Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.

Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.

Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.

Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.

Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.

Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.

Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.

Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.

Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.

Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.

Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.

Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.

Perception is what drives everything we know, think, feel, and believe. It also impacts how we learn. In this thought-provoking keynote presentation, renowned neuroscientist Dr. Beau Lotto will use perceptual neuroscience to explore creativity and the critical role it plays in learning. Discover what creativity is from the perspective of the mind. Learn why fear and stress are the main barriers to creativity. Explore how you can create an environment that allows maximum creativity for yourself and others. This presentation will help you understand how the brain resolves uncertainty and how “destructive creation” is at the heart of learning itself.

This session will break down the key ingredients that will make your mobile app a learning success. You’ll learn design principles, from user interface to user experience, and how to get the best in class. You learn several ways to prototype apps prior to programming, from paper to interactive testing, and learn the techniques and tools that you can use to test your concept prior to programming. You’ll also look at the key types of apps and receive dozens of ideas to get you started and to apply when you’re back at your office.

Storyline 2 has arrived, and it brings a whole new world of possibilities to eLearning development. With new triggers, relative motion paths, controls, dockable panels, and many other features, Storyline 2 is the easiest, quickest way to build anything you can imagine! In this session, you’ll learn how Storyline 2 gives you more ways to bring content to life, more ways to create the right look and feel, and more ways to be more productive.

See how an organization used the TREK Learning Experience Manager to enable short, frequent, asynchronous, targeted coaching interactions—“nano-coaching—to support on-the-job learning. Learners used mobile devices to capture evidence of work along their learning path and submit it to their designated coaches. Coaches were notified and provided feedback that was sent back to the employees. The coaches were provided with performance support, including coaching guides, checklists, and success criteria. You’ll see the results of a pilot study of the effectiveness of the technology-supported nano-coaching process. You’ll also get guidelines for developing an effective nano-coaching program in your organization.

Data privacy is an issue that is rising in importance around the globe. As more examples of privacy violations are becoming public, the need for learning professionals to focus on data privacy increases. However, most learning professionals have never really put much thought into data privacy or how privacy factors into our design and development.

In this session you will explore two key areas of concern for data privacy in learning. You will examine the importance of learner data, and how companies control how learner data is being used. You will also discuss the increasing frequency in which organizations are extending their content development to SMEs, and the increased risk that places on protecting data in materials. You will leave this session able to assess your own organization’s possible risks, and how to reduce them.

In this session, you will learn:

• How your training materials may be putting you at risk for privacy infringement
• Steps that other companies are taking to minimize risk
• How to create governance around data
• How to manage SME-produced content without being Big Brother

Audience:
Novice designers, managers, and directors.

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

In the world of Big Data, organizations are increasingly using data and technology to better understand the value of their investments and efforts. As training professionals, it is imperative that we also use data to communicate the impact of our work. Many learning professionals avoid data and measurement because it seems like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be.

In this session, you will examine eight smooth steps for involving stakeholders in developing an evaluation framework for your eLearning initiatives. You will discover how this framework can be foundational for creating a common language for stakeholders. You will learn how the use of this framework can minimize the number of implementation issues, and provide a structure for the ongoing assessment of eLearning programs.

In this session, you will learn:

• The importance of evaluation for eLearning
• About an evaluation framework for implementing eLearning
• Ways to foster eLearning evaluation
• The importance of setting a common language with stakeholders

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, and managers.

Organizations often recognize that the best way to improve performance is through practice, but they have struggled to shift their learning design from knowledge acquisition to performance improvement. Immersive learning is a new way of thinking about training design, and companies are looking for examples to help them see how immersive design can help them with their unique needs.

In this session participants will examine a number of case studies from organizations who have implemented immersive learning solutions and have seen success. You will explore immersive learning being used to address a variety of organizational issues. You will learn how immersive design can solve complex organizational problems in effective ways. You will leave this session with an arsenal of examples that can be used to successfully implement immersive learning in your organization.

In this session, you will learn:

• What immersive learning is
• How organizations have successfully used immersive design to solve organizational problems
• The basic steps in immersive design
• Tips for getting your organization started with immersive design

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, and directors.

Technology discussed in this session:
Games, simulations, virtual worlds, mobile learning, virtual learning environments, augmented reality, alternate reality games, immersive learning environments, video.

One of the most challenging aspects of developing learning programs is managing the sheer volume of content generated on a daily basis. There are eLearning modules, demos, simulations, videos, job aides, quick-start guides, webinars, ILT decks, graphs, flowcharts, assessments, animations, podcasts, and the source and media files to go along with each. The most frustrating aspect of all this is the number of times developers are forced to reinvent the wheel because, while the perfect content may already exist in one format it is incompatible with content in another format.

In this session you will discuss how implementing a learning-content management system (LCMS) can help address many of the content curation and organizational issues facing learning-development teams today. Using athenahealth as a case study, you’ll review the process they went through in choosing a vendor, getting leadership buy-in, the ups and downs of implementation, what custom work needed to be done, bringing over legacy content, convincing IDs that learning another new tool would be worth it, what worked as promised, and what didn’t.

In this session, you will learn:

• The challenges of trying to curate and update tremendous amounts of content
• The advantages of using an LCMS to develop and manage learning content
• How athenahealth implemented an LCMS during the chaos of a major software release
• How athenahealth plans to utilize the power of the LCMS in the future
• Lessons from an LCMS implementation

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, and managers who have experience as an instructional designer.

Technology discussed in this session:
Kenexa Premier LCMS.

Experience is the most meaningful type of learning learners can engage in. Experience implies using skills in context and applying critical thinking to any situation. We have to provide as realistic an experience as possible to learners without putting people at risk. Multiple-branching and multiple-outcome simulations help learners develop critical judgment to address what to do in real scenarios, creating true experiences that will translate easily to real-life situations.  

In this session you will learn the distinction between experience and instruction and explore the methodology of experience design. You will explore scenarios from simulations that provide insight and help you better understand the tools and levers of experience design and how you can leverage them. You will begin to develop a simulation by applying the concepts of experience design to a business or performance challenge. You will also review some of the different tools that are available in the market to develop applications without the need for programming.

In this session, you will learn:

• To understand experience design as a tool for achieving the development goals of your organization
• How to determine when to use simulations to support your overall learning objectives
• How to make the simulation experience “sticky” to support learner retention and application
• How to effectively capture and deploy experience in a simulation format

Audience:
Novice and intermediate designers, developers, project managers, managers, and directors.

Technology discussed in this session:
Simulations.

Choosing an authoring tool can be very challenging, especially as the number of authoring tool options continues to grow. In 2014 there are almost 190 different authoring tool options available to organizations. Understanding which authoring tools work best in different contexts is critical in order to make the best purchasing decision.

In this session participants will explore the speaker’s top 10 authoring tools for 2014, as well as the criteria used to provide the ranking. You will explore the various capabilities that today’s authoring tools provide, and which capabilities provide the most value. You will also look ahead to 2015 and beyond to identify where the market is heading and what new capabilities developers can expect.

