August
22,
2024
AI Tools and Tips for Beginners.
The beauty of AI is that it can be used by anyone, but its potential is realized only by those very skilled in it. In other words, most AI tools have a low barrier to entry and a steady learning curve. Invest a lot of time learning AI, and its benefits will feel limitless.
To illustrate this point, let’s look at the learning curve of another common tool; Excel. Let’s use Excel as an example. Excel has a low barrier to entry; entering data into a row and column, calculating sums is a skill that most folks can learn quickly. The ratio of time investment to effectiveness is low. Excel also has a gradual learning curve, and those who invest a lot of time are rewarded with a gorgeous, color-coded bundle of formulas that produce veritable wizardry.
(Shoutout to Mike Cassady and Micah Green, our resident Excel wizards.)
AI works like that. Low barrier to entry; steady learning curve; investment = greatness. So, how do you start? Specifically, how can learning and development practitioners unlock the power of AI when creating their next project or course? Let’s break it down into a few key tools and explore how we’ve used them on our projects.
The three tools we will explore are:
- ChatGPT
- Synthesia
- Midjourney
ChatGPT
Ya know it, ya love it. ChatGPT is an AI program, created by OpenAI, that can understand and write human-like text. It helps users by answering questions and having conversations on various topics.
I like to think of ChatGPT as my own personal (and very knowledgeable) assistant. As of August 2024, it is likely the best AI tool available today in terms of versatility, accuracy, capability, and usability.
Level-up your verbal content.
I see ChatGPT as an accelerator. Use ChatGPT to improve the syntax and verbiage of content you’ve already written. It will give you many options – alternate ways to say what you’re trying to say.
Have you ever looked at a sentence and felt there’s a better way to express it, but you’re drawing a blank? ChatGPT to the rescue!
My Prompt
Hey ChatGPT, here’s a sentence that I’m trying to improve the flow of. Can you give me 3 options for this?
“When implementing a software change that will influence every employee, these three most common causes for frustration must be considered.”
ChatGPT’s Answer
Sure! Here are three options to improve the flow of your sentence:
- “When implementing a software change that affects every employee, it is essential to consider these three common causes of frustration.”
- “As you implement a software change that impacts all employees, it’s important to take into account these three prevalent sources of frustration.”
- “In the process of implementing a software change that will affect every employee, you should consider the following three common causes of frustration.”
My Prompt
I like option 3, but let’s shift a little bit and pose it in the form of a question. It will be a click-to-reveal slide and prompt the learner to discover these three causes on their own.
ChatGPT’s Answer
Great choice! Here’s a revised version of option 3 posed as a question for your click-to-reveal slide:
- “What are the three common causes of frustration to consider when implementing a software change that will affect every employee?”
At this point, I modify it to suit my preferences. In this case, I found it a bit too wordy, and the part about “every employee” felt redundant since it was mentioned earlier in the course. Therefore, I adjusted it to…
What Are the Three Leading Causes for Frustration When Initiating a Software Change?
Write learning objectives.
Sample Prompt
I am developing a course, and the learning objectives must align with these points. Provide me five options and please use terminology from Bloom’s Taxonomy: Level 2 when creating them.
Takeaway
The points you provide ChatGPT can be crude and segmented; you can “think out loud” as you provide it with enough content to generate an answer.
Write knowledge checks.
Sample Prompt
Help me create a knowledge check question with the following parameters:
- This must be a single-selection, multiple-choice question.
- Two of the distractors must align closely with the correct answer; one of them can be a bit further off.
- Answering the question correctly will demonstrate that the learner has achieved this learning objective.
- Provide customized feedback on why each choice is correct/incorrect.
- Here is the content: When initiating a change in software throughout the entire organization, things that must be considered are response effort, training needs, and providing ongoing support.”
Write a script.
Sample Prompt
Here is a paragraph of on-screen content I have written. Can you create a script for a narrator that will be in the second person? Use a tone that is informative and nurturing. Examples of this can be “It is normal to encounter resistance to technological changes in your workplace, so you’re not alone.”
Takeaway
When it comes to generative AI tools like ChatGPT, the limitations are often determined by the user. If you’re wondering whether ChatGPT can perform a specific task for you, it never hurts to ask!
Here’s what ChatGPT helped me do.
Synthesia
On one of our learning projects, we had some initial discussions with the client and discovered that they really wanted video narration from a facilitator or mentor throughout the series of courses.
They were considering hiring voice talent to do this, but there were logistical and cost concerns. First, the course content would be dynamic. Second, stakeholders would approve only deliverables that were close to the finished product, narration included. That would mean re-recording narration after every review cycle.
Because of these factors, we proposed using Synthesia. It provided video narration while also mitigating the logistical concerns.
After working with our SMEs, we created scripts for the first course with some input from ChatGPT. Then, we brought the scripts over to Synthesia.
Our initial thoughts about Synthesia were:
- The interface is straightforward and felt familiar, especially if you have experience working with video editors and other AI narration tools like WellSaidLabs.
- The inflection and presentation of the avatars, though clearly AI-generated, were in line with what we were looking for.
To reduce that “AI look,” we shrunk the MP4 output and placed it behind a frame that really tied everything together.
Here’s what Synthesia helped me do.
If my situation sounds familiar to you, consider looking into Synthesia. We found that it checked all the boxes.
Midjourney
Like ChatGPT, Midjourney is a generative AI tool that requires the user to provide a prompt. Midjourney uses your prompts to create imagery.
After a few working sessions with our client, we established a general theme for the courses. We were aiming for a sleek feel with a dark palette. Midjourney allowed us to generate imagery that fit within the theme and branding guidelines.
This tool has been a major timesaver when prototyping and creating visual mockups (Have you ever spent hours creating a concept only to have it declined within seconds?)
- In working sessions with our client, we established a general theme for the courses.
- We used Midjourney to create several options that fit the theme and their branding guidelines.
- After they selected their favorite option, we continued using Midjourney to develop more polished images until everyone was happy with the result.
Here’s what Midjourney helped me do.
Using AI on a learning and development project doesn’t have to be hard. The barrier is low, so get started! With creative prompting and a dedication to quality for learners, an instructional designer can produce great content efficiently.
