Matthew Grunewald, Senior Instructional Designer
Senior Learning Experience Designer

Matthew Grunewald

Learning that performs. Change that sticks.

20+ years designing enterprise learning ecosystems that turn disruptive change, from Slack rollouts to generative AI adoption, into performance gains instead of growing pains. Trusted across enterprise tech, healthcare, aviation, defense, and government.

My Journey

Two decades. Seven countries. Nine industries. One mission.

Course output growth
154K+ Apple employees supported
85%+ First-pass 508/WCAG compliance
200+ Learning experiences designed
Portfolio

Learning experiences by platform.

Every project below started with a performance gap, not a tool choice. Organized by platform so you can see the range once the right modality was chosen.

AI Course Guide

Curious what I (and anyone) can build in eLearning with AI? Check out this interactive guide on building a course with AI, or scroll down for more examples of my work.

Want the strategy and results behind these samples?

Modalities

Format follows function.

Facilitated, self-paced, blended, or video. The solution is driven by the need, not the medium.

Facilitated. Live workshops, in person or virtual.

Self-paced. Interactive eLearning that fits any schedule.

Blended. The best of live and on-demand, together.

Video-based. Scripted, produced, and edited end to end.

Experience

Across roles, sectors, and credentials.

Twenty years of measurable impact, ready to put to work for you across enterprise, healthcare, government, technology, and higher education.

