L&D Insights at Altitude

Thin air, but clearer thinking for learning leaders.

Do dashboards, badges, interactive activities and AI tools help people learn? Nora and Ben summarize recent sources: four peer-reviewed studies on learning analytics dashboards, expected and surprise badges, interactive learning activities, and how people work with AI to design instruction, plus Gallup's American Job Quality Study and the OECD's Education at a Glance 2026. Closer to home, we look at Colorado's HB26-1223, which extends state sales and use tax to computer software however it is delivered, including SaaS and downloaded software, starting January 1, 2027, and why how you contract and deliver a course may matter. This week's thread: each feature works only as well as the design around it. For each one, we ask: what changes in how people work?

Chapters
00:00 Cold open: do dashboards help people learn?
00:24 Welcome to L&D Insights at Altitude
00:53 This week's thread: features and learning
01:17 Dashboards: a small average and a wide range
02:33 Badges that backfired
03:23 Interactive beats passive? Testing ICAP
04:25 How good designers work with AI
05:28 Who gets value from AI at work? (Gallup)
06:25 Most adults aren't asking for more training (OECD)
07:18 Colorado's new software tax and your courses
09:31 One contrarian take
10:25 Recap
10:51 This week's challenge
11:05 The ID Angle
12:15 Next steps

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Hosted by AI voices. Research by the Emerge ID team.

This episode is general information, not tax, legal, or accounting advice. Emerge ID is not a CPA firm or law firm. Colorado's rules for HB26-1223 are still being written. Consult a qualified tax advisor about your situation.

Gallup's American Job Quality Study is conducted with Jobs for the Future and The Families & Workers Fund.

References

Balci, S., & Morris, B. J. (2026). A comparison of how expected and unexpected badges affect the intrinsic motivation and performance of online learners. Behaviour & Information Technology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929x.2026.2738364

Fang, X., Feng, J., Yan, B., & Zhou, B. (2026). Human-AI collaborative patterns in GenAI-supported instructional design among pre-service teachers: An analysis of interaction sequences and cognitive load. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 23, Article 52. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-026-00628-3

Gestiardi, R., & Yuniawatika. (2026). Learning analytics dashboards in Internet-enabled higher education: A meta-analysis of effects on student outcomes, self-regulated learning, and engagement. The Internet and Higher Education, Article 101119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2026.101119

Jones, J. M. (2026, October 6). AI benefits at work unevenly distributed. Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/714602/benefits-work-unevenly-distributed.aspx

OECD. (2026). Education at a Glance 2026: OECD indicators (Chapter A5). OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/b4968bbc-en

Wekerle, C., Sailer, M., Kollar, I., & Fütterer, T. (2027). The effects of ICAP learning activities on learning outcomes. Learning and Instruction, 107, Article 102482. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2026.102482

Colorado HB26-1223 sources:

Colorado General Assembly. (2026). HB26-1223: Modifying certain tax expenditures (Session Laws ch. 379). https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb26-1223

Colorado Department of Revenue. (2026, October). Sales and use tax topics: Computer software (rev. October 2026). https://tax.colorado.gov/sales-use-tax-topics-computer-software

Legislative Council Staff. (2026, September 3). HB 26-1223: Modifying certain tax expenditures, final fiscal note. https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/117705/download

Planning your next course or training program? Consider Emerge ID for your future projects: https://emergeid.com/

Thin air, but clearer thinking for learning leaders.

Does training actually change what people do on the job?

Employers are building talent in-house, so learning has to show that people can do the work, not just that they attended. Nora and Ben summarize six current sources: a CIPD employer survey and five peer-reviewed studies on leaning on AI and ownership, AI as a group thinking partner, what drives training transfer, graphic recording for overloaded sessions, and a common measurement mistake in workplace learning research. For each one, we ask: does it actually change how people work?

Chapters

00:00 Cold open: whose thinking is in the work?

00:22 Welcome to L&D Insights at Altitude

01:27 Employers are building, not buying (CIPD)

02:54 Who's doing the thinking? AI reliance and ownership

04:17 AI as a group thinking partner

05:37 What really drives transfer

07:30 Too much, too fast: information overload

08:49 Are we measuring the right thing?

09:52 One contrarian take

10:45 Recap, listener challenge, and next steps

Book a free 20-minute review with Emerge ID: https://emergeid.com/podcast?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast_apps&utm_campaign=podcast_ep01&utm_content=ep01

References

Aunhabundit, N., Chen, I.-C., & Lu, A. C. C. (2026). Enhancing training effectiveness through graphic recording: Mitigating information overload in human resource development. International Journal of Training and Development. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijtd.70045

Hogarth, A., & McCartney, C. (2026). Resourcing and talent planning report 2026. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. https://www.cipd.org/globalassets/media/knowledge/knowledge-hub/reports/2026-pdfs/9218-resource-and-talent-planning-2026-report-web.pdf

Chu, X., Dai, H., & Zhai, X. (2026). Many hands make light work? Individual and collaborative interaction with a GenAI-powered multi-agent system: Effects on learning performance and critical thinking. British Journal of Educational Technology. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.70089

Diekmann, C. S., & Pundt, A. (2026). Training transfer as an emotional rollercoaster: The effects of transfer dynamics on a leader's work-related well-being. European Journal of Training and Development. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJTD-05-2026-0147

Guggemos, J., & Goller, M. (2026). Formative and reflective measurement models in workplace learning research: A critical review and guidelines. Human Resource Development Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.70032

Hruby, J., & Canfield, C. (2026). Training transfer of cross-cultural capabilities: An interactionist study of capability-climate substitutability. European Journal of Training and Development. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJTD-01-2026-0015

Wu, Y., & Lu, X. (2026). A helping hand or a dominant partner?