In this session, you will learn:

• The top 10 authoring tools for 2014
• The top mobile authoring tool in the market
• Trends in the authoring tool market that will impact consumers
• Forecasts for 2015

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, managers, directors, and executives with a basic understanding of authoring tools, either by previous use or from exploring the market to buy one.

Technology discussed in this session:
Authoring tools.

When well-conceived and executed, games can greatly enhance learner engagement, but randomly adding game principles to learning can result in colossal failure and many hours of wasted time. One way to assure a positive impact on learning is to approach designs from the game perspective first, rather than trying to gamify existing or planned learning.

In this session, you will learn about a proven approach to designing games for learning that maximizes the likelihood of success, especially when the games are built with a specific purpose in mind. You will explore how this approach works for both physical and virtual games, including game-based learning deployed on mobile devices. After exposure to the process and key principles, you will apply some of the core concepts to create a game for a fictional business problem.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to design games for learning
• How to devise an appropriate game metaphor that aligns with your culture and audience
• How to identify which game elements are appropriate for your game
• When and how to test and validate your game

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, managers, and directors.

Technology discussed in this session:
Paper-and-pencil design, Articulate Storyline, Articulate Studio ’13, Microsoft PowerPoint, and mobile devices.

Today’s employees need to use different types of tools and they must learn how to assimilate and perform their job with limited training time and support. By using a social-networking site for a virtual-learning environment (VLE) learners can interact with experienced employees, learn how to properly use the company’s internal social network, and properly navigate through systems and repositories.

In this session you will explore how to use an enterprise social-networking site to create a well-designed VLE that will enhance the traditional corporate classroom and the learning experience. To increase performance outcomes you will identify key principles that support social and informal learning using a VLE. You will learn how to encourage participation and collaboration, and get engagement using a classroom VLE. You will leave this session understanding how a VLE can enhance participant performance, engagement, and learning experience, and reduce time to proficiency.

In this session, you will learn:

• Ways to incorporate social approaches that support learning and performance outcomes
• How to encourage participation, collaboration, and engagement using Web 2.0 technology
• How to enhance formal content by using a virtual learning environment
• The advantages of social capabilities within the classroom
• How to build a virtual learning environment using a social platform

Audience:
Novice and intermediate designers, managers, training managers, and facilitators.

Technology discussed in this session:
Jive, virtual learning environments, social collaboration, and SharePoint.

A conversation begins, most often, with a question. IT blogger Selena Deckelmann suggests that when those in control “ask women directly to speak up, we open the door for participation,” and diversity and inclusion can begin. “If we insist on equal participation, the structure of our organizations will change. The first time I spoke up in a user group was terrifying, but I did so because a peer politely, but repeatedly, asked me to speak.”

In this session you will learn from an observational research study of gender participation in the fields that comprise technology. You will explore the various opportunities that exist for inclusion. You will discuss the barriers that are the most difficult to break through for women who have all the skills and talent necessary to be successful. You will discover strategies to encourage conversations that lead to more participation and greater inclusion.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to explain the concepts of diversity and inclusion as they relate to underserved populations
• How to describe how inclusion strengthens practice communities and leads to better overall creativity and performance
• How to illustrate the positive and negative factors that impact a single gender and how those factors can be mitigated
• How to apply lessons learned regarding implementing strategies for a more diverse workforce
• How to demonstrate an understanding of the case study outcomes and how they can lead to new approaches and methodologies for increased cooperation and participation among a diverse workforce

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, and managers.      

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Most instructional designers can recognize a strongly designed and developed eLearning program. However, there is a noticeable gap between the accepted standards of what makes quality eLearning, and the reality of what the industry produces. We understand what quality eLearning looks like, but too often we fail to deliver on that standard. Many instructional designers struggle with maintaining eLearning quality standards when confronted with the realities of organizational project constraints.

In this session, you will learn strategies for maintaining quality and developing impactful eLearning programs while dealing with reasonable project constraints. You will discuss the standards of eLearning quality that the Serious eLearning Manifesto includes. You will explore methods to implement the Serious eLearning Manifesto’s principles, and see examples that show the principles put into practice. You will examine common project constraints that can take away from eLearning quality, and share strategies for overcoming those barriers.

In this session, you will learn:

• The differences between typical, minimally effective eLearning and high impact, serious eLearning
• How to economically implement many of the Serious eLearning Manifesto’s principles
• How to evaluate alternative instructional approaches
• What to require when setting acceptance criteria for developing courseware

Audience:
Intermediate designers, developers, and project managers.

Technology discussed in this session:
Desktop and mobile eLearning.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is expected to touch and transform every facet of our lives. From industry automation and automobile connectivity to wearable devices and smart-home appliances, it will make our way of living more enriching. Learning will also undergo many changes as a part of this evolution, though it will likely be a bumpy road getting there.

In this session you will explore how the Internet of Things can impact the world of eLearning. You will discuss specific examples of how IoT can enrich interactive learning, games-based learning, and on-demand learning to improve the overall learning experience. You will examine industry trends on how learning is evolving from the traditional formats to a more social and collaborative culture, and how IoT supports that evolution. You will explore numerous use cases that will show where IoT fits into the current learning and performance paradigm, and how it will influence our field in the future.

In this session, you will learn:

• How Internet of Things key concepts apply in the context of eLearning
• How one needs to approach eLearning content creation differently in an IoT environment
• How one can make their content ready for IoT devices
• How IoT is applicable in eLearning

Audience:
Novice and intermediate developers, project managers, managers, directors, and VPs.

Technology discussed in this session:
Kinect, Raspberry Pi, and 3-D printing.

Chances are that your organization already has one or more learning management system in place. Chances are that you also have a learning content management system, enterprise resource planning, a human resource management system, knowledge management, and/or customer relationship management systems in place. Now you are looking at adding performance support to the mix. Technology can be an enabler and driver of efficiency, but it can also be complex, cumbersome, and confusing. But all systems have one primary intent: To increase the performance of employees.

In this session, participants will take a closer look at the relationship between learning management, learning content management, knowledge management, and performance support systems. You will develop an approach to integrate these systems cohesively to eliminate content creation and maintenance redundancies. And you will examine how performance support can be the broker of information from the learning ecosystem to systems that live in the workplace ecosystem.

In this session, you will learn:

• Where performance support fits into the existing learning and performance ecosystem
• How different learning systems relate to one another
• How to integrate multiple systems
• How to eliminate content creation and maintenance redundancies

Audience:
Intermediate and advanced designers, developers, managers, and directors.

Technology discussed in this session:
LMS, LCMS, ERP, HRMS, knowledge management systems, CRM.

Most organizations focus on the quality of the eLearning they develop, but have you ever considered the quality of the workflows used to create that eLearning? We always face the challenge of doing more faster but with fewer resources. As such it is critical that an organization’s eLearning-development workflows are organized and efficient. Many organizations resist the need for more organization under the reasoning that the process is time-consuming; the opposite is actually true.

