Roping the Beast: Harnessing AI in eLearning Design

As I’ve had free time during my job search, I’ve been exploring how I can bring new tools like User Experience Design (UX/UI) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) into my instructional design practice. UX/UI has very obvious applications to eLearning course design and flow, AI has been taking up more of my interest as there are so many aspects and ethics to figure out.

AI continues to evolve at a breakneck pace, much like the landscape of eLearning and microlearning are also transforming. As social media like TikTok, Instagram, X, and Threads are changing how people digest content, instructional design needs to learn from these tools and evolve as popular content evolves. AI has the potential to revolutionize how we create, deliver, and experience online learning in a way that keeps pace as popular content evolves.

Click on each item to expand the list to see why I'm excited for integrating AI into instructional design:

Data Driven Insights

AI can analyze large amounts of data to provide insights into learners' behaviors, preferences, and performance. These insights can help instructional designers continuously improve their courses, making data-driven decisions to enhance learning outcomes. AI can analyze learners' data to provide personalized learning paths. AI can also analyze popular content trends and how users are interacting with content including how long they’re viewing content, average length of content consumed, design trends.

Smart Content Creation

With AI tools, can rapidly synthesize analysis data and recommendations on learning deliverables. Instructional designers can use AI tools to automate the creation of interactive and adaptive learning content. These tools can help in generating quizzes, simulations, and even entire course modules based on the learning objectives and user data.

Gamification & Engagement

AI can be used to create more immersive and engaging learning experiences through gamification. By analyzing user data, AI can design personalized game-like elements that keep learners motivated and invested in their learning journey, and adapt as learners gain proficiency to provide greater challenge.

Personalized Learning Experiences

By understanding each learner's strengths, weaknesses, and preferences, AI can tailor content to meet their individual needs, enhancing engagement and retention. AI can look at how a learner interacts with an eLearning and identify how the larger learning population is interacting with a course, pulling out insights on which information is sticking with learners and what may need additional reinforcement.

Enhanced Learner Support

AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can provide instant support to learners, answering questions, providing resources, and even offering motivational encouragement. This ensures that learners receive the help they need precisely when they need it. Hopefully, AI can soon be deployed to create adaptive training interactions that can provide data-based, close to life practice for learners with responses that mimic the challenges learners face.

The integration of AI in eLearning design is not just a trend but a significant leap towards creating more effective, engaging, and personalized learning experiences. As instructional designers, embracing AI can help us stay ahead of the curve, providing learners with the tools they need to succeed in an ever-changing world.