Program Perspectives

The eLearning Guild team is dedicated to creating a DevLearn program that encompasses everything learning professionals need. Our staff comes from diverse backgrounds in learning and development, and they bring unique perspectives to the programs and content we create. Take a look at what Mark, Jane, Bianca, and David are interested in seeing at this year's DevLearn Conference.

Mark Britz

Sr. Manager of Programming

The Impact of the Organization on Workplace Performance

How a company is organized plays a large role in how we learn and work. I'm interested in how companies support each of these, as well as the systems, tools, and processes that impact employee attitudes and beliefs about them. These sessions provide insights and ideas on how to best support workflow learning and performance on an organizational strategy level.

Three Approaches to Implementing Workflow Learning—Ray Jimenez

Ray has been a huge advocate for workflow learning. His session looks to explore practical ways to get started by examining how it can be done in different verticals.
Elevating L&D's Value to the Business—Steve Foreman

For decades now the “how do we get a seat at the table” cry has raged on. Steve looks to show just how it can be done, and that is by getting closer to the business itself.
Transforming Organizational Learning: SMEs as Creators, L&D as Advisors—Ken Murray & Steve Blane

A big look at organizational learning and elevating the role of the L&D department. The opportunity has never been greater for L&D to go beyond content creation.
Waterfall to Waterloo: How Failure Helped Build an Open Learning Culture—Jill Fitzpatrick & Michael Blaise

Agile has taken many industries by storm and L&D is definitely in the mix. This session aims to help you learn by looking at the struggles and failures of one team’s efforts to transform.

Bianca Woods

Sr. Manager of Programming

Shaking Up Your Thinking

A lot of what I like about going to conferences is catching sessions that help me see my work (and world) in new ways. Whether it’s new technology, new approaches, new speakers, or even new takes on what the session experience can be, it’s good to push myself out of my comfort zone and rethink how I do things. These sessions all approach L&D in unusual ways and are sure to appeal if you’re looking to keep evolving your mindsets and skills.

Learning Buzzword Bingo: Making Sense of the Hype—Chad Udell, Clark Quinn, Jennifer Murphy

Cutting through hype to see the real strengths and weaknesses of what’s popular in L&D can be tough. This session makes it a bit easier with a surprising and fun combination of deep discussions, humor, and actually playing Bingo.
L&D Mystery Series: The Case of the Disengaged Learner—Cara North

By setting up this session as an interactive mystery, Cara both shares solutions and also models how things like rethinking the session format itself can reveal new ways to think about engagement.
What's Your Problem? Using Design Thinking to Frame Performance Issues—Kristen Hayden Safdie

Design thinking can either give you deep insights or shallow fluff—it all depends on how you use it. Kristen looks at not just design thinking in general, but how specifically we can use it in the world of L&D to uncover the meaningful insights we want.
Tools, Apps, and Online Resources: Community Favorites

New-to-you tools and resources can help you solve problems in innovative ways. This session’s focus on mini presentations from new speakers means you’ll also get the bonus of recommendations from community members you’ve never heard speak at DevLearn before.

David Kelly

EVP & Executive Director

Putting Emerging Technologies into Context

I’m fascinated by cutting-edge technologies and love exploring the possibilities they open for learning and development. I enjoy seeing early adopters sharing stories of how they are applying new technologies to their work, and asking myself what that means for the industry and for the work that we do. The sessions below tap into the spirit of discovery that powers my curiosity.

How to Evaluate Immersive Technologies Against Organizational Needs—Douglas Seifert

One of the toughest questions to answer about emerging technologies is: When is the right time to jump in? This session explores a framework that can be used to evaluate any technology to measure the impact it may have for your organization.
Developing Marv: Our Journey Towards a Conversational Chatbot—Duncan Larkin & Nicholas Pappas

Chatbots are increasingly being used in customer service scenarios, and there’s rising interest in how the technology could be used in the context of learning and performance support. This session shares a case study from an organization that is an early adopter in the space.
The Potential of Artificial Intelligence for L&D—Koreen Pagano

It seems like AI is everywhere in the news, and it’s potential to transform the future of work cannot be understated. This session explores numerous examples of how artificial intelligence may be applied to the future of L&D.
Leveraging AR Success from Other Industries—Danielle Wallace

Augmented reality has the power to completely redefine how we work. The technology is still emerging, as are the use cases for L&D. But other industries are already applying AR, and this session will explore some of those examples and what lessons they provide.

Jane Bozarth

Director of Research

Research and Evidence-Based Practice; Tacit Knowledge Sharing

I’m interested in helping L&D professionals develop their understanding of both craft and evidence-based practice, particularly through offering ideas and language that will enable them to better negotiate and communicate with stakeholders. I am invested in the understanding that learning is social, and I look for ways to help others find realistic ways of sharing their ideas, solutions, and lessons learned within their networks and communities.