In this case-study session you will examine a process and workflow utilized at Union Bank for designing and developing eLearning for LMS delivery and for availability via SharePoint. You will explore the bank’s rigorous testing process and discuss some of the pitfalls and lessons that were learned during development of the process plan. You will leave this session understanding how to ensure quality and an excellent end-user experience via a process flow that allows for rigorous planning and testing.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to document and implement the multiple steps of a process flow for modern eLearning design and development
• How to create a testing document for testing courses with multiple paths
• How to ask the right questions when working with SMEs
• How to differentiate testing and implementation plans for content launching from an LMS vs. content delivered via SharePoint

Audience:
Novice and intermediate designers, developers, and project managers with design and development experience and familiarity with various authoring tools.

Technology discussed in this session:
Articulate Storyline, Articulate Studio, UPK, and Lectora.

Interest in the Experience API has grown steadily in the last few years, but most of the conversations exploring the topic were either conceptual or technical in nature. There have few case studies showing the xAPI in practice, and those that did exist focused more on the technical application of the specification rather than on business value.

Adoption of the Experience API (xAPI) continues to grow, and we are now seeing examples of xAPI case studies that focus on the business value that is being provided by the use of the specification. In this session, you will learn from the three winning entries from xAPI Hyperdrive, the competition that took place before DevLearn began. You will leave this session better understanding the business value that innovative use of the xAPI can provide to organizations.

In this session, you will learn:

• From examples of the xAPI being used to innovate learning
• How the xAPI can provide business value
• What the business case is for xAPI use
• The future potential of the xAPI

Audience:
Intermediate and advanced designers, developers, project managers, and managers.

Technology discussed in this session:
The Experience API.

When you limit your design to the default question slides in Captivate, the result can often be a boring assessment. Being aware of the basics of these slide designs and of the quizzing system variables allows developers to extend the functionality of the default slides. By tweaking these default slides you can create simple games that can turn a basic quiz into a challenging experience.

In this hands-on session you will go beyond the basic template of a Captivate question slide and explore ways to enhance the default interaction. You will examine techniques including replacing text with image or audio, knowledge slides, remediation, intermediate score slides, control navigation, drag and drop, scored objects, and more. You will also clarify the process, possibilities, and limitations of the Captivate questions slide template.

In this session, you will learn:

• To understand the default process and objects in question and score slide
• To know the quizzing system variables
• How to add intermediate score slides and shape buttons
• The use of the advanced interaction panel
• How to create custom question slides based on widgets or interactions
• How to create custom question slides with standard objects
• How to use the drag & drop wizard for question slides

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers and developers with a basic knowledge of Captivate.

Technology discussed in this session:
Adobe Captivate (latest version) on a Windows or Mac machine.

Participant technology requirements:
Latest version of Adobe Captivate on a Windows or Mac machine.

Video will become increasingly important as a method of imparting knowledge as our populace transitions from a linear written-word culture to a global and visual culture. Many instructional designers and developers would like to implement “how-to” videos in their programs but do not know how to go about it. Practitioners are unable to leverage the power of video instruction into their presentations and eLearning projects.

In this session you will explore the practical problems associated with incorporating video in eLearning. You will discuss utilizing both desktop and camcorder video regarding content, planning, size, format, streaming solutions, and accessibility from a learning management system. You will examine the challenges of transitioning from a linear- and text-based information structure to a mainly non-structured visual knowledge culture. You will leave this session equipped with the knowledge to record and produce appropriate videos for your eLearning projects.

In this session, you will learn:

• The value of video learning in instructional design
• From practical examples of video-based eLearning
• How to leverage video in eLearning with common tools
• The steps required to create a short video and import it into Storyline

Audience:
Novice designers, developers, and project managers with basic instructional design, eLearning development, and computer software skill and knowledge.

Technology discussed in this session:
Microsoft Windows, Office, Articulate Studio, Camtasia Studio, Adobe Captivate, microphone, video camcorder, and associated editing software.

Participant technology requirements:
Laptop computer, Camtasia Studio (evaluation copy available), and Articulate Storyline (evaluation copy available).

Video can be a highly effective form of media for learning. However, adding video to an eLearning course has historically been expensive and something that required a large amount of time and skill to create. That’s not the case today. In this session you’ll see how easy it is to create high-quality video for eLearning. You’ll also explore how course creators are integrating video to create more engaging learning experiences.

Video has long been respected as a great tool for training, but has often been dismissed due to costs. That is changing, and a dramatic drop in production costs and a wide array of YouTube-framework solutions has accelerated the role of video in corporate training. The challenge for eLearning developers is to move beyond traditional linear experiences and incorporate engaging interactions on top of traditional video. In this session you will explore how to use HTML5 interactive-video frameworks to add to your learners’ experience. You will review the planning process, including the available interaction types and how to leverage existing content delivery networks.

Women face an ever-growing list of attributes they lack and strategies they should be adopting to bridge the gender gap in workplaces, especially in the tech industry. The world of eLearning is often no different. But how did fixing that gap become the responsibility of women? In this panel discussion you will explore not what women should be doing differently, but how the workplace itself needs to change to better accommodate the strengths of all workers, regardless of gender.

During this workshop we will lead you through the techniques Forio has developed to building online simulations for use in the classroom. We will show you how you can leverage Forio Simulate, a web-based development environment, to create simulations using drag-and-drop design tools. No programming skills are required.

Native apps, web apps, mobile portals, online/offline … mobile learning is becoming a pervasive feature of today’s learning landscape, and is continuing to evolve. Learn how Seertech Solutions’ award-winning learning management solution, iLearning PLUS, delivers four different mobile deployment models across four different customers. We will explore the advantages of each deployment option via customer case study and look at their future plans. From working on jet engines to manufacturing medical devices to making gourmet burgers and cocktails, iLearningPLUS serves up mobile solutions.

Ten years ago, did you ever think that we would deliver an entire instructor-led course over the Internet? Five years ago, did you ever think that an ordinary worker would carry three Internet-connected devices to work? Every day, more learning organizations join the single-source movement. Can we create engaging learning content for desktop and mobile? Is reuse practical? Can our IDs make the shift to structured authoring? Will we really produce more, faster? Masters from Caterpillar, Paychex, and Xyleme come together in this highly interactive session. Any question is fair game.

Many instructional designers use a single tool—whether it’s the right tool or not—simply because it’s the only tool they have and it was pricey, leaving no budget for additional tools. What many instructional designers may not know is that for every $1,500 tool, there’s a free or low-cost alternative that can do the job just as well. This session will cover a selection of these tools that are available today and have many of the capabilities of expensive applications that can decimate a budget.

Articulate has released Articulate Storyline 2, the first major upgrade to its award-winning rapid eLearning authoring tool. In this session, you’ll explore more than 20 new features and enhancements you’ll find in Articulate Storyline 2. You’ll see how many of the new features work and have the opportunity to ask your most burning questions.

