DIRTYWORD the E-Learning Magazine Issue 9

DIRTYWORD

We’re back! As I write this, we’ve just had one of the hottest weekends of the year, which might explain the lack of clothes on Whisper on the cover of this issue! But before you write off the Dirtyword team as being a bunch of dirty old men, there is a reason for her uncharacteristic new dress sense - turn to page 26 to read the Naked Truth about EdTech.

And while we’re talking about provocative imagery, you might want to check out Hannah Greenwood’s “Made you Look” on page 17.

This month, we’re joined once again by fan-favourite Dr. Asegul “Ace” Hulus, as she reviews Blooket using Peter Morville’s UX Honeycomb framework.

Lewis Carr channels 19th century psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus to reveal the science behind the Forgetting Curve and how it applies to e-learning.

We have not one but two Articulate Storyline geniuses showing what can be done in the popular authoring software; Sam Wright presents a Harry Potter-inspired money course, while Kristóf Szever redefines what a course can be with his Tribute to Earth Day experience.

I then throw a spanner in the works by asking whether all these nice authoring tools are just an e-learning version of the Emperor’s New Clothes, when all clients really want are boring Rise courses.

Joseph Thibault calls out Artificial Intelligence nonsense, as he details his experiences with AI hallucinations and LLM fake news.

5app’s Philip Huthwaite explores a near-future where human coaches are replaced by AI, and RiVR’s Alex Harvey tries to convince us that tomorrow’s learning will be found in a pair of VR goggles.

Inicio’s Aaron Jones details his rookie journey into the industry and explains how networking helped him get up to speed, while Campbell Craig recalls his childhood obsession with Choose Your Own Adventure books and reckons we need to bring them back to make engaging courses.

Sam Harold is back to highlight the differences between emulation and imitation when it comes to taking inspiration from other people’s courses in his article “Roadmap to Nowhere.”

All this, plus Lewis looking into the latest from Moodle, Dr Carl juggling acronyms and Whisper’s “Client ‘Ell” comic strip.

Enjoy the issue and the weather - it’ll be raining again soon and the nights will be closing in...

Cheers!

Dirtyword - The E-Learning Magazine issue 9. Dirtyword is published 6 times a year and is available direct to your inbox by signing up at dirtywordmag.com or via issuu.com/dirtyword For all enquiries, contact info@dirtywordmag.com All content is © copyright Dirtyword - The E-Learning Magazine 2025 and reuse of the content is permitted only with the permission of the publisher. In all cases, reuse must be acknowledged as follows: “Reused with permission from Dirtyword - The E-Learning Magazine.” The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the publisher.

Mark

Lewis

Mark

Lewis Carr Publisher. Founder. Moodle Wizard. Digital Nomad.

Sam Wright Instructional Designer at Bede Gaming.

Aaron Jones Learning & Development Officer at Inicio.

Mark Gash Editor. Writer. Designer. Prompt King.

Kristóf Szever Gamification Strategist & eLearning Developer.

Campbell Craig eLearning Instructional Designer & Developer.

Dr Asegul (Ace) Hulus Professor, Lecturer, Researcher and Author in Computing.

Philip Huthwaite CEO of 5app.

Hannah Greenwood Lecturer and Researcher in Media and Design Technology.

Alex Harvey Co founder & Creative Director

Sam Harold Instructional Designer and Moodle Developer.

We’re

at RiVR.

Joseph Thibault Founder of Cursive Technology, Inc.

CLIENT’ELL

So, what’s the brief?

1 week later...

We’re Looking for a fully immersive, cutting Edge, engaging online course that will really place our learners at the heart of the action.

this demo shows how we would use VR and AR technologies to ensure your audience really get into the training,

we’ll use branching storylines and consequences, then write user scores directly back to your LMS.

Hmmmm. Have you heard of Articulate Rise?

*SIGH*

WHAT'S GOING ON IN EDTECH?

Chegg to Lay Off 22% of Staff as ChatGPT Disrupts

Homework Help Model

Chegg, the popular online textbook and tutoring company, announced major layoffs in May 2025, cutting about 22% of its workforce (approximately 248 employees) amid the growing impact of generative AI tools on its business. Chegg’s leadership cited students’ increasing use of free AI platforms like OpenAI’s ChatGPT as a key reason for a sharp decline in the need for Chegg’s services.

Over the past several months, the company observed a significant drop in user traffic and homework help subscriptions, as learners found that AI chatbots could answer many of their questions instantly and at no cost. Chegg’s CEO warned investors that this trend was likely to “worsen before it improves,” acknowledging the disruptive threat AI poses to the traditional online tutoring and study guide industry.

Anthropic Launches “Claude for Education” AI Chatbot for Universities

Anthropic, a leading AI company, has released a new education-focused AI assistant called “Claude for Education,” tailored specifically for colleges and universities.

Announced on April 3, 2025, Claude for Education offers campus communities a version of Anthropic’s advanced chatbot Claude with features and safeguards designed for academic use. This move comes on the heels of OpenAI’s rollout of “ChatGPT Edu,” as Anthropic positions itself to compete in the higher education segment of the booming AI market.

By providing an AI assistant that can help with both learning and administrative tasks, Anthropic is directly targeting the needs of students, faculty, and university staff. One of the hallmark features of Claude for Education

is a special “Learning Mode” that distinguishes it from a generic chatbot. In Learning Mode, Claude is programmed not just to give answers, but to engage students with questions and prompts that foster critical thinking.

China Issues Guidelines to Regulate AI Use in Schools

China’s Ministry of Education has released new guidelines governing the use of artificial intelligence tools in primary and secondary schools, reflecting a cautious approach to integrating AI in classrooms.

The guidelines, published on May 16, 2025, lay out age-specific rules and ethical standards to ensure that technologies like generative AI are used to enhance, not disrupt or replace, quality education for children. Notably, the policy bans young students from unsupervised use of AI chatbots and similar tools, while allowing more exploratory use by older students under teacher guidance. Under the new rules, primary school students are prohibited from independently using AI tools that generate open-ended content (such as ChatGPT-like bots).

This restriction aims to prevent misuse, for example, a child having an AI do their homework or encountering inappropriate content. In middle school, students will be permitted to engage with AI in a limited way: teachers may introduce AI-generated content as part of lessons on logic and critical thinking, helping students analyse how AI formulates answers or solutions. By high school, students can take a more hands-on approach in “inquirybased learning” projects involving AI, including understanding basic technical principles of AI algorithms.

However, even at the high school level, the emphasis is on learning about AI and its proper use, rather than using AI to do the work for students.

IXL Learning Acquires MyTutor to Expand Online Tutoring in Europe

IXL Learning, a U.S.-based education technology company, has acquired MyTutor – the United Kingdom’s leading online tutoring platform – as demand for digital tutoring soars.

The deal was announced on May 29, 2025, and marks a significant transatlantic expansion for IXL, which is known for its adaptive learning products in math, language arts, and other

subjects. This strategic acquisition comes at a time when UK parents are increasingly turning to online tutoring services, partly in response to recent policy changes. The UK government’s decision to apply a 20% VAT (tax) on private school fees has made private schooling more expensive, prompting many middle-class families to seek extra academic support outside the traditional school system.

As a result, tutoring uptake in the UK has jumped, and MyTutor has reported a 27% yearover-year increase in new parent sign-ups for its online lessons. IXL’s purchase of MyTutor is a bet that this trend will continue and that supplemental online education will play a larger role in mainstream schooling.

IFRS Foundation Launches New E-Learning Series on Sustainability Reporting Standards

The IFRS Foundation has released a series of new online training modules designed to help organisations better understand and apply the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) frameworks. These e-learning resources aim to support professionals in navigating the key requirements for sustainability and climaterelated financial disclosures.

The training covers vital areas such as IFRS S1, which outlines general disclosure obligations for sustainability-related financial information, and IFRS S2, which focuses specifically on climaterelated reporting standards.

Structured as four self-paced modules, the course materials incorporate a mix of text explanations, visual content, and interactive quizzes. This combination is designed to enhance user engagement and reinforce understanding of the principles behind sustainability reporting. The modules are particularly useful for companies looking to align with emerging global expectations around environmental and financial transparency.

By making these learning tools freely accessible, the IFRS Foundation aims to increase awareness and consistency in the application of the ISSB standards across industries and jurisdictions.

New Online Course Empowers Organisations to Create Inclusive, Long-Lasting Activities

A new e-learning course is now available to help individuals and organisations design and deliver

inclusive activities that bring disabled and non-disabled people together through shared physical activity. Offered via the Activity Alliance Learning Hub, this practical and affordable course aims to promote equal access to sport and exercise across communities.

The course, titled Create Inclusive Activities That Last, provides guidance for anyone involved in planning or delivering physical activity sessions - from grassroots volunteers to local government staff and national charity workers. It focuses on building confidence, understanding local needs, and overcoming barriers that prevent participation in physical activity, especially among less active groups.

Structured into four interactive modules, the course draws on real-world experience and best practice insights from Activity Alliance’s successful Get Out Get Active (GOGA) initiative. Key themes include the importance of inclusive design, sustainability, legal frameworks such as the Equality Act, and ways to deliver meaningful, high-quality experiences for all

Designing Your Offer – A deep dive into understanding local demand, identifying and engaging different audiences, and tailoring activities to meet diverse needs.

Preparing to Deliver – Practical guidance on inclusive delivery, internal organisational readiness, budgeting, and promotion strategies.

Sustaining Your Offer – Tools and ideas to help organisations maintain and grow their inclusive activities over time.

Helen Derby, Strategic Lead for Programmes at Activity Alliance, highlighted the course’s realworld focus:

“This is about more than meeting guidelines - it’s about giving people the knowledge and tools to deliver experiences that truly make a difference. Through the GOGA programme and our work with Continuum, we’ve seen how inclusive activities can transform lives. Now, we’re making those insights accessible to everyone who wants to create change.”

The course is aimed at those working or volunteering in community groups, sports clubs, charities, local authorities, governing bodies, and wider organisations involved in delivering physical activity. It offers flexible, self-paced learning that’s rooted in evidence and designed to support long-term impact.

New ACCEND eLearning Toolkit Launched to Empower Supportive Cancer Care Staff

A new digital learning resource has been launched to help individuals in supportive and assistive healthcare roles build greater knowledge and confidence in cancer care. Developed through a collaboration between the ACCEND programme (Aspirant Cancer Career and Education Development) and NHS England’s Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) team, this eLearning toolkit offers practical tools and targeted learning for those supporting patients throughout their cancer journey.

The toolkit is designed for a wide range of roles that interact with cancer patients but may not have formal oncology training, including cancer support workers, healthcare assistants, therapy support staff, and cancer navigators. It is also relevant for members of pharmacy teams, administrative staff, and those in nursing or allied health roles who are considering a future career with a focus on cancer services.

Structured as an accessible, online learning package, the resource includes curated guidance, structured learning modules, and essential information to improve day-to-day understanding of cancer pathways, patient needs, and effective support practices. The goal is to equip staff with the skills, awareness, and confidence to contribute meaningfully to the multidisciplinary cancer care team.

