Instructional design can often feel like a complex, time-consuming process, especially when developing engaging and interactive eLearning modules. And this isn’t surprising! Instructional designers have specialized training, often completing vocational school or a specialized MA degree to learn pedagogical and andragogical theories, graphic design, eLearning development on one or more authoring tools, and more. Personally, I spent a year completing my IDOL training on my own time while working a full-time job and still wouldn’t consider myself a master in eLearning development.
At Quest Education Group, we’re designing employability modules for students across our video games and cybersecurity programs, a project I recently presented at inspirED, a pedagogy conference organized by FeedbackFruits in Amsterdam. During my talk, I mentioned an efficient method for streamlining this process: leveraging ChatGPT. Since I’ve been asked about it so much in the week following the conference, I decided to write this blog post about my method!
By creating a structured approach and providing clear prompts, I’ve empowered our career services team (what we’d call SMEs, or subject-matter experts in instructional design jargon) to independently contribute to the development process without requiring in-depth training in pedagogy. Here’s how I did it, broken down step-by-step, and how you can apply these principles to your own projects.
1. Establish a Generalizable Structure
The first step in streamlining instructional design is to create a clear, repeatable structure. For our employability modules, we developed two separate templates/themes for these modules—one for video games and the other for cybersecurity. Every module aims to help students achieve 4 learning outcomes (which we defined before the project was approved), and the language and theme of the modules were chosen to appeal to the students.
As you can see from the two screenshots below, the Gaming Campus version is a retro gaming template, with a little pixelated avatar who directs the learner through the content and knowledge checks; the Guardia Cybersecurity School version uses a “guardian” guide character (fun fact: I generated her using ChatGPT!) to help students reach the learning outcomes.
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The structure of all content within the modules is also generalizable:
- An introduction: Sets the stage and engages the learner with the theme of the module.
- Four main levels: Corresponding to the learning outcomes, each level focuses on a specific skill or concept.
- A conclusion: Summarizes the learning and introduces the summative assessment.
- Progress markers: Provide motivational feedback at key milestones.
This structure ensures consistency across modules while leaving room for customization based on the subject matter. It also simplifies the process for SMEs, who can follow a clear framework without worrying about reinventing the wheel for each module.
2. Prompting Structural Elements
Once the structure was established, the next step was creating prompts that guide SMEs through generating content. These prompts are tailored to produce specific outputs, from level titles to interactive content ideas, and even learner-centric learning outcomes. Here’s how we approached each step:
Naming Levels with Thematic Language
Each module uses a thematic tone to engage learners. For example, gaming language for video game students and “guardian” language for cybersecurity students. The prompt for naming levels asks ChatGPT to craft creative, theme-aligned titles based on the module’s learning outcomes. Especially since the Gaming version is in French while the Guardia version is in English, it was unlikely that a single member of the employability team (native French speakers) or myself (a native English speaker) would be able to be perfectly creative and native-sounding in both languages. ChatGPT sounds native no matter which language, so here is how I simplified this process and automated creativity.
Example Prompt (Gaming Campus):
“I’m working on an eLearning module about employability in French. The title is: Rédiger une lettre de motivation convaincante. The content should appeal to students preparing for careers in the video game industry. Could you provide titles for an introduction, conclusion, and four levels, using corny gaming language in French?”
Rephrasing Learning Outcomes for Engagement
Instead of presenting learning outcomes as dry statements, we reformulate them to be learner-centric, emphasizing what the student will achieve and why it’s important.
Example Prompt:
“Could you translate these learning outcomes into short, active, learner-centric phrases in gamer language, each including an explanation of its importance?”
Writing Introductions and Conclusions
To hook learners, each module begins with a short, engaging introduction and concludes with a motivational recap. For gaming students, we use pixelated avatars with gaming-style language, while cybersecurity students meet their guardian guide.
Example Prompt (Gaming Campus):
“Could you write a three-slide introduction in French, using gaming language, that fits into a Genially module? The introduction should set the stage and include a reference to the video that follows.”
Generating Progress Bar Phrases
Progress markers provide motivation and reinforce learning at regular intervals. These are tied to the completion percentages (10%, 30%, etc.) and reflect what the student has accomplished so far.
Example Prompt (Guardian Theme):
“Could you write short, motivational phrases for progress bar slides at 10%, 30%, 50%, etc., in English with a guardian theme?”
Once all of this structural content was generated, it was very easy for myself or the employability team to copy and paste this new language into the templates I created at the beginning of the project. All of the modules have the same structure not just to simplify the eLearning development, but also so students get used to this kind of online learning, know where to click and what to expect from each new module.
3. Enabling SMEs to Generate Interactive Content
Interactive content is the heart of effective eLearning. Instead of relying solely on instructional designers, SMEs can use ChatGPT to brainstorm and produce interactive activities aligned with learning outcomes. With enough examples and help (and of course with very simple eLearning like this), SMEs can actually play an integral role in designing the learning experience! For example, with the following prompt:
Example Prompt for Interactive Content:
“For the learning outcome ‘Analyze a job posting to identify skills and qualifications,’ could you recommend 4-5 interactive content ideas tailored to beginner learners? Then, provide detailed content for the one I choose.”
The key to success in this approach lies in breaking down the process into manageable steps with clear prompts. SMEs don’t need to be instructional design experts; they simply follow the guide, input relevant information, and refine the outputs. This not only saves time but also ensures that the content is grounded in the SME’s expertise while adhering to pedagogical best practices.
4. Ensure Quality Through Validation
While ChatGPT can produce impressive outputs, human oversight is essential. Once SMEs have completed their drafts, the instructional design team reviews the content for coherence, engagement, and alignment with learning objectives. This collaborative process ensures the final product is both effective and polished.
Conclusion: A Collaborative Approach to Instructional Design
By leveraging ChatGPT, we’ve transformed the way we approach instructional design at Quest Education. The structured process, combined with tailored prompts, empowers SMEs to contribute effectively while maintaining high pedagogical standards. This method not only speeds up content creation but also fosters collaboration and innovation.
A few short tips about my prompts:
- I chose to prompt in English, even if the output was in French. After much experimentation, I noticed that ChatGPT responds better to my English-language prompts. Perhaps this is because it is my native language, but I think it’s also because its database is likely larger in English and it was programmed and tested primarily by English-speakers.
- You may not see it in the excerpts I provided in this post, but my prompts are always polite. I’ve noticed that ChatGPT does a much better job when you thank it for doing a good job, and aren’t rude if it doesn’t perform as you expect. It’s like an intern—be gentle!
- ChatGPT is not yet very good at generating relevant documents or images for these courses. In the one on LinkedIn, I was able to get it to generate example profile pictures of a fictional student, but I haven’t had much luck for generating fictional job ads. Even the Guardian guide required an insane amount of prompting—the system kept sexualizing her, and when I asked for a less sexualized character, it would often just generate a man…
Whether you’re designing modules for employability, technical training, or any other topic, this approach can be adapted to suit your needs. With a clear structure and targeted prompts, you can make instructional design accessible, efficient, and impactful.
How have you used AI tools like ChatGPT to streamline your workflows? Share your insights and tips in the comments!