80% → <5% email reliance Built Slack adoption training that reached ~154,000 Apple employees worldwide, helping shift communication from email to enterprise collaboration.
5× course output Scaled annual production from 20+ to 100+ learning experiences while supporting 300+ enterprise training initiatives.
0 → 30%+ digital learning adoption Led the transition from near-zero eLearning adoption to 30%+ participation across enterprise learning programs.
85%+ first-pass compliance Achieved 85%+ first-pass Section 508 and WCAG compliance, reducing remediation and accelerating delivery.
100+ courses supported Designed and maintained learning programs supporting onboarding and professional development for 1,000+ employees nationwide.
90%+ early delivery Delivered 90%+ of enterprise learning initiatives ahead of schedule while maintaining quality and stakeholder alignment.
Founded and direct a nonprofit for accessible, evidence-based learning. Lead end-to-end instructional design for self-paced, live virtual, and blended programs in Storyline, Rise, and Adobe Creative Suite, using AI-assisted workflows to produce more in less time without sacrificing craft. Built the organization end to end: obtained legal nonprofit status, set up financial operations, and designed, developed, and published native Apple and Google apps, applying UX/UI design and meeting each store's guidelines for live release.
Supported onboarding and professional development for 500+ seasonal, tax-season-only accountants nationwide by refreshing instructor-led and digital learning experiences. Audited and modernized 50+ compliance courses, implementing 1,000+ content revisions across all 50 states and D.C. to reflect evolving federal and state tax regulations. Used Google Chat Spaces to coordinate real-time curriculum triage and rapid course-update deployment across 500+ seasonal tax staff, and built a multi-stage AI-assisted quality assurance process to catch errors earlier and keep style and wording consistent across courses.
Designed and deployed Slack adoption training for ~154,000 employees, driving one of Apple's largest collaboration tool rollouts. Led generative AI training, onboarding, and upskilling programs. Built end-to-end solutions from needs analysis through delivery, meeting Section 508 and WCAG requirements throughout.
High-consequence aviation and defense training. Conducted needs analysis with SMEs and matched delivery format (simulation, VILT, eLearning, OJT) to the actual performance gap and operational context. Created detailed storyboards and assessments.
Supported conversion of ILT into SCORM- and Section 508-compliant VILT for registered nurse surveyors. Designed regulatory and workflow training with clinical SMEs, ensuring accuracy and consistency across healthcare audiences.
Designed and delivered pilot, aircraft maintenance, safety, and anti-terrorism training aligned with U.S., NATO, and ICAO standards. Led cross-cultural training between U.S. personnel, Afghan pilots, and ATC teams.
Led a cross-functional international team of educators, designers, programmers, and technical specialists through Agile workflows (JIRA, Confluence, Kanban) to deliver large-scale learning initiatives from concept to launch. Developed professional and customer-service training for international teams across hospitality, aviation, and maritime sectors. Designed scenario-based learning to practice cross-cultural communication in realistic work contexts.
Education & Financial Services Previous Experience 2001–2011
Instructional design and training roles across education and financial services.
SituationApple had no formal eLearning: just videos and instructor-led training.
TaskI was brought in to create the program from scratch.
ActionDeveloped templates, built pilot courses, and collaborated with stakeholders across teams.
ResultLaunched 50+ courses in one year, establishing eLearning as the team's primary delivery format alongside ILT.
SituationInitial Slack training was a GIF, but it lacked accessibility features.
TaskMake the content accessible and easy to follow.
ActionRebuilt the guide as a short, pausable, captioned video.
ResultPositive user feedback led the team to adopt the captioned-video format as the standard for all future Slack training, replacing static GIFs across the program.
SituationOur courses lacked interactivity and learner engagement.
TaskFind and implement a solution to increase interactivity.
ActionSelf-taught advanced actions in Captivate and introduced them to the team.
ResultAdvanced actions became a standard part of the team's toolkit. Completion rates and knowledge-check scores improved, and the technique was adopted in all subsequent Captivate builds.
SituationLearner analytics flagged a persistent completion barrier partway through a long, linear macro-course.
TaskFix the drop-off without cutting the content learners still needed.
ActionRedesigned the course into 5 targeted microlearning experiences, each scoped to a single outcome learners could complete in one sitting.
ResultCompletion rates rose by more than 10%, and the microlearning structure became a template for future course redesigns.
SituationA publishing issue in Adobe Captivate had silently broken WCAG and Section 508 compliance across 30+ live courses.
TaskRestore compliance across every affected course without pausing active development.
ActionTraced the issue to its root cause, then directed a 3-person remediation effort to fix and republish each affected course.
ResultFull compliance restored across 30+ courses within 2 weeks, with zero delay to work already in flight.
SituationNavy training was delivered too early and often forgotten.
TaskAlign training delivery to the sailor's role and readiness timeline.
ActionConducted needs analysis across specialties and mapped timing and delivery format, including AR/VR.
ResultDelivered a training plan tied to career stage and role readiness, moving from front-loaded delivery to training that arrives when sailors actually need it.
SituationThe Crowd Training's PMP (Project Management Professional) exam-prep course was effective but dry.
TaskMake it more engaging and experiential.
ActionAdded gamification, branching, and real-world scenarios.
ResultCompletion rates rose and the course became The Crowd Training's top-rated offering. Learners cited the scenarios as the reason they stayed through to the end.
SituationApple's teams lacked a shared, collaborative whiteboarding tool.
TaskEvaluate the options and lead the rollout of the best fit.
ActionLed the tool evaluation, then built a storyboard prototype before the contract was even signed so training was ready on day one.
ResultMiro launched globally with strong day-one adoption and became a standard collaboration tool across teams.
Situation1-800Accountant needed 500+ seasonal accountants ready for tax season, but the course library had outdated content spanning federal and state-specific tax rules.
TaskAudit the curriculum for regulatory accuracy and update it fast, without losing learner confidence in highly regulated content.
ActionBuilt an AI-assisted verification workflow that checked legacy content against current federal and state guidance, then routed everything through CPA SMEs for final sign-off before publishing in Absorb LMS.
ResultCompleted a company-wide regulatory refresh in under three months, reducing compliance risk and giving every seasonal accountant current guidance before serving clients.
SituationMilitary leadership wanted standardized English training, but pilots, air traffic controllers, and maintenance crews needed highly specific aviation terminology to do their jobs safely.
TaskDesign one training solution that met leadership's standardization goals without compromising operational effectiveness in the field.
ActionMet with stakeholders across every group, then redesigned the curriculum to blend standardized communication training with role-specific aviation terminology.
ResultDelivered a solution that satisfied senior leadership while giving personnel the practical communication skills they needed, supporting Afghan-led aviation operations without sacrificing mission effectiveness.
SituationA large-scale learning initiative needed educators, graphic designers, programmers, and technical specialists working together across countries.
TaskLead the instructional design effort while keeping every discipline coordinated toward one cohesive learning solution.
ActionDirected the project from concept through delivery, using Agile practices (JIRA, Confluence, Kanban) to keep content, video, and technical workstreams visible and aligned.
ResultDelivered the international learning project on course, aligning diverse specialists around a shared instructional vision from concept through implementation.
SituationWanted to build an organization for accessible, evidence-based mindfulness education, with no existing infrastructure, funding, or operating model.
TaskLaunch a fully functioning nonprofit while keeping startup costs low.
ActionLed incorporation and IRS 501(c)(3) approval, built governance and operations, and used AI-assisted workflows to accelerate research, compliance, and content development.
ResultLaunched an operational nonprofit reaching people through live and self-paced programs, bootstrapped on a starting budget of just $2,500.
SituationCMS relied on travel-intensive, in-person instructor-led training to prepare registered nurse surveyors nationwide.
TaskModernize the learning strategy without sacrificing consistency or quality.
ActionConverted classroom training into virtual instructor-led, video, and self-paced learning, working closely with clinical SMEs to standardize content.
ResultReduced travel costs, improved training consistency, and accelerated readiness for healthcare surveyors nationwide.
SituationApple needed employees to adopt generative AI tools while meeting strict legal, security, and privacy requirements.
TaskDevelop training that promoted confident AI adoption without compromising security or data privacy.
ActionPartnered with Legal, Security, and business stakeholders to design enterprise AI training and governance-aligned guidance.
ResultEmployees across the organization adopted AI into daily workflows while staying aligned with Apple's security and privacy standards.
Ph.D.
Instructional Design & Technology
Keiser University
M.A.
Curriculum Design & Instruction
University of Phoenix
M.S.
Psychology (Positive Psychology), In Progress
Arizona State University · Expected 2028
B.S.
Philosophy
Florida State University
PMP
Project Management Professional
Project Management Institute
PTC
Public Trust Clearance
U.S. Federal Government
MMTCP
Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification
Meditation Teacher Training Program
Guidelines

