Delivering Instruction That Sticks

Digital Tools to Enhance RMI Learning

When preparing for and presenting to RMI professionals, instructors must make deliberate choices about how technology supports learning—not distracts from it. Those choices shape the learning experience, and research suggests that effective use of technology can significantly enhance learning for adult learners (Abbajay, 2020). When used thoughtfully, technology can enhance instructional design, increase learner engagement, and help translate complex risk and insurance concepts into practical, job-relevant application. Rather than focusing on tools for their own sake, effective instructors use technology to support clear objectives, meaningful interaction, and application beyond the classroom.

This page outlines practical ways RMI instructors can leverage technology to enhance learning, including:

  • Preparing Instructional Materials With Technology: Using digital tools to support efficient preparation, collaboration, and customization while maintaining instructional quality and accuracy.

  • Using Quizzes & Polls to Drive Participation: Incorporating low-stakes interactions that encourage engagement, surface learner perspectives, and provide insight into understanding in real time.

  • Building Slide Decks for Clear Instruction: Designing slide decks that guide attention, reinforce key ideas, and help learners apply concepts in professional settings.

Taken together, these approaches emphasize technology as a means to support learning—not an end in itself. By aligning digital tools with instructional purpose, RMI instructors can create learning experiences that are engaging, practical, and grounded in professional application.

Preparing Instructional Materials With Technology

Technology plays an increasingly important role in how RMI instructors design, develop, and deliver instructional materials. When used intentionally, digital tools can enhance efficiency, support collaboration, and create more engaging learning experiences for adult learners. From artificial intelligence to collaborative platforms and interactive media, technology offers practical solutions for preparing content that is timely, relevant, and learner-centered. This section explores how RMI instructors can leverage technology strategically while remaining mindful of its limitations and considerations.

Leveraging AI for Preliminary Content Development

AI can be useful in the early stages of instructional development, especially when instructors are subject-matter experts who need support turning expertise into teachable, structured learning experiences.

Strengths

  • AI can accelerate early tasks like outlining a module, drafting slide headlines, generating discussion prompts, or producing a first-pass case narrative. For RMI instructors, this is most helpful when you already know the what and why and need help shaping the how (flow, clarity, scaffolding).

  • AI can help convert content into formats that work well for adult professional learning, such as:

    • decision trees for coverage questions

    • checklists for risk assessments

    • comparison tables (e.g., risk financing options, policy forms, claim scenarios)

    • scenario prompts that require learners to justify assumptions.

  • With careful prompting, AI can generate variations of the same concept for different RMI roles (risk manager vs. broker vs. adjuster), industries, or organizational sizes—useful when your participants span multiple segments.

  • If you have course feedback, quiz item analysis, or common-miss concept lists, AI can help you brainstorm revisions, alternative explanations, or new practice items that target known trouble spots, while you retain final judgment about accuracy and relevance

Weaknesses & Considerations

  • In RMI, small inaccuracies have outsized impact (e.g., policy interpretation, regulatory references, claims handling nuance). AI-generated content should be treated as a drafting assistant, not a source of truth. Build in a verification step: confirm definitions, exclusions, thresholds, and jurisdictional language using authoritative references and your organization’s standards.

  • RMI competence often depends on contextual judgment: trade-offs, ambiguity, stakeholder constraints, and ethical considerations. AI can flatten nuance into generic “best practices.” If you use AI-generated cases, deliberately add realism (e.g., incomplete information, competing priorities [cost, compliance, operational feasibility], stakeholder perspectives).

  • Biased or narrow examples can distort how risk is framed, such as who appears at fault, which carriers or organizations are portrayed as reasonable, and what outcomes are presented as typical. If repeated, these patterns can quietly shape expectations in ways that are not instructionally helpful. Review AI-generated scenarios for fairness, realism, and relevance across varied contexts.

  • RMI learners can detect “generic training content” quickly. If AI drafts text that feels vague, overconfident, or overly polished, revise it to match professional practice: define assumptions, cite sources where appropriate, and use field-credible terminology.

  • AI can feel easy to use at first, but in instructional development it rewards structure. Without that structure, AI use can become scattered and time-consuming, producing uneven materials and adding extra editing. Instructors may become frustrated and disengage, or they may overlook verification steps and drift into the accuracy, bias, or credibility problems described above.

Supporting Instructional Collaboration Through Google Drive

RMI instruction is often built by teams. Subject-matter experts, instructors, reviewers, and sometimes compliance or product owners all contribute to the same learning assets. Google Drive can support that workflow by making it easier to co-develop materials, keep examples current, and maintain a clean review trail. Used well, it helps instructors produce consistent, job-relevant learning materials for audiences who expect accuracy and practical application.

