Learning Strategy & Technical Enablement

Daniel
Wensel

I help organizations build learning capability that scales, built around frameworks designed for reuse, measurement, and the audiences that matter most.

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Learning isn't a program.
It's infrastructure, and it should be designed like one.

Experience in

Enterprise SaaS
Aviation
Product Organizations
IT Engineering

Disciplines

Learning Strategy
Architecture
Content Development
Technical Enablement

Deliverables

Custom eLearning
How-to Videos
Instructor-led
In-App Guidance
Curated Pathways
Documentation

Measurement

Kirkpatrick L1-L4
Skill Progression
Confidence & Readiness

01 · Philosophy

How I think
about learning

Design for pull. Reserve push for what truly matters.

Motivated learners don't need to be assigned learning. They need to be able to find it. The role of a learning system is to make the right content findable, relevant, and worth seeking out. Push has its place: compliance, critical onboarding, time-sensitive readiness. But it shouldn't be the default. When learners choose to engage, the learning sticks.

Products evolve. Good content evolves with them.

The problem a product solves rarely changes. The way it solves it does. Content built for a single delivery moment is obsolete the next release cycle. Design for reuse from the start: modular components that can be refreshed without rebuilding, updated without starting over. The best learning libraries get more valuable over time, not less.

Completions measure activity. Capability measures impact.

A completion rate tells you who clicked through. It doesn't tell you who can do the job differently because of what they learned. The right measurement asks harder questions: did confidence shift? Did behavior change? Did the team get better? That's the data worth building programs around.

AI accelerates. Human judgment governs.

AI compresses the distance between idea and artifact, enabling rapid synthesis, iteration, and exploration. But effective learning experiences still require human judgment to shape systems, govern quality, preserve realism, and define what good looks like.

02 · Work

Selected
projects

Verint Systems

Enterprise Learning Ecosystem Architecture

Architecture SaaS Ecosystem

ILT foundation through greenfield/greyfield architecture to Verint Academy — serving internal teams, partners, and customers across 12+ products.

40k+

Learners

Audience tiers

12+

Products

Delta Air Lines

Domain-Based Self-Directed Learning Model

Transformation Self-directed Measurement

Replaced 37 engineering personas with 13 role-based Udemy paths. Research-driven design with learner agency and outcome measurement built in from day one.

37→13

Personas to paths

500+

Enrollments

Delta Air Lines

AWS Certification Program

Technical Enablement Certification

Qualification-based certification ecosystem — learning paths, practice exam gates, voucher assignment, vendor partnerships, and closed-loop outcome tracking.

150

Certified

89%

Pass rate

1.2k+

Enrolled

Verint Systems

60-Course Rapid eLearning Conversion

Crisis Response Rapid Development

When COVID eliminated ILT overnight, led 15 contributors to convert 60 customer-facing courses to digital in six months — on time, within budget.

60+

Courses

6mo

Timeline

Contributors

Case study · Verint learning ecosystem

Enterprise learning ecosystem · Verint Systems

ILT as the primary product

Classroom and virtual instructor-led training served as the primary content format for internal teams, partners, and customers. The ILT materials established content standards, design patterns, and course structure that informed every format that followed.

Content foundation

Greenfield and greyfield architecture

Designed a content architecture to address two distinct challenges: building net-new learning for new products (greenfield), and updating existing content to reflect evolving product functionality (greyfield). Modular, reusable content structure eliminated duplication and established a scalable operating model.

Architecture design

Product documentation leadership

Led product documentation alongside learning development for a period. Technical writers were embedded in scrum teams, working alongside dev teams to create and update documentation in conjunction with product builds — creating an integrated content pipeline from development to delivery.

Cross-functional integration

Design principle: The greenfield/greyfield framework wasn't inherited — it was designed in response to the real challenge of maintaining a growing product catalog without duplicating effort or losing consistency.

Release integration

Learning embedded in the release cycle

Verint's core WFO solution comprised 12 products with multiple development teams releasing new features across varying cycles — 6 to 18 months. Learning content for all products was created, updated, and maintained in sync with product development.