You’ve been tasked with building an eLearning team. You have just a short time before you need to begin producing training for your big project. First you need to figure out who those people are, then you need to find and hire them. In this interactive discussion, you will explore the team-building process and share approaches to hiring the right people. Since there is no one solution to the problem that fits everyone’s needs, you will participate in a discussion to explore different approaches to suit specific situations, preferences, industry needs, legal obligations, and more.

There’s a growing demand from organizations to create courses that work on both mobile and desktop platforms. The currently available tools have a hard time doing this, and many times you must create multiple courses for each type of screen. In addition, content only resizes to fit these various screens; it doesn’t truly change based on each device.

In this session you will learn about the latest release of Adobe Captivate 8, and the huge advances it enables in responsive mobile design. You will explore how this software enables users to build in one view, and support multiple mobile devices at the same time. You will discover how this software enables developers to create courses that actually change design and content layout based on different devices. You will leave this session understanding how this software provides greater efficiency and improves your learning programs.

In this session, you will learn:

• How Adobe Captivate 8 can automatically adjust your content based on different devices
• How to create responsive mobile interactions in Adobe Captivate 8
• How to create responsive themes in Adobe Captivate 8
• How to publish Adobe Captivate courses to ensure mobile compatibility

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, and managers.

Technology discussed in this session:
Adobe Captivate 8, responsive themes, and responsive interactions.

The availability of (and demand for) data around learning has grown dramatically. Tools like the Experience API (xAPI) make it increasingly easy to acquire data about learner’s activities, but this will provide little benefit to instructional designers or learners if we do not design to acquire meaningful data, know how to interpret that data, or know how to improve our learning design based on that data.

In this session participants will explore the use of data in the context of learning systems design. You will examine some basic principles surrounding the effective use of data and how to design to provide meaningful feedback. You will discuss concepts including comparative mapping of novice to expert practices and learner experiences with formal courses and other activities. You will explore the application of principles from UXD, web analytics, and business intelligence to design for meaningful (and actionable) contextual data. Examples of how using data generated by the xAPI that can be used for predictive analytics to make interventions seamless for the end user will also be discussed.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to apply principles from fields including business intelligence and web analytics to learning design
• How to design to gather meaningful data within the context of course goals and overall performance objectives
• How to use data analytics to improve course design
• Potential pitfalls of data interpretation

Audience:
Novice, intermediate, and advanced designers, developers, project managers, and managers. A conceptual knowledge of the xAPI is useful, but not required.

Technology discussed in this session:
The xAPI, learning record stores.

Games and gamification are the latest fads, but getting learners to play games only exposes them to learning content and develops first-level reflexes. This risks confining learning to superficial understanding of the subject matter. We need games to solidify what the trainee has learned, but to do that we must redefine the responsibilities and the role of trainers.

In this session you will explore how you can use games to solidify what was learned by simulating real scenarios, placing the subject of learning back in its context, and creating perspective to build awareness of the impact of choices and alternatives. You will examine how this is possible via games in which the learners themselves author the content. You will leave this session understanding how learner-created games immerse learners in the content and enhance logic, strategy, style, and form, regardless of the subject matter.

In this session, you will learn:

• How a new generation of tools is about to emerge and transform training techniques
• How learners can be authors of content and be motivated by that role
• How trainers can plan their training sessions around learners’ creativity
• How non-linear logic leads to a deeper perception of the subject matter
• How collaboration can be an exciting and creative experience
• How creating permanent open-ended objects leads to longer-term engagement in learning
• How trainers can share and support one another in original ways

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, and directors with a sensitivity to the importance of motivation as a factor of effective learning.

Technology discussed in this session:
ChatScaper.

With the successful rollout of the Experience API (xAPI) the foundation for a new SCORM standard has been laid. By itself, xAPI is not a replacement for SCORM. Instead, xAPI defines communication between a learning experience and the learning record store, or LRS. While most of us agree that the majority of learning occurs outside the LMS, there is still some formal eLearning that will be maintained in the LMS.

In this session you will learn how the Aviation Industry CBT Committee (AICC), working with ADL, has stepped in to define a new LMS to eLearning specification as a layer on top of xAPI. You will discover the possibilities of AICC CMI-5, a flexible new design that some call “xAPI with some rules.” You will explore how CMI-5 works and the advantages it has over SCORM.

In this session, you will learn:

• That xAPI is not a SCORM replacement
• To define the existing issues with SCORM that should be addressed by a new specification
• To define how AICC CMI-5 will fix several SCORM issues
• To define the interoperability of AICC CMI-5

Audience:
Intermediate designers, developers, and CLOs with some familiarity with both SCORM and xAPI.

Technology discussed in this session:
AICC CMI5, xAPI, SCORM.

Have you ever reached a slide in an eLearning course where you were unsure what to do, or where to click? If so, you were the victim of bad navigation design—a common eLearning problem. One of the most challenging aspects of eLearning development can be designing clear and cohesive navigation that is easy for learners to follow, and that doesn’t lead to dead-ends.

In this session you will learn tips and best practices for designing user-friendly navigation in your eLearning that ensures users never have to guess about where to go, and can focus on the content. You will learn great ways to test your navigation and find out if it really works or not. You will learn the importance of incorporating a clear exit from your course, and how to create one.

In this session, you will learn:

• How and when to add navigation instructions
• Tips for designing consistent course navigation
• Best practices for incorporating a clear exit from your course
• How and why to thoroughly test your navigation

Audience:
Novice and intermediate designers, developers, and project managers with basic eLearning knowledge.

Technology discussed in this session:
Powerpoint and Storyline.

Preconceptions of eLearning, lack of instructional design insight within organizations, disjointed learning ecosystems, and the perceived size of the task in front of them mean organizations have lacked the confidence to take their more complex programs into the online domain. However, online learning is opening the doors to more flexible, sustained, and comprehensive support for learners than ever before.

In this session you will explore a comprehensive analysis of the MOOC experience since 2012. You will examine the MOOC experience and how the highs and lows have informed the strategies and approaches taken by a range of organizations in their programs. You’ll discuss case studies from Telefonica, Transitions Optical, and The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising on how MOOCS have been applied to programs that include flipped classrooms, online CPD, and sponsored MOOCs. You will also explore the skills, tools, and technology needed to create the right ecosystem in which more complex online programs thrive.

In this session, you will learn:

• Best practices in learning path design for complex subjects
• How to create learner engagement through learning design, course orchestration, and facilitation
• Where to spend, where to reuse, and where to save
• How to create the business case for corporate MOOCs
• When to curate from an existing MOOC and when to create your own
• How to create the right learning ecosystem to support complex subjects online

Audience:
Intermediate and advanced managers and directors.

Technology discussed in this session:
MOOCs.