The eLearning resource complements the broader mission of the ACCEND programme, which is focused on strengthening the cancer care workforce across England. ACCEND supports professionals at all career stages, helping them to develop the skills and knowledge required for cancer-related roles. The initiative also aims to secure a stronger pipeline of future cancer specialists while offering current practitioners access to development tools aligned with national competency frameworks.

This new toolkit contributes to that mission by opening up educational pathways for nonregistered professionals and supporting their career growth. It also reinforces the value of support roles in cancer care, recognising their contribution to patient experience, continuity of care, and service delivery across a variety of healthcare settings.

More information on the toolkit, the ACCEND programme, and the national education framework for cancer care roles can be

DR. CARL’S E-LEARNING SURGERY

Got an e-learning problem? Need a quick and dirty solution? You’ve come to the right place.

Acronym

overload

Dear Dr. Carl,

I’m a new recruit in an e-learning development company and the team keep throwing acronyms and initialisms around like I’m supposed to know what they mean. I don’t suppose you could give me a handy crib-sheet so I can fake it ‘til I make it?

Dear Faker, NP, I can do that ASAP. BRB... (LOL):

ADDIE

Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation

A well-established instructional design model that provides a systematic process for creating effective training programs.

AICC

Aviation Industry CBT (Computer-Based Training) Committee

An early standard for e-learning content that specifies how it should be developed, delivered, and evaluated. It has largely been succeeded by SCORM and xAPI.

API Application Programming Interface

A set of rules that allows different software applications to communicate with each other. In e-learning, APIs are crucial for integrating various learning tools and systems.

AR Augmented Reality

An interactive experience of a real-world environment where computer-generated perceptual information is overlaid onto the physical world, enhancing learning by blending digital content with reality.

CBT Computer-Based Training

Training or education that is delivered on a computer, typically offline. This was a precursor to modern web-based e-learning.

CMS Content Management System

A software application used to create, manage, and store digital content. In e-learning, it’s used to organise and deliver course materials.

GBL Game-Based Learning

The use of game elements and mechanics in a non-game context to engage learners and enhance their understanding and retention of information.

GUI

Graphical User Interface

A visual way of interacting with a computer using items such as windows, icons, and menus, making software more user-friendly.

ID Instructional Design

The systematic process of designing, developing, and delivering instructional materials and experiences, both digital and physical.

ILT

Instructor-Led Training

A traditional training method where an instructor leads a class, either in a physical classroom or in a virtual, synchronous environment.

LMS Learning Management System

A software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, and delivery of educational courses, training programs, or learning and development programs.

LRS

Learning Record Store

A system that stores and manages learning records generated by xAPI. It acts as a repository for data about a wide range of learning experiences.

MOOC

Massive Open Online Course

An online course aimed at unlimited participation and open access via the web. MOOCs are often offered by universities and companies.

SCORM

Shareable Content Object Reference Model

A set of technical standards for e-learning software products. SCORM tells programmers how to write their code so that it can “play well” with other e-learning software. It is the most widely used e-learning standard.

SME

Subject Matter Expert

An individual with a deep understanding of a particular job, process, department, or function. SMEs are often consulted in the development of e-learning content to ensure its accuracy and relevance.

VR

Virtual Reality

A simulated experience that can be similar to or completely different from the real world. VR is used in e-learning to create immersive, hands-on training scenarios in a safe, controlled environment.

WBT

Web-Based Training

Training that is delivered over the internet or an intranet using a web browser. This is a common form of modern e-learning.

xAPI

Experience Application Programming Interface

(also known as Tin Can API)

A newer e-learning specification that enables the tracking of a wide range of learning experiences, both online and offline. It offers more flexibility and data-gathering capabilities than SCORM.

Lewis Carr looks at why what we learn today is often forgotten by tomorrow

And it’s a big reason why so many training programs fail to create lasting behavioural change on the job. After all, if employees can’t remember the training, how can it change their behaviour or boost productivity?

This isn’t just a learner’s excuse; it’s a real psychological phenomenon. Back in the late 19th century, psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus conducted some painstaking memory experiments on himself. He memorised lists of nonsense syllables and tested his recall at various intervals, from 20 minutes to 31 days.

The result was a graph shaped like a ski slope: memory retention drops like a rock shortly after learning, then levels off over time. Ebbinghaus dubbed this the ‘Forgetting Curve’.

So how quickly do we forget? Ebbinghaus’s research revealed some eye-opening (and somewhat depressing) numbers. Within 20 minutes of learning something new, a significant chunk is already gone. After one hour, people have forgotten about half the content on average. By 24 hours, we forget roughly 70% of what we learned if we make no effort to retain it.

Keep going, and the curve gets even uglier: one week out, as little as 10–30% of the original information remains in memory. In fact, one study noted that knowledge retention can be a mere 10% a week after training is completed.

So it’s no wonder that employees can barely recall that new policy or software tutorial by the time Monday rolls around again.

Compliance training is the poster child for this issue. Compliance courses are more about covering the company’s ass rather than truly ingraining knowledge.

Employees know it, managers know it. Everyone just wants to get that completion certificate and move on. As a result, the design of these trainings often doesn’t even try to encourage long-term retention, as nobody cares if you remember the material, as long as you ticked the required box.

So what does it matter if employees forget stuff? What’s the big deal? Can’t we just schedule a refresher next year? Well, sadly, that’s what most companies do, they bring it out again and stick a new date on the end of the title (you know who you are!)

Unfortunately, forgetting has some serious consequences for organisations. Lost knowledge = lost productivity. If an employee can’t recall the correct procedure or important information at the moment of need, work slows down or mistakes happen. This is the true cost, and one of the reasons that people don’t truly value their learning platform.

If we look at the bigger picture, the forgetting curve explains a lot of frustrating phenomena. It’s why a one-off workshop rarely leads to lasting workplace change. It’s why employees joke about barely remembering mandatory training moments after it’s over. It even sheds light on everyday life situations. Have you ever forgotten a password a day after creating it, because you never needed to remember it until later? That’s the forgetting curve in action.

Beating the Forgetting Curve: How to Help Learners Remember

Fortunately, the forgetting curve isn’t unbeatable. It’s based on predictable patterns of memory, which means we can counteract it by designing learning that plays offensively.

Let’s look at some research-backed strategies for overcoming the forgetting curve in corporate learning:

Spaced Repetition

Stop trying to cram everything down the throat of your users like you’re at a Pizza Hut Buffet, instead, spread it thinly.

This strategy involves revisiting learning content at intervals, for example, a quick review a day later, then a few days later, then a week, and so on. Each review “reminds” the brain that this knowledge is useful, effectively patching the leaks in that memory bucket.

Make It Active

Pop quiz hotshot! No, really, quiz your learners. It turns out that being tested on information (or having to actively recall it in some way) is not just for grading purposes; it actually strengthens memory. This is known as the testing effect: every time learners have to retrieve knowledge from their brain (even if they struggle), it solidifies that knowledge further.

Learning Nuggets

Thanks to TikTok and its pals, we live in a world of short attention spans. Rather than fighting that, leverage it. Microlearning involves delivering training in bite-sized chunks – say 5-10 minute modules or even daily one-minute tips. Learners are far more likely to engage with a short module regularly than a daunting 3-hour course. And by spacing these nuggets out, you naturally build reinforcement in.

Relevant & Meaningful

One surefire way to have learners forget something is to teach them something that feels utterly irrelevant to their job or life. (Remember memorising obscure math formulas you never used again? Exactly.) To strengthen memory, make the learning content meaningful and contextually relevant for your audience. In Ebbinghaus’s terms, this increases the “strength of the memory”.

By combining these strategies, we essentially transform the learning experience into something where learners actually remember what we need them to, and they apply it on the job, leading to the performance boost and behaviour change we originally hoped for.

It’s worth highlighting a shift in mindset for L&D teams: to truly combat the forgetting curve, we must move away from the “check box” mentality and toward a “change the behaviour” approach. This means success isn’t completing a course; success is seeing people use that knowledge when it counts. Compliance training will always be required, but even there, we can infuse practices to help retention (and maybe even make it less of a chore). For instance, instead of the endless yearly click-throughs, some organisations now use pre-assessment strategies: let learners test out of what they already know (to save everyone’s time) and focus training only on what they don’t know.

Others are turning compliance topics into ongoing campaigns rather than annual rituals, so that important principles are refreshed throughout the year rather than forgotten 364 days at a time. When learners see that the company actually wants them to learn and not just tick a checkbox, engagement goes up, and forgetting goes down. For broader professional skills and staff development, treating learning as a continuous journey is key. Maybe that means turning a workshop into a series of events with activities in between, or following up an eLearning module with an assignment or discussion forum. It can help to imagine what you’d do if your job performance depended on people remembering the training (because honestly, it does). You’d likely chase people down with reminders, coach them on the job, send them quick tips and quiz them lightly to keep them sharp.

It’s a bit like being a personal trainer for memory: you don’t just show the client how to do an exercise once and then vanish; you develop a workout routine over time.

As L&D professionals, we need to be that coach, designing the “exercise regimen” that follows the initial lesson. One more real-world example on doing it right: Choice Hotels’ learning team noticed that after launching a new training, employee engagement with that content plummeted 30 days later (no surprise, the forgetting curve strikes again). And their data showed that hotels where staff kept up with ongoing learning had better business outcomes.

So they piloted a reinforcement strategy –providing bite-sized follow-up lessons and resources over time after the main training. Learners returned regularly for these reinforcement modules (voluntarily!), and the company saw a 32–64% boost in engagement with the training content compared to content that wasn’t reinforced.

In other words, people learned better and actually liked it enough to come back. The continuous approach cultivated a real learning habit, which is the ultimate antidote to forgetting. While not every organisation has a fancy LMS feature for automated spaced reinforcement, the principle stands: make learning a habit, not a one-hit wonder.

Lewis Carr Founder. Moodle Wizard. Digital Nomad. Lewis wears many hats but his most comfortable is his Dirtyword beanie. Connect wth him here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ lewiscarrlearning/

EMPEROR’S NEW TOOLS

Mark Gash throws his ID toys out of the pram and asks, “Is dull the new engagement?”

As someone who writes and designs for e-learning courses, I’m often trapped between wanting to create something that looks awesome, and needing to satisfy the demands of the client, who, by trying to fulfil the whims of every learner, stakeholder, governing body, accessibility standard, security contractor, and their own grandma, indirectly mandates that I should deliver bland, click-next shite.

My LinkedIn feed is populated by peers who push the envelope when it comes to creating beautiful-looking platform game-style Storyline courses, and I’ve been hearing for a decade that gamification is the next big thing.

I’ve designed branching adventures that could rival the size of the Amazon (rainforest, not Bezos’ warehouses, that would be ridiculous) and I’ve made myself nauseous creating proof-of-concept demos in virtual reality. No. Body. Wants. Them.

