Rethinking how to build courses with AI
Course creation workflows are the act of balancing creativity and efficiency. In addition to creating engaging learning content, it also manages deadlines, small business input, and manager comments.
How can an educational designer find the right balance? The truth is that you don’t need more instructions or software. There must be fewer obstacles between concepts and delivery. So AI tools can help accelerate content generation and formatting. This will allow you to focus on designing your learning experience and working with stakeholders.
This article shows you how to combine Microsoft Copilot, PowerPoint, and Ispring suites into a smooth, repeatable workflow. Generate content and convert rough outlines into usable slide decks, building SCORM-enabled courses faster than ever.
Step 1: Use Copilot to generate content that makes sense
Microsoft Copilot is an AI assistant for PowerPoint and Word, which helps you overcome the problem of blank slides, especially when you need an outline to start the process. Like other AI tools, they work best when used with educational intent.
Open the word document and click on the Copilot icon to begin the AI-supported brainstorming process. Provide a concise and focused prompt to get a usable structure that saves time in your prepayment planning.
Example prompt: “Create an outline of the 15-minute compliance training module on data privacy best practices.”
The co-pilot immediately suggests:
Clear Title Slide Sections 4-5 Sections with logical flows to support bullet points for each section
Pro Tip: Provide Copilot with some important concepts, explain tone preferences, and provide policy documents for the companies you want to collaborate with. It handles complex information well.
Step 2: Polish and organize your slides with PowerPoint
Once Copilot gives you a starting point, let the ID skill work.
PowerPoint is the perfect place to start this process. As long as it is treated like a foundation rather than a final product, it is flexible, familiar and perfect for visual sequencing. Improve language, clarify messages, and shape visual flow.
Please note:
Slide balance. Make sure the content is easy to scan and the text is not overloaded. flow. Each slide must logically follow the previous slide. Redundancy. Don’t repeat the same idea throughout the slide. visual. Supports messages using related images.
Start with PowerPoint’s designer tools and quickly apply clean, accessible layouts to your slides. This saves time in formatting and helps keep your visual style consistent. For slides with lots of content, try using the Section Zoom feature to split them down and create a nonlinear structure that allows learners to explore the content in any order.
Use Copilot in PowerPoint to rewrite a particular bullet for clarity, simplify long sentences, or generate analogies and examples to illustrate complex ideas. You can also adjust the tone with prompts such as “Make this slide more conversational” or “Rewrite this content for a C-level audience.”
Copilot can also suggest icons, layouts, and formats, but applying visual hierarchy and accessibility best practices is still your job. Use contrast, spacing and high quality visuals to support learning. Do not focus on the decoration of the slides.
Pro Tip: Treat your slide deck as a course script. Before adding interactions, include everything you need to clearly present your message.
Step 3: Build your course in the Ispring suite
For a major change now. The ISPring Suite Authoring tool allows you to turn your PowerPoint deck into a structured SCORM-compliant e-learning course with built-in features such as quizzes, audio, branching and more. There is no need to leave the PowerPoint interface. This tool acts as a fully integrated add-in.
Here are the main ways to achieve AI-ASSISTED decks in the ISPring suite:
Add quiz and ratings
Create using ispring quizmaker.
Multi-selection and true/fake quiz scenario-based questions drag and drop activities, etc.
ISPring Suite offers 14 question types that help you build intensive assessments that suit your content and audience’s learning needs.
Pro Tip: Flexible grading settings allow you to control the entire knowledge checking process. Assign points, set score pass, allow partial credits, and customize feedback to enhance learning after each trial.
Record a voiceover or use a speech from the text
Add audio to the course to support auditory learners. you can:
Record narration directly in ISPring uploaded audio files
TTS is a useful timekeeper. With a few clicks, select audio, adjust pacing, and fine-tune the pronunciation of complex terms. It is also a great option if you want to localize your course for international learners. This feature supports over 30 languages, each with a natural voice.
Add interaction and navigation options
Make your content more attractive:
Clickable infographic tabs and timeline branching scenarios based on learner decisions
Pro Tip: One interaction properly placed per section helps you engage and retain it. However, too many can distract learners from the content.
Customize player settings
You can select the ispring suite course player.
Color and branding for slide-based or scroll-style navigation settings (linear vs. free) for a more refined look
Pro Tip: To make courses accessible to learners with special needs, enable Accessibility Mode. This allows you to adjust screen reader navigation and formatting, simplify slide layouts, and support keyboard-only access. Provide a WCAG-compliant experience without changing content.
Once your course is ready, publish it to any LMS or create an SCORM file from the course content and distribute it elsewhere.
Example workflow: 60 minute compliance course
Imagine building an hourly course on workplace ethics for new employees.
Create a 10 slide outline using Copilot and extend it to 1-2 slides with bullet points that support each point. Improves the structure and visuals of PowerPoint (total of 20-25 slides). Import content into ispring suite: Add 3 knowledge checks Use speech from text in narration to insert branching scenarios for reporting fraud
Estimated development time: 6-8 hours instead of 12-16.
Pro Tip: ISPring Suite Max allows you to create online courses using AI in your browser. Open a new project and click the ispring AI icon to start generating content or quiz.
Common pitfalls in creating AI courses and how to avoid them
Note that AI can be efficient, but it’s not perfect. Here are some common pitfalls and easy ways to avoid them as an educational designer.
It’s too dependent on AI. Avoid writing your entire course in Copilot. The language is often common, requires heavy correction and can contain de facto errors. Your role is to bring the voice of education and the focus of learners. Always modify it for clarity, tone, accuracy, and audience. Ignore your learning goals. Just because AI gives you structure doesn’t mean it’s educationally sound. Revisit your goals and adjust content and flow as needed. Overlooks the context of the delivery. AI can help you create generic content, but you don’t know how to deliver learners, platforms, or courses. Make sure your pacing and format matches your delivery settings, whether it’s a mobile LMS or mixed classroom. Slides that often read on the desktop may not work on phones or branch modules.
Final Thoughts
AI is not here to replace ID expertise. It helps to speed up parts that usually slow you down, such as blank slides, first drafts, quiz formats. This workflow allows you to control it while giving you a meaningful head start. Try it, test different prompts, adjust your course creation workflow, and tailor it to your goals and learners.
ispring Suite
An all-in-one software solution for creating versatile learning content and teamwork in your e-learning projects. Very easy to use; no coding or design skills required.