In their clinical training, physicians and other clinicians are not learning the skills they need to lead their organizations through the rapid changes happening in health care. It has become more and more difficult to pull clinicians away from patient care to teach them core leadership skills. As a result, health care organizations are struggling to provide these critical skills with shrinking time and resources.

In this session participants will examine a case study on the physician leadership development program at NYU Langone Medical Center (NYULMC). You will discover how this program utilized a flipped learning approach to using a combination of eLearning and classroom training. You will discuss how key subject matter experts inside and outside of the organization partnered to determine how to best develop, design, and implement this training. You will explore an approach for building strong partnerships and collaboration to maximize the benefits of eLearning and classroom training. Participants will learn how to embed eLearning into larger training programs, target the training topics and content to your organizational environment, create personalized custom videos, and build capability for mobile access to your training.

In this session, you will learn:

• To develop a strategy for developing and implementing blended learning strategies for leadership development programs
• To build partnerships between SMEs and eLearning designers and developers
• To create blended learning programs that maximize the potential of different learning modalities (lecture, discussion)
• To customize eLearning that caters to your own blended learning program

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, and directors with a basic understanding of adult learning principles.

Technology discussed in this session:
Articulate Storyline.

There’s a great deal of buzz in our industry about HTML5. Chances are that the development tool you’re using to create eLearning can output to HTML5, but most instructional designers are not sure why that feature is important. HTML5 is also a subject that, for many, is clouded in confusion, with learning professionals often unable to translate the technical discussion into understanding of what the technology makes possible.

In this session you will learn about the HTML5 core technology from an easily digestible and understandable perspective. You will discuss why HTML5 is important and what skills you need to develop to take advantage of it today. You will also explore what types of questions you should be asking of your team, developers, and LMS vendors. You will leave this session with a better understanding of HTML5, including why it is important and what resources, tools, and templates you have available to help you apply HTML5 immediately.

In this session, you will learn:

• Five ways HTML5 can help your development team
• Five ways HTML5 can improve your user experience
• Fresh ideas you can apply immediately with your team
• Free web apps to learn new skills
• Using open-source web apps to improve your tool set today

Audience:
Novice and intermediate designers, developers, project managers, managers, and directors with a basic understanding of eLearning and how tools work.

Technology discussed in this session:
HTML5, CSS3, Fonts, JavaScript, Canvas vs SVG, Media formats, Adobe Edge Tools, iOS, Android, and browsers.

Remembering is a major challenge for all of us. Estimates range from zero to 90 percent on the amount of forgetting that occurs within days after training occurs. At times, this matters little because the focus is on compliance rather than actual performance. However, do learning professionals need to take a different approach in those instances when remembering really matters?

In this session you will learn from two corporate learning case studies that show how incorporating research-based design techniques into your learning solutions will improve knowledge and skill retention, which ultimately drives business outcomes. You’ll examine what was done in each case study, how it was done, and the results that were achieved via a single online learning game for sales reps. You’ll also explore the results for a larger, blended curriculum for the customers of a diagnostics company. You will discover four research-based strategies for remembering as well as four strategies for the initial “teach” of the skill or knowledge.

In this session, you will learn:

• Four research-based strategies for building long-term retention of knowledge or skills
• The optimal way to design and deliver feedback for long-term retention
• How and why stories foster long-term memory
• Four research-based design techniques for creating a learning experience that minimizes learner’s cognitive effort
• How to incorporate the learning and retention strategies discussed in the session

Audience:
Intermediate designers, developers, project managers, and managers with knowledge of some of the basic lingo of instructional design, as well as the basics of business lingo.

Technology discussed in this session:
eLearning, mobile learning, classroom strategies, Lectora, Storyline.

“I need the content to work on a phone and a tablet as well as on a desktop.” This is a request we’re hearing more and more each day. In the new era of multi-device delivery, instruction designers struggle to find the one design to rule them all. How can you ensure solid instructional design across all those devices if your aim is to only build one course?

In this session, you will explore top tips for responsive eLearning design that you can start using right away. You will start with a brief overview of what responsive means and how it is different from traditional content. You will discuss the new world of scrolling pages and learn to love the scroll bar. You’ll examine audio strategies for multi-device delivery. You will explore examples built in Adapt, the open-source responsive eLearning framework. You will leave this session with practical ideas and inspiration to jumpstart your own responsive eLearning projects.

In this session, you will learn:

• What responsive eLearning design means
• How to identify if responsive design is the right approach for your organization
• How to apply simple design strategies to your own responsive projects
• How to optimize audio in a multi-device environment

Audience:
Intermediate and advanced designers, developers, and managers.

Technology discussed in this session:
Adapt.

Like many organizations in today’s increasingly global marketplace, the Asia Pacific Region of World Bank Group has a workforce in 20 countries. The regional team has the daunting task of training global staff in an efficient manner. Since World Bank knowledge workers are also mobile and tech savvy, moving training to a virtual classroom that can be accessed on a laptop or mobile device was a logical solution.

In this session you will learn how to efficiently convert training programs and develop new programs. You will explore a four-step model that provides the framework to be used for virtual training for both operational and soft skills topics. You will discover the importance of planning as part of the model, as virtual training is a lot like video and audio broadcasting, where many hours are needed to prepare for a broadcast and disruptions and mistakes are amplified. Participants will leave the session with a toolkit for live virtual training and for calculating carbon footprint reduction when face-to-face training is replaced with virtual training.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to apply a four-step model for designing and delivering virtual classroom training
• How to determine facilitation team members and skills needed for each role
• How to develop strategies to adjust content, images, and exercises from in-person training for a global audience in a virtual classroom
• Best practices to use to avoid pitfalls when planning logistics for virtual classroom training

Audience:
Novice and intermediate designers, project managers, and managers with an understanding of the virtual classroom either from the participant and/or facilitator perspective, with a general understanding of one of the virtual classroom tools (Adobe Connect, WebEx, GoToMeeting, Saba Classroom).

Technology discussed in this session:
Virtual classroom/Adobe Connect.

Training for sales professionals at global pharmaceutical firm is robust, thorough, and frequent. However, the training curriculum of its marketing staff, who were being asked to be its commercial leaders, creating and delivering on business objectives and strategies as well as leading salespeople, was almost non-existent. Fixing this multi-layered challenge wouldn’t be as simple as implementing new training for marketers. Because so little training had existed previously, the company needed to change its culture to take its marketers’ attitudes from “why training?” to “I want more training!”

In this session you will learn how creating the firm's college of marketing helped its marketing staff elevate their skills and close gaps in organizational profitability. You will explore how it shifted the culture of its marketing organization from one that expected little to no training to one that embraced the value training could bring. You will learn about the implementation of “enrichment days” that allowed workers to step away from daily work and focus solely on their development, and how one enrichment event on digital and social marketing generated enough buzz to reach number three on Twitter for the day.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to engage the business in a meaningful way to help set and execute learning strategies
• How to leverage Twitter to engage learners
• How to level-set marketing employees, some of whom need fundamental training
• How to get the most from your keynote speakers

Audience:
Intermediate designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, VPs, CLOs, and executives.

