Trends suggest that learners want to drive their own learning and have access to a variety of bite-sized materials in various media to learn what they want, when they want it. It’s not just the Millennials, and it is not because people have no attention span. It is because everything moves so quickly and we have become accustomed to making our own path ... quickly. Yet, corporate learning organizations are having trouble shifting fast enough.

In this session, you will get hands-on experience using tools in new, trending ways. You will learn tips and pitfalls to avoid so you deliver professional materials with limited resources. Learn how to maximize your development time and resources through video content creation combined with curation of other types of materials. See how to keep the attention and interest of students and focus on teaching the key aspects of a topic.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to curate existing content as part of a curated video content plan
• How to design a way to utilize interactions, playlists, and previously developed course content
• Techniques to shorten, revise, and refine content so that it is transitioned into bite-sized information for learners
• To use familiar tools with new online applications to create a tailored content experience for your audience

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

Technology discussed in this session:
TechSmith Camtasia, Premiere Elements, HapYak, VideoScribe, HTML5, Lynda.com, Harvard Mentor Manage, and photo editors.

Participant technology requirements:
Laptop (Mac or PC), TechSmith Camtasia, Premiere Elements (trial versions will work, but unrestricted is better, of course), HTML editor, document editor, photo editor (you can use an online one, but a local copy of Photoshop/Photoshop Elements is best). You will also need to be able to access the Internet. Please download trial accounts for HapYak, Lynda.com, and Harvard Mentor Manage, if possible.

Simulations are an important component of training in many healthcare verticals. Mannequins, simulation labs, and computer-based simulations are well-established parts of many healthcare professionals’ education. They are however also expensive and difficult to deliver online. What’s needed is a solution that combines the low-cost, distributed model of eLearning with the power of simulation.

In this session you will explore examples of low-cost, easy-to-deliver simulations used in areas such as nursing, pharmacy technicians, and occupational therapy. Each have been used to improve skills in several healthcare verticals while satisfying the newest accreditation requirements. You will see how using nothing more than a smartphone or tablet, online video-based exercises offer learners more frequent and convenient opportunities to practice skills, including “soft skills” like critical thinking and communication.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to create low-cost simulation exercises for teaching soft skills
• How to create low-cost simulation exercises for teaching technical skills
• How to use simulations as the centerpiece for a competency-based training program for healthcare professionals
• How you can use video-based simulations to satisfy industry accreditation requirements

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

Technology discussed in this session:
ApprenNet.

Micro-learning has gotten huge over the last several years. Micro-learning, particularly video, offers huge benefits, including that it fits into available time slots in busy schedules and that it’s inherently mobile. From the organizational perspective, it can also be much faster to market, more focused, easier to maintain, and more scalable than its macro counterparts. The challenge, however, is for organizations to take advantage of this format. How can it be produced quickly and affordably, and how can it scale to engage the whole organization?

In this session, you will learn the attributes of the micro-learning format and dissect production into three distinct phases. You will learn how to streamline production through intelligent, up-front planning by using a variety of online and common tools to produce the assets needed and by simplifying the post-production/editing phase. Finally, you’ll explore ways to intelligently scale the medium by empowering all employees in the organization. The session will be heavily supported with micro-learning video lessons produced for The eLearning Guild’s Learning Exchange.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to produce micro-learning video inexpensively
• How to produce micro-learning video quickly
• How to focus micro-learning videos for optimum effectiveness
• How to plan well but also be prepared to capture assets for micro-learning products when opportunities arise
• How and why narration can save micro-learning video projects

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

Technology discussed in this session:
iPhone video, iMovie, Visme, Project Expresso (animated sketches from an iPad app), voiceover recording, digital video, YouTube, and The eLearning Guild’s Learning Exchange.

Building a native HTML5 mobile game could take very complex code to build, especially if you want to add elements like flex and responsive layouts, natural motion that interacts with user actions and the device’s accelerometer, accept user input, and more.

