community “I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve hit a dead end in Storyline and found the solution on the forums,” David says. “That support has saved me countless hours and kept projects moving. The community around Articulate is unlike anything else.” Over time, helping others became just as rewarding. “Being part of E-Learning Heroes isn’t just about getting help,” he adds. “It’s about giving back. I try to pay it forward when I can, and that sense of community has been such a valuable part of my journey.” 💡Tip: When you find an answer in ELH, take a minute to thank the poster—or add your own version of the solution. Small interactions build visibility and confidence. Lessons from the Journey “Figure out where your limitations are, and then build a trusted network of professionals who can help you overcome them,” David says. “Continuous learning is important, but you don’t have to master everything yourself.” He also believes in stepping outside your comfort zone: “Sometimes doing that sooner opens doors you didn’t even realize were there.” “I try to focus on projects where I can see real value and impact—and to work with people I genuinely like and respect. That combination has made the journey far more meaningful.” 💡Tip: Find one collaborator who complements your skills—a developer, writer, or media pro—and trade knowledge. Collaboration accelerates growth and keeps learning fun. Looking Ahead These days, David is focused on advancing localization in his projects and exploring how AI fits into e-learning. “We’re evaluating Storyline’s new localization features ahead of a major project,” David says. “I’m excited to see how these tools evolve and how we can integrate them to deliver even better multilingual learning experiences.” He’s also reading Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick. “It’s not written specifically for L&D, but it’s helped me think more critically about how AI can be used thoughtfully and effectively.” 💡Tip: Keep one “outside-the-industry” book on your reading list. Fresh perspectives often spark the most creative ideas. 💬 Your Turn David’s story is a reminder that creativity, curiosity, and community can take your career in directions you never planned, but might love most. What’s one skill—or moment—that’s shaped your own learning design journey? Share it in the comments below!🌍 Around the World with Articuland
The journey continues! ✨ Articuland 2026 is crossing borders and connecting learning professionals around the globe. Last week, our community put on their detective hats to uncover where Articuland was headed next, and you cracked the case! 🕵️♀️🎉 ✨The winners of the 20% discount are: katherinezf AmyDorries-0d78 Isabella_M AlistairBruce KevinThorn GingerBakerSanh JoanneChen taylabm and easye5116 🏆Our Grand Prize winner is ChristineWal590 Special shout-out to GingerBakerSanh for correctly identifying all three stops! Each winner will be getting an email with more information shortly. So without further suspense… 🌏 Articuland 2026 is headed to: London • Barcelona • Toronto 📍 Event Details 🇬🇧 London, UK 🗓️ Wednesday, October 14 & Thursday, October 15 📍 Novotel London West 🇪🇸 Barcelona, Spain 🗓️ Friday, October 16 📍 PRBB – Parc Recerca Biomèdica Barcelona 🇨🇦 Toronto, Canada 🗓️ Tuesday, October 27 📍 Hotel X 🎟️ Registration is officially open! VIP pricing is available for a limited time. This is the lowest price you’ll get for Articuland 2026 and is only available through May 31, 2026. Articuland is all about practical learning, meaningful connections, and ideas you can actually use. Past events have featured powerful insights from the Articulate team and community voices alike. While we’re still shaping the 2026 agenda, you can expect the same energy, creativity, and impact. ➡️ Register now to secure your spot 💬 Let’s keep the conversation going: What would you love to see at Articuland 2026 – sessions, speakers, formats, or experiences? Drop your ideas below 👇8 Business Use Cases for Microlearning
Are you excited to try out microlearning, but unsure when to use it? Below, we outline eight common workplace situations that benefit from a short-form course. Each situation includes a sample microlearning. At the end, learn how you can customize these templates for your own company and training needs. 1. Create Organizational Alignment To hit a business target, everyone needs to be moving in the same direction. Creating that alignment starts with clear, frequent communication of the shared mission, vision, and values. Microlearning can help. The following editable template shows how you can align employees through regular executive “micro” updates: Executive Update 2. Highlight HR Information, Notices, or Reminders Educating employees about annual events like open enrollment, tax season, and compliance training is a critical function of HR teams. The problem? Important announcements often get missed when they’re embedded in long paragraphs or endless emails. Grab the following templates to see how microlearning makes HR communications more digestible and engaging: A Quick Guide To Open Enrollment Internal Company Newsletter 3. Strengthen Company Culture and DEI Initiatives Fostering an inclusive company culture is a continuous process—not a one-time effort. A series of microlearnings can support your larger culture-building and DEI efforts. Check out the following examples for ideas on how to get started: Are You an Ally? Try Taking on These 5 Roles How To Identify and Stop Using Ableist Language Gossip-Proof Your Workplace 4. Streamline Business Processes You can also use microlearning to document and streamline business processes or workflows—such as employee onboarding or performance management. Notice how the following examples make it easy for employees to work through the steps of a process independently: New Hire Pre-Hire Checklist Performance Review and Feedback 5. Increase Security Awareness Most successful data breaches, phishing attacks, and other cybersecurity incidents are caused by human error. Adding refresher microlearnings throughout the year can fortify your defenses. See an example for safeguarding against phishing attacks below: Spot the Phish 6. Enhance Employee Wellness A successful business needs thriving employees. But employee wellness training often ends up buried under competing priorities. Microlearning makes it easy for employees to fit in short breaks for self-care throughout the workday. Check out these two wellness-related microlearning examples: 3 Desk Stretches to Instantly Improve Your Day 5 Tips for Better Naps 7. Provide Quick-Reference