AI in Action
AI in Action
Not every tool deserves a place at the table. These ones earned it.
DESIGNER’S STATEMENT
Although I’m intrigued by new things and I enjoy diving into new tools, I also realize that just because it’s new and shiny doesn’t mean it’s the right fit. That said, I also believe that you need to fully understand something to make those kinds of calls. This is likely why I decided to dabble in Chat GPT and the other LLMs when they were introduced, why I jumped into using generative AI to create images for course design early on. Why I started playing with animated videos and adding voiceover scripts to them and why it’s been so much fun to see the tools for these types of tasks getting better and better, and easier and easier to use over time. Why I took the opportunity to participate in the New Mexico State University’s AI Microlearning course when the opportunity was offered. Here’s a project from that experience.
I’ve been collaborating with AI in learning design since before it was a conference theme. Early on that meant generative image creation and animated video scripts. More recently it’s meant partnering with faculty to use LLMs to sharpen learning objectives, identify aligned assessments, and spark critical thinking — and yes, convincing Claude to write genuinely snarky feedback for a gamified Bloom’s Taxonomy experience.
At back-to-back conferences in 2025, employer keynotes landed the same message: AI doesn’t replace expertise — it amplifies it. That’s exactly how I work with it.
The work below is the proof.
AI Powered Learning
A History Of Exploration
The tiles below link to some of what I’ve been up to — AI-generated images for courses, animated overviews, the Genially Game (yes, the Gremlin remarks are all AI-assisted and absolutely earned their place), a Professional Development tool built in collaboration with Claude, and the PowerPoint deck I used to bring colleagues up to speed on what I’d been seeing at conferences.
✓ generative ai images
✓ language exploration
✓ diving into new areas
From Hype to Harmony
A PowerPoint deck created to highlight AI discussions at conferences attended Summer of 2025.
The PAGE Turner
PAGE, the Practice Activity Generator Experience, is an interactive tool crafted with Shawna’s Brain + Claude’s Neurons + Code. Supports Subject Matter Experts with choosing active learning activities
to support lower cognitive level learning!
The Bottega: A VILT AI Apprentice Evaluation
The Bottega started with a simple question: what if the problem with AI adoption isn’t the technology — it’s the story we’re telling about who holds the power in the room? Every design decision in this project flows from that question. I wanted to build something that didn’t just teach AI skills, but changed how experienced professionals see their own expertise in relation to emerging tools. The Renaissance workshop is the answer I landed on.
Leading Remote Teams
A peek into a project under development. In a quest to develop a work sample in Articulate Rise, I thought what better topic than remote leadership. I started working and leading my admin group remotely back in 2020. Although many concepts are not specific to remote work, some carry more impact in a remote environment. Follow my progress as I complete this build. Currently the Modules are templated and Modules 1 – 4 are nearly complete. Let me know what you think!
Vidnoz
A peek into a project under development. In a quest to develop a work sample in Articulate Rise, I thought what better topic than remote leadership. I started working and leading my admin group remotely back in 2020. Although many concepts are not specific to remote work, some carry more impact in a remote environment. Follow my progress as I complete this build. Currently the Modules are templated and Modules 1 – 4 are nearly complete. Let me know what you think!