The eLearning Designer's Academy by Tim Slade

Last week at ATD ICE, hundreds of folks got a first look at my new book, The Instructional Design Handbook.

And honestly...seeing people flip through the pages, stop at certain sections, laugh at the “Reality Checks,” point at diagrams, and tell me, “This is the stuff nobody talks about,” was incredibly validating. And that’s exactly why I wrote this book in the first place.

I didn’t want to create another theory-heavy textbook about instructional design. I didn’t want to create another tools-first tutorial book. And I definitely didn’t want to create some AI hype book about how prompts are magically going to solve all your problems.

I wrote this book because our industry is changing rapidly, and after spending time at ATD last week talking with practitioners, freelancers, consultants, vendors, and L&D leaders...I’m more convinced of that than ever.

The tools are changing, the workflows are changing, and the expectations are changing. But the people who are going to thrive moving forward are the ones who understand the parts of instructional design that can’t be outsourced to AI.

Things like identifying the real performance problem beneath a training request. Navigating messy stakeholder conversations. Balancing learner needs with business constraints. Making intentional design decisions. Communicating ideas clearly. Knowing when training isn’t actually the answer in the first place.

The tools will evolve...they always do. But judgment, communication, strategy, and systems thinking still matter...more than ever!

So, this is officially the FINAL WEEK to pre-order the exclusive signed hardcover edition of The Instructional Design Handbook.

Pre-orders close this Friday, May 29th. After that, this limited hardcover version goes away for good!

So, if you’ve been thinking about grabbing a copy, pre-order your copy here: bit.ly/4t3x4aI

Books start shipping in mid to late June!

Have a great week, all!
—Tim

#InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment #eLearning #AI #IDHandbook

4 days ago | [YT] | 41

The eLearning Designer's Academy by Tim Slade

AI is making things faster...but faster isn’t always better. Allow me to explain...

The biggest difference between the instructional designers who will thrive over the next few years and the ones who won’t has very little to do with the tools they use, the prompts they write, or whatever shiny AI thing showed up on LinkedIn this week.

It comes down to judgment.

It’s the ability to make sure you’re creating the right things to solve the right problems. Otherwise, we’re just generating slop at scale.

That’s one of the big things ‪@ErinLewber‬ and I talked about during my recent conversation on her Career Lunch Break podcast.

Whether you’re writing a resume, building training, designing a portfolio project, or trying to figure out your next career move, AI can absolutely help. But eventually, you still have to sit across from a hiring manager, stakeholder, client, or senior leader and explain the work. You have to explain why you made the decisions you made and connect the dots between the problem, the solution, and the result.

That’s where the real value is.

It's not about having the longest list of tools on your resume. It's not about generating more content faster. It's not about posting the obligatory AI-generated infographic to show you know how "AI is changing ID." And it's not about pretending every organization is building futuristic AI learning ecosystems when most teams are still just trying to figure out how to use Copilot to rewrite an email.

We also talked a lot about career transitions and why leaving a job doesn’t mean you’re ending your career. Sometimes you’re just changing the context. Sometimes successful things end. And sometimes the healthiest thing you can do is give yourself permission to say, “I changed my mind.”

So, it was a really fun, honest, thoughtful conversation with Erin. I hope you take an hour today to give it a watch or listen.

Enjoy!
—Tim

#eLearning #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 2

The eLearning Designer's Academy by Tim Slade

So…ATD ICE is next week. Are you going? Lemme know down in the comments! Honestly, I hadn't planned on going. But then I started thinking....

...“Ya know. I just launched my new book, The Instructional Design Handbook. And this conference would be a really great opportunity to promote the book.”

Naturally, my brain immediately went to: “What would Oprah do?”

The answer, of course, is obvious. She’d go and give away as many copies as possible. Like...maybe even 400 of them. 😉

So…stay tuned. I’ve got some big news to share tomorrow. And if you're headed to ATD ICE next week, let me know down in the comments!

—Tim

#eLearning #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment #ATDICE #ATD

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 29

The eLearning Designer's Academy by Tim Slade

Well…today is finally the day. After nearly two years of writing, designing, editing…and honestly, overthinking everything…my new book, The Instructional Design Handbook, is officially available for pre-order! 🎉

The reason I decided to write this book right now is pretty simple…

Learning instructional design is overwhelming.

Between the theories, models, methodologies, and the eleventy different opinions about how things “should” be done, it’s hard to get a clear sense of what instructional design actually is. Then you layer in new tools, new technologies, and, of course, AI…and now it’s not just overwhelming—it’s downright daunting.

