Practical writing for working IDs.

Hosting SCORM · 8 min read

Free SCORM hosting that actually works in 2026.

We uploaded the same 240MB Storyline package to every free SCORM host on the internet. Two failed silently. One broke localization. Here are the only two we'd send to a client.

Portfolios · 12 min read

21 instructional designer portfolio examples we steal from.

Illustrative editorial content

Real freelance instructional designer portfolios with screenshots, what they get right, what they fudge, and the one structural pattern every great portfolio shares.

Hosting SCORM · 6 min read

How to share a Storyline file with a client (the modern way).

Zip emails are dead. Articulate Review is paywalled. Here's how to send a Storyline package as a real, clickable link — including the SCORM API quirks that bite you.

xAPI · 18 min read

A practical xAPI hosting primer for non-engineers.

Illustrative editorial content

What an LRS actually does, why your Captivate course "doesn't work" when you self-host, and the cheapest path to a working xAPI pipeline for a freelance ID.

Portfolios · 9 min read

Resume vs portfolio: what hiring IDs actually look at.

Illustrative editorial content

We reviewed common ID interview pipelines over time. The resume gets you the call. One specific shape of portfolio gets you the offer. Here's that shape.

Tool reviews · 22 min read

The best authoring tools for freelance IDs in 2026.

Illustrative editorial content

Storyline vs Rise vs Captivate vs Camtasia vs iSpring. We built the same 90-second compliance module in each. Here's what each one actually felt like.

Freelancing · 11 min read

How to price your first freelance ID project.

Illustrative editorial content

A real calculator — not "depends on the client." Hourly floor, project ceiling, the discount you can quote without losing the deal, and the line where you walk away.

Hosting SCORM · 7 min read

cmi.completion_status, demystified.

The single SCORM API value that breaks more "Why is this not completing?" tickets than any other. What it means, how authoring tools set it, and the safe default.

xAPI · 13 min read

SCORM launch patterns: what we learned about drop-off.

Illustrative editorial content

SCORM launch analysis shows common drop-off patterns: an early cliff, a long flat middle, and another decision point near the end. Here's how to design around it.

Portfolios · 9 min read

STAR case studies that don't read like a job application.

Illustrative editorial content

Situation. Task. Action. Result. The template every great ID portfolio uses — and the three filler phrases that ruin it.

Hosting SCORM · 7 min read

SCORM in WordPress (no plugin).

WordPress is a CMS, not a SCORM runtime. Host your published package for a stable HTTPS launch URL, then embed it with a new-tab button or an iframe. A walkthrough with the security-plugin, page-builder, and caching gotchas that break SCORM embeds — no plugin required.

Tool reviews · 8 min read

Review 360 alternatives for ID portfolios.

Illustrative editorial content

The best Articulate Review 360 alternatives for instructional designers sharing client-ready work: stable portfolio URLs, in-browser SCORM playback, gated NDA access, and per-project analytics — ranked against four real criteria.

Portfolios · 8 min read

What hiring managers want in an ID portfolio.

Illustrative editorial content

A hiring manager's view of the instructional design portfolio: the signals that pass the screen, the artifacts that prove you can think (storyboards, named LMS work, QA checklists), the generic phrases that get you cut, and how your portfolio scripts the interview.

Portfolios · 10 min read

Presenting outcomes and proof (even under NDA).

Illustrative editorial content

Half your best portfolio numbers are confidential. Here's how to show proof you're under NDA for, write outcome language that survives a legal review, and pair qualitative quotes with quantitative metrics so a hiring manager believes both — without claiming ROI you can't explain.

xAPI · 9 min read

Mixed media, one URL.

Blended work loses to five attachments and a reviewer with ninety seconds. Here is how to assemble SCORM, video, facilitator PDFs, and an xAPI story into one portfolio URL — labeled by job, fast on mobile, and honest about what each artifact is.

Freelancing · 10 min read

A client pipeline from your portfolio.

Illustrative editorial content

Turn your portfolio into a lightweight client funnel: put the URL everywhere, run small content loops that won't burn you out, follow up with one targeted project, and track which work actually converts after a proposal.

xAPI · 10 min read

xAPI vs SCORM.

A freelancer's practical comparison of xAPI and SCORM — SCORM 1.2 vs 2004, cmi5, when an LRS earns its keep, and how to write the right one into a proposal and portfolio.

Portfolios · 10 min read

Portfolio Day recap.

Illustrative editorial content

A recap of the themes that surface in every Training OS Portfolio Day review: lead with proof not biography, ship one stable URL, host SCORM instead of screenshots, and write outcome-first case studies. Plus a one-week action plan to apply them.

Hosting SCORM · 8 min read

SCORM in Squarespace.

Squarespace serves pages, not SCORM runtimes. Host your published package for a stable HTTPS launch URL, then embed it with a new-tab Button block or a Code block iframe. A walkthrough with the Code-block sanitizer, editor-preview, and mobile-clipping gotchas that break SCORM embeds on Squarespace — no plugins required.

Hosting SCORM · 9 min read

SCORM in Wix.

You can't upload a SCORM .zip to Wix and expect it to play — Wix is a site builder, not a SCORM runtime. Host the package, then launch it from a Wix button or HTML embed, with the mobile-editor gotchas that break inline frames.

Hosting SCORM · 9 min read

SCORM in plain HTML.

Embedding a hosted SCORM module in a static site or docs page is one tag. This Field Notes walkthrough covers the link-vs-iframe call, HTTPS and mixed content, CSP frame-ancestors and X-Frame-Options, and the build-step gotchas that blank out your iframe.