Here we look at the benefits of AI for elearning content creation, and how imc Express is leading the way as an L&D productivity tool.
Artificial intelligence may be grabbing all the headlines recently, but many companies remain sceptical when it comes to actually implementing text-based AI solutions. The elearning industry is no exception to this, but we shouldn’t ignore the potential benefits of AI within L&D.
The imc Express authoring tool is a leading example of AI being put to good use and has already integrated OpenAI’s GPT technology.
There has been a lot of buzz in the elearning industry surrounding AI. Recent advancements in the field have led some to question the future of human authors and creators of digital training.
As a drafting-aide, AI makes standard tasks much quicker and easier. imc Express, the new authoring tool from imc Learning has integrated OpenAI’s technology under the name ‘Express GPT’ and uses artificial intelligence elsewhere to make elearning content creation as simple and intuitive as possible.
Rapid, Multilingual eLearning Creation
The imc Express product promise is confident and bold: any user can get up and running with the tool in just 10 minutes and become proficient in creating high-quality elearning content within 30 minutes. Thanks to its integrated AI, imc has achieved several industry milestones with imc Express, including the automatic translation of texts into over 60 languages and the meaningful tagging and cataloguing of images through object recognition.
But the AI also makes it possible, for example, to give the tool commands such as “Convert the text into simple language” and “Add more to the text”.
The automated question-answer function is a great feature for users. When you tell Express GPT to “Draw up a list of questions based on the text”, the tool automatically generates logical questions from the text and presents them with both correct and incorrect answer options. This makes it easy for users to test their knowledge and learn new information.
imc Express was created by Oliver Nussbaum, Managing Director of imc Austria. With 25 years of experience in the market, Nussbaum and his team understand the needs of their customers.
They observed that companies are keen to digitise the knowledge their employees have gathered over years. To do this, it’s important that their knowledge carriers themselves can create user-generated content.
Unfortunately, traditional content authoring tools are not suitable for this purpose. They are complex and require expertise to operate. That’s why imc Austria believes that an elearning authoring tool backed by AI is essential. Nussbaum goes on to point out that the failure to adopt the new technology would be a mistake:
“It was clear to us that we needed a tool that everyone could understand quickly and use easily. A strong AI that helps the user and takes care of time-consuming tasks such as translations or layout is an enormous advantage.
Artificial intelligence has become indispensable, even in elearning. Not to use it in the development of new tools would be downright negligent.”
imc Express at Hansgrohe
Since its introduction, imc Express has received positive feedback from customers confirming Nussbaum’s assessment. One such customer, the Hansgrohe Group, a leading global player in the bathroom and kitchen industry, implemented the platform and saw enormous success within six months.
The platform enabled 16 team members from various departments at Hansgrohe to independently create 47 digital training courses on topics such as internal software usage and management-level training. The feedback from Jasmin Gargano, Human Resources IT & Processes at Hansgrohe, has been overwhelmingly positive, with claims that imc Express saves both time and money by not requiring additional training and making it easier for employees to create elearning courses.
Nussbaum points out that the primary purpose of imc Express was to simplify the content creation process for learning and development efforts. The tool was designed to be accessible to subject matter experts without requiring the expertise of learning professionals or elearning designers.
By empowering subject matter experts to create and publish training materials, imc has eliminated the need for time-consuming and often unnecessary approvals from the L&D department, resulting in a successful tactic.
imc Learning’s CEO, Christian Wachter, at Learning Technologies, London 2023:
AI for both quality and quantity?
imc does not believe that tools with artificial intelligence will ultimately make elearning designers obsolete. It recognises that certain training courses which are either of high priority or meant for a large audience will always require the skills of experienced professionals.
This is because the creative aspects of course design, including conception, ideation, and visual design, cannot be replicated by AI in the foreseeable future. However, for the majority of training needs, overly complex elearning solutions may not be necessary or cost-effective.
Suppose you want to post a cell phone photo but it’s a bit too dark. What options do you have?
You could use a filter on your phone, apply an Instagram filter, or edit the photo in Photoshop. The level of effort you are willing to put in depends on the importance of the photo. If it’s just a casual photo, then a simple filter might do.
However, if it’s an important event like a wedding photo, then more effort might be required to get the perfect shot.
Photoshop is a powerful image editing software that offers an extensive list of editing options, giving you the ability to manipulate almost anything in an image. However, beginners may find the software challenging to master. It requires a significant time investment and dedicated practice to become proficient in Photoshop.
The situation with classic authoring tools is similar in that they are designed for experts who are experienced in design and learning methodologies, specialising in the creation of digital training. However, using an Instagram filter doesn’t require a design degree or complex expertise, making it accessible to everyone.
In his view, Nussbaum considers tools such as these and advancements in artificial intelligence as opportunities that can benefit everyone. The efficient use of technology can empower individuals to better express themselves and facilitate effective learning.
On the other hand, elearning initiatives that fail to contribute to growth can be a drain on resources without providing any tangible benefits. Hence, our goal is to prioritise top-quality elearning content, irrespective of its origin, while striving to achieve a balance between quantity and quality.
Learn more about how imc’s innovative authoring tool can boost elearning content creation productivity on the imc Express page of their website.
