How to Modernise Outdated eLearning Content

You’ve seen it before, an eLearning course that once wowed your learners now looks dated, clunky, or incompatible with today’s devices. The content might still be accurate, but the design, navigation, and tone feel like a throwback. The good news? You don’t need to rebuild everything from scratch. With the right strategy, design updates, and tools like Articulate Rise 360 and Storyline 360, you can modernise outdated eLearning into fresh, responsive experiences that reflect today’s learning culture.

Here’s how to breathe new life into your existing content and prepare it for a confident relaunch.

1. Audit before you act

Before diving into redesign, take stock of what you’ve already got. Review every module and ask:

• Are the learning outcomes still relevant?
• Has any information changed due to policy or system updates?
• Do the visuals and examples still represent your workplace?
• Is the format mobile-friendly and accessible?

An audit gives you a clear roadmap for what can be reused, rewritten, or retired.

💡 Tip: Use a simple tracking sheet to list your courses, their last update date, and any known issues. This helps prioritise which ones need the most attention.

2. Keep what works, evolve what doesn’t

Many legacy modules contain solid learning foundations with clear outcomes, good structure, and real-world scenarios. What’s outdated is usually how it’s presented.

• Focus on keeping the valuable content while improving clarity, accessibility, and engagement.
• Rewrite heavy text into short, conversational chunks.
• Replace long paragraphs with interactions or visuals.
• Break lengthy modules into smaller micro-lessons.
• Modernising is about making learning feel effortless, not overwhelming.

3. Choose the right tool for your rebuild

Different courses call for different approaches.

💡 Tip: Many organisations combine both – Rise for structure and Storyline for richer interactions embedded as blocks.

4. Design with today’s learners in mind

Modern learning design is clean, visual, and human-centred. Learners expect courses to look as good as the apps they use every day.

When redesigning:

• Simplify layouts with clear space and modern typography.
• Use your brand palette consistently for cohesion.
• Incorporate flat icons, animations, or photos of real people.
• Avoid dense screens and use one clear idea per block or slide.

Your visual refresh doesn’t have to start from scratch. Using eLearning templates is a great way to fast-track production and maintain brand consistency across all courses.

Want a deeper dive into modern learning design frameworks? Explore our wrap-up post on Learning Design Reinvented: Where to From Here for next-level insights.

5.  Make It Responsive and Publish for Today’s Technology

One of the most overlooked parts of modernising old eLearning is ensuring it’s technically up to date. Tools like Articulate Rise 360 and Storyline 360 automatically handle responsive design, adjusting to any screen size, but many older courses are still running on outdated versions, file types, or players.

If your module was last published several years ago, it might not display correctly, load slowly, or fail on mobile altogether. Learners may blame their device when the real issue is simply an outdated course package.

💡 Tip: Republishing your course in the latest Articulate 360 version often resolves these issues immediately. Storyline’s Modern Player improves accessibility, scales content beautifully on tablets and phones, and offers built-in dark-mode support. Even without a full visual redesign, republishing ensures your course meets current browser standards and provides a smoother, faster learner experience.

Modernisation isn’t always about new visuals, it’s as simple as bringing your course technically into 2025.

6. Re-energise the Experience with Modern Tools and Techniques

Modernising your eLearning isn’t just about updating colours or templates – it’s about using today’s tools to make learning interactive, immersive, and human. Articulate Rise 360, Storyline 360, and complementary apps now give you powerful creative options to transform static screens into dynamic experiences.

Here’s how to breathe life back into legacy content.

Increase Interactivity Using Today’s Techniques

Interactivity is at the heart of engagement. Replace passive slides with meaningful learner actions.
Use click-to-reveal interactions, drag-and-drops, or hotspots to let people explore rather than read. Storyline’s refined triggers and motion paths make this faster and smoother than ever.

Even adding a few lightweight interactions to an old linear course can transform how it feels to complete.

