2026

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In Defence of Conferences - by Tom McDowall
In Defence of Conferences - by Tom McDowall
Tom McDowall reflects on how conferences serve different purposes depending on where you are in your career and what your professional goals are. Consider his questions when making choices about what's worth your time and money to attend. The biggest and most popular conference might not be right for you, depending on your goals.
Ahead of booking or agreeing to go to anything, ask yourself two questions: What elements of my practice do I want to focus on? What do I want to deliberately improve over the coming twelve months? Once you know the answer to that, then and only then should you start thinking about: Which events in the calendar could support me on that journey?
#profdev#instructionaldesign#learningcommunity
·idtips.substack.com·
In Defence of Conferences - by Tom McDowall
How to Design Better Branching Scenarios: Start With the Decision
How to Design Better Branching Scenarios: Start With the Decision
This article by Garima Gupta has a lot of overlap with my own process for writing branching scenarios (e.g., asking questions to narrow down the specific behavior, identifying decision points first). I like her explanation of the "mental model" behind the choices to get more believable options.
A stronger approach is to make each choice represent a different way someone might genuinely interpret the situation. One manager might think, “I need to establish authority before this gets out of control.” Another might think, “They are upset, so I should probably leave the performance issue for another day.” Someone else might decide they need more information before responding. These are not random distractors. They represent different mental models.
The question I would use is: what is the least complex structure that still allows the learner to practise the thing that matters? Branching complexity should follow the learning need rather than become a goal in itself.
#branchingscenarios#instructionaldesign
·arthalearning.com·
How to Design Better Branching Scenarios: Start With the Decision
Why Silence Scares Your Clients (And How to Fix It)
Why Silence Scares Your Clients (And How to Fix It)
Clients get anxious when they don't hear from you, even if you're working hard and making great progress. Proactive status updates reduce client stress and make you easier to work with. This is a great approach for L&D freelancers and consultants, and very similar to the structure I use for my own weekly updates to clients. I learned this lesson myself early in my freelancing career.
Clients don’t judge your expertise purely by the quality of your final deliverable. They judge it by how safe they feel while waiting for it.
#freelance#consulting
·freelancingfemales.substack.com·
Why Silence Scares Your Clients (And How to Fix It)
Name Generator Tools
Name Generator Tools
Wordineer has name generators organized by continent and country, primarily European and Asian names. You can generate first and last names and pick options like the type of surname and the meaning.
#free#tools#scenario#writing
·wordineer.com·
Name Generator Tools
SCQA: What is it, how does it work, and how can it help me? - Analytic Storytelling
SCQA: What is it, how does it work, and how can it help me? - Analytic Storytelling
I'd run across this model before in business communication, but Jean Marrapodi brought it to my attention again recently. This is really a story framework for presentations or reports where you want to communicate information. It could work as an overarching pattern in an explainer video or training too. It's less suited to interactive stories or branching scenarios, but you could adapt it to work there too.
#storytelling#writing
·analytic-storytelling.com·
SCQA: What is it, how does it work, and how can it help me? - Analytic Storytelling
elearn Magazine: Writing (And Reading) Conference Session Descriptions
elearn Magazine: Writing (And Reading) Conference Session Descriptions
Clark Quinn reminded me of this article from 15 years ago about writing proposals to speak at conferences. Even though the article is older, the advice is evergreen, and it overlaps with some of the same key points I shared in my recent podcast interview on conference speaking. He also talks about titles and other aspects I didn't address.
What makes a compelling audience experience? What will make them leave in a state of gratitude for the time spent with you?
You need to be answering three questions: Why should I care, how will this accomplish my goal, and why this speaker? In business, what's the pain point I'm feeling, how will this session address it.
#instructionaldesign#career
·elearnmag.acm.org·
elearn Magazine: Writing (And Reading) Conference Session Descriptions
Seedance 2.5 animation prompts: the ultimate guide to 10 styles | Magnific Blog
Seedance 2.5 animation prompts: the ultimate guide to 10 styles | Magnific Blog
While I feel fairly confident describing images in prompts, I know I have a ton more to learn about prompting for video, including for animation. This article gives examples of prompts in different animation styles. It's helpful to see both the repeated patterns in the prompt structure (starting with the medium, listing numbered shots, describing emotions) and the specific keywords to convey different styles.
#AI#prompt#animation
·magnific.com·
Seedance 2.5 animation prompts: the ultimate guide to 10 styles | Magnific Blog
The Ultimate Guide to Camera Angles & Shots (with AI Prompt Examples for Storytelling)
The Ultimate Guide to Camera Angles & Shots (with AI Prompt Examples for Storytelling)
A guide to different types of shots plus camera angles. This includes examples so you can see the difference (although they're not amazing AI-generated images, they still serve the purpose). The sample prompts give you examples of how to describe and ask for different results. There's also some tips on combining shot types and camera angles (like close up and low angle) for different effects.
#AI#imagegeneration
·animationguides.com·
The Ultimate Guide to Camera Angles & Shots (with AI Prompt Examples for Storytelling)
When AI Gets Better, Do We Get Worse? – Usable Learning
When AI Gets Better, Do We Get Worse? – Usable Learning
AI is getting better at lots of tasks. But even though we know we should rigorously verify AI outputs, we're less likely to do so when AI is generally better. If the AI does well 4 times in a row, you're not going to check the 5th time very closely. Julie Dirksen explains the psychology and gives examples.
#AI#psychology
·usablelearning.com·
When AI Gets Better, Do We Get Worse? – Usable Learning
Why Good Evidence Sometimes Fails to Change Our Minds
Why Good Evidence Sometimes Fails to Change Our Minds
This article is about teachers changing beliefs about instructional methods, but the points about psychology and learning apply broadly. Changing people's minds isn't just about providing good information, especially when those beliefs are tied to key values and identity.
We do not evaluate new evidence in isolation. We interpret it through the understandings we already possess, sometimes reshaping new ideas so that they fit our existing thinking.
If the new information fits comfortably with our existing understanding, learning can be relatively straightforward. But when it conflicts with the way we make sense of the world, we rarely abandon our existing understanding immediately. Instead, we usually reinterpret the new information in ways that preserve as much of our existing understanding as possible.
#changemanagement#psychology#research#learningscience#learning#education
·scienceoflearning.substack.com·
Why Good Evidence Sometimes Fails to Change Our Minds
All in Frame
All in Frame
Free stock photos showing authentic images of people with disabilities. This library includes suggested alt text for each image. (Thanks to Kayleen Holt for sharing this.)
#images#diversity#disability
·allinframestock.com·
All in Frame
Enhancing workplace eLearning with branching scenarios: An action case study
Enhancing workplace eLearning with branching scenarios: An action case study