Strengths

  • Multiple contributors can work at once on slide decks, job aids, case studies, and assessment items. This is especially useful when one person owns instructional flow and another owns technical accuracy, such as policy language, claims practices, or risk control standards.

  • Drive makes it easier to maintain a “single source of truth” for templates, glossary and terminology standards, case libraries, and approved graphics. This helps keep instruction consistent across instructors and cohorts, especially when teaching complex topics that require precise language.

  • Version history supports common RMI development needs like peer review, compliance review, and post-session improvements. It also allows instructors to compare edits, identify where content changed, and revert when a revision introduces technical or instructional problems.

  • Many RMI instructional teams are geographically dispersed or teach on rotating schedules. Drive supports remote collaboration and enables continuous improvement, so materials can reflect new industry examples, shifting market conditions, or updated internal guidance without losing track of what changed.

Weaknesses & Considerations

  • RMI materials often include sensitive details, even when instructional, such as loss scenarios, claim narratives, client-like fact patterns, underwriting guidance, or internal processes. If sharing settings are misconfigured, information can be exposed beyond the intended group. Use role-based access, limit link sharing, and avoid placing client, claim, or proprietary details in broadly shared folders.

  • Real-time editing can create confusion if roles and review steps are not clear. Without a process, teams can end up with inconsistent terminology, duplicated content, or last-minute changes that were not technically reviewed. Establish owners, reviewers, and a clear “ready for delivery” checkpoint to protect accuracy and credibility.

  • A stable connection is important for smooth co-editing. Plan for disruptions by keeping offline copies of instructor materials, exporting final decks, and ensuring facilitators can access what they need during delivery.

  • Not all SMEs or instructors are equally comfortable with Drive. That can slow development or lead to workarounds that reduce collaboration benefits. A short orientation, shared folder structure, naming conventions, and simple “how we work” guidelines can reduce friction and keep the team aligned.

Enhancing Learner Engagement With Interactive Technology

For RMI instructors, interactive tools are a practical way to maintain attention and increase participation, especially in virtual or mixed-format sessions. When learners respond, vote, ask questions, or practice with scenarios, instructors get immediate feedback on what is landing and what needs another example. The goal is simple: help participants stay involved while reinforcing accurate, job-relevant understanding.

  • Use short, targeted videos when they support an RMI task or decision. The best use cases are demonstrations and context setting, not long lectures.

    • Show a brief loss scenario setup and ask learners to identify hazards, exposures, and controls.

    • Use a short client-style vignette and ask what additional information is needed to evaluate coverage or severity.

    • Pause the video at key moments and prompt learners to predict the next step in claims handling, underwriting review, or risk control planning.

  • Polls are most valuable when they require a judgment call and reveal differences in assumptions. They help instructors diagnose understanding quickly and adjust.

    • Present a fact pattern and poll the best next question to ask, the most material exposure, or the most appropriate control.

    • Use “confidence polls” after a concept like additional insured status, subrogation, or limits adequacy to surface where learners feel uncertain.

    • Use pulse checks to gauge pacing, clarity, and perceived relevance, then act on the results by revisiting a scenario or adding another example.

    We'll explore the value of polls in more detail in the next section, "Using Quizzes & Polling to Promote Learner Engagement."

  • Q&A works best in RMI instruction when it is guided toward application and decision quality.

    • Collect questions digitally during the session and group them by theme, such as coverage interpretation, risk treatment trade-offs, documentation, or stakeholder communication.

    • Prioritize questions that expose common misconceptions or high-impact errors.

    • When answering, model expert thinking by stating assumptions, identifying uncertainties, and explaining what evidence would change the decision.

  • Use gamification to reinforce practice and feedback, not to trivialize serious content. Keep the focus on reasoning, not speed.

    • Run short scenario-based quizzes that ask learners to choose an action and justify it.

    • Use team challenges where groups develop a risk response plan, then compare choices against constraints such as budget, operational feasibility, and compliance requirements.

    • Offer “case progression” activities where each correct decision unlocks the next piece of information, mirroring how facts emerge in underwriting, claims, and risk investigations.

When thoughtfully integrated, technology can significantly strengthen instructional preparation by supporting efficiency, collaboration, and learner engagement. Tools such as AI, collaborative platforms, and interactive media are most effective when guided by the instructor’s expertise, creativity, and awareness of audience needs. By balancing technological capabilities with intentional instructional design, RMI instructors can create meaningful, engaging learning experiences while navigating the practical and ethical considerations these tools present.

