Turn images into learning insights
L&D professionals perform the meaningful work of ensuring that members of an organization have the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. Their efforts mirror those of professional learning experts in K-12 schools and higher education teacher development centers. This work can be extremely rewarding when your learning initiatives lead to meaningful improvements for your employees, your team, and your organization.
Instructional designers must continually develop their skills while working under design time pressures in all educational and workplace settings. As technology evolves, L&D professionals are expected to adapt quickly and integrate new tools and approaches into their workflows. Innovations in artificial intelligence bring both the challenge and the opportunity to learn new systems while leveraging tools that improve efficiency and expand creative possibilities. L&D professionals are increasingly exploring ways that AI can support the instructional design process while keeping human expertise front and center.
Large-scale language models (LLMs) are more than just text tools. They are increasingly able to interpret visual input such as photos, diagrams, and screenshots, the materials that instructional designers have already created throughout the design process. These new image capabilities provide an opportunity to rethink design workflows and use visual artifacts to accelerate instructional thinking. Here are eight practical ways L&D professionals can start using images in their LLMs today.
8 ways to use images in LLM
1. Whiteboard and flipchart
Whiteboards and flipcharts often record brainstorming during workshops, subject matter expert (SME) meetings, and design sprints. Uploading photos of these notes to LLM will help you interpret the ideas generated during the collaborative sessions.
LLM helps you identify themes, extract action items, and suggest potential learning objectives based on your notes, helping your team move efficiently from brainstorming to structured design decision-making.
Example prompt
Analyze this whiteboard image used in a design meeting. Identify key themes, possible learning objectives, and action items that can inform the instructional module.
2. Notes and diary pages
Design ideas often start with handwritten notes or rough sketches. Photos of notebook pages can help you transform your initial thoughts into structured design steps.
LLM can help you organize your notes into learning objectives, generate ideas for assessment, and outline module structures. As with any conceptual work supported by AI, designers must validate their output against trusted sources. Additionally, asking important questions of AI about its inferences, sources, and assumptions is an important skill to use responsibly. [1].
Example prompt
Analyze these handwritten notes and organize them into potential learning objectives, key concepts, and short training module summaries.
3. Draft a storyboard or lesson plan
Initial design work often includes sketching storyboards, module flows, or sticky note planning boards. By photographing these drafts, designers can engage LLMs to refine early concepts.
LLM helps identify gaps, suggest learning interactions, and suggest assessment ideas, allowing designers to iterate faster.
Example prompt
Review this storyboard sketch and suggest additional learner interactions, assessments, or content elements that could enhance the learning experience.
4. Existing course or learning interface
Instructional designers frequently review existing learning materials when planning new modules. You can upload screenshots of your course pages or training interfaces to LLM to analyze design patterns.
The LLM helps identify strengths and weaknesses in areas such as cognitive load, accessibility, navigation, and interaction design, supporting improvements in future course iterations. Evaluating existing course materials also helps designers think beyond traditional question formats toward more interactive learning experiences.
Example prompt
Evaluate this screenshot of your course module to identify potential improvements related to clarity, cognitive load, accessibility, and learner engagement.
5. Real-world objects and processes
Photographs of concrete elements help transform real-world observations into educational content. L&D professionals often work with concepts that are rooted in physical processes, tools, and environments. Images of equipment, workplace procedures, safety signs, or operational tasks can help designers identify important concepts and procedures to emphasize in digital learning materials.
Once these images are uploaded to LLM, the model helps identify educational themes, associated terms, or possible learning objectives related to what appears in the images. This process helps designers translate real-world observations into structured units of instruction that support a clear understanding of a topic.
Example prompt
Examine this image to identify important concepts, steps, or terms that you can learn from this example. Suggest possible learning objectives related to the content shown.
6. Physics teaching materials
Many subjects have traditionally been taught using physical models, posters, or demonstrations. Photographs of these materials help designers translate hands-on learning experiences into digital format.
For example, from images of anatomical models, engineering drawings, or laboratory setups, LLMs can suggest ways to recreate these experiences through digital simulations, visuals, or interactive modules.
Example prompt
We review this image of a physical teaching model and suggest ways in which this concept can be translated into engaging e-learning interactions and digital learning activities.
7. Actual working environment
Photographs of real working environments can support the development of scenario-based learning. Images of spaces such as hospital rooms, construction sites, office workstations, and manufacturing sites provide valuable context about the environments in which employees work.
When LLM analyzes these images, it helps designers generate realistic scenarios, decision-making exercises, or safety situations that reflect real-life situations that learners might encounter in their roles.
This approach lends itself to on-the-ground training in a real work environment and strengthens the relevance of learning activities.
Example prompt
We analyze this image of the workplace and suggest realistic training scenarios and decision-making situations that could occur in this environment.
8. Data visualization or reporting
L&D teams frequently review dashboards, findings, and evaluation reports when assessing learning effectiveness. Screenshots of these visualizations can be used as input for LLM analysis.
LLM can help you interpret patterns in your data and suggest potential training priorities, instructional improvements, or learning interventions.
Example prompt
Analyze this training evaluation dashboard and suggest possible instructional improvements or new learning interventions based on the trends you see in the data.
conclusion
LLM does more than just process text. Images represent another powerful input that can support instructional design workflows. By analyzing photos, diagrams, and visual artifacts from the design process, LLM helps L&D professionals interpret ideas, generate scenarios, refine teaching strategies, and identify opportunities for improvement. These developments build on a growing body of work exploring how AI can support instructional design, learning activities, and tutoring interactions while keeping human expertise at the center of the process. [2].
As with any emerging technology, responsible implementation is key. L&D leaders must also ensure that ethical considerations, transparency, and accountability remain part of AI integration in learning environments. When used thoughtfully, these visual features can help designers move more efficiently from idea to implementation while enhancing the quality of the learning experiences they create.
References:
[1] 5 questions to ask all AI users, from students to professionals
[2] 10 human-centered ways to use LLM in live tutoring