Enterprise scale

Pioneer enablement model

Identified pioneers in Professional Services and Support who would learn new features first — attending ILT sessions and then scaling knowledge transfer to their wider teams.

Internal enablement

Capability built into the team

Release enablement transitioned from a dedicated team to the broader instructional design team over time — distributing the capability and building release readiness into the standard operating model.

Organizational design

Going digital

ILT to digital transformation

Shifted the primary content format from instructor-led training to scalable digital learning. The ILT library — built over years — provided the foundation for digital conversion, preserving instructional depth while dramatically improving scale.

Format transformation

In-app guidance via Pendo

Evaluated Pendo, WalkMe, and Whatfix before selecting and implementing Pendo. Used in-app walkthroughs to surface new feature awareness at the moment of use — with Learn More buttons linking directly to relevant Verint Academy content.

Digital adoption

Verint Academy

A branded customer education ecosystem

Verint Academy brought together the full content library under a single branded platform delivered through Cornerstone OnDemand — serving internal employees, partners, and customers with appropriately scoped access to hundreds of resources.

Platform launch

Intentional evolution: ILT-first → greenfield/greyfield architecture → digital transformation → branded Academy — each phase building on the last.

Three audiences served: internal employees, partners, and customers — each with appropriately scoped access to hundreds of resources.

Embedded in product releases: learning planned and delivered in sync with every product release cycle across 12+ products.

From classroom to in-app: the ecosystem evolved from classroom training to digital learning to in-app guidance — meeting learners where the work happens.

Case study · Delta learning transformation

Learning transformation · Delta Air Lines

How each path is structured

Role description

Grounds the learner in context before they engage any content.

How to explore and personalize

Guidance on navigating by experience level — Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced — beyond the recommended options.

Skills with recommended courses

Each skill includes a recommended course plus a prefiltered list. Learners have a starting point and room to go deeper.

Feedback survey

Did skills improve? How confident do learners feel applying them? Were the resources helpful?

Design decision: Embedding "how to explore and personalize" guidance directly into each path signals to the learner that this isn't another mandatory curriculum — it's a framework they're expected to make their own.

Time spent by skill area

More meaningful than completion counts — a proxy for genuine engagement with the content.

Course level distribution

Mix of beginner, intermediate, and advanced courses taken — triangulates skill progression without requiring individual assessment data.

Outcome-oriented feedback survey

Did skills improve? How confident do learners feel applying them? Were the skills relevant to their role?

Measurement philosophy: This program was designed to move beyond completion tracking from the start. Time spent, course level distribution, and outcome-oriented survey questions together create a richer picture of skill progression.

37 → 13

Engineering personas consolidated into focused role-based learning paths

Measurement dimensions: enrollment, time spent, course level, learner feedback

Clearer skill expectations: engineers have a structured framework that reflects how their role is actually defined.

Learner agency preserved: recommended courses provide direction without removing choice.

Scalable foundation: 13 paths launched with a clear expansion plan to cover most Delta IT roles.

Measurement built in from day one: infrastructure for skill progression in place before launch.

Case study · AWS certification program

AWS certification program · Delta Air Lines

Qualify

Structured learning paths in Udemy

Curated certification preparation paths organized by exam track, accessible on demand at no cost to the learner.

Prove readiness

Practice exam gate

Passing score on a practice exam required before requesting a voucher. Protected voucher investment and ensured learners entered the real exam prepared — directly driving the 89% pass rate.

Request

Voucher request via MS Forms

Simple, trackable request form capturing practice exam evidence. Frictionless for the learner, auditable for the program.

Earn

Voucher assigned via Pearson VUE

Vouchers assigned individually with exam dates tracked and follow-up built in. Every voucher accounted for, none wasted.

AWS Skill Builder cohorts

Partnered with the AWS Skill Builder team to create structured cohorts with Trivia sessions and instructor-led office hours — reinforcing preparation and building community among participants.

Vendor partnership

Communications partnership

Collaborated with IT Communications to build awareness and drive enrollment — ensuring the program reached engineers across teams, not just those already plugged into L&D channels.

