portfolio example
Training Facilitation eLearning
Many Training Specialists move into L&D with strong teaching backgrounds—but not always the facilitation strategies needed for adult learners.
I designed this story-driven eLearning experience to help trainers connect their instincts as educators with the principles that actually shape adult learning.
- Audience: Training Specialists
- Responsibilities: Instructional Design, eLearning Development, Visual Design, Storyboard, Mockups
- Tools Used: Articulate Rise, Adobe Illustrator, Mindmeister, Canva
The Challenge
Trainers who lack fluency in adult learning principles often struggle to engage learners, maintain psychological safety, or guide discussions with intention.
That shows up in two ways:
- Facilitation quality dips, which is reflected in evaluations, coaching feedback, and performance reviews.
- Learners disengage, limiting comprehension, confidence, and long-term skill growth.
Through discussions with Training Specialists and L&D managers, it became clear that this wasn’t an effort problem; it was a skill and application problem. Trainers needed a way to practice facilitation decisions, not just hear about them.
So I proposed a story-driven eLearning course built around realistic facilitation scenarios and branching choices.
Mapping the Work (Action Map)
Working closely with Training Supervisors as my SMEs, I began by digging into the real dynamics of the Training Specialist role—the responsibilities they hold, the facilitation moments that consistently trip them up, and the expectations they’re measured against.
Those conversations revealed something important: trainers weren’t lacking motivation; they were lacking clarity and structured practice.
The action map helped translate all that nuance into something teachable. It clarified what mattered most, surfaced the facilitation challenges that needed attention, and highlighted the gaps in practice that were showing up on the floor.
Three real-world applications emerged—recurring moments where facilitators struggled and where stronger decision-making could make an immediate difference. Those three moments became the narrative backbone of the course and the foundation for the storyboard.
Bringing the Story to Life
With the action map in place, I began shaping the text-based storyboard. This is where the three key facilitation scenarios came to life. Each scenario gave learners a bit of context, then invited them to choose how they’d respond, mirroring the kinds of decisions Training Specialists make when a lesson goes off-script or a group isn’t connecting.
I incorporated common distractors (the ones trainers stumble over without realizing it) to help learners see why certain habits weren’t aligned with adult learning principles.
And because relevance drives engagement for adult learners, I anchored each scenario in stories and characters that felt familiar, reflecting the real personalities, behaviors, and dynamics trainers navigate every day.
The storyboard became a rapid-iteration tool. SMEs could react to the choices, adjust tone or pacing, and refine the scenarios so they aligned with real performance expectations. With each iteration, the story tightened and the learning applications became clearer.
Designing the Look and Feel
Once the narrative was locked, I shifted into visual design. I knew the course needed to feel immersive, modern, and grounded in the learner’s world. I pulled inspiration from visually rich courses, like Teresa Moreno’s stunning example, and used that as a springboard.
I customized vector graphics in Adobe Illustrator to match the organization’s brand palette, played with layouts that blended full-screen visuals with color-blocked moments, and refined spacing and typography to guide attention.
The result was a cohesive visual system that supported the story without overwhelming it, helping learners stay focused on the facilitation choices that mattered.
Building the Interactive Experience
In Articulate Rise, I wove the story, visuals, and interactions into a smooth, learner-centered experience. This phase was highly iterative as well; early builds helped SMEs test the flow, pacing, and clarity of the decision points. I refined transitions, adjusted feedback sequences, and polished the overall learning arc until it felt seamless.
I also designed a set of downloadable handouts in Canva. These resources extended the learning beyond the course—structured, branded, and easily referenced by trainers during live facilitation. Rise made it easy to weave the handouts into key moments, giving learners support exactly when they needed it.
Impact, Insights, and What I’d Do Again
This project reinforced how powerfully visuals shape a learner’s emotional and cognitive experience—especially in story-driven learning. It pushed my Adobe Illustrator skills forward, helped me streamline my color-customization workflow, and deepened my understanding of how Rise can be elevated through thoughtful narrative and design systems.
Most importantly, it created a space where Training Specialists could practice the facilitation choices that matter most—without the pressure of a live room.