At some point, you start wondering where instructional design even begins. Is it the course you’re building? The tool you’re using? The content your SMEs handed you? Or is it something else entirely?

That’s really the problem this book is meant to solve.

Most of what’s out there either lives in theory or focuses heavily on tools and building things. But very little of it actually connects those ideas to what this job looks like in the real world.

So, after 15 years of doing this work...leading teams, building training, working with stakeholders, and running projects...I pulled together what actually holds up in practice and put it into this book.

Inside, you’ll find 10 chapters that walk through the full instructional design process...from understanding the problem all the way through designing and delivering a solution. But more importantly, it’s built to help you actually do the work.

There’s no jargon for jargon’s sake. No theory without context. Just the stuff that actually works.

Each chapter includes pro tips, answers to common questions nobody wants to ask out loud, reality checks to keep you grounded, and AI assists so you can see where AI fits without turning it into the whole job. There are also examples in action so you can see what this looks like when it’s actually being done.

You’ll also find QR codes throughout the book that link to bonus resources, downloads, and videos, along with a full case study that runs from start to finish so you can see how everything connects in a real-world scenario.

Now, for those of you who decide to pre-order, I wanted to do something a little extra.

You’ll get a limited-edition hardcover version of the book, printed in full color on premium paper, with a dust jacket, and personally signed by me. This version is only available during the pre-order window, and once it’s gone, it’s gone.

So, pre-orders are open now through Friday, May 29th, with books shipping in mid-June.

👉 Pre-order your signed copy here: bit.ly/4t3x4aI

I can’t wait for you to get your hands on it! 📕
—Tim

#eLearning #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment #IDHandbook

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 89

The eLearning Designer's Academy by Tim Slade

Tomorrow... we turn the page to a new chapter. Stay tuned! 📕

#eLearning #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment

1 month ago | [YT] | 44

The eLearning Designer's Academy by Tim Slade

For a long time, I've been sitting back and waiting to see an example of how AI could be used to develop a complete course that represents something you'd actually build in the real world.

Not a knockoff of a game show quiz. Not a simple accordion or flip card interaction. But something that could feasibly replace what you'd build in a tool like Rise.

And I gotta say, all of the alarm bells went off in my mind the second I saw Anthropic launch Claude Design...just over a week ago.

So, in my latest experiment with this new tool...which is still in beta by the way...I wanted to see what would happen if you handed it a complete, development-ready storyboard and client style guide. Could it follow along, develop the course, stick to the storyboard, build the interactivity, and match the client fonts, colors, etc.

Well, as I anticipated...it did!

Now, I can't emphasize enough how little work it required from me. I gave it a simple prompt, uploaded the storyboard, gave it the client's brand assets...and it did the rest. I had to make two small technical tweaks, but that was it. It developed click-to-reveal interactions, scenario-based questions, an experiential activity, and a custom menu...all in ~10 minutes.

🔗 So, if you want to see how it all came together, check out my latest video here: lnkd.in/gzfCP3-2

AND...if you need a reason to dive in and give Claude Design a spin for yourself + build a new sample of work for your portfolio + enter to win a $100 Amazon gift card, join our May 2026 Design Challenge!

For this month, your task is simple: Pick one of our past design challenge prompts and create a simple course demo using Claude Design.

🔗 Join the challenge here: lnkd.in/gQKE-5SB

Enjoy!
—Tim

#eLearning #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment #AI #ClaudeDesign #VibeCoding

1 month ago | [YT] | 38

The eLearning Designer's Academy by Tim Slade

So, what happens when you hand Claude Design a complete, development ready storyboard? Can it build a whole eLearning course? Well…

…that’s what we’re gonna find out tomorrow! So, stay tuned to the YouTube channel for when the video lands.

In the meantime, it was really interesting to see the polarized reactions to my video from last week, where I gave my initial impressions of Claude Design…and where I ask if it has the potential to render current eLearning authoring tools as we know them today…dead.

I noticed three groups in the reactions and comments:

1️⃣ On one hand, you have the folks who are all the way down the AI rabbit hole. To them, AI can do no wrong, it’s the solution to every problem, and it’s endlessly amazing.

2️⃣ Then we have the anti-AI crowd. Understably so, these folks are concerned about the environmental and ethical implications of AI…regardless of the use case.