Internal comms

Closed-loop outcome tracking

AWS provided exam outcome reports — pass, fail, and no-show — enabling closed-loop tracking of every voucher. Exam scheduling monitored throughout to keep momentum visible.

Data infrastructure

Manager impact survey

Designed (not yet implemented) to assess whether certification translated to observable capability change. The measurement intent was built in from the start.

L3 measurement

150

AWS certifications earned, and counting

1,200+

Engineers enrolled in learning paths

300/300

Vouchers claimed

89%

Certification pass rate

4.93/5

Participant satisfaction

"This initiative has directly contributed to my ability to deliver better solutions and stay aligned with industry standards."

Program participant · Delta Air Lines

"This learning experience has significantly boosted my confidence and will help me apply these concepts more efficiently in current and future projects."

Program participant · Delta Air Lines

What the numbers don't show: 1,200 engineers chose to enroll. Nobody was assigned. Every voucher was earned, not handed out. The program created demand by removing barriers, not by mandating participation.

Case study · Rapid eLearning conversion

Rapid eLearning conversion · Verint Systems

Tool selection

Rise over Storyline — an evidence-based call

Rapid prototypes of the same course built in both tools, reviewed by Professional Services. Storyline showed slight preference but not enough to justify the development time at scale. Rise selected.

Consistency

Shared template design

A Rise template designed before development began. Goal: 60 courses that feel like they were built by one person. With 15 contributors, consistency had to be designed in, not managed after the fact.

Video strategy

Structured video production process

Every ILT course included live product demos. A structured capture process covering tools, standards, scheduling, and editing pipeline was defined before a single recording was made.

Design principle: The decisions made before the first course was built determined whether the project would succeed. Infrastructure first — then speed.

Cross-functional team

15 contributors — 5 to 6 fully dedicated, others supporting where capacity allowed. Instructional designers, technical writers, and trainers working in parallel across a shared production schedule.

Team coordination

Video pipeline

A direct report managed all video production — tracking required demos per course, scheduling recordings, and maintaining a shared asset directory. One team member handled all editing: callouts, highlights, pan-zoom, consistent finish.

Production infrastructure

Structured review cycles

Peer and manager review built into the production schedule. Speed was never an excuse for skipping quality gates. Every course went through review before delivery.

Quality assurance

Hands-on when needed

When the deadline required it, two courses were taken on personally to keep the project on track — a deliberate choice to stay close to the work and support the team under pressure.

Individual contribution

60+

Courses converted

Months to delivery

Contributors

"Dan's innovation and creativity saved my products last year. The work had ripple effects across the year in every sale and cloud migration we did. It was honestly the best initiative I worked on at Verint, from conception to execution to finished project."

Siobhan Miller, VP Portfolio Market Strategy, Verint Systems

Customer training continued without interruption despite loss of all in-person delivery capacity.

Delivered within existing budget with no additional resourcing — by designing for efficiency from the start.

03 · AI Practice

AI-native
learning practice

Capability Intelligence Platform

AI-native practice · Concept piece

⇲ Click to expand

Concept piece

Capability Intelligence Platform

A concept piece exploring what happens when AI infrastructure lets capability lead the work rather than chase it. Whitepaper, architecture, and bridge diagram all live inside.

Adaptive Learning Orchestration

AI-native practice · Interactive demo

⇲ Click to expand

Methodology

Adaptive Learning Orchestration

Human-governed AI production: the designer decides, the machine produces. ALO makes each design decision visible and governable, then lets AI execute the spec. Step through a real decision and watch the governance hold.

Securing the Model Context Protocol

Learning experience design · Case study

Case study

Securing the Model Context Protocol

The OWASP MCP Top 10 curriculum, built three ways. Same content, three delivery experiences. Read the case study, run each build, and see what changes (and what doesn't).

FinOps for AI

Course · Lesson 2

Course

FinOps for AI

Play a FinOps analyst at the fictional Northstar Digital Services. Investigate AI cost anomalies in a working enterprise console, structure your observations, and assemble a leadership brief for the operational review. Judgment over correctness, no single right answer.