Use Real-World Scenarios, Not Generic Questions

Relevance drives engagement. Swap memory-based questions for realistic decision-making challenges drawn from your workplace.
Storyline’s branching logic and Rise’s scenario blocks make it easy to build authentic conversations that reflect what learners actually face on the job.

When people see their daily reality in a course, it becomes practical, not theoretical.

Enhance Engagement with AI-Generated Audio Narration

Adding AI-generated narration is one of the quickest ways to refresh a dated module. Modern text-to-speech voices sound genuinely natural — expressive, clear, and localised.

You can instantly update narration when scripts change, choose from multiple accents, and ensure accessibility for those who prefer to listen.
Rise and Storyline both import AI audio effortlessly, giving you professional-quality sound without recording studios or long turnarounds.

This small update adds warmth, inclusivity, and energy, particularly for courses that previously relied solely on text.

Incorporate Animation and Motion for Visual Energy

Movement adds life. Micro-animations, smooth transitions, or short animated sequences can guide focus and illustrate processes.
Storyline’s improved motion paths and Rise’s ability to embed GIFs or lightweight videos make this easy.

Keep it purposeful, animation should clarify, not clutter. When used well, motion modernises instantly.

Update with the Latest Branding

When your organisation updates its look, your courses should too. Check for refreshed logos, colour palettes, icons, and photography from your brand or marketing team. Integrating these assets brings consistency and shows learners your content represents the organisation today, not five years ago.

Replace old colour schemes, out-of-date imagery, and fonts with brand-approved elements. Even subtle updates make a course feel new and on-brand again.

Refresh Your Assessments

Older modules often feature long, end-of-course quizzes that test memory rather than understanding. Modern learning design takes a different approach, spreading assessment throughout the journey and focusing on application. Use short knowledge checks after key topics instead of saving them all for the end. Rise’s knowledge-check blocks and Storyline’s question banks make this simple and keep learners thinking as they go.

When you do create summative assessments, focus on real-world decision-making rather than fact recall. Provide personalised feedback for each option and link learners back to key content for reinforcement.

Refreshing your assessments in this way gives your courses both a modern flow and measurable learning impact.

Bring It All Together

Modernising is about more than design refreshes, it’s about leveraging the latest capabilities to re-engage learners. By combining interactivity, real scenarios, natural narration, motion, and updated branding, you create courses that feel current, relevant, and technically sound.

7. Relaunch Like a Campaign

Once your modernised courses are ready, don’t quietly upload them to your LMS, launch them. Create anticipation just like a new product release:

• Share a teaser or “before-and-after” image internally.
• Use your LMS announcements or intranet banners to promote what’s new.
• Encourage leaders to endorse the updated experience.

We’ve written a full guide on How to Build a Successful eLearning Launch Campaign that walks through how to make your relaunch stand out.

This approach not only boosts completions but shows the business your learning team is delivering visible innovation.

8. Measure, Learn, and Iterate

Once live, track metrics through your LMS (like Birch) completions, feedback, and quiz performance. Compare against your older version. If learners are finishing faster, scoring higher, or leaving positive comments, that’s proof your refresh is working.

Share those results with leaders to build the case for continued investment in modernising your learning library.

9. Partner with Specialists if You’re Short on Time

Modernising content can be a big job especially when you’re managing multiple stakeholders, SMEs, and legacy systems. Partnering with a team that knows Articulate inside out can save you weeks of production time and ensure everything looks polished and performs perfectly.

At B Online Learning, we’ve helped organisations across industries revitalise their old content using modern design, accessibility standards, and practical tools. Whether you need template creation, course rebuilds, or end-to-end development, we can help you refresh efficiently and confidently.

If you’re not sure where to start, our guide on Choosing the Right eLearning Vendor explains what to look for in a trusted partner.

Wrap-Up: A Fresh Look for Learning That Still Matters

Your existing eLearning represents valuable knowledge, it just needs a modern makeover. By auditing, redesigning, and relaunching strategically, you can turn dated content into dynamic learning experiences that feel new, relevant, and effective. If you’re ready to breathe new life into your old courses, we’d love to help you make it happen. Chat with our team.