eLearning

Tools used in Development: Articulate Storyline 360, Articulate Rise 360, Canva, Vyond, ElevenLabs, Venngage, ChatGPT, Midjourney, Google Gemini (Nano Banana)

Time in Development: About 2 months

Client: Colgan Air Services, LLC

My role: Instructional Designer, eLearning Developer, Visual Designer, Subject Matter Expert

Context: Colgan Air Services is a small business, Part 61 flight school that experiences frequent CFI turnover, which can lead to inconsistent onboarding and disruption for students. Many incoming flight instructors are new to teaching or unfamiliar with the Part 61 environment. To improve efficiency and consistency, Colgan prioritized the development of a standardized eLearning course to prepare new CFIs with the foundational knowledge, expectations, and responsibilities needed from day one. 

Challenge: Colgan Air Services faced inefficient and inconsistent training for new CFIs due to the absence of a standardized training process. Most incoming instructors had limited or no experience working in a small business, Part 61 flight school environment, which left them unprepared for Colgan’s unique operational expectations. As a result, CFIs struggled to perform key responsibilities and often lacked clarity around customer service standards, airport security procedures, and administrative duties. These gaps led to repeated issues that required additional time and resources to address. Colgan needed a solution that would streamline training and ensure all CFIs were set up for success from the start.

Solution: To address the training gaps, I designed a self-paced eLearning course that new flight instructors complete asynchronously during their first week. The course uses real-world scenarios, interactive checks, and guided feedback to reinforce expectations, build confidence, and support first-time instructors. It equips CFIs with essential knowledge of Colgan’s procedures, responsibilities, and customer service standards to ensure consistency and professionalism. The course was designed to be efficient, engaging, and accessible fitting into the early stages of CFI training without overwhelming learners.

Results: Initial evaluation of the course focused on Levels 1 and 2 of the Kirkpatrick model, reaction and learning, using a Google Forms survey.  So far, two new CFIs have completed the training and provided early feedback on its effectiveness. Their responses suggest that the course was clear, relevant, and helpful in building understanding of key expectations at Colgan. Performance on knowledge checks and scenario-based activities also indicated understanding of core concepts related to customer service, security procedures, and CFI responsibilities. Although the sample size is small, these early results suggest the training is supporting learner engagement and foundational knowledge development.