The values behind the work.

Accessibility, cultural awareness, performance improvement, and continuous learning shape every project, so whatever we build together works for the people who'll actually use it.

🎯

Performance Consulting

Performance Consulting

I diagnose the real performance gap before recommending a fix, so you get the modality (simulation, VILT, eLearning, OJT) that actually closes it, not just the one I happen to prefer.

Rapid & Agile Design

Rapid & Agile Design

PMP-certified project management applied to instructional design, so you get full ownership from needs analysis through delivery: one point of accountability, start to finish.

AI-Augmented Workflows

AI-Augmented Workflows

I led generative AI training at Apple for a workforce of 154,000, and I bring that same AI-assisted workflow to your project, for faster production without substituting human judgment, critique, or craft.

📊

Measurement & Iteration

Measurement & Iteration

Kirkpatrick-informed evaluation built into every program, so you can see the line from reaction surveys and knowledge checks to on-the-job performance and real business results.

Expertise

Built on evidence, enabled by technology.

The frameworks, theories, and tools that shape how solutions are designed, developed, and evaluated.

Design Models
Learning Theory
Evaluation
Authoring
Design & Media
LMS & Standards
Project & Agile Tools
Games

Made for fun.

I hope you've seen my professional side by now, but that doesn't mean I don't like to be creative and have some fun too. If you have a minute, I think you'll enjoy a few prototype games I built with AI: a lighter way through everything above.

Design Blocks. A Tetris-style falling-block puzzle: clear lines to collect 25 proof points from my career.

Evidence! Catch falling proof points across 5 hiring signals before they hit the ground.

Mat-Man. Navigate the maze and collect 6 flags from the countries where I've worked.

Recommendations

Trusted to deliver.

Feedback from colleagues, managers, and stakeholders across enterprise, defense, healthcare, and higher education.

Hi! I'm Matthew's portfolio assistant 👋
Ask me what I can do for you.