A case study on branching scenarios for workplace learning, looking at motivation, engagement, and knowledge retention. The researchers asked how engaging with branching scenarios influenced motivation, what design features supported engagement and minimized cognitive load, and learner perceptions of decision-making support. This is a small study (n=10), with participants from a range of backgrounds and roles.

"Branching scenarios offer design features that can help reduce extraneous cognitive load through segmented content and scaffolded decision-making. Rather than overwhelming learners with dense information, these structured interactions promote focused engagement and facilitate problem-solving."

"The findings indicate that two key design features support sustained learner engagement and minimise cognitive overload. First, relevance was critical: scenarios that closely aligned with real workplace contexts enhanced motivation and perceived usefulness, whereas generic or abstract content reduced engagement (Theme 2). Second, cognitive load was shaped by how content was structured. Overly complex tasks overwhelmed learners, but well-sequenced, chunked scenarios helped them stay engaged and retain information effectively"

"Learners perceived branching scenarios as valuable tools for developing workplace decision-making and applying skills in realistic contexts"

"Participants consistently identified the branching scenarios as a distinctive and valuable feature of the training. This interactive format enabled them to explore different choices, including deliberately selecting “incorrect” options to better understand consequences and reinforce learning. This aligns with the concept of “safe failure” (Sennett & Vasquez, 2021), which allows learners to make mistakes in a controlled environment without real-world repercussions."

"Interviews revealed that participants felt less overwhelmed by branching scenarios compared to previous, text-heavy training modules. Instead of being overloaded with information, scenarios progressed step by step, providing only the necessary details at each decision point."

