TW  ·  COURSE 001
~ 4 min read Book intro

Instructional design, now AI-accelerated.

How to take this course
  1. This briefing takes approximately 4 minutes to complete.
  2. Select Begin Module 01 below to advance.
  3. Each module builds on the last — take them in order.
Duration ~4 minutes
Modules Six
Level All audiences
Updated Continuously
Begin Module 01 ↓
By Tom Washam Course format · 4 min read
Module 01  ·  Learning Objectives ~40 sec

By the end of this briefing, you will be able to:

Every project I take on begins with objectives. It seems only fair that the introduction to my practice begins the same way.

  • Evaluate whether I'm the right fit for your project.

    You'll have a clear sense of how I work, who I've worked with, and the kind of problems I'm built to solve.

  • Understand my approach to learning design.

    Not the buzzwords — the actual, specific way I move from brief to finished course in a way that changes behavior.

  • Take the next step with confidence.

    If we're a fit, you'll know exactly what to do next. If we're not, you'll have saved yourself a call.

Module 02  ·  Meet Your Instructor ~50 sec
TW
Portrait of Tom Washam
This is what AI thinks I look like
Tom Washam · Chicago

Twenty years building training for companies that can't afford dead-weight eLearning.

I'm a senior instructional design consultant based in Chicago. I came up as a graphic designer (WIU, '09) before an MS in Instructional Design & Technology bent the craft toward learning.

Since 2015 I've led the development of 250+ corporate training courses for Mars, Uber, iHeartMedia, 7-Eleven, Wesco, and others — from full eLearning series in four languages to single-minute explainer videos. I ship fast, I respect your budget, and I insist that training is actually worth the learner's time.

250+Courses
shipped
20yIn the
craft
12+AI tools used
for training
Module 03  ·  The Thesis ~30 sec
Corporations don't measure outcomes.

“Completion rates are a vanity metric. What matters is whether behavior actually changes on Tuesday morning.”

Module 04  ·  Case Studies Five lessons · click any to open
United Nations multilingual community policing training
01·2018

Community policing training, built for the United Nations.

United Nations · IOM

A multilingual awareness training for learners in remote, low-bandwidth regions — partnered with the International Office of Migration and localized for the context on the ground.

Open lesson
United Nations multilingual community policing training
United Nations — Multilingual community policing · 2018

Challenge

Raise awareness around community policing for learners across Iraq, many of them in remote or underserved locations with limited connectivity.

Approach

Partnered with the UN's International Office of Migration to design a low-bandwidth, multilingual eLearning build — context-appropriate visuals, short episodes, offline-friendly delivery.

Outcome

A learning experience that actually reached the people it was made for — regardless of device, language, or bandwidth.

iHeartMedia Try It Now training interface
02·2023

The Game Center at iHeartMedia.

iHeartMedia, Inc.

Eight gamified training courses with leaderboard mechanics, plus three explainer videos for the Learning Center launch.

Open lesson
iHeartMedia training module — scenario view iHeartMedia training module — interactive quiz
iHeartMedia — Game Center · 2023

Challenge

Internal training was tolerated, not loved. Completion rates were fine. Retention wasn't.

Approach

Built a "Game Center" layer on top of eight courses — leaderboards, scoring, cohort dynamics — so the motivator wasn't the LMS.

Outcome

Training went from a box-check to something employees talked about. Launch videos seeded the cultural shift.

Andersen Windows certification training
03·2021

25+ course certification for Andersen Windows.

Andersen Windows

A multi-year certification curriculum built for contractors, builders, and architects — 25+ eLearning courses covering industry best practices and product recommendations.

Open lesson
Andersen Windows certification training
Andersen Windows — Certification training · 2021

Challenge

Andersen needed a broad product-channel certification program to educate contractors, builders, and architects on best practices — at scale, across many stakeholder groups.

Approach

Designed and developed 25+ eLearning courses end-to-end, managing the full lifecycle from design through implementation across multiple complex learning projects.

Outcome

Delivered the certification curriculum ahead of schedule. Per the client's own feedback: "Tom provided his unique skill set and the additional resources needed to deliver this certification training ahead of schedule."

Microsoft Teams launch explainer videos
04·2019

Introducing Teams at Microsoft.

Microsoft

A series of explainer videos rolled out to introduce Microsoft Teams — fast, on-brand, and built to land with employees who'd never heard of it before launch.

Open lesson
Microsoft Teams launch explainer videos
Microsoft — Teams launch explainers · 2019

Challenge

Microsoft needed to introduce Teams to a workforce that hadn't yet adopted it — quickly, clearly, and across multiple internal audiences.

Approach

A set of short explainer videos with motion-graphic walkthroughs and clean voiceover, designed to translate the value of Teams without burying it in feature lists.

Outcome

A launch-ready video kit that helped internal communicators land the message on day one — not three rollouts later.

7-Eleven employee reference manual on a laptop
05·2017

A field manual for 7,000+ stores.

7-Eleven, Inc.

A 100-page employee reference manual designed for use across more than 7,000 store locations — built with internal SMEs to translate operations into something staff could actually use.

Open lesson
7-Eleven employee reference manual on a laptop
7-Eleven — Employee reference manual · 2017

Challenge

7-Eleven needed a single reference manual that would work consistently across thousands of franchise and corporate locations — each with different staff, tenure, and reading habits.

Approach

Partnered with an internal team of SMEs to design, develop, and deliver a 100-page learning tool: visual hierarchy first, dense reference second, no wall-of-text pages.

Outcome

A field-ready manual deployed to 7,000+ store locations as the working operations reference.

Module 05  ·  Knowledge Check One question · not timed

Pop quiz, hot shot.

"A client asks for a 45-minute compliance training deck by next month. What's your first move?"

Module 06  ·  Completion — · —
Briefing complete

You've been
briefed.

If what you just read sounds like how you want your next training project to go — the next step is a 20-minute call. No deck. No pitch. Just a conversation about what you're trying to do.

Enroll
Email Tom directly → Download the resume ↓