E‑learning course development – American Diabetes Association

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Project:
Custom course development
Industry:
Healthcare & Medical Education
Scope:
Three 1-hour CE modules

About the client

Logo of American Diabetes Association
The American Diabetes Association® (ADA) is the leading nonprofit organization fighting to end diabetes and helping people thrive. As part of the ADA’s Diabetes Prevention Alliance efforts to build a multisectoral network creating a sustainable ecosystem for the National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP), the ADA sought to modernize their continuing education offerings for healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, diabetes educators, and clinical practitioners working with patients at risk of type 2 diabetes.

Goal

Transform three existing webinar sessions into structured, self-paced e-learning modules that maintain clinical rigor, increase engagement, and enable practical application in clinical settings. The three modules covered:

  1. Identifying and treating individuals with prediabetes
  2. Key information healthcare professionals need about the National DPP
  3. How to refer patients to National DPP organizations
Image from ADA Case study showing: Venn diagram of the MAP approach — Measure Accurately, Act Rapidly, Partner with Patients

Challenges

Complex medical content translation: The source material consisted of dense clinical information from live webinars, including diagnostic criteria, treatment protocols, and referral pathways.

Balancing interactivity with purpose: Every interactive element needed to serve learning objectives and enable real clinical application, which required thoughtful activity design rather than templated interactions.

Aggressive timeline: With a July 1 launch date and a 12-week development cycle for three modules, there was limited buffer for content revisions, SME feedback cycles, or design iterations.

Image from ADA Case study showing: illustrated woman waving from a doorway in a waiting room, welcoming patients

Our Approach

Applied learning architecture

Image from ADA Case study showing: interactive lesson intro screen introducing patient Maria with a Next button to proceed

We designed each module around case-based scenarios and clinical decision-making activities. Learners encountered realistic patient cases and worked through diagnostic and referral decisions, directly mirroring their professional practice.

Strategic technology integration

Image from ADA Case study showing: course intro screen "Identifying and treating individuals with prediabetes" with video and device icons
We leveraged Articulate Rise for its mobile-friendly interface and accessibility features, combined with custom Storyline simulations for complex, scenario-based activities. This hybrid approach gave us the flexibility to create professional, interactive experiences without sacrificing usability or performance.

Visual design strategy

Image from ADA Case study showing: patient file for Maria Santos with medical history, prompting a prediabetes risk assessment
Working closely with the ADA’s creative preferences, we expanded beyond conservative branding defaults by strategically introducing richer backgrounds, dynamic layouts, and the ADA’s underused brand colors (teal and orange). 

Project breakdown

Phase 1:

Instructional design & Storyboarding

  • Analyzed webinar recordings and SME content
  • Developed comprehensive Instructional Design Documents (IDDs) aligned with learning objectives
  • Created detailed storyboards specifying on-screen content, narration scripts, and interaction descriptions
  • Designed 2–3 custom simulation scenarios per module
  • The ADA review cycles and final content validation with SMEs
Phase 2:

Visual style & Sample development

  • Developed a comprehensive visual style that balanced brand conservatism with modern engagement
  • Created and approved a sample lesson as a technical and aesthetic reference
Phase 3:

Course development

  • Designed all custom course screens, illustrations, and graphic assets
  • Developed all three modules in Rise with embedded Storyline simulations
  • Created AI-generated talking head videos
  • Integrated custom images, diagrams, and interactive elements
  • Embedded knowledge checks and practice activities
Phase 4:

Final QA, refinement & Delivery

  • Comprehensive quality assurance ensuring WCAG 2.0 Level A accessibility compliance
  • ADA review cycles and final content validation with SMEs
  • Packaged courses in SCORM format compatible with the ADA’s LMS
  • Archived source files and delivered final deployment package

Screenshots

Results

Our team delivered the project on time. The modules successfully transformed dense medical content into structured, practical learning experiences. Healthcare professionals could now engage with complex topics like diagnostic criteria and referral protocols through realistic scenarios—translating theoretical knowledge into actionable clinical skills. 

Explore the full program on the official website.

E-learning course development – American Diabetes Association
View demo
E-learning course development – American Diabetes Association
View demo

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