Now, there is an argument to be had that maybe I’m just crap at my job and that the innovative courses I try to push on clients just aren’t good enough to win them over. And as a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none, I’m not going to contest that point - I’m better than average but I’m not the greatest; just ask my wife.

Not every video game can be Sonic The Hedgehog 2 on the Sega Megadrive, but then games like Shaq Fu still got made. So what am I doing wrong?

Let’s look at a typical (for me - your mileage may vary) process for creating a mediocre piece of e-learning:

Client supplies the brief

The call is put out for an engaging, visually stimulating, innovative course that uses the latest technology and delivers on a bunch of learning outcomes.

We submit a proof of concept

Our proposal delivers the learning as a role-playing, branching adventure with consequential learning outcomes in an immersive 360° environment.

Client gives us the green light

Says they need to run it past a few other people but it will be fine.

First module is delivered for testing and feedback

We even supply a handy feedback form that shows how the course meets the brief and the learning outcomes.

Client requests a meeting

The feedback form was too complicated for them to fill out.

The meeting

Client and random stakeholders ask if we can scale it back - it’s too innovative and their learners are used to a more traditional style of course. Maybe lose the 360° element.

The amended course

Learners now scroll through static screens, rather than being immersed in a 360° environment. But the course still has some of the original branching elements.

Client requests another meeting

The course needs to be accessible. We tell them it is, but they want it “more” accessible. Have we heard of Rise?

We deliver yet another Rise course

The client moans that it isn’t what we originally promised them. And one of their learners doesn’t like the pink jumper that the video presenter is wearing in module 2.

The problem here is the client (isn’t it always?), or rather, the fact that there isn’t just one client. The bigger the company you’re dealing with, the more people get involved, and your client can actually be 20 individuals, each with their own agenda and opinions.

So even if your original point of contact bought into your all-singing all-dancing gamified extravaganza, the chances are, the rest of their team won’t.

Parts get taken away piece by piece until your awesome course is reduced down to... a Rise.

And this is where I deliver the twist - you’re probably expecting me to reveal my secret strategy for overcoming these awkward client showdowns. Or perhaps you’re waiting for my ultimate expletiveridden take down of Rise, so you can nod your head and chuckle to yourself as you murmur, “He’s right, he’s right!” as my frustrations with the instructional design landscape mirror your own experiences. But... what if... the clients are right?

What if gamification, experiential learning, branching storylines, consequences and innovation are just bullshit? The Emperor’s new clothes to try and convince people that e-learning can be fun, and that dressing it up will lead to a greater rate of knowledge absorption for learners?

In the same way that every smart phone has looked identical since 2010 and delivers the same core features of messaging, calling, internet access and a camera, yet Apple and Samsung keep inventing pointless new gimmicks (8k cameras, wireless charging, pens, folding screens...) to keep us buying the latest version, are we, as e-learning developers, guilty of the same?

• Learners say they don’t have the time or the patience to undergo a thrilling 3D adventure about Cyber Security. They just want to take the course as fast as possible and get back to the day job.

• Companies are looking for a tick in a boxinsurance against their staff bolloxing up.

• Trainers don’t want computers stealing their jobs - they love a classroom full of people and a PowerPoint.

• Employees don’t want to go home on an evening and scroll through endless Netflix-style menus looking for the perfect piece of learning they can cosy up with before bed. There is no Learning & Chill.

And the big one, the nail in the coffin for all exciting, innovative, engaging learning projects, is that nobody wants to pay for it.

I admit that the above is biased towards corporate compliance training and that there are a few companies with budgets to burn that will fund and take a risk on something beyond a Rise, but really, shouldn’t all learning be quick and easy to access, absorb and move on from? There’s a reason Wikipedia is a blank white page with black text.

So maybe the future of e-learning is actually the past? Maybe we stop trying to wow clients with the new shiny thing and instead give them a structured course with clear learning outcomes that doesn’t take an orientation module to know how to navigate it. Maybe we listen to the board of directors and maybe we stop arguing with the outsourced company that provided that accessibility report and maybe we cancel our subscriptions to all those AI tools we like to mess about with, and instead maybe we just churn out good old fashioned click-next slide-based accordion-opening e-learning courses like it’s 2014. Maybe we are all guilty of Emperor’s New Clothes syndrome, where we keep trying to sell fancy, often unproven, ideas to clients who just want a decent pair of trousers.

That’s a lot of maybes. And maybe I’m not ready to give up on the concept of making e-learning cool, just yet. But we’ve got to ask ourselves if we’re designing for actual learning, or just to keep up with the latest tech fad, keep ourselves relevant and justify spending the client budget.

The real trick might be to stop chasing the invisible, drop the act, and start delivering learning that simply, effectively, gets the job done.

Nah, sod that - somebody hand me a VR headsetI’ve got a fantastic idea for a new course.

Mark Gash Writer. Designer. AI Image Prompter.

Connect wth him here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markgash/

Think about the attention-grabbing moments of the last 50 years - Freddie Mercury dressing up as a woman in the video for Queen’s 1984 hit “I want to break free”, Sophie Ellis Bextor holding up a skinned fox for PETA with the tagline, “Here’s the rest of your fur coat.” or Calvin Klein’s #mycalvins campaign showing an upskirt shot of a model featuring the quote “I flash in #mycalvins.” You might not like the music, the message or the underpants, but as the saying goes, people eat with their eyes.

A striking image, a bold headline, something that demands attention – our eyes are instantly drawn, our curiosity piqued. This is a fundamental aspect of human perception: we are inherently visual creatures. For e-learning, where attention spans are fleeting and distractions common, harnessing this innate visual pull isn’t just an advantage; it’s essential.

Consider how you navigate information daily. What stops you from scrolling past content? Often, it’s an image or a video. The accompanying text might be brilliant, but the visual provides the initial hook. This principle applies even more critically to e-learning.

Learners frequently process vast amounts of information, and their time and cognitive energy are valuable. If your course doesn’t immediately engage them visually, they’re likely to disengage before absorbing the content.

So, how do we “make them look” in e-learning? It begins with understanding that visuals are more than just decorative elements. They are powerful tools for communication, comprehension, and connection.

Firstly, initial impressions are crucial. The opening screen of your module, the layout of your initial content, and the quality of your graphics all shape a learner’s immediate perception of the course. A cluttered, text-heavy, or unappealing interface conveys a message that the learning experience will be laborious. Conversely, a clean, well-designed, and visually stimulating entry point invites exploration and signals a professional, engaging learning experience. This requires investing in high-quality imagery, intuitive navigation icons, and a cohesive visual brand for your course.

Secondly, visuals serve as cognitive aids, enhancing understanding and retention. Our brains process images significantly faster than text. Infographics can distil complex data into easily digestible formats. Diagrams and flowcharts can illustrate processes and relationships with unmatched clarity. Videos can demonstrate procedures or concepts dynamically and memorably. Attempting to explain intricate concepts without a single diagram or animation, for instance, would be a considerable challenge. By translating abstract concepts into concrete visual representations, we bridge the gap

between information and comprehension. Furthermore, visuals can evoke emotion and foster engagement. A well-chosen photograph can instantly convey a mood or context, making the learning experience more relatable and impactful. Short, wellproduced video clips featuring real people or engaging scenarios can add dynamism to otherwise dry content. Even the strategic use of colour can influence mood and highlight important information. When learners feel a connection to the material, they are more likely to stay motivated and committed to completing the course.

Finally, effective visual design promotes seamless navigation and reduces cognitive load. Clear visual cues, such as progress bars, consistent iconography, and wellstructured layouts, guide learners through the course material effortlessly. They can easily track their progress and understand the flow of information. This reduces the mental effort required to navigate the course itself, freeing up cognitive resources for processing the actual learning content.

In e-learning, simply providing information is no longer sufficient. We must actively compete for, and capture, the learner’s attention from the outset. By strategically employing compelling visuals, we not only “make them look”; we invite them in, facilitate their understanding, and ultimately, create a more effective and memorable learning journey.

So if the content you’re serving learners is a bit dry, give them something they can eat with their eyes.

Hannah Greenwood is a Lecturer and Researcher in Media and Design Technology.

OF THE SCREEN PUSHING THE EDGE

Sam Wright reveals his tricks for bringing the magic to Storyline

Where I work, quarterly training doesn’t mean another click-through slideshow. It means a chance to build something imaginative. Our latest example? A Harry Potter-inspired sidescrolling platformer about finance policies. Made in Articulate Storyline. Yes, really.

It’s the second iteration of an idea I’ve been developing over the past year: combining story-driven gameplay with learning outcomes. The first version set the stage. This one pushes it further.

The learning goal was simple: get people to understand and apply key finance policies. But rather than reading rules, I wanted them to act them out. Not just in theory – in a world. So I built one.

Players take on the role of a trainee wizard investigating suspicious goingson in a magical village. To progress, they need to help villagers by answering questions, earning coins, spending them appropriately, and completing objectives for the fictional Order of the Payhawk. Each decision is grounded in real policy scenarios: what you can claim, how you travel, what approvals are needed. Get it wrong, and you lose energy. Run out, and you faint.

You can fail. You can restart. You can even save the day. But only if you learn.

Each level is set at a different time of day. In one, a thunderstorm rolls in. By the final chapter, it’s nightfall. There’s a real sense of change and consequence. Characters react. Events unfold. Go into a shop, and the world pauses outside. Come out, and it resumes. You’re in control of how it plays out.

The mechanics are familiar to anyone who plays games: a character moves left or right with arrow keys. When they reach the edge of the screen, the background and other elements begin to scroll instead. Behind the scenes, JavaScript continuously updates those positions to create the illusion of movement. There are parallax layers too - different transparent image layers that move at varied speeds, creating a sense of depth.

The background itself is a looping video, far wider than the screen. It forms the base layer of the world. On top of that are NPCs (non-player characters) built from animated gifs, and events that trigger based on the player’s position. There’s also a HUD displaying your coin and energy balance, along with your current objectives.

I kept the game mechanics grounded in the learning. No jumping or collecting mushrooms. Instead, choices. Objectives. Shops. Tasks. You might need to buy an item to complete a mission - but only if you can afford it, and only if it follows the right policy.

A lot of inspiration came from games like Backbone (2021), a 2D detective game that showed me how powerful this format could be when combined with atmosphere and interactivity. I saw how its design choices could be reinterpreted for learning.

I prototype everything visually, often with working mockups. If I can picture it, I can probably build it. And if I can build it, I want it to feel like more than a module. I want it to feel like a space.

There were plenty of technical hurdles: screen resizing, event detection, restoring level states, and making it all feel seamless. But I never doubted it would work. In digital learning, there’s always a way if you’re willing to put the hours in.

The response? We had people ask to take the module who didn’t even need to. Not out of obligation – out of curiosity.

And maybe that’s the heart of it. It’s not about making a game for the sake of it. It’s about speaking the same language as your learners. Understanding that they watch films, play games, and live in worlds that are interactive, responsive, and rich. So why shouldn’t their learning be?

