Instructional Systems Design · Learning Experience Design · Enablement

Competence doesn't come before opportunity. It comes from it.

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

Everyone needs room to get it wrong first.

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

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 design learning opportunities that give people that practice first.

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 for others: scenario-based eLearning, blended programs, and AI coaching across multiple sites, 9 countries, in 8 languages.

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

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AI PERFORMANCE SUPPORT

Cultural Compass

An AI coach for navigating U.S. workplace communication.

Built for international specialists relocating to the U.S. for a global automotive manufacturer. It maps home-culture communication styles to U.S. norms, then provides scripts to use and practice challenges to rehearse.

Client: Executives and senior technical leaders relocating to the U.S. for a multinational manufacturer

Results: 2x faster time-to-competency · 35 of 50 pilot users applied a script in real meetings · Scaled from client pilot to public tool

CAPABILITY DEVELOPMENT

Growing Together: Rolling Out Leadership Competencies

Tools: Claude Design, Canva, Veo 3.1, Power Point

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

Modalities: Workshop series, microlearning, resource guide, ADP training

BEHAVIORAL & COMPLIANCE TRAINING

Workplace Violence Prevention eLearning

Tools: Articulate 360 rise & Storyboard, Anthropic Claude, Veo 3.1

In a real incident, there's no time to learn. This scenario-based module lets staff practice recognizing warning signs and responding safely before it matters. Developed with subject-matter experts, it balances empathy with compliance through realistic workplace situations and branching decisions with immediate feedback.

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

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

Modalities: Scenario-based eLearning · Branching decisions · AI-generated video

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.

Onboarding eLearning for new employees: a scalable training ecosystem including SCORM-compliant modules, interactive branching scenarios, facilitator-led resources, and AI-generated communication videos. A shared design system in Claude Design gives every module the same structure, so complex subject-matter-expert input becomes clear, learner-ready content.

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

What makes onboarding eLearning effective: new hires practice real situations through scenarios instead of just reading policies, content stays consistent across every site, and short modules fit into the first weeks of work.

Result: 40% faster module design · SME review cycles cut from 3 rounds to 1 · 28% fewer support requests

TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION · ADDIE & AGILE

Skill Up: A Community of Practice for Workplace Reskilling

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 keep learning from each other.

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

Result: 30% increase in tool adoption.

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

Tools: ChatGPT, Synthesia, Canva, Adobe Express, Microsoft 365, Copilot

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