#scenario#research
·chesterrep.openrepository.com·
Enhancing workplace eLearning with branching scenarios: An action case study
My Turn with Claude — Design, Code, and Everything In Between – Visual-e-Learning
My Turn with Claude — Design, Code, and Everything In Between – Visual-e-Learning
Jerson Campos published a great "show your work" post about his experiences rebuilding some old training using Claude, specifically comparing having Claude Design do the work for him versus using Claude AI and Claude Code with more explicit direction. Jerson was happier with the results when he did more steering of the AI. The first Claude Design version looked polished but lacked interaction and depth.
This, I think, is where it’s going to separate instructional designers who let AI build their projects for them from those with a wider breadth of knowledge who can actually direct AI to build effective training.
Test your prototype early. Once you have a sound design for a few slides, have the AI build it out so you can test it. Nothing is more frustrating than finishing an entire storyboard, only to find the course player isn’t what you imagined — and then having the AI go back and edit every slide or module. It’s a great way to introduce new bugs. Be specific about what you want and what you can provide — videos, audio, narration, animations (if the AI won’t generate them for you). Then ask for an asset list at the end covering the deliverables you’ll be responsible for.
Now that the bar has been raised for the average instructional designer, it’s more important than ever to not be average.
#AI#instructionaldesign#elearning
·visual-e-learning.com·
My Turn with Claude — Design, Code, and Everything In Between – Visual-e-Learning
Digital Learning Nook | Digital Learning Nook
Digital Learning Nook | Digital Learning Nook
Pooja Jaisingh created a quick warm-up practice activity for L&D called "Learndle." Given a brief description of situation, type the model, tool, or approach to solve the problem. Each time you get it wrong, you get a new hint.
#instructionaldesign#AI
·dlnook.com·
Digital Learning Nook | Digital Learning Nook
Recover Your Unpaid Invoices
Recover Your Unpaid Invoices
I've had several conversations with other freelancers and consultants recently about clients not paying their invoices. It's usually not enough money to justify hiring an attorney or sending them to collections, but it's also painful when you work for yourself. This is an AI-supported tool to generate and send a certified letter and follow up until you get paid. Will it work? I don't know. For $50, I'd probably try it myself if I had an unpaid bill. I might even pay the extra for an attorney to send the letter on their letterhead.
·recoverunpaidinvoices.com·
Recover Your Unpaid Invoices
A New Era of Midjourney
A New Era of Midjourney
This is all very early and not in production yet, but Midjourney is working on using their expertise working with image data into developing a body scan machine to provide medical imaging. I think skepticism is smart until it's actually in use and we see results, but I like the idea of using AI to generate images that help doctors and patients make more informed decisions.
#AI#midjourney#technology#research
·midjourney.com·
A New Era of Midjourney
The Vibe Coding Crisis: Why AI is Manufacturing Accessibility Debt
The Vibe Coding Crisis: Why AI is Manufacturing Accessibility Debt
Jacob Wood shares examples of technical debt for accessibility caused by using the messy code that vibe coding generates. Yes, we can build activities and websites quickly, but how are we going to make it accessible? If we ignore accessibility and don't plan for it from the start, we're going to accumulate a lot of cleanup work later.
#AI#accessibility
·allforgrowth.substack.com·
The Vibe Coding Crisis: Why AI is Manufacturing Accessibility Debt
Why AI Needs Vygotsky: The Case for AI-Based Intentional Friction - Learning Guild
Why AI Needs Vygotsky: The Case for AI-Based Intentional Friction - Learning Guild
LLMs can give nearly instant answers with almost no effort--but effort is what helps us learn and grow. This article connects classic learning science of Vygotsky and the ZPD to how AI can cause harm through cognitive outsources and provides principles for designing for intentional friction.
The absence of “desirable difficulty” or friction in AI interactions is among the most serious concerns for learning and instructional design experts today. This concern is not due to tool speed, but rather because the lack of friction bypasses or eliminates essential stages of the learning process that strengthen human cognitive and neurological foundations. When machines respond effortlessly, the natural learning pathway described in Vygotsky’s ZPD and scaffolding is disrupted. While this may seem “efficient” in the short term, over time it can undermine higher-order cognitive skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity.
#AI#learning#learningscience
·learningguild.com·
Why AI Needs Vygotsky: The Case for AI-Based Intentional Friction - Learning Guild
Image AI prompts
Image AI prompts
A large collection of images generated in Nano Banana, ChatGPT, and Seedream plus their prompts. Seeing how others have prompted for images is helpful in figuring out what works and what doesn't.
#AI#imagegeneration#prompt
·youmind.com·
Image AI prompts