In a company of developers, I make platformers in Storyline. It shouldn’t work. But it does - and it’s changing how people think about learning.

Check out a video walkthrough of the course here: http://bit.ly/4llTnFh

Sam Wright creates leading immersive, gamified learning for software developers and game designers at Bede Gaming. Connect wth him here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ samwright365/

We keep getting teased with ‘the rise of AI’, but where is it?

We’ve teamed up with our friends at BuildEmpire to find out exactly what L&D pros are prioritising, and then share that data with the industry.

Because what good is key data when it’s kept secret?

We’ve compiled a short survey, that should only take about 5-10 minutes to complete, which asks those working on the ground what is actually going on in the L&D space.

So, if you’re sick of LMS providers telling you that reskilling is a major trend, but you’re still not seeing it, then have your say.

Whether you’re an L&D professional, a trainer, or someone passionate about workplace learning, your insights will help shape a clearer picture of where the industry is headed.

And, to thank you for your time, everyone who completes the survey will be entered into a prize draw to win tickets to see Lady Gaga (or The Kooks, OneRepublic, Tom Grennan or Simply Red) live.

Sounds like a win, win, right?

Take a few minutes to share your thoughts and give our industry the real truth.

We’ll publish the results in the next issue of Dirtyword, so don’t hold back on your mic-drop opinions, and be back here in 2 months to find out if you’re singing the same tune as your peers!

Access the survey here: http://bit.ly/44lbWCL

UX HONEYCOMB

A Sweet Analysis

Dr Ace Hulus buzzes us through Blooket using Peter Morville’s timeless UX framework

Learning vocabulary once involved the familiar trio of flashcards, memorisation drills, and surprise quizzes. Today’s game-based learning platforms, such as Blooket, where students race characters to learn, make those old methods seem ancient. What distinguishes truly engaging EdTech tools from those that fail to capture students’ interest?

A new study examined students’ opinions of Blooket (example and instructions presented below), revealing both its strengths and weaknesses as a gamified EdTech tool. Using the UX Honeycomb framework developed by Peter Morville, we can analyse why certain gamified EdTech tools are successful and others are not.

To succeed, future EdTech platforms must master all seven facets of the UX Honeycomb. They’ll be:

Genuinely useful for specific learning objectives

Usable under real classroom conditions

Desirable enough to motivate continued engagement

Findable for both content discovery and progress tracking

Accessible to students with diverse needs and abilities

Credible in delivering promised learning outcomes

Valuable for students, teachers, and educational institutions

Building Better Educational Experiences

EdTech designers and educators can use the UX Honeycomb as a practical evaluation framework. Before launching or using another game-based learning platform in the classroom, consider:

Does this solve a real educational problem? (Useful)

Can students use this in actual classroom conditions? (Usable)

Will students choose to engage with this? (Desirable)

Can students find and track their learning? (Findable)

Does this work for students with diverse needs? (Accessible)

Do students trust this to help them learn? (Credible)

Does this deliver measurable educational value? (Valuable)

The Sweet Spot: Where Gaming Meets Learning

In a study of 40 Indonesian junior high students, 72.5% found Blooket’s visuals helpful for learning vocabulary, and 62.5% used newly learned words in their own sentences. These statistics aren’t just numbers; they prove that effective UX design has a real educational impact.

The situation becomes more complex when considering the significant challenges students reported. Difficulties with internet connectivity, device performance, and dictionary use during gameplay revealed a significant gap between the intended user experience and the actual one.

Frameworks such as the UX Honeycomb are crucial for a deeper evaluation of gamified EdTech tools, going beyond superficial engagement metrics.

Applying the Honeycomb: Seven Facets of EdTech Success

Let’s assess Blooket’s effectiveness by applying Morville’s framework and incorporating the above-stated student opinions to pinpoint its successes and shortcomings.

Useful: Does It Actually Teach?

The Good: Students found Blooket helpful in learning new vocabulary, using context clues and visuals. The platform successfully addressed the core educational need by making vocabulary acquisition more engaging and less tedious.

reading challenges. Quick-paced visuals might exclude some students with disabilities.

The Necessity: Real educational equity means building diverse learning platforms from the start, not adding them on later as premium features.

Credible: Do Students Trust the Learning?

The Success: The students’ independent creation of vocabulary lists and application of newly learned words in different contexts demonstrated their confidence in Blooket’s educational value. Real-time feedback boosted their confidence in their learning.

The Foundation: EdTech credibility hinges on transparent learning outcomes and consistently reliable experiences that showcase student progress.

tools fails to account for the varied needs of users, including their learning styles, technical capabilities, and personal situations.

The Buzzing Conclusion

Blooket embodies both the potential and the difficulties inherent in modern EdTech tools. When students report that they’re not just enjoying the games but actually learning and applying new vocabulary, we see the potential of well-designed educational technology.

Dr Asegul (Ace) Hulus is an Assistant Professor, Lecturer, Researcher and Author in Computing, and a regular contributor to Dirtyword.

Learn more about her work and connect wth her here: https://www.linkedin.com /in/asegulhulus/

Naked Truth

Mark Gash talks AI Ethics in EdTech

I’m a pretty well-adjusted father of 2 and like to think I have my head on straight when it comes to knowing right from wrong. I’m one of those annoying people who boast about being part of the Xennial micro generation, where I’m too old to be Gen X and too young to be a Millennial, growing up with an analogue childhood and slowly maturing alongside tech. I played on Commodore 64, Sega Megadrive and Gameboy. I used to record my music on cassette from the Top 40 each Sunday and the only porn I was exposed to as a teen was page 3 of the Sun. I didn’t get a mobile phone until I was 18 and I consider myself lucky that growing up, I didn’t have to deal with 24/7, always-on exposure to absolutely everything going on in the world. I wasn’t nagged by notifications and I was never made to feel shit by “friends” on an app, who I’ve never met in real life.

I’ve smugly sat by and watch as the world got sucked into doom-scrolling through social media, I don’t understand why my wife sends me 20 instagram reels a day and I still enjoy selecting a CD to play in my car, rather than allowing Spotify or Amazon’s algorithms to pick what I listen to. So yeah - I’ve got analogue morals and I know how to apply them in a digital world.

But then, along came AI.

As a kid, all I ever wanted to do when I grew up was write and draw comic books. I’ve written countless novels that will never see the light of day, but I always struggled to make the time and effort to draw a full comic. So the power of AI image generation instantly piqued my interest. Dirtyword’s mascot, Whisper, was originally drawn by me. Properly drawn. But then I used AI to refine her, pose her and take her to the next level. I know there’s a whole argument about AI stealing from artists, and this article isn’t about that, but as far as I’m concerned, I created Whisper, not artificial intelligence. AI is just a tool that allows me to realise and augment the creativity that was always there.

So I know just how powerful AI can be with a little bit of patience and a lot of practice. I still refuse to use it for writing, as I enjoy the process of basically having conversations and arguments with myself as I type, but I know that more and more people are using their favourite LLM to generate articles, emails and, dare I say it, online courses. And that’s ok - AI generation of text and images is something that, like it or not, is here to stay, and it’s up to us to figure out how to use it ethically and responsibly.

But what do those words actually mean?

So-called “Deep Fakes”, where AI can create images and videos of people doing or saying things that never actually happened, threaten to create a world where we can no longer trust our own eyes. We are already having to deal with fake news, kids being blackmailed with AI porn of themselves and political parties weaponising AI to undermine the competition - none of which is ethical or responsible.

The cover of this issue shows just how easy it is to take an innocent concept and sexualise it with AII’m waiting for the backlash on that one and hold my hands up to going for the shock factor to get your attention. I promise Whisper will be back in her hoodie next issue.

But this is a magazine about e-learning, so what should ethical and responsible AI use look like in learning? We can’t - and shouldn’t - stop educators or students from using Artificial Intelligence to create and/or undertake learning

but we need to establish a framework for what that looks like, so that we aren’t all getting ChatGPT to pass exams on subjects that are full of hallucinated AI misinformation in the first place.

Educators using AI and LLMs for research and course creation

Remember when ChatGPT first came out and everybody had delusions of getting it to write a best-selling novel in an instant? Well, that spilt over into education and I know more than a few people who thought that AI was capable of writing an entire course, complete with engaging activities and perfectly worded explanations. The reality, however, is a bit more… murky. An educator’s primary responsibility is to impart accurate, relevant, and engaging knowledge. AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) can be powerful tools in this endeavour, but they are just tools, not replacements for human expertise and critical thinking.

Ethical use for educators starts with transparency. If you’ve used AI to generate parts of your research, to outline your course structure, or even to draft some of your text, you should be upfront about it. There seems to still be a sense of shame in admitting to using AI to help write, which is weird, when we’ve all been taught how important it is to reference other people’s research from “real-world” sources. You wouldn’t plagiarise a textbook, so why would you hide the fact that an AI helped you brainstorm or formulate ideas? A simple disclaimer at the beginning of a module or a section could state, “Elements of this content were generated or assisted by AI, then reviewed and refined by a human educator.” This not only models good practice for your students but also manages expectations.

Beyond transparency, there’s the crucial element of verification. LLMs are notorious for “hallucinating” information, confidently presenting made-up nonsense as facts. It’s easy to become complacent and think that because Google developed Gemini, the info it spits out is accurate - but that complacency is dangerous. It’s critical that any information generated by an AI for course content or research is rigorously fact-checked against reliable, human-authored sources. There’s an old journalism quote that says, “Never ask a question you don’t already know the answer to,” and it’s an excellent analogy for quizzing AI. Make sure you’re able to separate fact from fiction, either using your own knowledge

or by digging into journal articles, academic texts, and reputable news outlets. Don’t just copy and paste; interrogate the AI’s output. Does it make sense? Is it consistent with established knowledge? Does it cite its own sources (if it even provides them)? If the answer to any of those is “no”, then you need to dig deeper. Your reputation, and more importantly, your students’ understanding, depend on it.

Finally, purposeful integration is key. AI shouldn’t be used to automate away the intellectual heavy lifting of course design. Instead, leverage it for tasks that enhance efficiency and creativity. Need fresh ideas for a discussion prompt? Ask AI. Want to quickly summarise an academic paper to get the gist before diving in? Use an LLM. Struggling to articulate a complex concept in simpler terms? AI can offer different phrasings. But the ultimate pedagogical decisions – what to teach, how to assess it, and how to foster genuine understanding – remain firmly in your human hands.

learners using AI to pass courses

Just yesterday (mid-June ‘25 for those reading this in the future), I watched a video where a student whipped out a laptop at his graduation ceremony and showed his class -and the worldon screen exactly how he used ChatGPT to pass his course for him. Despite the best efforts of educational institutions, this was inevitable and we don’t yet know the scale of the problem. And it is a problem. The temptation is obvious. Stuck on an essay? ChatGPT can whip up a first draft in seconds. Facing a tricky multiple-choice quiz? An AI might just have the answers. But, as my (and everybody else’s) Dad used to say, “If you cheat, you’re only cheating yourself.” Using AI to pass a course often means sidestepping the very learning process the course is designed to facilitate.

