Intelligence for the people shaping the future of learning.

Instructional design / eLearning Script Writing: How to Write Narration That Sounds Human

A good eLearning script is written for the ear, works with the screen rather than reading it out, and is tested aloud before anyone records it. Here's an eight-step way to write one, with the research behind each step.

10 November 2026 · 11 min read

Careers / Instructional Designer Salary: What the Data Actually Shows

There's no official instructional designer salary. Government wage data and a large practitioner survey show a wide range, set mostly by sector and experience, with corporate roles paying more than universities.

10 November 2026 · 7 min read
Free field guide

25 AI tools for learning design, and how to use them well

Which tool for which job, a prompt to try for each, five role starting kits and a buying checklist.

41-page PDF · Get the free guide →

Learning pyramid / The Learning Pyramid: Where the Famous Percentages Came From

The learning pyramid's retention figures have no study behind them: they began as a folk saying and gained numbers along the way. Its instinct, that learners should do something with what they learn, is sound.

Last reviewed 8 November 2026 · 9 min read

Course design / Online Course Completion Rates: What the Data Says and What Moves Them

The low completion figures quoted everywhere mostly come from free MOOCs and count everyone who clicked enrol. Measure your own course properly first, then fix the start, the length and the fit.

9 November 2026 · 8 min read

Trends / Thinkific Layoffs, Flat Creator Sales and a Move Upmarket

Thinkific cut 96 jobs in September to focus on Thinkific Plus, its offer for larger organisations. Six years of filings show why: creators' sales have stopped growing, and Plus is where the growth now is.

8 November 2026 · 4 min read

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Every platform, scored the same way. In the open.

We build a real course on each platform, and score seven criteria from 1 to 5. Learning design counts for more than business tools.

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Online Learning Trends for 2027: Seven Shifts in the Data

54%

of US college students took at least one course online in fall 2023

NCES

95%

of UK full-time undergraduates use AI in at least one way (2026)

HEPI and Kortext

1.85M

unique credentials on offer in the US in 2025

Credential Engine

US$2.6B

of EdTech venture funding in 2025, against US$20.8B in 2021

HolonIQ