Welcome to this month’s issue of the Learning Dispatch newsletter.
Today, we’ll discuss:
- Where AI Fits in Learning and Development
- A case study on Converting Mandatory NO FEAR Act Training into an Accessible eLearning Experience
Where Does AI Fit in Learning and Development?
Artificial intelligence (AI) has, for the past several years, been the subject of intense focus on the part of organizations, as leaders have aligned their businesses to lean into AI’s promise of increased efficiency and augmented productivity. It can seem that organizations that don’t fully engage with AI—refocus their businesses around it, make it part of their systems—are sure to be left behind.
At first glance, learning and development might be assumed to follow a similar path and orient itself toward AI, partnering with the tool as the only way to ensure success in the changing business environment.
One Priority Among Many
Yet, as the Association of Talent Development noted in their recently released 2026 State of the Industry report, leveraging artificial intelligence, including generative AI, is not at the top of the priorities of talent development professionals. At 31%, it’s below bridging skills gaps of employees (43%), aligning learning programs to business goals (41%), and creating a culture of learning (34%).
AI, as seen through the eyes of visionaries, may hold the promise of reinventing processes and businesses themselves; as a practical matter, however, training and development professionals, when looking at their area of specialization, often focus on integrating AI into ongoing tasks as appropriate.
Expertise Creates Value
This careful, attentive, and particular approach to incorporating AI offers a distinct advantage to organizations. The power in learning and development in enabling businesses to reach and exceed their goals resides in its people—those instructional designers, trainers, training and development managers, organizational development experts, and training coordinators (among others)—that comprise training departments and groups. It’s their expertise that creates value for the organization, and AI fits best in learning and development when guided by that expertise.
Consider a few examples:
- Course creators can use AI to generate whole courses but, as AI has been trained on existing material, without guidance such courses are often a reconceptualization of what already exists, hardly aligned to the unique needs of learners and the specific organization they are supporting.
- Instructional designers can use AI to generate assessment questions, but those questions often fail—with incorrect assumptions, poor distractors, and simplistic approaches—when placed under the withering glare of subject matter experts.
- Graphic designers can use AI to create images, but those images without correction are often generic, nonsensical, and, in the case of biological diagrams, anatomically impossible.
The key point is that the role of AI in learning and development is a tool to be used under the careful guidance of learning and development professionals. It’s their expertise that brings value to integrating AI into an organization, much in the same way as they bring their skills to analyzing instructional needs, surveying learners, instructing in classrooms, and coordinating events for maximum impact.
Guided Transformation
The use of AI will transform learning and development; however, it may be best thought of as following the same path as other transformative technologies, such as widespread videoconferencing, rapid eLearning authoring programs, and (on the business side) spreadsheets and data visualization tools.
As organizations continue to lean into training to ensure that their people have the knowledge and skills to pursue strategies and achieve business goals, it’s the expertise of learning and development professionals that will enable organizations to be successful. And it’s within that framework, bounded and guided by the experts in the organization, that AI functions most effectively.
Let’s Talk About Your Training Challenges
Do you need learning and development experts, using AI effectively, to augment your training initiatives? Would you like more information about our approach? We’d welcome the conversation.
For more than 35 years, Microassist has operated at the intersection of strategy, procurement, and learning development execution, helping organizations turn training plans into measurable results. Across government, corporate enterprise, and higher education, we’ve seen one constant: technical skill is expected. Real success comes from a partner who understands your environment and can adapt as it evolves.
Need help? Contact Nivarni at [email protected] today to start the discussion.
Case Study: Converting Mandatory NO FEAR Act Training into an Accessible eLearning Experience
What does effective learning and development look like (even without AI)? Consider the recent experience that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights (OECOR) was able to accomplish by partnering with Microassist.
Client
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Through its Office of Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights, CMS delivers mandatory training to ensure compliance with federal civil rights laws, including the Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation (NO FEAR) Act.
Opportunity
CMS OEOCR needed to modernize its NO FEAR Act training by converting an instructor-led, slide-based course into an online format that met Section 508 accessibility requirements.
The training needed to be accessible to all learners, including individuals using assistive technologies, while preserving the integrity and intent of the original instructor-led content. CMS required a training development partner with deep expertise in accessibility testing and remediation to ensure compliance with federal standards.
Solution
Microassist partnered with CMS OEOCR to convert and remediate the NO FEAR Act training into an accessible eLearning course complete with module summaries, learning checks, and a course quiz.
The work included:
- Converting instructor-led PowerPoint content into an online eLearning module
- Conducting comprehensive Section 508 accessibility testing
- Identifying and prioritizing accessibility issues by restructuring content, adjusting layouts, and creating accessible alternatives, where needed
- Ensuring all audio content was properly captioned
- Verifying accessibility using keyboard navigation, color contrast analysis, and screen reader testing
The resulting course preserved the original instructional intent while ensuring it could be accessed and navigated by all learners.
Success Drivers
Successful delivery required careful alignment with multiple accessibility-driven design criteria, including:
- Text alternatives for all non-text elements
- Full keyboard accessibility with visible focus indicators
- Readable content independent of visual styling
- Equivalent alternatives for multimedia and animated content
- Consideration of accessibility limitations within tools
Microassist addressed these criteria through structured design, detailed testing, and clear communication of any tool-related constraints to ensure transparency and compliance.
Results
The NO FEAR Act training was successfully converted and remediated within the defined scope and timeframe:
- Instructor-led content transformed into a fully accessible eLearning course
- Section 508 compliance validated through testing and remediation
- Improved accessibility for learners using assistive technologies
- A compliant training asset supporting mandatory federal requirements
The project enabled CMS OEOCR to confidently deliver accessible NO FEAR Act training to its workforce.
Does Your Organization Encounter Similar Issues?
Many organizations rely on legacy or instructor-led training that does not meet current accessibility standards. If your organization needs to convert, remediate, or validate training for Section 508 compliance, Microassist can help.
Contact Nivarni at [email protected] today to learn how our accessibility-focused training solutions support compliant learning.
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Until next time,
Kevin
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