The ethical framework for students needs to revolve around academic integrity and genuine learning. Just like plagiarism from a human source is unacceptable, submitting AI-generated work as your own, without proper acknowledgement, falls squarely into the realm of academic misconduct. Institutions need to establish clear policies on AI use, specifying what is permissible and what constitutes cheating. Is using an AI to brainstorm ideas acceptable? Probably. Is asking it to write your entire assignment? Probably not.

More importantly, students need to understand why genuine learning matters. If a student relies solely on AI to complete assignments, they miss

out on developing critical thinking skills, analytical abilities, and the capacity for independent problem-solving. They might get a good grade, but they won’t truly know the subject matter. Back to my Dad - he was an accountant and he always said that using a calculator to pass a maths exam without understanding the underlying principles might get me the right answer, but I haven’t learned the maths. And he was right, which is why I stick to writing and design.

Educators should encourage students to use AI as a learning aid, not a shortcut. Can an AI help you understand a difficult concept by rephrasing it in simpler terms? Yes. Can it generate practice questions for you to test your knowledge? Absolutely. Can it provide different perspectives on a topic to broaden your understanding? Indeed. The focus should shift from “Can AI do this for me?” to “How can AI help me learn to do this better?” This requires active guidance from educators, setting clear expectations, and designing assessments that measure genuine understanding rather than just the ability to generate a plausible-sounding output. Perhaps even incorporating AI use into assessments, where students are tasked with critically evaluating AIgenerated content or using AI tools to enhance their own work, while still demonstrating their individual learning.

Using AI to create supplementary materials that support learning

Now, this is where my inner comic book artist gets excited! The ability to conjure up custom images and even short video clips on demand has changed my social feeds beyond all recognition. Last month, about 3 billion people used AI to generate pictures of themselves as toy action figures. And the month before that, everybody was making Studio Ghibli-style profile pics. Most of these people couldn’t even hold a pencil correctly, let alone draw but AI is a game-changer for creating engaging and accessible learning materials. Imagine teachers explaining complex scientific processes with bespoke animations or bringing historical events to life with AI-generated scenes. The potential to enhance understanding and make learning more vivid is immense.

The ethical considerations here primarily revolve around authenticity, representation, and copyright. Firstly, authenticity: while AI-generated visuals can be incredibly persuasive, it’s crucial to be transparent if they are not real photographs or footage. If you’re illustrating a historical event with AI-generated imagery, it should be clear that these are artistic interpretations

or reconstructions, not actual records. Misrepresenting AI-generated visuals as authentic documentation could lead to misinformation and erode trust. A simple caption like, “AI-generated illustration for conceptual understanding,” or “Scene created using AI,” can make all the difference.

Secondly, representation: AI models are trained on vast datasets, and these datasets often reflect existing societal biases. This can lead to AI generating images that perpetuate stereotypes or misrepresent certain groups. It’s our responsibility to critically review AI-generated visuals for fairness and inclusivity. Are you portraying diverse individuals in your examples? Are you avoiding reinforcing harmful stereotypes? If you’re generating images of people, are they representative of the global population, or are they skewed towards one demographic? This requires a conscious effort to challenge and refine AI outputs to ensure they align with principles of equity and respect.

Finally, copyright remains a thorny issue and just this month, Disney and Universal have launched legal proceedings against Midjourney, the company at the forefront of AI image generation. It seems they aren’t too happy with Geoff in Accounts sprucing up his budget report with fine art images of Darth Vader and Spider-Man. While I believe AI is a tool, the legal landscape around AI-generated content and the datasets they’re trained on is still evolving. Educators should be mindful of potential copyright implications, especially if the AI output too closely resembles existing copyrighted works. For now, your safest bet is to clearly attribute copyrighted characters where appropriate. Until clearer legal rules are established, exercising caution and focusing on original concepts augmented by AI is the most responsible approach.

Just like that time I made cheese on toast in the air fryer, AI tools can now create pretty much anything you can imagine - but that doesn’t mean that you should. Used carefully, with a bit of common sense and a genuine reason, we can harness AI to improve the way we deliver learning, from structure through to design, and personalised learner experiences. But it demands transparency, critical thinking, and a commitment to genuine learning from both educators and students alike - because no serious learning professionals want to read an EdTech magazine with a naked woman on the cover, even if AI made it look really cool. From now on, I promise to only use AI ethically and responsibly - who’s with me?

Designing Stillness A Tribute to Earth Day

Kristóf Szever throws traditional course structure out of the window and talks us through the creation of his Articulate experience.

Let me just start by saying: I totally missed Earth Day.

Not in a “forgot it existed” kind of way. I was right there, obsessively refreshing my LinkedIn drafts, wondering when to hit post, mentally battling over the perfect thumbnail crop. I had this noble little idea in mind: build a simple interactive Earth Day experience. One slide. A few clicks. A nice clean tribute.

Spoiler: that didn’t happen. Because as I started building it, I stopped giving a … I stopped worrying about deadlines and posting strategies.

From Stress to Stillness

The original idea was pretty classic: maybe an isometric eco-builder game. Or a “green shooter” where you vaporise plastic bottles (good old guilt-based dopamine). I even sketched out some block mechanics like build your ideal green future, one voxel at a time. Corporate-safe and conceptually sound.

But the more I noodled with it, the more it started to feel like everything else out there: do more, fix more, stress more… adhere to the standard.

That’s when I stopped. It was 2 AM, and I just leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling (half asleep, mind you).

No music. No narration. Just quiet. Suddenly I realised: this is the feeling I want to convey. So I changed direction. Fully.

I threw away the urgency, the learning objectives, the “save the Earth before slide 6” pacing. Instead, I started building something slower. Gentler. A little piece of interactive calm.

Designing Calm on Purpose

What emerged then became “Calm the Climate.” It’s not a course, really, more like a visual meditation made in Articulate Storyline. I used soft palettes, smooth transitions, and audio that you don’t hear, you feel. The interactions are dead simple. You click glowing wisps. Shapes appear. The world breathes a little.

It doesn’t teach much. There’s no quiz. And there’s absolutely no badge waiting at the end. But there’s something there. A feeling, maybe. One I tried very hard to preserve.

The Sound of Nothing

Now here’s the part I didn’t expect: I spent hours on sound design. Like, “3AM listening to a single leaf-rustle SFX on loop for 40 minutes” kind of hours.

I didn’t want sharp UI zings or overproduced ambience. I wanted something subtle. The kind of subtle you just vibe with, but don’t necessarily notice it. Every chime, click, and wisp noise had to sit in the mix like it had always been there, not pulling attention, nothing sharp, just letting you enjoy the moment.

All in all, the visuals took a day. The SFX took double time - and I still could play with it, improve it if time would allow.

This Was Supposed to Be a Post

I shared it late. Earth Day had passed. I figured 12 people would see it and maybe 2 would finish it.

Instead, it became my most-liked post ever. Of course, the initial post reached about 50 people, no reactions, but then I wrote a follow-up article about it. I think what people liked there is that finally this is something that doesn’t speak about a newly acquired certificate or world-breaking technology.

And I think I know why. People are tired. We’re constantly being told what to fix, what to worry about, what not to forget and how to compete constantly. This wasn’t that. It didn’t demand anything. It just… gave them a few minutes to breathe.

One More Quiet Gesture

To extend this spirit of giving, I offered to create a similar experience for a cause needing visibility. No strings. No funnel. Just something that helps. Unfortunately, nobody really caught on this, but maybe it would’ve just lowered the art into a pitch.

Final Wisdom of the Lake

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can design isn’t a breakthrough or a brilliant model. Sometimes it’s just the moment someone finally exhales.

If you want to experience this moment yourself, you can do it by visiting https://educatingmedia.com/tribute-for-earth-day.

Thanks for reading.

Kristóf Szever Freelancer self titled “Gamifior”. Daydreamer. eLearning Wizard. Creator of Educating Media.

Kristóf builds eLearning experiences that are outside of the norm. Usually the weird one in the room.

Connect with him here: www.linkedin.com/in/kristofszever

DON’T FEED ME MALARKEY

The Agreement

You and I, dear reader, have entered into an agreement, whether you know that or not. I’m trading you my time, effort, and brain power in the forms of characters, words, sentences, and paragraphs. You’re trading back the time it takes to scan, read, digest, share, or maybe discuss the essays or information provided to you from the page.

Reading, like writing, is an art. It is something we practice, hone, and attempt to master our entire lives. The goals: enlightenment, entertainment, information, knowledge, transportation… The best text allows us to step into somebody else’s shoes, to learn something new, to find some of that real human experience which has been put down on paper or in zeros and ones.

In school, information literacy helps us to learn whether a source is credible or that information can be trusted.

That encyclopedia entry: trustworthy. The meme your second cousin Mary shared on Facebook: maybe not so much. When a newspaper or federal agency publishes information, we assume credibility. At least, that’s how things used to work.

Bait & Switch

At heart, I’m a list maker and researcher. I seek new information and news about topics that I care about. Recently, during research, an article presented some new companies in edtech focused on authorship alongside some familiar players and tools. As I researched two of the new companies presented, I was surprised - then frustratedwhen they couldn’t be found in the first several pages of search results.

Joseph Thibault takes out the AI trash

Fast forward a few weeks:

• A Chicago newspaper published a summer reading list. Of the 15 recommendations, only five were real.

• A government commission’s report focused on “Making America Healthy Again” was published. Seven citations included were fabricated from whole cloth.

Malarkey

A few fake companies on a low-traffic site is a nuisance. Fake books peddled to thousands of readers, perhaps a hilarious cocktail table conversation. Fake citations in a government report about health and wellness guiding policy for millions of people, well, that’s next-level.

AI is supposed to be helping us be more productive, creating more clarity, making information more accessible, and accelerating our understanding of the world. But when it’s unfiltered, unchecked, and shared like the examples above, it undermines trustworthiness in written text. Period.

AI isn’t to blame; humans are still driving the prompts, working with the outputs, editing the articles, newspapers, and reports. Information literacy remains a critical skill in the age of AI. AI outputs must be fact-checked and articles on any site, increasingly, might include hallucinations passed along to readers. The next time you use an LLM to plan or translate text to page: remember that you’re the first reader. Don’t pass the buck to others to do the fact-checking for you. The expert is still in the computer chair, not in the cloud. The next time you’re working with AI as a co-author (or asking someone else to), remember that agreement: your time and effort for mine.

AI can reduce the amount of time that it takes to write. But if you really want me to read something deeply, to consider it, to trust it, and hopefully to share or engage with it, for the love of Claude: don’t feed me a bunch of malarkey.

is a student for life and the founder of Cursive Inc. Connect wth him here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephthibault/

Joseph Thibault

Philip Huthwaite explores

Why

your next coach might not be human

and that’s a good thing

Let me start with a confession: I once scoffed at the idea of AI coaching. Surely, I thought, no machine could replicate the nuance of a good conversation with someone who just gets you. Coaching is a human thing. It needs intuition. Empathy. Lived experience. Right?

