Josh Cavalier

How I avoid costly rebuilds in elearning projects. After a $7K misstep nearly blew the deadline. I once spent 60+ hours building a course… …only to tear it apart 2 days before launch. Not because of bad design. But because I *assumed* I knew what the client wanted. I didn’t. And I’ve learned this the hard way (more than once): Assumptions are the #1 silent killer of great eLearning. You know the drill: -> Stakeholders say “interactive” but don’t define it. -> SMEs send you a wall of text and say “just make it engaging.” ->You “think” you know what they meant in the kickoff… but never confirm. So you move forward, hoping it’s clear. Until it’s not. And you’re left redoing half the course with tight timelines and frayed nerves. Here’s what finally clicked for me: -> Creativity *needs* clarity. -> Clarity comes from questions. -> And assumptions destroy both. These days, I ask 10x more questions than I used to. Even if they seem obvious. Because “just making it work” isn’t enough anymore. I’d rather risk over-communicating than overhauling. If you’re tired of project U-turns, last-minute feedback, and that sinking “why didn’t I check?” moment… Don’t assume. Ask.

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AI isn’t replacing instructional designers—it’s expanding what we’re capable of. Over the past few months, I’ve been hosting workshops to help real IDs to bring their AI projects to life. And these aren’t surface-level demos.... We dive into real use cases, engineer effective prompts, and sometimes even write JavaScript to power the experience. I just published a new video that showcases four of the most impressive AI-powered projects to come out of these workshops. In it, you'll see: 1. A Storyline roleplay that simulates group facilitation with six unique AI-powered personas 2. A custom-coded web object that teaches people to read bearing rate graphs (built without writing code) 3. A GPT designed to help teachers reframe their experience for ID interviews 4. A de-escalation scenario with an AI character and a coaching assistant that gives personalized feedback After each demo, the creator joins me to break down their process, lessons learned, and advice for others who want to start building with AI—even if they’re not developers. If you're curious about what AI makes possible in learning design, this video will give you a glimpse into the future—and the people already building it. You can check out the video with the link in the comments. And let me know which project stands out to you. 😄 #LinkedInWithDevlin #InstructionalDesign #Learning #LearningAndDevelopment #eLearning

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Articulate RISE eLearning Course Glossary Popups 🔴 𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁 05-10-2025: Glossary Editor App link: https://lnkd.in/dW7gnKmU 𝗠𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 ⚡ for the eLearning development and instructional design community! You’ve probably seen those handy 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗽𝘀 on 𝗪𝗶𝗸𝗶𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮. I’ve built the same interactive experience for eLearning courses. 🔗 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸: https://lnkd.in/d9hQqDsT 👉 This is not limited to Articulate Rise elearning course, it’s a versatile tool. You can build one central glossary, export it as a JSON file, and connect it to any eLearning authoring tool package. With a single link, your glossary content becomes interactive inside any Rise course (and other tools as well). 𝗧𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗲𝗿, I also developed a Glossary Editor (a companion utility). It allows eLearning developers and instructional designers to build and manage glossaries, add definitions, images, reference links, and quickly import/export JSON for integration. ✨ 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀: ✅ 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: ● ARIA labels ● keyboard navigation ● Focus management ● Screen reader support ● High contrast mode ● Reduced motion support ✅ 𝗠𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆:  ● Touch detection ● Responsive centered popups ● Large tap targets ● Viewport awareness. I hope this contribution helps the eLearning development and instructional design community by making it easier than ever to add interactive, accessible, and responsive glossaries to eLearning packages. #instructionaldesign #elearningdevelopment #elearning #instructionaldesigner #elearningdeveloper #articulaterise #articulate #rise360 #elearningcommunity #risepopup #riseglossary #nrzmalik

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Want to make great training, don’t have the time? ⏱️ Here’s what you might not realize: 👇 Most instructional designers are pouring time into tasks that don’t help. In fact, some of those tasks are outright engagement killers. In my latest video, I share 5 time-wasting habits that you should stop doing today. This video will help you: 🧠 Cut the fluff 🎯 Focus on what matters ⏳Reclaim your time 👉 Watch the video here and get your hours (and your creativity) back: https://lnkd.in/enjZg3iX

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IDs who use AI have a competitive edge over those who don’t. Here are 10 AI tools / features to help Instructional Designers ⤵ Save this list for later! -- AI for Content Creation → Storyline AI Assistant: Prompt for Sound Effects, Image Generation, & more! Most recently, I explored the AI Audio for sound effects like “phone ringing” and “yell.” → ChatGPT: Brainstorming, Software Troubleshooting, Writing Code, Image Generation, Storyboard Generation & more! → Skybox AI: Generate stunning, realistic 360° images in MINUTES! Immersive learning viewable from all angles. → Canva AI: Magic Edit, Background Removal, Magic Grab, Image & Video Creator. → ElevenLabs: Realistic AI voiceovers including voice cloning! -- AI for collaboration → Otter AI: Auto-generates extremely clean meeting summaries & transcripts from your video call meetings that can be shared with SMEs, team members or other stakeholders. → Video Call with AI Auto-Captioning: Live captions can be turned on during a call to access NLP-driven speech-to-text! -- AI for course design & Storyboarding → Boords: AI Storyboarding, script writing and planning e-learning content. (On my must-try list). → ClueLabs: Storyboarding, analyze course data & more! (On my must-try list). [Shoutout to Sereyutdam for introducing me to several of these and always keeping me up to date with the best AI tools for ID!] → The e360 Storyboard Assistant: Help choosing a topic suitable for 360° environment, creating an outline & a Storyboard—Instantly! Get access to the free bot in the pinned comment! (📌) -- Hoping to future-proof a career in e-learning? Follow for easy & actionable tips on AI & immersive learning! 💬 & Let me know in the comments what your thoughts are on AI in L&D & if there are any other AI tools you swear by.👇

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“𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗼𝗿𝘆, 𝗲𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.” In this clip, Tim Slade reflects on the overlap between accidental instructional designers and those who view eLearning as just content output. The result? Designs that don’t always serve the learner. Great reminder that tools alone don’t make great learning; thoughtful design does. 🎧 Watch the full episode via the link is in the comments. #InstructionalDesign #eLearning #LearningTheory #AdultLearning #LearningAndDevelopment

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The job of a subject matter expert is to understand complex things. The job of an instructional designer is to explain complex things. These are different skill sets. Can subject matter experts possess both? Absolutely! Should they be using them? Absolutely – if they have the time for it. But just as we wouldn’t expect the engineer who built a Formula 1 car to race it, we shouldn’t expect subject matter experts to do the work of instructional designers. Do you agree?

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