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About the AI Learning Lab
The AI Hands-On Learning Lab is a monthly, guided exploration of technology tools with a focus on their AI capabilities. Each session spotlights a specific software and provides learners the opportunity to delve into its distinct AI features through hands-on exploration. The lab will also foster discussions on how these tools can be effectively used across workplace contexts - from getting the job, reducing friction in your workflow processes, and leveling up your learning design.
We will rotate through focusing on an AI tool through one of these three specific lenses:
About Articulate 360 AI
The world of ID is spooked by the positioning of Articulate’s new AI tool: Frontline. At Articuland, the message to executives was loud and clear. Frontline empowers Subject Matter Experts to generate full training kits in seconds without an instructional designer..
When the moon is full and new tech tools go bump in the night, it’s easy to feel like the monsters are winning.
But ignoring the dark doesn’t make the shadows go away. The only way to conquer the AI phantoms lurking in the shadows of your ID workflow is to walk straight into the dark and turn on the lights yourself.
Face your fears and join us for this slightly haunted, fully interactive lab focused exclusively on unmasking Frontline - the "SME Spellbook." We’ll drag the pitch into the light, act like non-IDs, feed Frontline raw SOPs, and test what it actually conjures up. Is it an unfriendly ghost threatening your role, or a friendly ghost taking grunt work off your plate? You won’t just watch a demo - you’ll be the judge.
What We’ll Do in the Lab
1. Open the SME Spellbook (The Setup)
We’ll step into the shoes of an overworked non-ID (a department manager or SME) who needs training now. We'll take a messy, unedited source file—a raw SOP document or a recorded video—and feed it directly into Frontline to see how fast it builds a draft.
2. Conjure the Automated Training Kit (The Execution)
We’ll trigger Frontline’s one-click generation and watch it instantly assemble a multi-format learning package:
Interactive Guides: See how it chunks raw text into step-by-step instructions.
Knowledge Checks: Review the automated quizzes and recall questions it generates.
Quick-Reference Sheets: Examine the summary decks created for instant performance support.
3. Conduct the "Friendly vs. Unfriendly Ghost" Audit (The Evaluation)
We’ll put on our Instructional Designer hats and run a live diagnostic on what Frontline produced to answer the big questions:
- Where it shines: Does it successfully wipe out low-value "order-taking" and tedious formatting tasks?
- Where it fails: Where does it miss critical learning objectives, organizational context, and deep pedagogical design?
- The Verdict: How to present these gaps to SMEs and leadership so they understand why a raw AI draft still requires a human ID to turn it into actual behavior change.
Mary serves as the Vice President of Technology for ATD Central Mass. Currently an instructional designer at Boston Scientific, she holds an M.A. in Educational Technology Leadership from George Washington University and an additional M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages with a focus on adult learners from Teachers College, Columbia University. A technology evangelist and project management professional with extensive experience managing diverse learning and development projects in the northeast, as well as Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Germany, Mary’s interests encompass adult learning, educational technology, task authenticity, learning transfer, competency-based learning, and culturally responsive practices. Her favorite instructional design model is SAM (with Dick & Carey close behind). Mary is particularly passionate about adapting learning design, instruction, and technology to enhance cultural relevance for target audience as well as implementing small moves to address performance gaps.
Capability Model - Technology Application, Lifelong Learning, Future Readiness