Fast forward to today and, well... I’ve changed my tune.

Coaching is broken (and has been for some time) Before we go any further, I want to make it crystal clear that I’m not saying AI coaching is going to replace humans entirely. But what it is going to do is expose how undercoached most people really are. Even if your organisation embraces coaching, does everyone benefit? Or does all the investment go into your senior leadership team, with no coaching hours left for anyone else?

And I’m not talking about the occasional “How are you getting on? Need anything?” in one-to-one manager catch-ups. I mean real, thought-provoking, needlemoving conversations that help your people – all of them – reflect, grow and perform better in their jobs.

Enter AI coaching for the masses

Theoretically, coaching is everywhere. But in reality, it’s ringfenced for a tiny minority of the workforce. Human coaches are expensive, and even if an employee is lucky enough to secure coaching time, the quality can vary wildly between coaches. Actually, a bad coach can be worse than no coach at all – you don’t want someone leading your people astray or imparting hour after hour of bad advice.

So, what happens when you pass the mic to AI? All of a sudden, coaching becomes democratised.

It’s scalable. And, dare I say it… it’s surprisingly effective. While mainstream tools like ChatGPT can try their hand at it, businesses who are serious about bringing top-quality coaching to the masses are looking to purpose-built AI coaches (or tutor agents as they’re sometimes known).

AI coaches can be trained on a company’s own content, processes and documentation, giving everyone access to highly relevant information in real time. For instance, if your business runs on agile project management, your AI coach can be trained to deliver guidance specifically around this, rather than offering a chaotic blend of Kanban, Six Sigma and scrum approaches. But they’re not just a new way to find and impart information. The new wave of AI coaches, like 5app’s very own VeeCoach, is able to roleplay, act out scenarios, quiz learners and offer feedback to improve performance over time. They will also remember a learner’s strengths, weaknesses and goals, helping keep learners accountable and consistently progressing over the weeks and months… a lot like a human coach, really.

But can AI really coach like a human?

At its core, coaching is about listening, asking the right questions and helping people uncover their own answers. It’s not a one-off session – it requires consistency, trust and dedication on both sides of the coaching relationship. It’s also not a one-way communication channel –

coaching isn’t about the coach dictating what a learner should do next, or telling them how to solve a problem with no discussion. Nobody is preparing for a test here.

People may also worry that in eliminating humans from one side of the coaching relationship, we’ll lose the psychological safety and trust that builds over time. But actually, the opposite is true.

Traditional one-on-one coaching isn’t for everyone. Some people worry about asking silly questions or being judged for not picking up new skills quickly enough – and that’s before you even consider the awkward silences. With AI coaching, none of that matters. An AI coach is simply there to help, not to judge.

It can draw on best-in-class coaching frameworks, adapt in real time (such as stepping up to harder scenarios for faster skill mastery) and, importantly, be there when it’s needed, whether that’s in the 3pm slump or during an 11pm bout of pre-pitch day paranoia.

So, maybe AI can’t coach like a human – maybe it can do it even better.

The human touch still matters… to some extent AI coaching isn’t perfect. It can’t pick up on your body language, or know when your attention is waning. It can’t see you blinking back tears of frustration. It doesn’t know if everyone in the company is on edge from rumours of a big company restructure.

But if we’re being honest… did any of us ever get that from standard corporate coaching? That’s not a criticism of coaches – it’s just a reality that few coaches have the time or capacity to do more than what they’re being explicitly paid to do, whether that’s levelling up communication skills, helping managers become better decision makers or injecting a healthy dose of empathy into the leadership team.

Of course, I’m not saying we should replace human relationships with AI. Building great working

relationships between managers, employees and colleagues is crucial for any successful business – but that should go much deeper than the occasional Slack gif or some rushed bullet points of feedback on a Google doc.

Maybe AI coaching is the wake-up call L&D needs It’s no secret that L&D teams often feel like order takers. If the CEO wakes up one day and decides that the management team needs to get better at change management, and their neighbour’s best friend’s cousin happens to know a great coach, it’s easy to see where that conversation will go.

To be clear, if you have a brilliant human coach, you should hold onto them with all your might! But maybe that’s not the only answer. The L&D budget isn’t a bottomless pit of money (don’t we all know it), and AI coaching can be a great way to bring the benefits of personalised, on-demand coaching to a wider audience without breaking the bank.

And really… if it helps someone navigate a tricky challenge, reflect on their goals or feel more confident in their skills, why does it matter if it came from Nigel in the third-floor meeting room or Vee the AI coach?

The new era of coaching

As a busy CEO, I have no interest in hype or gimmicks. I care about what works, and what I’m seeing time and time again is that the teams who thrive are those who talk about the hard stuff. I believe in reflecting and resetting to instill real growth, and coaching plays a big part of that. If an AI coach can help me do that more often, for more people, with more consistency? Count me in. Maybe it’s about time we humans had a bit of healthy competition!

VeeCoach promo video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PYoAlMXsyg

VeeCoach webinar recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbqb1LVO9dw

Philip Huthwaite is 5app’s CEO. He provides hands-on expertise across sales, marketing and product development, and has a strong interest in using AI to drive success in learning and talent management.

// IMMERSIVE REVOLUTION LINE //

RiVR’s Alex Harvey says the future is right in front of your eyes

Forget clicking through endless “Next” buttons or taking quizzes that barely skim the surface - learning is changing. And it’s changing fast.

The next generation of training isn’t built around slide decks and accordion text boxes. It’s built inside a headset, and it’s already being deployed across the UK and beyond. Companies at the forefront of this immersive learning revolution are showcasing the technology’s potential. RiVR (Reality in Virtual Reality), for instance, emerged from the UK’s “Silicon Spa,” with founder Alex Harvey bringing his experience from the world of game development to public service and corporate training that would become a key focus for such specialised VR development.

The initial applications often involved high-stakes scenarios. For example, specialist developers first used photorealistic VR environments to train UK government personnel in handling counterterrorism situations. These weren’t abstract mockups but were often based on scanned real-world environments, recreated with exacting detail.

This allowed users to walk through realistic situations and train without real-world risk. Such capabilities soon drew attention from international bodies, including U.S. government agencies like the TSA and border patrol, who also adopted VR for specialised training modules.

But what does this mean for the broader world of e-learning?

It signifies a potential shift away from traditional digital methods to experiences that can deliver a more profound impact. The compelling case for VR in learning is built on several key advantages:

Deepened Engagement and Focus: VR environments inherently command attention. By minimising external distractions and fully immersing the learner, VR can significantly enhance concentration, transforming learners from passive observers into active participants.

Enhanced Knowledge Retention: Experiential learning is notably powerful. A PwC report on immersive technologies highlighted that learners in VR can absorb information up to four times faster than in traditional classroom settings or conventional e-learning. They also tend to feel more emotionally connected to the content, a crucial factor for long-term memory formation.

Safe Practice for High-Stakes Scenarios:

One of VR’s most significant contributions is the ability to simulate dangerous, complex, or costly situations without real-world repercussions. This is invaluable for training in fields like emergency response, intricate machinery operation, or even delicate surgical procedures. Trainees can practise, make mistakes, and learn from them in a controlled, entirely safe virtual space.

Realistic Skill Development: VR allows for the creation of highly detailed and interactive simulations. In forensic science training, for example, virtual crime scenes can be meticulously recreated, offering a level of realism and interactivity that is difficult to achieve with other methods. This facilitates the development of practical, transferable skills.

Accessibility and Repeatability: Complex realworld training scenarios can be expensive and logistically challenging to arrange consistently. VR allows these scenarios to be easily replicated and accessed on demand, providing standardised training experiences for numerous learners as often as required.

The practical application of these benefits is evident in the types of VR solutions being developed. For instance, turnkey solutions are emerging to address the need for scalable and easily deployable training. Certain turnkey systems, for example, package pre-configured VR headsets with a secure charging dock and an integrated router, enabling full offline deployment. This means trainers can roll out immersive sessions virtually anywhere, from a remote industrial site to a city-centre classroom, and can synchronise headsets for group training, assessments, or skills refreshers. Clients can often load their own e-learning content, customising the systems to their specific workflows.

“This is stage one virtual reality,” as Alex Harvey of RiVR noted, referring to such accessible systems. “It’s robust, and it’s designed to make immersive training as easy to deploy as a PowerPoint presentation - but far more powerful.”

That power is particularly evident in photorealistic training modules. For crime scene investigation, advanced virtual tools allow police forces and forensic teams to enter a virtual scene, assess evidence, and build their case much as they would in reality, but within a true-to-life 3D scanned environment. Combined with repeatable practice,

this kind of realism is proving transformative for emergency services, defence, and any training provider prioritising consistency, safety, and rapid skill acquisition.

While creative applications of VR also exist in arts, heritage, and cultural installations, the emphasis in many professional e-learning contexts is on what immersive training can achieve for hard skills, compliance, and operational readiness. Whether it’s fire services running a new drill, engineers practising maintenance on complex equipment, or a corporate team learning crisis management, the core strength of immersion lies in allowing people to experience what they’re learning, not just read or hear about it.

And there’s something else worth mentioning: once someone puts on the headset, the conversation often changes. As Harvey also observed, “We can talk about VR all day, but the truth is - you have to feel it. You have to be inside it to understand what makes it different.”

As immersive technologies continue to evolve from tethered, complex setups to more affordable, standalone, mobile-friendly headsets, the barriers to adoption are steadily lowering. Content and platforms are becoming more readily available. Now, more than ever, e-learning professionals have an opportunity to integrate something radically more effective into their strategies.

It’s time to rethink what online learning looks like - and more importantly, what it feels like. The next chapter isn’t flat. It’s spatial. It’s interactive. It’s remembered.

And if you’re curious? If you want to know what the future of training feels like? Put on a headset and experience it for yourself.

Alex Harvey is Creative Director at RiVR, a UK-based immersive training company. Connect wth him here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexharvey-81000649/ Discover more about RiVR: www.rivr.uk

How one L+D professional found real growth through virtual connection Nice to E-Meet You

They say you are connected to anyone and by extension anything in the world by six people, and it is only a matter of finding the connections, the emphasis here is on finding them. This is a little story about how I as an L&D professional have expanded my horizons through human connections in what is sometimes a very disconnected world.

To set the scene, I once pitched a new and innovative networking platform to a multi-million pound generating hotel chain. At the time, I was working as a barman - and my pitch was quickly shot down. However, the moral of the story is networking has always been a passion of mine. And since my journey into the world of L&D it has proven time and time again that getting yourself out there and having those conversations really can open doors you never may have expected.

I never existed in the L&D stratosphere until I began helping with training and coaching in my previous role, being the customer service for the construction industry. Immediately my passion for learning ignited and I made a point of sharing this on LinkedIn and other platforms where I could to help motivate others to gravitate toward a development mindset. I was approached by a peer on Whatsapp who I had completed some training with previously who knew of an opening for me to explore my passion for learning full time, and after consideration my career diverted, dramatically from the direction it was heading in. This was the 1st connection.