Using Quizzes & Polls to Drive Participation

Quizzes and polls are two of the simplest tools RMI instructors can use to increase participation and improve learning outcomes. They help you verify that learners understand technical content, and they help learners practice the kind of thinking they do on the job.

As Shibley (2023) noted, quizzes provide opportunities to check learners’ knowledge and provide feedback on critical content. They also give instructors the opportunity to ensure learners are grasping the content that is being taught. In comparison, polls are a fast way to gather information about learners’ experience, assumptions, and perspectives, so you can teach at the right level and choose examples that fit the room (Shibley, 2023).

Used well, both tools support a core need in RMI instruction: moving from “I recognize the term” to “I can make a defensible decision in a realistic situation.”.

In this section, we detail ways in which instructors can best leverage quizzes and polls.

  • Quizzes and polls give learners frequent, low-pressure chances to participate. That matters in RMI settings where learners may hesitate to speak up because they do not want to be wrong in front of peers. A quick poll or short quiz question creates a structured moment of involvement, which helps learners stay engaged and helps you normalize the idea that professional judgment develops through practice.

     In RMI instruction, participation is most valuable when it mirrors workplace thinking. Instead of asking only for definitions, invite learners to make a choice, select a next step, or identify the most important missing piece of information. This shifts learners from passive listening to active decision-making, which strengthens attention and confidence.

  • Polls help you understand who is in the room and what they need from the session. Early in a course, you can use polls to assess:

    • role and context (risk manager, broker, underwriter, adjuster, loss control, compliance)

    • experience level with the topic

    • lines of business or industries represented

    • common constraints (authority limits, documentation requirements, regulatory environment)

    That information helps you adjust pacing, terminology, and examples. It also helps you anticipate where professional disagreement is likely, so you can plan to address it directly rather than letting it derail discussion.

     Quizzes provide different data. They reveal what learners can recall, what they can apply, and where misconceptions are forming. In RMI topics, this is critical because learners may feel confident while still missing a key nuance. Well-designed quiz items show you whether learners can interpret a scenario, identify relevant facts, and choose an appropriate action. The results help you decide what to reinforce, what to reteach with a new example, and what to revise for future deliveries.

  • Polls and quizzes also help learners connect course content to real work.

    • Polls connect content to professional experience. Asking learners how their organization currently handles a risk, what documentation they require, or what trade-offs they face encourages learners to link new ideas to what they already do. That makes technical content feel relevant, and it surfaces a range of approaches that can enrich discussion.

    • Quizzes connect content to decision quality. Scenario-based quiz questions reinforce understanding and prepare learners to apply concepts in practice. For RMI professionals, “application” often means identifying missing information, selecting the best next step, recognizing constraints, and explaining reasoning. This strengthens the learner’s ability to translate classroom learning into workplace action and communication.

Building Slide Decks for Clear Instruction

In RMI instruction, slide decks play a supporting yet highly visible role in how learners engage with content. Instructors must make deliberate decisions about what belongs on a slide, what belongs in facilitation, and how visual design can clarify complex material without overwhelming the audience. This section focuses on building slide decks that support learning objectives, reinforce key concepts, and help learners apply ideas in professional practice.

Essential Components of an Effective Slide Deck

A well-designed slide deck is structured around a clear instructional arc—from setting expectations to reinforcing application. Each component serves a distinct purpose in guiding learners through the session and supporting their ability to understand, retain, and use the material. The components below outline the foundational elements instructors should include when building an effective slide deck.

  • Your name, professional title, organization, designations (e.g., CPCU, ARM, AINS), and date of presentation. Add the session title with a practitioner lens (e.g., “Identifying Coverage Gaps in Property Programs” or “From Hazards to Controls: Building a Risk Register”).

  • Presented immediately after your title slide — three or four key takeaways, framed as actionables, you want your students to be proficient with at the end of the session. Clarify context (e.g., mid-market commercial property, workers’ comp, cyber) and purpose (serve clients better, reduce TPA leakage, comply with state regs, improve combined ratio). See Building Learning Objectives for more information.

  • The meat of your presentation. Not only should all of your content be directly applicable to at least one of your learning objectives (no tangents!), your content needs to be delivered in a way that is most likely to get your learners to the actionables you set out for them. Four content-delivery strategies are covered in detail in Organizing Content.

  • Revisit the learning objectives you promised in your introduction. After your presentation, can learners identify an appropriate cyber sub-limit that meets a client’s needs? Help their organization avoid E&O exposure? Draft a coverage comparison memo with defensible recommendations? Learners should be able to affirm what they’ve learned, why they’ve learned it, and how they can apply it as practitioners. If you’re not confident learners can do what you said they’d be able to do in the introduction, revise.