In this session, you will be introduced to Tumult Hype Professional, a MAC-specific application that can be used to create learning games.. You will learn how to build interactive games and animations without having to know any code. You will see how quickly and easily you can build responsive layouts that flex and change for any screen size to take advantage of any device. You will leave this session with working games that you can play on your phone or tablet.

NOTE: Tumult Hype is a MAC-based product. While all are welcome to this session, only MAC users will be able to follow along on their own machines.

In this session, you will learn:

• Tumult Hype Basics
• To use keyframe-based animation
• How to build physics-based animation
• How to create a responsive layout

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

Technology discussed in this session:
Tumult Hype.

Participant technology requirements:
Tumult Hype. NOTE: Tumult Hype is a MAC-based product; It is not available for Windows-based PCs.

Engaging, professional-sounding voice recording is a key to maximizing the potential for eLearning. Voice acting should be professional, sound realistic, and be free of distractions that can disengage participants and limit knowledge retention. While hiring professional voice actors can provide an easy solution, budget constraints may limit or eliminate the option of outsourcing voiceover work. When this occurs, development teams must look to their own in-house talent, many of whom may be new to the idea of lending their voice.

In this session you will learn the basics of voiceovers such as microphone placement and techniques, as well as creating an effective recording environment. Most importantly, you will learn the ways you can prepare your mind and your voice for the recording session, as well as pitfalls that you should avoid. You will leave the session with skills, next steps, and resources to build your vocal capabilities and the confidence to transforming your voice into eLearning characters ... and even narrators!

In this session, you will learn:

• How to create the most ideal environment for voiceover recording
• Proper microphone placement and techniques to maximize clarity and minimize artifacts
• The proper way to set your input levels
• How to prepare your mind and voice for a recording session

Audience:
Intermediate developers, project managers, and managers, preferably with some experience recording voice audio into an eLearning authoring tool (e.g. Captivate or Storyline) and/or digital audio workstation (DAW) software (e.g. Audacity or Audition).

Technology discussed in this session:
Studio microphones (condenser and dynamic) and accessories. Digital audio workstation software for recording, editing, and postproduction. Audio preprocessing, including compressors, de-essers, equalizers, and gating.

Infographics powerfully convey content in a visual and readily understandable manner. However, as appealing as they often are, learners often spend only a brief time viewing them before moving on. Are there ways to increase an infographic’s “stickiness,” or its effectiveness to make the content better understood and retained by the learner?

In this session you will learn various techniques and designs to add interactivity and engagement to infographics. You will be able to explore various page layouts, categories of interactives, and deconstruct how several examples were developed and produced. You’ll also have the opportunity to investigate the pedagogy and brain-based research that support the use of interactive infographics. This session will give you the techniques and access to multiple templates to quickly implement interactive infographics into eLearning courses, presentations, and web-based content. Templates will be available in Articulate Storyline, Lectora Inspire, and Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel.

In this session, you will learn:

• Adult learning and brain-based theories that support interactive infographics
• The best designs for infographics and interactive infographics
• How to create interactive infographics using various platforms (Articulate Storyline, Lectora Inspire, and Microsoft PowerPoint)
• How to access and use various interactive infographics templates so you can create your own

Audience:
Intermediate and advanced designers, developers, project managers, and managers with a working knowledge of at least one of the authoring platforms (Articulate Storyline, Lectora Inspire, and Microsoft PowerPoint or Excel).

Technology discussed in this session:
Articulate Storyline, Lectora Inspire, Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, and Adobe CS (Illustrator).

Studies show that using audio narration in eLearning lessons is significantly more effective than using on-screen text. However, adding a human voice to lessons increases production time and makes updating lessons difficult. These obstacles might make you consider using text-to-speech or even cause you to forego the use of audio altogether.

In this session you will learn how to strategically plan your eLearning lessons so that including human voice narration isn’t a drain on resources. This session will convince you to use human voice in your lessons, show you how to write your content in such a way that you cater to both your learners and your narrators, and explain ways that you can avoid needing to re-record audio. You will leave with tools such as sample templates, rules of thumb, communication strategies with your reviewers and narrators, and tips to circumvent time-consuming re-records. This session will lead to a better experience for both you and your learners.