Being relatively new to the L&D sector I have wanted to be a sponge from day 1, taking any opportunities to further my own practice where I can. This has included online articles and further

training opportunities but we are, after all, social creatures, and connecting with people is what we do best. So when my manager emailed me an opportunity for me to sit with other subscribers to our LMS platform in person to collaboratively discuss the platform and transfer knowledge, I jumped at the chance. This marked the second link in my growing

Fast-forward a month, I attended a session with other members of my LMS community, sharing stories of E-Learning advancements, upcoming trends and a wealth of ideas. These types of meetings are incredibly important and I would suggest where possible if you can connect with other users then you should do, as although we use one LMS, everyone has different strategies and uses. Coming together and exploring these gave me insight into how to use the LMS for things I never even considered and beyond capabilities even advertised by the provider, everyone loves a little hack after all. I digress, over some a sandwich lunch and cake (because what event isn’t made better with cake?) I found myself in a discussion surrounding further resources available to us and an attendee made me aware of the vast library of webinars & events held by our LMS provider and that I should check them out, which I assured him I would because remember, I am a sponge. That was the third key moment in my networking journey.

After diving into the backlog of webinars I was invited to attend an upcoming one Co-hosted by a senior analyst for a HR analysis firm based in the UK. The webinar was incredibly informative on the topic of securing L&D leaders a seat at the table, proving ROI, scaling with impact and operating strategically, all things I can influence in my role within L&D. Paired with my love of data-driven insights, I didn’t just want to reach out - I needed to, to explore these topics further. After an exchange with the analyst via LinkedIn, she equipped me with not only additional knowledge on the sector but also a recommendation of attending the Learning Technologies Expo in London the following month. This was the 4th connection and possibly the most pivotal yet.

The 5th and final connection came when I attended the Learning & Technologies expo in London. Walking into the room with all the exhibitors, professionals and innovators in the field of L&D was energising and overwhelming, but exactly where I wanted to be. I attended talks on AI in learning, held discussions with providers of data driven platforms on the direction the

industry is heading, obsessed over new E-Learning strategies and of course networked my socks off.

Speaking with such a welcoming and inclusive community of L&D professionals, over a coffee or a quick chat before a seminar started, was just as valuable as the scheduled sessions themselves. It was here I met the team from DirtyWord, and their insights inspired me to put pen to paper (or rather, fingers to keyboard) and write this article as well as throw myself into reading what the rest of the community is experiencing and gleaming insight on. It was at this event the dots truly began to connect, the people I had met, the ideas I had absorbed, the fresh perspective I had garnered all pointed to one simple truth, that growth happens when you lean into connection.

So maybe not quite 6 connections but darn near close. 5 connections brought me to writing this article, something I can hand on heart say I never thought I would do. What I want to get across is what I believe to be the power of networking, providing opportunities for growth and development through connection in a sometimes-disconnected world. Quite frankly if I, a self-confessed newcomer to the world of L&D can go from a completely different industry to a new role, new insights, new opportunities and of course new ways to help influence and benefit our learners all through the power of connection, then anyone can.

Reflecting on this journey, I’ve realised that networking is truly about being open to learning in every moment, from every person. Each connection added a new layer to my development, not just professionally, but personally too. So, if you’re reading this and wondering whether reaching out is worth it, whether it’s that message on LinkedIn or attending that industry event, this is your nudge.

Be curious, you never know where the next connection might lead.

Aaron Jones is Learning & Development Officer for Inicio Group Connect wth him here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-jones-482070246/

Choose Your Own LEARNING ADVENTURE!

Campbell Craig’s Playbook for Instructional Design

The “Choose Your Own Adventure” (CYOA) books were a revolutionary concept in storytelling that captivated a generation of readers including me as a kid. I guess, I am a child of the 80’s, I guess I was fortunate to own a few and still have some that I have shared with my kids. They allowed children and young adults to feel more engaged and invested in the narrative by enabling them to make decisions for the characters, thus influencing the direction and outcome of the story. Although the endings were predetermined, the illusion of choice created a highly engaging experience. The lasting appeal of CYOA books lies in the active role the reader plays, which makes the story feel personal and interactive, even though the content is static.

I feel that translating this concept/framework into instructional design has the potential to transform the learning experience. In today’s world, with the rise of digital learning tools and the focus on learner-centered design, integrating interactive, decision-based approaches like CYOA into eLearning is a natural evolution. These types of instructional strategies engage learners in a much more active way, encouraging them to make decisions, solve problems, and reflect on the consequences of their actions, all while developing critical thinking skills.

By adopting the CYOA approach, us as instructional designers can easily create engaging, scenariobased learning experiences which promotes deeper understanding, active learning, and retention. I feel that this approach supports the goals of constructivist learning theories, where learners actively construct knowledge rather than passively absorbing it.

To understand how the CYOA approach fits into modern educational practices, it’s essential to examine the theoretical frameworks that support it. Two key categories of learning theories play a central role in this context: cognitive constructs and noncognitive constructs.

Cognitive Constructs

Adult Learning Theory (Andragogy)

We all should know Adult Learning Theory, developed by Malcolm Knowles as it focuses on the unique needs and characteristics of adult learners. According to his theory, adults learn best when the material is relevant, experiential, and allows for self-directed learning. The CYOA approach aligns with these principles because it can provide learners with scenarios that are both relevant and practical. The active decision-making process mirrors real-world challenges, which adult learners typically find engaging because it ties directly into their experiences.

Information Processing Model

The Information Processing Model suggests that learning occurs when information is received, processed, and stored. For the CYOA method, this aligns well with how learners must process information at key decision points in the story. Learners need to analyze the situation, consider their options, and anticipate potential consequences before making a decision. This active processing helps them engage deeply with the material, improving retention and understanding.

Cognitive Load Theory

Cognitive Load Theory emphasizes the need to manage the mental workload placed on learners during the learning process. The CYOA model works well within this framework when carefully designed. By providing limited, realistic choices that challenge learners without overwhelming them, the design can balance the cognitive load. The key is to avoid overloading the learner with too many choices at once, which could lead to decision fatigue or confusion. By keeping choices relevant and manageable, you ensure that the cognitive load remains within an optimal range for learning.

Non-Cognitive Constructs

Distributed Cognition

Distributed Cognition extends the concept of individual cognition to the social and environmental factors that shape how we think and learn. In a CYOA-based learning experience, learners are often interacting with elements of the environment (such as interactive simulations, tools, or other learners) that extend their cognitive abilities. By involving the learner in decisions that influence the outcome, they are actively constructing knowledge within a distributed context, incorporating feedback loops that enhance understanding.

Situated Learning

Situated Learning, proposed by Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger, suggests that learning is most effective when it occurs in the context of real-world activities. The CYOA approach thrives in this environment by presenting scenarios that learners would face in real-life situations, encouraging them to make decisions that have consequences. The relevance of the situation ensures that learners connect theory with practice, making the learning process more meaningful.

Control-Value Theory

Control-Value Theory, as proposed by Pekrun, suggests that learners’ emotional responses to learning experiences are influenced by their perception of control and the value they place on the content. The CYOA framework allows learners to feel more in control of their learning journey. Since they make decisions that shape the course of the story, they are more likely to feel emotionally engaged and motivated, leading to higher investment in the learning process.

One of the leading figures in the realm of instructional design, Tom Kuhlmann, created the 3C Model, which provides a clear and practical framework for applying the principles of CYOA to instructional design. This model has three key components: Challenge, Choices, and Consequences.

Challenge: The first step in the CYOA approach is to present learners with a challenge. The challenge could take many forms—an issue, a dilemma, or a problem— that requires learners to think critically and analyze the situation. This aligns with constructivist principles, where learners actively engage with the material to construct their understanding.

For example, in a business management course, a learner might be faced with a scenario in which they must decide how to handle a conflict between employees. The challenge should encourage learners to process the situation, consider the available information, and reflect on possible outcomes.

Choices: After presenting the challenge, learners must be given choices. The key to this stage is to ensure that the choices are viable and realistic, representing decisions that could genuinely be made in real-life scenarios. By providing options, learners are forced to apply the knowledge they have learned in a practical and meaningful way.

Using the previous example, the learner could be given three possible ways to address the conflict—one might involve mediation, another might involve implementing new policies, and a third could focus on team-building exercises. Each choice should be grounded in the content being taught, ensuring that learners are exercising critical thinking.

Consequences: Each choice made by the learner will have consequences, whether immediate or delayed. These consequences provide feedback to the learner, either reinforcing their decision or challenging them to think further. This element is critical in the CYOA model because it teaches learners about the consequences of their decisions in a safe and controlled environment. The consequences also keep learners engaged, as they can see how their choices directly affect the outcome.

In the conflict resolution example, choosing mediation might lead to a positive outcome, while ignoring the issue might escalate the conflict. The learner would experience the results of their decision, leading to a deeper understanding of the topic.

I personally find the CYOA approach is not only effective for engaging learners but also reduces the “passive” nature of traditional learning formats. It puts the learner at the center of the experience, encouraging them to take ownership of their learning and make decisions that reflect their understanding.

The benefits of applying the CYOA model in educational contexts include:

Increased Engagement: By allowing learners to actively participate in their learning journey, they are more likely to stay engaged and interested. The autonomy given to learners in making decisions fosters a sense of ownership and agency over their learning, which enhances motivation.

Improved Retention: When learners are presented with decisions and consequences, they process the information more deeply. This deep processing

leads to better retention of knowledge because learners are applying what they’ve learned to realworld scenarios, which improves their ability to recall and use that information later.

Personalized Learning: The flexibility in decisionmaking allows learners to take different paths based on their choices, catering to diverse learning preferences and making the experience more relevant to each individual.

Development of Critical Thinking Skills:

The CYOA model encourages learners to think critically about the situations they face, analyze available options, and predict the consequences of their decisions. This fosters the development of essential problemsolving skills.

I think by integrating the principles of the “Choose Your Own Adventure” approach into modern instructional design, we all can create more dynamic, engaging, and impactful learning experiences. The alignment with educational theories—both cognitive and non-cognitive—makes this approach a powerful tool for fostering deeper engagement, critical thinking, and improved retention. Through the use of challenges, choices, and consequences, learners are placed in realworld scenarios that help them make meaningful connections between what they are learning and how they can apply that knowledge in practical situations.

This approach not only breathes new life into standard topics but also encourages a more interactive, learner-centered environment that is critical for effective adult learning. The potential of the CYOA model in education is vast, and as educational technology continues to evolve, so too will the ways in which we engage learners in meaningful and effective ways.

Campbell Craig is a Melbourne based eLearning Solutions Architect Connect wth him here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/campbellcraig/

IN THE SYSTEM

Mark Gash throws a spanner into the UK government’s AI dream for schools

So, the UK government recently announced its grand plan to future-proof our kids. A new national programme, “TechFirst,” backed by an initial £187 million, is coming to get our children skilled up in AI. Its “TechYouth” initiative aims to reach one million secondary school students, preparing them for the digital economy.