3️⃣ And then we have those who appear to be in complete denial about how much AI is advancing and changing our work. These folks are quick to say, “Nope, it can’t replace authoring tools,” and this is usually combined with some rebuttal about LMS compatibility or token usage…as if it’s 2003 and our free nights and weekend minutes will be a thing for ever.

Here’s the thing: I have complicated and nuanced feeling about AI, authoring tools, and the boxes we put ourselves in with tools, LMSs, course completion tracking, etc. And you should too!

If after paying with AI you don’t walk away with a mixed bag of feelings that include excitement, terror, and confusion…are you really thinking for yourself?

On any given day, my sentiments about AI can fall into one or all three of the groups outlined above at the same time. So, you’re going to see me have different takes on any given day.

I’ll give you an example: I can think Claude Desin is impressive…AND…find it a total waste of time using it to create a knockoff Tetris game. See how that works? That’s nuance. 😉

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk…have a great Monday, all! 👋

—Tim

#eLearning #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment #ClaideDesign #ClaudeCode #AI

1 month ago | [YT] | 18

The eLearning Designer's Academy by Tim Slade

Most portfolios don’t fall short because of bad design. They fall short because there was never a clear reason for what was built in the first place.

Random topic, no real constraints, no actual problem being solved…just something that looks like eLearning. And hiring managers can spot that immediately.

What actually makes a portfolio project stand out is when it feels grounded. There’s a situation, there are tradeoffs, and there’s a clear “why” behind the decisions being made. That’s the difference between something that looks good and something that demonstrates real instructional design thinking.

That’s also why challenges like this matter. You’re not guessing what to build or trying to come up with everything on your own. You’re responding to something with structure, which makes it a whole lot easier to actually finish.

Which is exactly why I’m excited to be part of the 2026 iSpring Course Creation Contest as a judge.

And quick heads up…TODAY'S THE LAST DAY to register.

If you’ve been stuck trying to figure out what to create next for your portfolio, this gives you the structure most people are missing: a prompt, a deadline, and a reason to actually complete something you can show.

👉 Learn more and join here: ispri.ng/DLZnJ

#iSpringStars2026 #InstructionalDesign #eLearning #LearningAndDevelopment

1 month ago | [YT] | 11

The eLearning Designer's Academy by Tim Slade

Can I be honest for a quick sec? Way too many folks around here think instructional design starts when you open an authoring tool.

Articulate Storyline, Rise, PowerPoint...whatever it is. That’s where they think the work begins.

I'm here to tell you bluntly that it doesn’t.

By the time you’re inside a tool building slides, interactions, or modules, most of the important decisions should already be made. What people need to do, why they’re not doing it today, what kind of support will actually help them perform…that’s the real work.

But that part often gets skipped.

Instead, we jump straight into building. We start laying out content, designing screens, choosing interactions, and figuring out whether something should be an eLearning course or an instructor-led session.

And when you start there, you’re not really designing. You’re just producing.

Truth is...instructional design starts long before any of that. It starts with understanding the problem. It starts with defining what success actually looks like on the job. It starts with making intentional decisions about what needs to change and how you’re going to support that change.

That’s why in Week 3 of my 8-Week Instructional Design Certificate Program, we focus on the design process before anything gets built.

We start with action mapping and work backward from a business goal to define what people actually need to do. From there, participants write learning objectives using Mager’s ABCD model and Bloom’s Taxonomy so the level of thinking aligns with real job performance.

Then we evaluate the design using Merrill’s Principles of Instruction to make sure the solution actually supports learning in a meaningful way.

Only after that do we start thinking about modalities, tools, slides, and stuff like that. And even then, those decisions are shaped by real-world constraints. How much time learners have, what technology is available, how complex the task is, what the organization can realistically support, and how quickly something needs to be delivered.

That’s why two people can look at the same problem and design two completely different solutions that both work.

That’s instructional design.

Our Instructional Design Certificate Program is an 8-week, live, hands-on experience designed to help you build that kind of judgment so you’re not just building content, you’re solving real performance problems.

We’re currently enrolling for our Summer and Fall sessions. If you want to learn how to approach instructional design the way it actually works in real organizations, you can learn more and view upcoming dates here:

🔗 bit.ly/4cugk7X

#InstructionalDesign #eLearning #LearningAndDevelopment

1 month ago | [YT] | 3

The eLearning Designer's Academy by Tim Slade

I’ll be the first to say it: If this is an accurate representation of what Claude Design is capable of…then eLearning authoring tools as we know them are dead.

https://youtu.be/t_LBECIQQqs

#eLearning #InstructionalDesign #eLearning

1 month ago | [YT] | 9