CASE STUDY
AAAP MOUD Online Training Revamp:
Innovating Addiction Education with AI and Expert Moments to Empower Healthcare Professionals
Innovating Addiction Education with AI and Expert Moments to Empower Healthcare Professionals
The American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP) administers the Providers Clinical Support System – Medications for Opioid Use Disorders (PCSS-MOUD), a federally funded initiative made possible by grants and industry volunteers who are willing to share their knowledge. This coalition of major healthcare organizations provides evidence-based training and resources to give healthcare providers the skills and knowledge they need to treat patients with Opioid Use Disorders (OUD) and chronic pain.
The AAAP required a redesign and revamp of their foundational courses on Opioid Addiction into an 8-hour bundle to meet new DEA training requirements for practitioners applying to prescribe. The current curriculum has been highly successful, with over 600,000 unique learners participating, including doctors, nurse practitioners, RN/LPNs, psychiatrists, dentists, pharmacists, and others. The curriculum expired in January 2026 and was in need of an update based on recent data and to address learner feedback, upgrading the program from its current format into a more engaging, interactive experience.
The primary challenge was to rebuild the 8-hour course bundle to enhance the learner experience by making the courses more engaging and applicable. Furthermore, the team had to work within the constraints of the client’s Learning Management System (LMS) to deliver the 8-hour bundle and give learners an overview of Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) and then move the focus specifically to Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). Ultimately, the program is designed to ensure awareness and certify competence in treating and managing patients experiencing substance use disorders.
In partnership with AAAP and Learning Design by Kim, who brought their expertise in the medical training arena, Xpan planned and executed the development of the full eight-hour program. The curriculum was built in Articulate Storyline 360 and structured into modules that provide a personalized learning experience. The content flow was redesigned to be flexible, allowing learners to access courses in the Oasis LMS without strict prerequisite ordering.
The instructional strategy heavily leveraged scenario-based and story-based learning. The courses integrated fictional patient case studies to highlight the material’s application, allowing learners to reflect on related questions before and after the material was discussed. Maintaining credibility and certifying competence with a highly trained professional audience was essential so including up-to-date, linked resources, and ensuring the AAAP’s ability to use the slides for future updates was a key consideration. The solution used video presentations to share “expert moments,” providing realism and storytelling to reinforce specific learning points directly from reputable clinical experts.
The courses were upgraded to a Level Two interactivity experience. This included the integration of animations, motion graphics, clickable menus, click-to-reveal interactions, and linear scenarios. Specific features included interactive tab structures, learner text input, and patient cases with interactive knowledge checks. The project featured an updated presentation template to refresh the overall look and feel, ensuring a clear hierarchy of information and consistent use of modern visuals. To remove barriers to learning, the design was mandated to be mobile-compatible, responsive, and fully accessibility-compliant (adhering to ADA/Section 508, WCAG, and AODA standards). Fictional conversations were depicted using animated humanoids rather than real-life photos to allow for a wide variety of facial expressions, body gestures, and diversity in characters.
A significant challenge was integrating the newly developed, highly interactive SCORM-based activities into the client’s existing Oasis LMS, which presented certain technical constraints. Xpan navigated this by diligently testing files within the LMS environment during the Implementation phase to ensure a smooth, functional user experience despite platform limitations.
The updated program features shorter expert videos alongside 3D animated videos that simulate authentic clinical environments and model both clinician-to-clinician and clinician-to-patient dialogues, allowing learners to witness complex conversations about treatments, stigma, and recovery. Generated patient scenarios were carefully co-designed to reflect realistic, demographically diverse patient profiles while maintaining clinical accuracy. Learners interact with patients in simulated scenarios, propose treatments, and reflect on approaches in a safe setting.
By integrating authentic narratives and real-world case studies, the newly updated and upgraded eLearning program empowers healthcare professionals to apply their knowledge directly to clinical problem-solving. Learners are presented with fictional case studies, such as a practitioner-patient conversation, where they must assess situations and decide on appropriate solutions, bridging the gap between theory and real-life application. Comprehension assessments, in the form of interactive knowledge checks and quizzes, were embedded at the end of each scenario and section to gauge progress and cement understanding.
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