M06-04 · AI + Learning & Training Design

Subject Matter Expert Collaboration

Teaches the interpersonal and extraction skills required to get accurate, complete content from busy subject matter experts who don't have time for you. Covers scheduling and time management strategies, structured extraction techniques, overcoming the curse of knowledge, recording and processing SME interviews with AI assistance, and managing the tension between SME expertise and instructional design principles. This is the skill that determines content quality.

20 Hours

7 Learning objectives

Create Bloom's ceiling (?)

4 Competencies

What You'll Be Able To Do

Learning Objectives

Objectives

Depth

Schedule and structure SME sessions effectively: 45-minute blocks with pre-sent agendas, specific questions, and required preparation, respecting SME time constraints Apply
Apply structured extraction techniques: task walkthroughs ("show me step by step"), critical incidents ("tell me about a time someone struggled"), comparisons ("expert vs. novice"), and common mistakes identification Apply
Identify and overcome the curse of knowledge by stopping SMEs when they skip assumptions, asking "walk me through it like I've never seen the product," and testing understanding through teach-back Apply
Process SME interview recordings using AI tools (Otter.ai transcription, Claude summarization) to extract key concepts, steps, common mistakes, and tips — then validate the extraction with the SME Apply
Manage SME expectations around review cycles, content accuracy responsibilities, and timeline impacts of their availability constraints Apply
Analyze conflicting input from multiple SMEs (Product Manager vs. Sales Engineer vs. top performer) and synthesize into coherent instructional content that serves the learning objectives Analyze
Create content validation artifacts (structured review documents, annotated drafts, focused review questions) that make SME review efficient and targeted rather than open-ended Create

Levels: Remember · Understand · Apply · Analyze · Evaluate · Create — highest demands most original thinking.

Core Competencies

What You'll Master

SME Session Management

Scheduling, agenda preparation, time-boxing, recording protocols, follow-up practices that respect SME constraints.

Knowledge Extraction

Structured techniques for pulling tacit knowledge out of experts, overcoming the curse of knowledge, distinguishing expert assumptions from beginner reality.

AI-Assisted Processing

Transcribing, summarizing, and organizing SME interview content using AI tools, with human validation of extracted knowledge.

Multi-SME Synthesis

Reconciling different perspectives, expertise levels, and priorities from multiple SMEs into coherent, learner-centered content.

Portfolio Artifact

What You'll Build

SME Collaboration Case Study — Student conducts a simulated SME engagement (with a peer or mentor acting as SME): prepares an agenda with structured extraction questions, conducts a recorded 45-minute session, processes the recording through AI transcription and summarization, extracts and organizes key content, creates a content validation document for SME review, and writes a reflection on what extraction techniques worked, what the SME skipped that needed follow-up, and how they resolved any conflicting inputs.

Tools You'll Use

Industry Tools, Not Toy Projects

Otter.ai / Teams Recording

AI-powered transcription tools for recording and automatically transcribing SME interview sessions.

Claude

AI assistant for interview processing, content organization, summarization, and structured extraction from transcripts.

Zoom / Teams

Video conferencing platforms for conducting and recording SME interview sessions.

Google Docs / Notion

Documentation tools for agendas, validation documents, content outlines, and collaboration artifacts.

Loom

Async video tool for sending follow-up questions to SMEs without requiring another scheduled meeting.