Technology discussed in this session:
Twitter.

I’ve often heard managers tell me that they have a course they like that meets their requirements, but it isn’t what they wanted or envisioned. I find myself asking “If it is what you asked for, but not what you wanted, why didn’t you ask for what you wanted?” This problem exists in many forms. The results can range from a disappointed client to the world losing the next great idea, all because we don’t always know how to ask for what we really want in our products.

In this session participants will discuss some of the issues that organizations have had to solve in building new content, as well as in other projects. You’ll address these issues as a series of example scenarios, working through them as a group. You will explore probing questions about what is important, how to ask questions of a vendor, and how to ferret out the details that could cause problems later on. You will leave this session able to adapt the process to build solid requirements in your future projects.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to translate what you want into a list of requirements for your vendor
• How to evaluate what you really want
• The difference between what you want and what you need
• To evaluate if you really want what you think you want

Audience:
Novice and intermediate project managers, managers, and directors.

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

We have all experienced huge courses, documents, and texts that are barely manageable by the instructional designer. In fact, much of how we design courses and even our documents makes it impossible for an employee to find the one piece of information they need at the time they need it. Since content is so dense, it makes finding meaningful information difficult, and it makes tracking anything useful in it even more difficult.

In this session you will explore the big picture of what technology is capable of today. You will dive into practices that will extend the lifespan and reduce the headache of how we create and manage content. You will learn tips on how to create content that is easier to track, can be used in many different areas (including mobile), and helps to populate more meaningful reports (both for management and the designers). You will discuss the value that content management systems (CMS) and learning record stores (LRS) play in forward-looking technology infrastructures.

In this session, you will learn:

• How today’s technologies make creating content easier and more effective for designers
• How today’s technologies make accessing content easier and more effective for workers
• How you need to structure content so that it works on all devices
• Why the LMS alone isn’t the backbone of your technology infrastructure

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, and managers.      

Technology discussed in this session:
LMS, CMS, LRS, the xAPI.

Rapid instructional development tools provide us with the ability to add narration and text-to-speech to eLearning courses, but many instructional designers aren’t using the audio medium to its full potential. Bringing quality audio design together with engaging stories can transform a click-and-read presentation into an immersive experience.

In this session participants will learn how to produce high quality audio for eLearning projects and how to combine this audio with storytelling techniques to create engaging eLearning experiences. You’ll explore inspirational examples from video games and radio that are directly applicable to eLearning. You’ll examine the equipment required and learn the basics of how to use Audacity, a free  open-source program, to record and optimize content. You’ll also explore strategies for recording and manipulating audio in order to tell better and more engaging stories.

In this session, you will learn:

• How easy and cheap it is to create high quality audio
• Examples of combining audio and storytelling to create powerful experiences
• How to choose a microphone that suits your needs
• How to use Audacity to record, manipulate, and optimize audio for eLearning
• Basic guidelines for writing engaging narrative
• How to use and manipulate audio in the service of that narrative

Audience:
Novice designers and developers with basic knowledge and experience using rapid instructional development tools.

Technology discussed in this session:
Video games, Audacity, basic microphone equipment.

Participant technology requirements:
Have Audacity installed and bring earbuds or headphones to the session if you plan on following along.

In today’s training departments, a learning management system is a usually a necessary technology for organizations that utilize eLearning. However, these systems can be expensive, especially for organizations with minimal budgets. Finding low cost learning management system options that still provide the needed features for organizational learning can be a challenge.

In this hands-on session participants will learn about Moodle, a free open-source learning management system that many organizations use for their training and eLearning needs. You will explore how Moodle works from the user and admin perspective. You will walk through the steps for designing a course within Moodle, and what the learner experience of taking that course looks like. You will leave this session with the knowledge to begin exploring the use of Moodle in your own organization.

In this session, you will learn:

• The basics of Moodle operation
• How to design a course in Moodle
• How to take the course online
• How to get real time feedback

Audience:
Novice designers, developers, project managers, and managers with a basic understanding of instructional design.

Technology discussed in this session:
Web-based systems, Moodle.

 Participant technology requirements:
A windows/Mac laptop with web browser and Moodle installed.

PowerPoint is the basis for much of the training material you use, and yet it’s text-heavy, dull, and boring. See how you can revolutionize your presentations and other training material using visuals, diagrams, and animated sequences, with some helpful how-to guides and a collection of awesome PowerPoint tricks, plus a free PowerPoint toolkit to kick-start your efforts for everyone that attends. Steps to take: 1. Attend this session. 2. Become a PowerPoint Legend.

The use of mobile technologies for learning is on the rise. Learners want just-in-time training and performance support, and they want it on their mobile devices. But do your development tools let you meet your learners’ needs? In this session, we’ll look at trends in mobile learning, take a critical look at how current development tools fall short, and see how a new HTML5 tool fills the gaps in available tools.

Learners expect any content they need to be accessible, searchable, and on the devices they want. Customers expect your training material to be just enough, up-to-the-minute, and tailored to them. Facilitators want to easily select and remix existing content items to deliver specific learning objectives. How to keep up? In this session we will showcase customer examples using XanEdu’s cloud-based content handling and nimble delivery platform. You’ll see how L&D organizations and training providers meet the need to assemble and remix content collections to suit the needs of various audiences while flexibly delivering the right content, at the right time, in print and the digital or mobile formats they prefer.

Gamification is the integration of game mechanics, or game dynamics, into a learning experience. Game-based training can be defined as a game designed for the purpose of solving a problem. However, these words are being used in parallel by the industry and it can be quite confusing.

In this session you will learn to clarify the differences between gamification and game-based training. You will explore examples of both from all around the industry. You will discuss the examples in detail to understand each of the learning experiences and explore the best practices in their development. You will leave this session with an understanding of the differences between serious games, gamification, and gameful design, and with the ability to begin applying the principles of each in your learning programs.

In this session, you will learn:

• What serious games are and how they can be used for learning
• What gamification is and how it can be used for learning
• What gameful design is
• Best practices for serious game development
• Best practices for gamification
• Best practices for game-based learning

Audience:
Novice and intermediate designers, developers, project managers, and managers.

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

The two goals of any eLearning program are to teach learners new information and then to enable them to transfer their new knowledge into their work. Learning transfer is a complex process, and most eLearning designers do not understand the simple steps that they can take to ensure that knowledge does transfer from the computer where the learners learn it to the work place where they need it.

In this engaging session, you will examine the scientific research demonstrating how you can use eLearning technologies to maximize learning transfer and positive behavior change. You will discover the three myths of eLearning and learn why overcoming these myths is critical in improving learning transfer. You will discuss how interactive eLearning, simulations, and social-learning environments can work together to sustain learning transfer and you will leave this session with a concise and useful overview of eLearning strategies that increase learning transfer.

