From Static Slides to Scalable Learning: How AMCA Partnered with LX Studio

From Stagnation to Success: AMCA’s Path to Scalable Professional Education for Associations

AMCA had the expertise. The challenge was scaling it into a learning experience that felt clear, credible, and easy to complete for working engineers.

As a trade association serving professional engineers, the Air Movement and Control Association (AMCA) regularly develop educational content—webinars, modules, seminars, and technical sessions for engineer continuing education. But before partnering with LX Studio, the team faced a familiar obstacle: translating deep subject-matter knowledge into training that was consistent, engaging, and built for busy professionals.

Robb Clawson, AMCA’s Senior Director of Association Engagement, described the core issue as “bandwidth and expertise”—not a lack of knowledge, but the capacity and instructional design support needed to deliver it in a way that audiences would widely adopt.

Instead of relying on static slide decks and basic recordings, AMCA needed a format that supported self-paced participation, plus feedback and assessment—especially for professional development requirements.

The Challenge: When Education Depends on Busy Experts, Delivery Gets Complicated

In many associations, the most credible training comes from the people closest to the work: volunteer leaders and subject matter experts. AMCA was no different—and like many programs, the limiting factor wasn’t knowledge, it was SME bandwidth.

But those experts also had full-time jobs. That made education hard to scale, especially when the goal is scalable professional education for associations rather than one-off live sessions.

AMCA’s existing approach leaned on presentations and recordings—common starting points, but not always a fit for PDH/CEU online training that needs to be trackable and consistent. The content existed, but the format made it difficult to deliver consistently and easy for learners to disengage. Robb described the starting point as being built largely around slide decks and straightforward recordings—assets that didn’t always create the learning experience AMCA wanted for a professional audience.

There was also a behind-the-scenes operational cost. Coordinating SMEs for live delivery was time-consuming, unpredictable, and often stressful. Robb captured the reality with a line that many education managers will recognize immediately:

“It was very much herding cats at times.”

And as the cadence of training grew, the model created friction—especially when travel and scheduling entered the picture.

 “It became… problematic from a cost standpoint, a travel standpoint, and a sanity standpoint.”

AMCA needed a better way forward. One that could:

• Reduce reliance on live delivery and constant scheduling

• Keep technical content focused and learner-friendly

• Support professional development expectations (PDHs/CEUs)

• Create a repeatable approach for building more modules over time

Finding the Right Partner: Not a Template, but a Co-creator

Robb first connected with LX Studio at the ASAE trade show. What stood out wasn’t a sales pitch or a one-size-fits-all package. It was that LX Studio understood the realities of instructional design for trade associations, especially when the audience expects technical accuracy and credential-ready learning.

Robb emphasized that LX Studio understood what it takes to serve an engineer audience—especially in environments tied to professional development hours, certification expectations, and measurable learning.

Just as importantly, Robb made it clear that LX Studio wasn’t trying to force AMCA into a generic solution. The team listened first—then built an approach that fit AMCA’s needs.

“They were not trying to give us a cookie-cutter package… they were… develop[ing] the customized approach that we needed.”

That combination of association fluency, instructional design expertise, and a partnership mindset created the foundation for what came next.

The Shift: a Programmatic Process Powered by LEM^TM 

At LX Studio, our work is guided by Learning Environment Modeling^TM (LEM)—a structured, research-informed approach to co-creating learning experiences that are engaging, measurable, and aligned with real-world constraints.

In Robb’s story, LEM^TM shows up as something practical: clear structure, shared expectations, and a workflow that keeps projects moving without overwhelming internal teams or SMEs.

Robb described LX Studio’s approach as professional and programmatic supported by tangible tools and a straightforward process.

“It’s very professional, very programmatic… spreadsheets and mechanisms to make sure that you stay on task, on target, on budget.”

That structure mattered for two reasons:

1. It reduced decision fatigue. When SMEs are busy, ambiguity kills momentum. LX Studio clarified what was needed, when it was needed, and how it would be used. Robb highlighted the value of having a clearly outlined format where SMEs didn’t have to guess what to provide.
2. It made progress predictable. Instead of relying on ad-hoc “send me what you have” cycles, the work moved through development, review, and approval with clarity. That helped AMCA maintain confidence in the quality and accuracy of the technical content, while ensuring the learning experience stayed focused and buildable.

Self-paced Learning with Feedback Loops 

For professional learners—especially engineers—education isn’t just about “watching a video” or “sitting through a webinar.” It needs to be trackable, credible, and aligned with professional development expectations.

Robb emphasized that AMCA needed a framework that supported self-paced participation and included feedback mechanisms. Specifically, the kinds of assessment elements that matter in credential-driven environments.

AMCA also needed learning that included quizzing and feedback loops—assessment and feedback in eLearning—so participants weren’t just consuming information but engaging with it and demonstrating understanding. That helped AMCA align their education with continuing education expectations and deliver value that felt legitimate to the learner.

The result was a learning experience built for busy professionals:

• Clear modules

• Focused outcomes

• Assessment and feedback

• A consistent experience that could scale beyond any single live presentation

Results That Mattered: “Overwhelmingly Positive” Learner Feedback

When asked how the new modules were received, Robb didn’t hedge. He described feedback as strongly positive and pointed to the learner experience as a standout.

“The perception and the feedback were overwhelmingly positive.”

Robb shared that learners noticed how intuitive the modules felt and how easy they were to track. But he also emphasized something that’s easy to overlook: the redesigned learning stayed focused.

For learners, that focus matters. Engineers sign up expecting a clear topic and a learning experience that respects their time. With the new modular approach, the learning became more than a requirement.

That’s the goal of professional education: not simply delivering content but building real capability while maintaining credibility and relevance.

The Value Proposition: Bandwidth Relief and a Premier Final Product

Robb described the partnership value in two ways—both important for organizations thinking about investing in learning design.

1) LX Studio Increased Capacity by Taking the Work Forward

Many teams can spare an hour or two for alignment, but not dozens of hours for building and structuring content end-to-end. Robb highlighted how LX Studio reduced that internal load.

That matters because it creates momentum. LX Studio helps organizations move from intention to execution without the project stalling due to limited bandwidth.

2) LX Studio Elevated the Professionalism and Polish of the Learning Experience

Robb also made it clear that LX Studio didn’t just make the work easier—they made the output better. The final product wasn’t “good enough.” It was intentionally built, well-designed, and professionally executed.

For associations, that level of quality strengthens credibility. It signals to members and learners that the education is worth their time. 

How LX Studio Can Help Your Organization

Want to scale education without burning out your SMEs? Start with a quick gut-check:

• Are your learning outcomes clear and consistent?

• Do learners have built-in feedback or assessment?

• Can the program run without constant live scheduling?

If your organization has deep expertise but limited bandwidth to turn it into scalable learning, we can help. LX Studio helps teams turn SME expertise into self-paced continuing education modules. Each module includes clear outcomes, assessment, and a repeatable process your team can use again.

Ready to explore what that could look like for your programs? Contact us to start a conversation. For more frameworks and examples you can use right away, subscribe to the LX Studio newsletter.