Back to Top
Blog

Embracing AI Tools

git
Head shot of Christina Calderwood
By Christina Calderwood

A Guide for Instructional Designers

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a hot topic for the past couple of years, and now it’s finally here — ready for you to harness its power.

Over the past few months, I’ve been on an AI proof-of-concept project for an automotive client, and we’ve found that AI tools can help improve the efficiency and quality of our existing training processes. As instructional designers, we spend years crafting effective learning experiences, and you likely have a treasure trove of knowledge and skills in adult learning. Now it’s time to enhance your toolkit with AI-powered tools like Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT.

Think of AI as your “Artificial Intern,” ready to assist, not replace, your expertise. Just like you’d guide and refine the work of an intern, AI tools require your input and oversight to produce the best results. Use your critical thinking skills and instructional design experience to ensure the best learning outcomes.

Let’s dive into three simple ways that you can leverage AI: generating objectives, matching instructional strategies to objectives, and creating voiceover scripts.

Generating Objectives

Creating clear and actionable learning objectives is a critical step in instructional design. AI tools can assist you in this process by offering suggestions and refining your ideas. Here’s how you can use AI to generate objectives:

  1. Define Your Goal: Begin by providing the AI tool with the context of your training program. For example, you might type, “This training program is designed to improve customer service skills for retail employees at a national luxury women’s clothing store.”
  2. Specify Details: Include specific information about the desired outcomes, the length of the training, and the format. For instance, “Participants will be able to handle customer complaints effectively and provide solutions that enhance customer satisfaction. The training will be a 2-hour interactive workshop.”
  3. Generate Objectives: Use a prompt like, “Create 3-5 learning objectives for a 2-hour interactive workshop on customer service skills that focuses on handling complaints and providing solutions.” The AI will then generate a list of objectives based on the provided context.

This customer service training program aims to improve the skills of retail employees in handling complaints and providing solutions. The training will be a 2-hour interactive workshop. Generate 3-5 learning objectives that align with Bloom’s Taxonomy, focusing on knowledge, comprehension, and application levels.

Tips for Effective Prompts:

  • Be clear and specific about the context, desired outcomes, length, and format of the training.
  • Reference established frameworks like Bloom’s Taxonomy to guide the AI.
  • Iterate and refine the generated objectives to ensure they meet your standards.

Matching Instructional Strategies to Objectives

Once you have your learning objectives, the next step is to match them with appropriate instructional strategies. AI tools can help you identify the best techniques to achieve your objectives. Here’s how:

  1. Provide Objectives: Enter the learning objectives into the AI tool. An example of one objective, “Participants will be able to analyze customer complaints effectively.”
  2. Ask for Strategies: Use a prompt like, “Suggest instructional strategies that would be effective for achieving these objectives in a 2-hour interactive workshop on customer service skills.”
  3. Review and Refine: Evaluate the suggested strategies and refine them as needed. Ensure they’re appropriate for the format and length of your training program.

Complete Prompt Example

Here are the learning objectives for a 2-hour interactive workshop on customer service skills: 1. Analyze customer complaints effectively. 2. Create solutions that enhance customer satisfaction. Suggest instructional strategies that align with Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction.

Tips for Effective Prompts:

  • Provide detailed objectives to give the AI enough context.
  • Specify the format and length of the training program.
  • Iterate and validate the suggested strategies to ensure they align with your objectives.
  • If you have a list of acceptable instructional strategies, you can input these into your AI tool.

Generating Voiceover Scripts

Creating engaging voiceover scripts can enhance the effectiveness of your training materials. AI tools can help you generate scripts quickly and efficiently if you:

  1. Define the Context: Provide the AI tool with the context of the voiceover. For example, “This voiceover script is for a training video on customer service skills.”
  2. Specify Details: Include specific information about the content and tone. For instance, “The script should be friendly and informative, explaining how to handle customer complaints.”
  3. Generate the Script: Use a prompt like, “Create a voiceover script for a training video on customer service skills that explains how to handle customer complaints.”

Complete Prompt Example

Create a voiceover script for a training video on customer service skills. The script should be friendly and informative, explaining how to handle customer complaints effectively. Incorporate examples and scenarios to illustrate key points.

Tips for Effective Prompts:

  • Be clear about the context and desired tone.
  • Provide specific details about the content to guide the AI.
  • Iterate and refine the generated script to ensure it meets your standards.

Final Thoughts

As instructional designers, our ultimate goal is to create meaningful, engaging, and effective learning experiences. AI isn’t here to take that away — it’s here to help us do it better. By integrating tools like Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT into your workflow, you can save time on routine tasks and focus more on strategy, creativity, and learner impact.

Remember: you’re the expert. AI is just one more tool in your toolbox — like a smart, speedy intern that works best under your guidance. Whether you’re generating objectives, aligning instructional strategies, or drafting compelling voiceover scripts, the key is to use your professional judgment and instructional design expertise to shape the final solution.

Start small. Experiment. Reflect. And most importantly, keep the learner at the center of everything you do.

Start exploring the possibilities today! If you want to learn more about using AI, I’m conducting an ILG webinar on this topic on Wednesday, July 23, at 2 p.m. (ET). Registration is still open!

______________________________

Additional Resources

Podcast: LT2 Episode 15: Revolutionizing Training Using AI?

Podcast: LT2 Episode 16: Unpacking New AI Features in Articulate Storyline and Rise

Blog: Can AI Develop Your E-Learning ? It Sure Can Help.

Blog: Learning Objectives: Who Cares?