In this session, you will learn:

• How you can customize eLearning training to increase learning transfer
• How pre-tests such as measuring a learner’s readiness for change can lead to a much higher learning transfer
• Three myths that interfere with successful transfer of learning
• Strategies to encourage executive buy-in on programs that promote learning transfer

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, VPs, CLOs, and executives.

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Flat design seems to be everywhere now. It’s the new look of our computer operating systems, our apps, websites, posters, book covers, and so many other places. Is this just a new fad or is this a fabulous new design trend that we in the eLearning industry need to pay more attention to in order to understand the fine points of flat design?

In this session participants will discuss the many advantages—and disadvantages—that are associated with flat design. You will look deeper into the fine details of flat design that instructional designers should be aware of and how to ensure we are using it appropriately. You will separate the hype from flat design and understand where it works effectively. You will leave this session with an understanding of whether this design style is just a passing fad or a trend we should be embracing.

In this session, you will learn:

• What flat design is and why it is significant
• The advantages and benefits of using flat design
• The disadvantages and risks of using flat design
• The differences between flat and skeuomorphic designs, and how/when to decide which to use
• Where to find examples, inspiration, and resources to create your own flat designs

Audience:
Novice and intermediate designers, developers, project managers, and managers with a basic understanding of designing learning.

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Instructional designers and eLearning professionals are often faced with the daunting task of designing learning interventions to meet the needs of multiple stakeholders quickly and effectively. Many eLearning solutions are perceived as boring, ineffective, or incapable of meeting learning goals effectively, leaving designers with an uphill battle to sell new ideas and concepts to colleagues. Even strong concepts and well-designed projects face barriers and challenges.

In this session participants will explore strategies to assess the needs of various stakeholders, pitch eLearning project ideas and garner support, work with subject-matter experts while staying within an appropriate project scope, and implement time and cost-saving tips in development. You will examine two eLearning projects, each utilizing simulation and case-based learning strategies to drive the design of immersive, story-driven projects that capture and hold stakeholder interest and ensure that learning objectives are achieved. You will leave the session with takeaways for managing risk encountered during various stages in the design process.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to map performance/learning problems to concrete eLearning objectives, ensuring alignment of ideas with stakeholder needs
• Effective ways to present your project ideas effectively to garner interest, enthusiasm, and support
• Strategies for working with subject matter experts on determining content while keeping within a manageable scope
• An effective process for designing interactive, case-based eLearning modules to engage and hold the interest of learners

Audience:
Novice designers, developers, and project managers with a clear understanding of instructional design frameworks (e.g., ADDIE) and the affordances and limitations of eLearning authoring platforms.

Technology discussed in this session:
Articulate Storyline.

Technological advances disrupt the status quo. We’ve seen this happen a number of times in the way we address learning and performance interventions. In the last few decades, the emergence of home computers brought us eLearning, and the proliferation of mobile and smartphones have brought us mLearning. Both of these technological advances have fundamentally changed how we look at learning and performance programs. Another technological advance is coming—one that will once again change some of our definitions and how we address performance issues: wearable technology.

In this session you will explore wearable technology and the world of opportunity that it presents for performance support. You will learn about different types of wearable technologies and how they are being positioned for consumer usage. You will discuss the unique affordances of these technologies and explore how you can use them for new types of performance support. You will also explore early use cases of wearable technology for education and performance support.

In this session, you will learn:

• About different types of wearable technologies and how they are being positioned for consumer use
• How wearable technology can be used for performance support
• The unique affordances of wearable technology
• How innovative companies are using wearable technology today

Audience:
Intermediate and advanced designers, developers, managers, and directors.

Technology discussed in this session:
Wearable technology.

eLearning has a broken feedback loop, and it’s holding us back as a field. Because we usually can’t see our products being used, we lack the most basic information necessary to improve what we do. Traditional evaluation at best is costly and difficult to measure, and at worst either ignored all together or implemented in such a superficial way that it’s meaningless. Even good evaluation measures are not granular enough to inform future design decisions.

In this session you will explore the need for designers and developers to be able to see the impact of our creations in a meaningful way, so we can grow as a field. You will discuss the importance of this need being addressed in a way that is both inexpensive and easy to implement. You will examine the concept of “guerrilla evaluation” methods and what we can learn from the field of software usability. You will leave this session with a list of practices we need to add to that will ensure successful eLearning design.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to recognize when you have a broken feedback loop
• How to use user-experience best practices
• How to conduct a guerrilla evaluation
• How to ensure you are moving forward as a practitioner

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, and directors.

Technology discussed in this session:
User-experience practices and guerrilla evaluation methods.

Learning to leverage the specific tools and capabilities in mobile devices can be challenging for eLearning developers. Effective mLearning goes beyond converting traditional eLearning for use on mobile and actually applies techniques of responsive design and maximizes technologies like geolocation and gestural inputs to become authentic mobile learning.  

In this session you will learn how to create authentic mobile-learning content, and how you can leverage the device-specific tools to create powerful mLearning experiences. You will explore examples of both authentic mLearning projects and of mLearning project creation. You will discuss how you can use device-specific tools and features to accomplish feats like location-aware learning. You will discover why intuitive gestural and physical inputs provide rich experiences that are most appropriate for mobile devices. You will explore examples of functional mLearning courses that leverage these capabilities, and learn how you can create these examples today.

In this session, you will learn:

• Why mLearning courses should be different from eLearning courses
• What responsive mLearning is and why you should employ it
• How to use gestural inputs to control mLearning on devices
• What makes mLearning experiences on devices authentic
• Who will use authentic mLearning and how learners feel about it
• Why location-based learning is important to the future of mLearning

Audience:
Intermediate designers, developers, project managers, managers, and directors with a basic understanding of eLearning, and an awareness of mLearning’s challenges.

Technology discussed in this session:
Android phones and tablets, iOS phones and tablets, and mLearning authoring tools.

Your course users demand more quality and sophistication in the eLearning content they interact with. A growing expectation is for attractive eLearning content that is close to virtual reality with 3-D animated and interactive content. Interactive 3-D content can help teach more effectively, and make the courses more attractive and competitive. But is it worth the effort and the costs?

In this case-study session you will explore sample content from courses and learn how they were transformed from 2-D to 3-D. You will learn how to develop 3-D content and how to evaluate the degree of complexity of 3-D animations. You will leave this session understanding how you can improve content with 3-D graphics as well as the level of effort it will require.

In this session, you will learn:

• How interactive 3-D content can enhance the users’ learning experience
• How to develop interactive 3-D content simply
• How to go from non-interactive 2-D or 3-D content to interactive 3-D content
• Tips to develop cost-effective interactive 3-D using UNITY 3D

Audience:
Intermediate and advanced developers, project managers, managers, and directors with some knowledge of course-content development, graphics, and animations development or usage in courses.

Technology discussed in this session:
HTML5, UNITY 3D, WebGL, and JavaScript.

There’s an increasing awareness of the value of social learning in the workplace. Knowing that it exists is one thing; creating the scaffolding and support that allows people to capture, categorize, retrieve, and share what they learn is something else entirely.

