Advancing Human Intelligence in L&D Through AI-Powered Active Learning

Part 2: Advancing Human Intelligence in Learning and Development with AI

Missed Part 1?  Read it here → AI Tools in L&D: From Force Multiplier to Partner

In Part 1 of this article series, we explored how AI is changing the economics and scalability of content creation in corporate learning and development (L&D). In Part 2, we go deeper: how AI can actually advance human intelligence.

It feels esoteric, I know - but it really comes down to something familiar: passive learning vs. active learning in the workplace.

Let’s start by busting some common myths:

• Active learning can only happen in person.
• It only works in small, tightly facilitated groups.
• Online active learning can’t match in-person outcomes.
  
  

These assumptions are outdated. Clinging to them will prevent you from unlocking meaningful cost savings, scalable delivery, and measurable learning outcomes.

This blog compares passive and active learning across in-person and virtual training modalities, and ranks them by the things you care about most: ROI, knowledge retention, learner engagement, and instructor workload.

Comparing the effectiveness of passive in-person vs. passive virtual training

Let’s compare passive corporate training across two modalities: in-person vs. virtual delivery, using the same content and structure.

Comparison summary

Sources: U.S. Department of Education (2020) | Inside Higher Ed (2021) | Bawa, P. (2016) | Xu & Jaggars (2013) | Mangen et al. (2013)

Supporting data

• Online course dropout rates are significantly higher than in-person formats
• Digital formats yield lower knowledge retention vs. live or print-based learning
  
  

Bottom line: If your goal is to deliver as much content at once to as many people as possible, then passive delivery is the model for you. However, if your goal is to deliver the best learning outcomes, then passive learning is your worst possible choice.

Comparing the effectiveness of active learning modalities

Now let’s compare three formats for active learning in corporate training:

• In-person training
• Virtual learning without engagement tools
• Virtual learning with engagement tools and a producer
  
  

Comparison summary

Sources: Kizilcec et al. (2020) | OECD (2021) | Frontiers in Education (2023)

Bottom line: Active virtual learning with AI and tools enables scalable, data-driven, high-impact training with lower facilitation cost.

Ranking training models from best to worst

Sources: EDUCAUSE (2022) | UNESCO (2021) | Frontiers in Psychology (2023)

Bottom line: Only active virtual training with AI support achieves high retention, scalability, and cost-efficiency simultaneously.

Cost comparison of active virtual vs. in-person training

Sources: Training Industry (2023) | EDUCAUSE (2022) | ATD (2022) | Frontiers in Education (2023)

Bottom line: Virtual active learning supported by tools and AI costs roughly one-tenth per learner compared to in-person training.

Enter the AI producer

Not all teams can afford a human producer. In fact, according to the Association for Talent Development, less than 30% of organizations offering virtual classroom training employ a dedicated producer - meaning over 70% lack the producer role entirely.

It gets worse: only 10–20% of instructors can effectively manage active virtual sessions without a producer. Most struggle with real-time demands around content delivery, tech issues, and learner engagement.

This forces a decision: Either accept lower outcomes and burnout, or scale with AI.

An AI producer is a game-changer. It supports human instructors by:

• Monitoring learner engagement in real time
• Sending targeted nudges to instructors
• Acting as a personal tutor who reinforces sticky points
• Answering questions instantly
• Auto-generating polls and quizzes
• Checking for understanding dynamically
• Writing notes and session summaries
• Automating breakout assignments
• Moderating chat and flags key issues
  
  

The AI producer elevates instructors. It reads the room, analyzes engagement data in real time, and assists in scaling personalized, high-impact corporate learning without additional headcount.

The business case for online active learning

The business case for active learning - when powered by engagement tools and an AI producer - shifts the focus to performance, scalability, and financial impact.

Let’s roll up the data and quantify the business impact:

• Retention: Active virtual training with tools and an AI producer achieves 85–90% retention - on par with the best in-person experiences.
• Class size: It scales to 120–150 learners per session, compared to 25–40 for in-person active formats. That scale unlocks significant savings - educating up to six times more learners in a single session, without increasing instructional costs. To reach 1,000 learners, an instructor would need just 7–9 virtual sessions, compared to 25–40 in-person sessions. That’s up to 5x fewer classes, freeing up time, reducing burnout, and improving consistency.
• Efficiency: An employee attending a passive virtual session (30–50% retention) would need to attend the same session 2 to 2.25 times to match the retention of a single active session with tools and an AI producer. That’s not just a productivity hit - it’s a cost and time multiplier.
• Cost: At approximately $30 per learner, virtual active learning is nearly 90% more cost-effective than in-person active learning ( which costs approximately $360 per learner).
  
  

These numbers shift the narrative. What was once a tradeoff between quality and scale is now a false choice. With the right virtual learning tools and AI automation, organizations can unlock the full impact of corporate learning - without the limits of travel, venues, or instructor overload.

Most importantly, it democratizes access. AI-supported active learning makes high-quality, high-impact instruction scalable and achievable for every instructor.

It’s a more satisfying way to train and a smarter way to grow.

Try Engageli Studio free for one month to see how much time and money you can save by using the active online training model.

Stay tuned for Part 3: AI-Powered Blended Learning.