In this session, you will learn:

• Why a human should narrate eLearning
• Best practices in script writing
• Ways to communicate with your reviewers and narrators
• Strategies to circumvent having to re-recording audio

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

Technology discussed in this session:
Captivate and Audacity (free audio software).

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, with the tools for creating and editing video becoming both easier to use and less expensive.

In this session you’ll see how easy it is to create high-quality video for eLearning. You’ll also learn how course creators are integrating video to create more engaging learning experiences.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to create video-based quizzes
• To develop branching video scenarios
• To spot the common hazards with quizzes
• How to conduct video interviews

Audience:
Intermediate and advanced designers and developers.

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Most often an eLearning program will suffer from poor graphics and design, regardless of how well written it is. Poor design reflects negatively on your company, your products, and your professionalism. Design can impact how content is received and how information is trusted. And many times an organization does not have a professionally trained designer on hand to tackle these issues.

In this session you will gain knowledge on how to immediately improve the look of your eLearning content and come to understand the importance of good graphic design that you will be able to implement immediately.

You will learn some simple ways you can drastically improve the look of your eLearning materials. You will get tips on how font selection and the use of typeface can alter the appearance of your content. The session teaches you easy-to-follow techniques on image optimization and tricks on using stock graphics effectively.

In this session, you will learn:

• Professional methods of using typeface
• How to optimize images for your content so they look perfect every time
• How to find and use stock graphics to give your content the most professional look
• The difference between various image file types and raster and vector images
• User-friendly, inexpensive programs to help your graphic design capabilities

Audience:
Novice and intermediate designers, developers, and project managers. Attendees should have a good working knowledge of basic computer programs and be familiar with formatting documents and working with fonts and images.

Technology discussed in this session:
Common tools for effective graphic design, such as Word, PowerPoint, and Photoshop.

From CIOs to instructional designers, to faculty, trainers, and students, organizations and universities are considering adding video-making or “visual literacy” as a core skill to the three Rs—reading, writing, and ’rithmetic—in order to prepare learners for a highly visual communication landscape that requires critical thinking to offset consumerism. Evidence shows there is a need for multi-modal learning and cognitive skills. Researching, creating, and sharing video playlists is one of the important additions to creating personalized learning pathways and engendering continuous post-diploma learning.

In this session you will review a number of case studies demonstrating the positive learning outcomes of multi-modal learning in academic and corporate settings. You will learn how to create playlists that can be annotated, edited, and shared across teams as reference materials, projects, textbook replacement, task and solution playbooks, workshop guidebooks, and individualized learning. You will leave this session knowing how to create a shareable learning play book and implement personal learning pathways.

In this session, you will learn:

• Ways to explore multimodal learning practices
• How to create shareable learning play books
• How to implement personal learning pathways
• The role of video in learning

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

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

There are things that prevent us from making the great video learning content that we are capable of. Sometimes these things are technical, sometimes they are budgetary, but mostly they are due to our misconceptions about what is involved. While some blaze into situations making bigger promises than they can ever deliver, others scare themselves out of ever getting started in the first place. Most of us fall in between, perpetuating common video myths without even knowing it.

The truth is, great video learning content does not have to be expensive or complicated. It just has to work within your particular constraints. In this session, you will learn what kind of content for learning makes the best content for video. You will gain a better understanding of the best designs, scripts, tools, and techniques to fit your organizational context. In this session, you will find the answers to your questions and create a preliminary action plan for your video learning projects.

In this session, you will learn:

• What learning content makes the best video content for your organization
• How to test your way to the best designs, scripts, specs, tools, and techniques for your environment
• To address fears and questions about video learning
• To create a preliminary action plan

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

Technology discussed in this session:
Workflowy, Scrivener, GoogleDocs, iPhone/iPad, GoPro, YouTube, JW Player, Camtasia, Screenflow, Captivate, FinalCutPro, Premiere, Litmos, Moodle, Saba.