On paper, it sounds fantastic. In practice? Well, let me tell you about my week.

I went into my daughter’s primary schooladmittedly not a secondary school but I’m willing to bet the problem isn’t limited to primary alone - to run a workshop for a class of 8-year-olds. The plan was simple: a fun group session where we’d use generative AI to dream up and create some wild cartoon monsters. I had sites like Freepik and Google Veo ready to go. I was going to be the cool, techsavvy dad.

Except, I wasn’t. When I got there, the classroom’s smart board was so ancient I couldn’t connect my laptop to it. Plan B: we’ll just gather around my screen. Except, Plan B also failed. The school’s internet creaked along at a miserable 28mbps – for context, I’m pulling at least 240mbps at home. We couldn’t even get the AI websites to load. In the end, we broke out the paper and pencils and created characters the old-school way. And you know what? It was brilliant. I ended up taking photos of the kids’ weird drawings and then AI’d them at home to animate them, even writing a cheeky musical ditty that I had Suno render to accompany the showreel.

This whole experience gave me two big takeaways.

First, kids are creative, no matter the medium. Every single brilliant monster came from their own imaginations. They didn’t need an AI to spark a single idea, which is fantastic. It feels like us adults are outsourcing more and more of that initial sparkstage of creativity to AI – we’re so busy or lazy we can’t even be bothered to have an idea, let alone execute it. We have to ensure this laziness doesn’t

filter down to our children and lobotomise them from an early age. I’m happy to report that the class I worked with were perfectly capable of coordinating their brains and hands to create fantastic artwork. There’s still hope!

Second, while I’m an old-school (and just old) creative myself, I know the world is changing. I’ve spent the last three years messing with AI so I can use it as a tool to complement my legacy skills. I fully believe that, as much as kids should be learning how to draw, write, and think with their own brain power, they also need to be learning about AI. They need to discover how it fits alongside their human skills, so they aren’t disadvantaged in their careers and, collectively, we don’t get left behind as a nation.

So it’s wonderful to hear our government wants to launch a national AI skills drive. But the reality I saw with my own eyes is that many of our schools’ tech is verging on obsolete. Their internet is only good for sending emails and maybe watching a blurry YouTube video. How can you roll out a hightech “TechYouth” programme when the basic infrastructure can’t even load a webpage? I once spent a weekend laying a new patio on sand and a muddy excuse for a lawn - 6 months later I had to cover it over with decking. It’s all about the foundations…

Kids don’t need artificial intelligence to create awesome monsters, but our schools desperately need better funding to ensure they can effectively teach the AI skills our government rightly wants them to have. Before we spend millions on ambitious AI programmes, let’s make sure every school has WiFi that works and a smart board made in this decade. If we can get that balance right, our nation might just stand a chance on the global AI stage.

The government’s TechFirst announcement can be read here: http://bit.ly/4ehL9LW

And if anybody wants to see the end result of the improvised monster workshop, click here: https://youtu.be/Evf7iSt65do

ROadMAp to NoWhERe

Sam

Harold says we need to imitate, not emulate.

You’ve seen them everywhere in e-learning: the beautifully designed roadmaps, charting a learner’s journey. They’re visually appealing, a refreshing take on course navigation. But are they truly guiding your learners, or are you inadvertently building a “Roadmap to Nowhere” – a visually impressive yet hollow design that fails to deliver genuine understanding?

Emulation vs. Imitation: A Crucial Distinction

Do you know the difference? We rely on others’ knowledge to navigate our environments and achieve success. “Monkey see, monkey do” is foundational to learning. Individuals witness success and emulate it, hoping for the same results. Seeing someone use a stick to gather food, they might repeat the motions. This focuses solely on the end result, often missing the technique’s true importance.

Imitation learning, however, focuses on the actions themselves. The individual copies behaviour without direct focus on immediate reward. This leads to deeper understanding of actions and environment, a main way humans pass on information.

In e-learning, many designers emulated successful “roadmaps” by simply copying the visual layout, assuming similar engagement. This is emulation – focusing on the attractive result without understanding why it worked. True imitation would involve analysing why that roadmap was effective (e.g., integrated narrative elements, clear progression), then adapting those principles to unique content and audience, not just copying the visual.

Seeking a Destination, Not Understanding the Journey

These learning patterns apply broadly. When observing success, it’s hard not to prioritise the desired end result, to emulate. But this pulls us from context. Failing to understand a process prevents us from truly imitating it.

The ubiquitous roadmap in instructional design is a prime example. While initially successful as a refreshing narrative and visual communication, does it truly blend into your design, or is it just a pretty visual? Are you an emulator or an imitator? Copying the formula doesn’t guarantee success. What worked in one context may not apply elsewhere, especially in an industry of copycats.

Perhaps we miss something vital by prioritising the end result of creative design, not the creative steps to innovation. To capture success, understand it fully by imitating its practice. Avoid adopting designs from results; instead, take inspiration from practice. Otherwise, you risk building a Roadmap to Nowhere.

Shandification: When Learning Becomes the Story

Metaphors and characterisation elevate a story. When a metaphor is used for its own sake, it distracts from the core message, alienating learners. We must learn from emulation’s mistakes. Narratives, visuals, and stories facilitating learning shouldn’t be based on arbitrary past examples. Emulation won’t give us engaged, passionate learners.

Shandification is an internet term referring to when all aspects of a story’s setting are answered within the narrative of that story, so that divide between setting and story dissolve, becoming seamlessly intertwined. The world becomes the story, and the story is the world. In e-learning, Shandification would be when the subject matter and the learning narrative likewise become inseparable. The learning content isn’t just decorated by its story; it is the story, and the setting of that story is intrinsically woven into the learning.

A “Roadmap to Nowhere” is Shandification’s antithesis: a disconnected visual metaphor, distracting and meaningless. It’s a visual for its own sake, not to enhance learning.

This applies to all design elements: badges, progression, characters. If elements don’t blend with the subject, how can learners imitate and achieve deep understanding? How do your learning elements become your narrative?

Imitation limits both designers and learners. We need to achieve true understanding for our learners. Narrative and learning, joined together, uplift experience. Reflect on your subject. Make designs bolster it by asking: Why do learners need this knowledge? What does it facilitate? What are the consequences and benefits? Why learn this? Answers to these questions reveal concepts for blending learning and narrative.

Final Words

No single solution fits all, but the rewards of meaningful learning are life-changing. That is the true purpose of all learning: to upskill our understanding and bestow the power to make a difference.

The path of learning should be one of genuine understanding, not merely a visually appealing but ultimately empty destination. So, what road are you paving for your learners? Are you charting a course for real impact, or are you, perhaps unknowingly, building a “Roadmap to Nowhere”?

Sam Harold is an Instructional Designer and Moodle Developer.

Welcome to my new regular feature!

I’ve never hidden my love for the world’s largest open-source learning management platform, so I figured I may as well steal some space and dedicate it to my passion for all things Moodle. So get ready to enter... The Moodle Playground.

GLOBAL MOODLE MOOT

Thousands of Moodle users (known affectionately as Moodlers) will be heading to the wonderful city of Edinburgh in September this year. The conference runs from 16–18 September 2025, hosted at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre

Tickets are on sale for an early bird price of £595 + VAT (until 30 June 2025), rising to £795 + VAT from 1 July 2025

The 3-day event includes presentations, discussions, workshops, and networking. Expect keynotes from global education and technology leaders.

WHAT’S NEW?

First up, we need to talk about the upcoming Moodle plugin store. That’s right, Moodle is launching a store for plugins where developers (like me) can get paid for their work. It’s set to be called The Moodle Marketplace.

This provides a huge opportunity, not just for Moodle itself but for the entire community. It means plugins will have funding, ensuring their longevity and encouraging innovation, upgrade compatibility, and proper roadmapping. Also, Moodle will take a cut, which puts money into the coffers to support the global project overall.

This year, sessions will be organised across two streams:

• Expanding knowledge

– aimed at higher education

• Evolving skills

– focusing on organisational training

Each stream will cover four topics: Engaging Learners, Social Learning, Design for Tomorrow, and Nurturing Growth. Yours truly will be presenting a session called “Netflix for Moodle: Why User Interfaces Matter.” So it’s almost worth the admission just to see me.

All jokes aside, we know things are expensive these days (that’s why Dirtyword is free). But once you factor in the ticket, the train to Edinburgh and back, hotel, food, drinks, and three days out of the office, it quickly adds up. Even if you’ve got a mate’s couch to sleep on, you’re still looking at the thick end of £1,500.

If you’re new to Moodle, it’s well worth it.

But if you’re a seasoned pro, an experienced developer, or a long-term user, you might want to consider Moodle DACH instead – this year’s Moot doesn’t look especially dev-focused, unlike previous ones.

MOODLE RELEASES

Moodle launched version 5 on 14 April 2025. Version 5.1 is due on 6 October 2025

It wasn’t quite the big splash I hoped for. If it were an iPhone launch, it would’ve been one of those “lite” versions where very little changes – perhaps just the colour of the phone.

That’s not to underplay the work that went into it. A ton of work has been done: bug fixes, UI and

PLUGIN SPOTLIGHT

This issue’s featured plugin is the Learning Map plugin for Moodle. It allows educators to transform course structures into visual, intuitive, and motivating learning paths – and it’s fully compatible with version 5

You can upload an image for your map and place hotspots linked to activities anywhere on the grid. You choose the start and end points of your journey, and learners follow your trail, completing each activity to unlock the next.

It’s genius gamification.

Features include:

Showing the whole map in advance (with unreachable places dimmed)

• Displaying activity titles next to places

• Uncovering the map step-by-step, hiding unreachable places behind fog

• Showing the path the participant took through the map

• Hiding paths from students (dependencies still work)

• Pulse animation for unvisited places

usability improvements, and (as always) better accessibility. But version 5 didn’t bring much innovation. I think Moodle is setting the groundwork by building a solid foundation before rolling out the big stuff.

What does interest me is that both the Chat and Survey modules have been removed from core and are now standalone plugins. Eventually, they’ll likely be phased out. Chat, for instance, might be replaced with something far better – it’d be cool if it linked to Slack or Element, for example. Who knows?

• Hover animation for places

• Hiding the stroke of places

• Checkmarks for completed places

• Using the map as the main course navigation (requires the Learning Map course format)

What I really love is that you can create escape rooms, Goonies-style treasure adventures, campus maps, practically anything you can imagine. Pair this with AI image generation to create beautiful, professional course maps, and you’re good to go. Want to take it even further? Use conditional release (e.g. groups) and the learning journey can differ for different groups of students. You could even give an individual student their own path based on quiz grades.

Imagine that... truly personalised, gamified learning journeys.

This is where Moodle really gets interesting for me. I don’t know of another LMS that offers this level of ingenuity from community developers. Combine that with your own creative madness (or genius), and you can do things that are only possible in Moodle.

See you next issue! - Lew