Guides Microlearning is the perfect resource for one-off training questions: Employees can quickly find the answers they need—when they need them. Below, we’ve created templates for product and software training. But you could easily create quick-reference guides for sales, customer service, and other teams. Get To Know [Name of Product] Software Training 8. Reinforce and Assess Key Takeaways Finally, who says you have to choose between a more sizable course and microlearning? Repetition aids retention. Consider following up longer training sessions with a microlearning quiz, scenario, or summary. The examples listed below demonstrate how you might do this: Can You Recover From a Workplace Mistake? Training Refresher Wrap-Up There’s no shortage of creative ways you can use microlearning to achieve your business training objectives. The examples above are just a starter list. You might also check out submissions to one of our weekly community challenges, 40+ Microlearning Examples Created in Rise 360 #407. Interested in customizing one of these examples for your team? If you’re an Articulate 360 subscriber or trialer, you can edit all of the examples linked throughout this post by choosing the course from our Rise 360 microlearning content templates. Here’s a short video showing how to do that: What’s the latest microlearning course you’ve created? Tell us about it in the comments—and feel free to ask any questions you might have! Like this article? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest e-learning inspiration and insights directly in your inbox. You can also find us on LinkedIn and Twitter.What’s the Difference Between Training, Education, and Learning?
Ever sat across from a client or Subject Matter Expert (SME) as they asked you to help create “training,” “education,” and “learning”—all in the same breath? While these terms might sound academic and share some DNA, they’re not interchangeable. They all have slightly different meanings. Failing to clarify and build a shared understanding of these terms with your clients can contribute to misunderstandings and rework later. So let’s unpack the meaning of each of these terms—training, education, and learning—and place them into a workplace context. Understanding them will help ensure that you and your clients are on the same page right from the start! What is training? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary gives many different definitions for the word “training,” but the most applicable is “to undergo instruction, discipline, or drilling.” And when you look up the synonyms for training, it shows “drill,” “exercise,” and “practice.” Hmm. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting a pretty clear mental picture of a runner being trained by a coach. Training a runner is the act or process of instructing them to improve their performance. It’s a form of education that’s focused on a defined goal or task—in this case, making it through a marathon and shaving a few minutes off the time. Taking an example from a workplace setting: let’s say your sales team needs to learn to use new software to process returns. This is a task-specific goal that can be easily addressed with training. What is education? If training is a form of education, what’s the difference between being trained and being educated? Turning to my trusty ol’ dictionary once again, we see that “education” is defined by Merriam-Webster as “knowledge and development resulting from the process of being educated.” Development implies a change that happens over time as you absorb knowledge. That means that, unlike training, education isn’t a task-oriented one-off experience. Another key difference between training and education is that education is more conceptual in nature. The skills and knowledge we acquire through education are often more theoretical and less practical. Again, using our new software example, most of us would agree that it’s probably not the best use of company time and resources to send learners who only need to know how to process returned merchandise on a new system to a multi-week, intensive sales education program. So, if the goal is discrete and skills-based, like learning new software to perform a task, training is a more appropriate solution than education. What is learning? If training is the act or process of formally instructing someone on how to perform a task or perform it more efficiently, and education is the long-term process of developing knowledge, what is learning? Learning is the desired outcome of training—and the path to being educated. And the best part of learning is that it happens naturally through life experience. Of course, the likelihood of learning something new can be increased by our environment, upbringing, work, and mindset, among many other factors. In a workplace setting, learning occurs when people internalize information or skills, retain it, apply it, and then make additional connections to something else they’ve learned. It’s that connection of knowledge to ideas and experiences all woven together that forms the fabric of learning. Not only do we learn all the time, people learn in different ways—through formal training or, more often, informally, through their own experiences, or through the shared experiences of others. Regardless of how people learn, the process of learning equips them to take on more complex challenges. For instance, if we use our new software training example once again, a team member who’s been successfully trained to use the new software to process returns is a training win. But even better is the employee who’s learned how to marry their knowledge of the new software with their understanding of the latest changes to your company’s 30-day return policy and uses their customer service skills to do what’s right. That kind of layered, dynamic thinking and problem-solving is where training, education, and learning all intersect. Wrap-up If it feels like the devil is in the details, you’re not wrong! These terms are similar and related but with slightly different meanings that might escape all but the nerdiest of instructional design pros. Understanding these nuances can be helpful for navigating tricky client conversations with ease and confidence. What other common threads do you see with these terms? Would you define them differently? Let me know with a comment below, or strike up a new conversation in the Building Better Courses forum and hear from all our resident e-learning pros! Like what you read here? Be sure to follow us on Twitter and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning.
