Competence comes from practice.

Scenario-based eLearning, blended programs, and AI coaching for multilingual, multi-site workforces.

Instructional Systems Design · Learning Experience Design · Enablement

Daria Sur, instructional designer, in her workspace in Napa, California.

Competence doesn't come before opportunity. It comes from it. The hardest moments at work shouldn't be the first time someone faces them: a tough performance conversation, a situation that's escalating, a safety call at sea.

I rebuilt my career in a new country and a second language. Confidence came from practice, not from waiting until I was ready.

Now I design that practice for others: scenario-based eLearning, blended programs, and AI coaching for teams across multiple sites, 9 countries, and 8 languages.

EdD in progress, Northeastern · M.A. Teaching, Mills College Daria Sur | Instructional Systems Designer

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AI PERFORMANCE SUPPORT

Gotchoo app

An AI coach for navigating U.S. workplace communication

Originally built as Cultural Compass for international specialists relocating to the U.S. for a global automotive manufacturer. It maps home-culture communication styles to U.S. norms, then gives users scripts to use and challenges to rehearse. After the pilot, I rebuilt it as gotchoo, a standalone web app for any new international hire.

Client: Multinational automotive manufacturer

Pilot Results: 35 of 50 pilot users applied a script in real meetings

BEHAVIORAL & COMPLIANCE TRAINING

Workplace Violence Prevention eLearning

Tools: Articulate 360 Rise, Anthropic Claude, Veo 3.1., CypherWorx LMS
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Staff had a required prevention plan but needed to act on it in seconds, often with children in the room. With the Safety team and HR, I designed a 25-minute course built around one judgment call: is this a warning sign or workplace violence, and what do I do next?

Built: 5 lessons, 2 branching scenarios, 11 knowledge checks

Partners: Safety team, Human Resources

Result: 2× completion rate; 40% less time to complete.

CAPABILITY DEVELOPMENT

Growing Together: Rolling Out Leadership Competencies

Tools: Claude Design, Canva, Veo 3.1., Powerpoint, LMS Administration, ADP

A blended program that turned a new leadership competency framework into goals staff actually write, track, and talk about. Every piece ends in the same place: one real goal, tied to a competency and ready to enter in ADP.

Client: An early education network | 50 sites, ~800 staff

Built: Workshop series, microlearning, resource guide, ADP

Tablet screen displaying a module on SMART goals with color-coded labels for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound, along with example content for goal setting.

Skill Up: A Community of Practice for Workplace Reskilling

TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION · ADDIE & AGILE

Tools: ChatGPT, Synthesia, Canva, Adobe Express, Microsoft 365 (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Forms), Copilot, Sharepoint, Workday, Canvas

A flipped session series for a university ITS department. Short microlearning, hands-on practice, and 1:1 follow-up grew into a weekly community where staff and faculty learn from each other and adopt new digital tools.

Client: Global multi-campus higher-ed institution, ~1000 staff.

Result: 30% increase in tool adoption

Modalities: Microlearning · ILT/VILT · Job aids · Hypercare

A tablet displaying a diagram of an agile workflow cycle with steps: Launch, Monitor, Iterate, Evaluate, Align, Scaffold, and Continuous Improvement, along with a text description about regularly updating and refining CoP content for workflow alignment.

INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT

A laptop computer displaying an online learning platform with instructional content about observational skills and interpretation in observation exercises.

Learning Architecture for Workforce Onboarding

Tools: Claude Design, Canva, Synthesia, Veo 3.1., ADP

New hires across 50 sites were getting inconsistent onboarding, and every new module meant three rounds of SME review. I built a shared design system so every module follows the same structure, which cut SME review to one round and module design time by 40%. New hires practice real situations through branching scenarios, and support requests dropped 28% after launch.

Client: An early education network | 50 sites, ~800 staff

Result: 40% faster module design · SME review cycles cut from 3 rounds to 1

Building onboarding or practice-based training?
Let's talk.
daria.sursur@gmail.com