In this session you will explore why eLearning practitioners and instructional designers are in a unique position to provide vision, leadership, and specific strategies to bring together informal social learning with formal eLearning and other training activities. You will examine tools for personal and social knowledge management, discussing their facets and merits as they pertain to various learning cultures and individual learning objectives. You will discuss examples of how eLearning courses dovetail with continuous individual learning to provide a more context-based and immediately applicable learning program that encourages individual learners to find, use, and share knowledge.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to leverage the forces that can amplify formal eLearning programs via already-in-place informal social learning
• How to analyze ways in which formal and informal learning can work together to reinforce broader learner goals
• How to identify ways to fold formal and informal online learning into a unified continuous-learning program
• How to use knowledge-management methods to extend and bind the larger learning program
• How to compare and contrast several existing online social learning tools for their fitness to specific learning needs

Audience:
Novice and intermediate designers, developers, managers, directors, and VPs.

Technology discussed in this session:
Twitter, Scoop.it, Google+, Delicious, and Diigo.

Modern eLearning courses are technology solutions developed and implemented using many of the same techniques and tools that software developers use. Both share similar challenges: subject matter experts to navigate, aggressive deadlines to manage, assorted files and assets to organize, and an integrated approach to delivery, accounting for various hosting and browsing systems plus ongoing user support.

In this session you will examine the common evolution of eLearning and software development. Specifically you will explore techniques, agile processes, and best practices from the software development world that can be directly applied to your work. You will leave this session able to streamline your eLearning development and strengthen the quality of the solutions you produce.

In this session, you will learn:

• Tools for managing project communication, assets, and schedules
• Techniques for satisfying stakeholders
• Agile development and delivery practices that can be applied immediately
• Quality control practices to support robust delivery

Audience:
Novice to advanced developers.

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Currently, a lot of eLearning can be defined as a high-level PowerPoint presentation that includes animated text, images, and narration. The problem is that this type of eLearning doesn’t grab and hold the learner’s attention. Many times the learner can’t relate to what is being presented to them, or understand how they can apply it to future situations.

In this session you will learn how to address the boring-eLearning issue by introducing story-based animated eLearning. You will explore how to transform a traditional eLearning course into an effective scenario-based animated story that learners can relate to and most importantly learn from. You will examine a current traditional course and see how you can convert each phase into an animated problem-based scenario. You will leave this session able to identify and create stimulating eLearning content.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to translate bulleted text into a scenario-based story
• How to develop effective storyboards to support video production
• How to produce high-quality audio narration
• How to develop a scenario-based GoAnimate video
• How to effectively insert a video into Articulate Storyline

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, and managers.

There is no definitive process for instructional design. Regardless of how much research we conduct, we can modify every theory and every process to meet our individual project needs. Modifying these needs and/or techniques becomes much easier when facilitating live, instructor-led training where learners provide both verbal and visual feedback. When it comes to eLearning, there is no facilitator available to modify the experience based on feedback. Therefore, instructional design plays a key role in determining the success of any training experience.

In this session you will examine the key differences between designing instructor-led training vs. designing eLearning or self-paced training. You will explore what types of design will work for instructor-led training and/or eLearning. You will leave this session able to design appropriate courses for whatever type of training you are creating, which translates into better experiences for the learners.

In this session, you will learn:

• The key differences in designing instructor-led training vs. designing eLearning
• How to adapt course designs for self-paced eLearning training vs. instructor-led training
• How to determine learner needs based on training environments
• Tips on how to design courses based on how training is facilitated

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, and project managers.

Technology discussed in this session:
Lectora, Flypaper, and Snap!

As you start to explore the Experience API (xAPI), it is easy to feel intimidated. If you lack the necessary coding skills to build a solution from the ground up, taking advantage of xAPI might not be possible without outside help since being able to prototype a solution is critical to the success of your project. Successful prototypes can help show what data is important and what changes you could make before creating a final product for release.

In this session you will discover how non-developers can create xAPI projects and start to see the power and capabilities of using xAPI. You will examine components that, with some minor coding, you can combine to build custom platforms. You will discuss available HTML elements that come equipped with easily edited code to build solutions around content. You will learn how to use basic HTML coding to implement data gathering using xAPI. The session will approach this topic from the viewpoint of a non-developer who was able to implement and prototype xAPI implementations.

In this session, you will learn:

• How the Experience API works
• What is required to implement xAPI
• How to use various HTML-based elements to produce working xAPI implementations
• How to adjust elements after reviewing the initial data you collected

Audience:
Novice and intermediate designers, developers, and project managers with basic HTML skills and a basic understanding of the Experience API.

Technology discussed in this session:
HTML, the Experience API.

We’ve all been there—as a participant in a one-way, presentation-only style webinar. Presenters may know how to click through a series of slides, but that type of session isn’t very engaging to the learner. Also, although Adobe Connect is one of the most popular platforms for live online learning, it’s also one of the more complicated to learn to use its full feature set.

In this session you will learn how to maximize the use of Adobe Connect’s layouts to create interactive and engaging online sessions. You will explore how Adobe Connect’s layouts feature allows a presenter to quickly, dynamically, and frequently change the screen throughout a virtual program. You will go beyond the basics of Adobe Connect to create, modify, and use layouts to design interactive virtual training. You will leave this session able to immediately apply what you have learned in order to turn your live online training presentations into more engaging ones.

In this session, you will learn:

• The importance of interactive and engaging live online sessions
• How to create and modify Adobe Connect layouts
• Creative ideas for using Adobe Connect layouts to engage participants
• Practical techniques for designing interactive sessions

Audience:
Intermediate designers and developers, ideally with some previous exposure to Adobe Connect, either as a participant or facilitator.

Technology discussed in this session:
Adobe Connect.

Participant technology requirements:
A web browser with Internet connectivity.

Instructional designers tend to define what is possible by the limitations of our chosen authoring tools. We remove ideas like responsive courses from consideration because our authoring tool does support the capability. Sometimes common modern web practices don’t always transfer over to eLearning authoring tools until it is too late. Why not take control over what you can do in your eLearning authoring by building it yourself?

In this hands-on session you will explore how jQuery Mobile allows you to build responsive custom mobile applications that not only take advantage of modern web technology, but simplify development without the requirement of heavy amounts of coding. You will learn how this tool removes many of the constraints placed by authoring tools and how to build custom, mobile-first HTML5 quickly and easily. You will examine how to integrate the xAPI into HTML5 to allow you to track progress within your LMS or LRS.

In this session, you will learn:

• jQuery Mobile basics
• How to build a player in jQuery Mobile
• How to make your jQuery xAPI compliant
• How to develop a custom HTML5 course

Audience:
Intermediate and advanced designers, developers, and project managers who know basic HTML5 formatting.

Technology discussed in this session:
jQuery Mobile and xAPI.

Participant technology requirements:
A laptop with an HTML editor.