04 · Work Samples

Courses
I've built

Cloudability 101

Storyline · Delta IT

Cloud cost management training built around Show Me and Try Me interactions — designed for FinOps cost champions operating in AWS environments.

FinOps 101

Storyline · Delta IT

Foundational FinOps literacy course built with animated visuals and motion-path interactions — designed for a broad Delta IT audience.

Avoiding Common Coding Vulnerabilities

Storyline · Delta IT Engineering

Security awareness course for developers covering common coding vulnerabilities — built with scenario-based interactions and animated concept explanations.

Strategic Planner

Rise · Verint Customers

Product learning module for Verint's Strategic Planner — a workforce management tool for long-term planning across call center and work queue environments.

Service Recovery: Managing IROPs with VIPER-IROP

Rise · Delta Operations

Operational training for Delta airport agents on managing irregular operations — built around the VIPER-IROP application with realistic scenario-based practice.

New Ways of Leading

Curated Journey · Delta IT

A curated leadership development program for Delta IT managers and directors — built around six competencies with pre/post skill benchmarks and cohort-based design.

05 · Capabilities

What I
bring

Strategy & Design

Learning architecture and ecosystem design
Domain-based skill framework development
Needs analysis and gap identification
Modular and reusable content design
Content strategy for new implementations and existing user upgrades

Development & Tools

Articulate Rise and Storyline
Narration scripting and audio sync (Storyline)
Udemy Business, Pluralsight, Percipio
Video production (Camtasia, Adobe Premiere Pro)
AI-augmented content development
Pendo (in-app guidance and digital adoption)
Project and content management (Confluence, Jira, Agility)

Measurement & Ops

Diagnostic, formative, and summative assessment design
Confidence, readiness, and intent measurement
Kirkpatrick L1-L4 measurement
Learning analytics and reporting (Power BI)
Virtual enablement design including intake framework, pre/post confidence and readiness measurement, and behavior change tracking

Enterprise Operations

LMS vendor evaluation, selection, and implementation
In-app guidance vendor evaluation (Pendo, WalkMe, Whatfix)
Learning platform administration: Udemy, Pluralsight, Percipio, Cornerstone, SuccessFactors, AWS Skill Builder, Pearson VUE
Business case development and executive presentation
Direct report management and team leadership

AI-native practice

AI-assisted instructional design and content generation
Orchestration workflow design (Adaptive Learning Orchestration model)
Prompt chain development and governance
Claude & Claude Design — course prototyping, UI generation, experience design
ChatGPT — framework development, content synthesis, workflow design
Notion — AI orchestration workspace design and management
Simulation-based experience design with AI-generated product UI

06 · Recognition

What others
have said

"I had the opportunity to work closely with Daniel during our time together in Learning and Development at Delta Air Lines, and I can say without hesitation that he is one of the most well-rounded and impactful learning professionals I've worked with in my career. He brings an exceptional blend of strategic capability, learning expertise, technical skill, and emotional intelligence that is incredibly difficult to find in one person. He is equally comfortable curating scalable programs, consulting with senior stakeholders, facilitating alignment across teams, or rolling up his sleeves to build custom learning solutions from the ground up."

Jason Shamow

Leader, Learning, Training and Enablement, Delta Air Lines

Siobhan Miller

VP Portfolio Market Strategy, Verint Systems

"Some of the best learning programming our department has seen to date."

Chairman's Club nomination, Delta Air Lines

Hope Conn

IT Senior Communications Coordinator, Delta Air Lines

"Dan is a strategic thinker who understands the importance of aligning learning programs with organizational goals."

Itai Weinberg

Learning and Content Development Manager, Verint Systems

"He would always ask the right questions to assign the right team member based on talent and time commitments."

Becky Chaussinand

Product Mgmt and Program Mgmt, Verint Systems

DanielWensel

How I thinkabout learning

Design for pull. Reserve push for what truly matters.

Products evolve. Good content evolves with them.

Completions measure activity. Capability measures impact.

AI accelerates. Human judgment governs.

Selectedprojects

AI-nativelearning practice

CoursesI've built

What Ibring

What othershave said

Ready to buildsomething that lasts?