  • Using APA format, identify the resources you used and referenced in your instruction. Typical RMI resources include statutes/regulations, ISO forms/filings, carrier underwriting guidelines, rating manuals, academic articles, and credible industry reports (e.g., loss-control white papers). See APA References for support.

An effective slide deck does more than convey information—it structures the learning experience. Each component, from title to resources, plays a distinct role in setting expectations, delivering actionable content, and reinforcing real-world application. By aligning every slide with your learning objectives and presenting material with clarity and intent, you help learners stay focused, build confidence, and apply new insights in their professional roles.

Slide Design Best Practices for RMI Instruction

Slide design choices directly influence how learners process and retain information. In instruction that includes complex terms, workflows, and decision points, design must guide attention and reduce cognitive load rather than compete with facilitation. The best practices below highlight how simplicity, purposeful visuals, and consistent design support understanding and application.

  • Walls of text, distracting or extraneous visuals —you can end up competing with your deck for your learners’ attention. As noted by Harrington and Zakrajsek (2017), learners struggle in these situations because they are trying process your verbal instruction and your slides simultaneously and “are probably not very successful at doing either” (pp. 70-71).

    Instead, your slides should be simple and concise—for instance, a policy’s operative clause and its trigger phrase in bold (e.g., “loss covered when you must suspend operations during the period of restoration, if the suspension results from direct physical loss of or damage to property at the described premises caused by a Covered Cause of Loss”). Remember your deck is meant to compliment your instruction, not replace you as the conveyor of content.

  • Researchers have found that not only are learners able to process images faster and with more efficiency than text, but they’re more likely to retain and later recall information because of those images (Foos & Goolkasian, 2008; McBride & Dosher, 2002). The key for the instructor, then, is to ensure that the images illustrate or expand upon—not distract from—the verbal instruction being delivered concurrently.

    To achieve this, visual elements must be selected or designed with clarity and purpose. Photos, for instance, should be tightly cropped tightly to the key detail (e.g., a missing machine guard, a firewall gap) and annotated with no more than six words. With charts and graphs, minimize extraneous noise. Include only relevant data and highlight a single data point that drives your message—for example, the deductible that minimizes total cost. If possible, avoid legends and label your axes directly. For workflows, limit your visual to 3–5 steps, using verb-first labels (e.g., “Set reserve,” “Verify trigger”). Highlight the step where a decision or control point changes coverage, cost, or compliance—this is the moment that drives action. In the visual, mark it clearly (e.g., with a star or color cue) and name the document that confirms the action taken, such as a loss run, reserve note, or policy endorsement. These types of visual components help clarify complex concepts and make your content more relatable, relevant, and applicable beyond the learning session (Harrington & Zakrajsek, 2017)—all expectations of adult learners.

  • Readable, consistent slides help learners process information quickly and focus on the message rather than the layout (Harrington & Zakrajsek, 2017). Start with a standardized canvas: one sans-serif typeface in two weights, left-aligned text on a simple grid, and generous margins. Set headings at 34–44 pt and body text at ≥ 28 pt. Keep lines short (6–10 words) so key phrases don’t wrap awkwardly.

    Bullets are great because they reduce cognitive load, helping learners scan, categorize, and recall information more efficiently than full sentences, but limit them to 1–3 concise, parallel items to preserve that clarity. Avoid centered text, ALL CAPS, and lone words at the ends of slides. Use one accent color for emphasis and maintain high contrast, avoiding red/green combinations for accessibility.

    For tables, use them when you need to compare or prioritize information, our brains process structured data more efficiently when it’s aligned visually rather than embedded in text. Include only the row or column that supports your recommendation, and use spacing or light shading to make the key takeaway clear. As with graphs and charts, keep labels brief and units consistent so patterns stand out at a glance. If the table summarizes options or outcomes, highlight the preferred choice and move supporting detail to handouts or an appendix.

    Finally, create slide masters for recurring RMI formats addressed here and above (e.g., clause, photo, chart, table) so typography, spacing, and alignment stay uniform. Consistent design like this minimizes distraction and reinforces the professional credibility of your instruction.

A clear, effective slide deck guides attention and supports understanding. By keeping slides simple, visuals purposeful, and design consistent, you help learners process ideas efficiently and stay focused on what matters most. Thoughtful structure and visual clarity not only strengthen retention but also convey professionalism and respect for your audience’s cognitive effort.