Wolf&Grayson EditorialTechnology is transforming insurance education, reshaping how agents access information, complete continuing education, and interact with both carriers and clients. From artificial intelligence-driven research tools to on-demand video platforms and automated compliance tracking, digital systems are redefining what it means to be “trained” in the insurance profession.
The speed of that transformation has exposed a deeper question about whether efficiency and access automatically translate into understanding. “It doesn’t matter what kind of technology you use. If your education isn’t going to reach the audience in a way that they can use it effectively, we have a problem,” says Treacy Duerfeldt, Founder of Construction Insurance Risk Education. For him, the real opportunity lies not in digitizing content, but in redesigning how insurance professionals learn, communicate, and ultimately advise their clients.
At a time when artificial intelligence, on-demand platforms, and automated coursework promise efficiency, Duerfeldt believes that education must equip agents not just with technical knowledge, but with the ability to translate that knowledge into language their clients understand. Otherwise, technology only amplifies confusion.
The Communication Gap in Insurance Education
The insurance industry has long relied on dense language and technical documentation. Much of its education is steeped in legal phrasing and internal jargon. Agents may memorize definitions well enough to pass an exam, yet struggle to explain coverage implications to a construction executive or project manager.
“The ultimate consumer of this education is not the agent, but the agent’s client,” Duerfeldt says. When professionals learn in isolation, surrounded by industry terminology, they risk becoming siloed. They develop intellectual knowledge without cultivating the empathy and clarity required to serve policyholders.
That disconnect becomes more pronounced when technology is layered on top of flawed instructional design. Searchable PDFs and self-paced modules may check compliance boxes, but they rarely foster understanding. If learners can look up answers during assessments, organizations are measuring time spent, not mastery achieved.
The solution begins with language. Agents must be trained to speak in the vocabulary of the industries they serve. In construction, trucking, or manufacturing, risk is discussed differently than it is in an underwriting manual. Education that ignores that distinction leaves agents technically equipped but practically ineffective.
Verifiable Learning Over Passive Consumption
Blending technology with teaching requires more than uploading content to a platform. Duerfeldt emphasizes what he calls verifiable learning. Strategic quizzes embedded within lessons, cumulative assessments, and meaningful exams separate genuine comprehension from superficial participation.
“Are you committed to actually learning? It has to be tested a bit,” he says. Without rigor, continuing education becomes a transaction. Professionals log hours, earn credits, and return to the field unchanged.
There’s a real advantage in digital delivery when it is structured correctly. Video on demand allows busy professionals to learn on their own schedule, yet it must incorporate checkpoints that build on one another. A final assessment should challenge the learner, not present three obvious wrong answers and one easy choice.
For insurers and brokers, the implications are measurable, with fewer errors and omissions claims, fewer coverage disputes, and better client conversations. Organizations that embrace disciplined learning tend to avoid the stereotype of being mistake-prone.
Stories, Empathy, and the Educated Advisor
Live instruction remains powerful because it conveys experience alongside information. Stories create memory and context and humanize abstract policy language. “When I started simplifying things and telling stories, I became so much more successful,” he says.
This approach reframes the agent’s role. The professional is an advisor who asks the right questions and explains outcomes clearly. “Knowing the right questions is true wisdom.” That wisdom can’t be reduced to memorized paragraphs. It requires what he describes as intuitive and emotional knowledge. Experience teaches professionals to read cues, listen carefully, and guide clients through risk decisions with confidence. Technology can distribute information, but it doesn’t automatically transmit judgment.
Where AI Fits and Where It Falls Short
Artificial intelligence can deliver accurate, even sophisticated responses. Sophisticated buyers, however, expect advisors who understand their industry and operate at their level. “Intuitive and emotional knowledge is going to be very hard to substitute,” he says. Timing, tone, and trust are central to advisory work. A chatbot may provide data, but it doesn’t build a relationship.
He often compares attempts to disrupt insurance to “pushing a wet noodle uphill.” The industry is built on relationships and accumulated expertise. Change occurs, but rarely in sweeping, linear fashion. Technology will assist educators and advisors and may even help refine questions and frameworks, but “there’s no substitute for experience that develops trust, that develops expertise.”
Elevating Outcomes Through Better Teaching
For Duerfeldt, better insurance outcomes begin with better educators. Agents must learn not only coverage mechanics, but how to teach those mechanics to clients. They must be able to explain why the lowest price may conceal risk and why value often lies in thoughtful design.
Blending tech and teaching, then, is about using technology to reinforce clarity, accountability, and story-driven learning. When agents can translate complexity into plain English and back their advice with tested understanding, insurers, brokers, and policyholders all benefit.
Follow Treacy Duerfeldt on LinkedIn or visit their website for more insights.
