110 Measuring Performance in Immersive Environments
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, October 24
Antigua B
Augmented reality, virtual reality, and similar technologies are useful for teaching complex skills. But how do you know if your users are getting the most out of these experiences? A benefit of these technologies is being able to measure the acquisition of knowledge and skills without needing smile sheets or paper tests. Performance data collected through these technologies can provide a more comprehensive picture of learning outcomes.
In this session, you will learn how to develop an assessment strategy for measuring learning and performance in immersive environments. You will examine the types of skills best suited for training using AR and VR, and how to measure those skills before, during, and after the learning experience. You’ll learn how you can use performance data to predict learner outcomes and evaluate the effectiveness of your training. As an example, you will hear about the speaker learning to play popular VR games in an inflatable dinosaur costume.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to choose between AR and VR platforms based on what you’re trying to teach
- How to design an assessment strategy to capture the learning process
- How to use performance data to evaluate training effectiveness
- How to use performance data to personalize the learning experience
Audience:
Designers, developers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Augmented reality, virtual reality, and HTC Vive.
Jennifer Solberg
CEO
Quantum Improvements Consulting
Jennifer Solberg, PhD, is the founder and CEO of Quantum Improvements Consulting (QIC), an Orlando-based firm specializing in the application of emerging technology to training for complex skills. A cognitive psychologist by trade, her work focuses on how to design, develop, implement, and evaluate training technology for the Department of Defense and other clients. At QIC, she leads a growing team of learning science professionals. In addition to her many peer-reviewed publications, her work has been featured in The New York Times, the Pentagon Channel, and Signal Magazine.
SELR103 What Can You Build Today in VR?
12:15 PM - 1:00 PM Wednesday, October 24
Expo Hall: eLearning Rockstars Stage
You’ve heard that VR training experiences have a proven higher retention rate, with retention gains reaching 75 percent in comparison to standard video, eLearning, or textbook training. What you need to know is how to create and deploy VR training quickly and cost-effectively with the systems you have today.
In this session, you will learn the differences between VR, AR, and MR, and how you can apply each of them in the training that you are creating today. You will learn about a new tool, CenarioVR, that allows you to rapidly create VR training by linking together multiple 360-degree images and videos to create an immersive story. This session will also cover the creation, editing, publishing, and tracking of VR training. It will highlight the potential learning applications for using VR, and how you can integrate it into your current learning environment.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to design, author, and deliver your own VR content
- Best practices in instructional design unique to VR environments and VR space as a creation medium
- How to use xAPI data visualizations to analyze the effectiveness and measure the impact of VR content
- How to link multiple 360 videos together and add interaction and instruction to your VR content to create a story
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, and managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Virtual reality, 360-degree video images and software, VR hardware, CenarioVR, xAPI, and learning record stores.
John Blackmon
CTO and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer
ELB Learning
As CTO/Chief AI Officer for ELB Learning, John Blackmon is responsible for the development and strategy of company products. Prior to ELB Learning, John was co-founder/CEO of Trivantis, where he created the flagship products, Lectora and CenarioVR. John was also co-founder/lead engineer at BocaSoft, which created various software utilities for the OS/2 operating system. His career started at Electronic Data Systems where he designed automatic identification systems for applications at General Motors, followed by time at IBM where he was awarded a patent for seamlessly running Windows applications under OS/2. He also has a patent pending for Responsive Course Design work.
SEMT103 Why Your Organization Needs Virtual Reality Training Today
12:15 PM - 1:00 PM Wednesday, October 24
Expo Hall: Emerging Tech Stage
Millennials and Gen Z are entering the workforce at an accelerating rate. These incoming generations’ expectations from their training media are very different from those of previous generations. Virtual reality training offers a potent tool to address the media and learning needs of these younger generations. However, since VR is still an emerging technology, there is a lack of data and case studies and many misconceptions surrounding cost and best operating practices.
In this session, you will explore the global disruption VR is causing as a medium for training and professional development. You’ll deconstruct the myths surrounding virtual reality through an exploration of case studies and the latest data available. This session will provide you with an overview of the startup cost and the best operating practices to allow you to evaluate the ROI of virtual, computer, and mobile-based simulations.
In this session, you will learn:
- About game-based training
- About virtual reality training
- About computer- and mobile-based simulations
- About gamification
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, managers, senior leaders, and others.
Technology discussed in this session:
Virtual reality, computer, and mobile simulations.
Sid Banerjee
CEO
Indusgeeks
Siddharth Banerjee, the CEO of Indusgeeks, is an entrepreneur and thought leader in the field of applied gaming and virtual reality. Sid’s pioneering work has positioned Indusgeeks among the world leaders in game-based and virtual reality training. The company has received multiple awards and was most recently honored with a Brandon Hall Gold Award for best use of games and simulations for learning. Sid is a founding board member of NASSCOM’s Applied Gaming Special Interest Group (SIG), working with governments and the gaming industry worldwide to formulate key policies transforming the applied gaming ecosystem.
216 BYOD: Engaging Tech: Getting Started with Augmented Reality
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM Wednesday, October 24
Martinique AB
Augmented reality (AR) is a widely used technology in games, marketing, and everyday apps, but what about learning and development? Where do you get started? Where do you use it? How should you use it? Finding answers to these questions can cause developers to overlook the potential this technology holds and just how easy, effective, and affordable it can be to get started.
This session will demonstrate how easy it is to get started using AR in development. You will be introduced to free and low-cost tools and resources that will make developing an AR project simple, effective, and engaging. During this session you’ll be hands-on creating an AR experience and have the opportunity to live test some existing AR projects. You will leave this session with the working knowledge of how to plan, build, and share an AR project with the world.
In this session, you will learn:
- The differences between augmented, mixed, and virtual reality
- About free and low-cost tools that are available to create an AR project
- What elements make a successful AR project
- How to incorporate AR into your design workflow
- About AR project ideas that can be implemented into your organization
- How to build an interactive AR project you can showcase after the conference
Audience:
Designers, developers, and managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Google ARCore, Unity development tool, Zappar Designer, Zappar mobile app, and Zapworks Studio.
Technology required:
Laptop and mobile device.
Destery Hildenbrand
XR Solution Architect
Intellezy
Destery Hildenbrand is an XR solution architect with Intellezy. Destery has over 17 years of experience in training and development and seven years focusing on immersive technologies. Destery has spent time in corporate environments and higher education. Destery's primary focus is helping organizations plan, design, and develop engaging learning experiences through Immersive technology.
312 Leveraging Virtual Reality Simulations for Leadership Development
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Wednesday, October 24
Antigua A
In the 2017 LinkedIn Learning Workplace Report, employers reported leadership skills were crucial. Yet when it comes to developing skills, many current offerings teach what to do but lack practice in how to do it. Learners may try role-plays or pre-recorded simulations, but are you truly moving the needle on performance? In light of shrinking budgets, limited time, and lack of effectiveness, how can you demonstrate impactful gains at scale?
Virtual reality (VR) simulations solve the three most compelling training problems: cost, consistency, and impact. In this session, you’ll explore how the emerging field of VR is used for leadership development and discover how learning leaders use VR to realize cost savings. You’ll hear about the latest research in VR from a leading researcher and experience an immersive, realistic learning event in 2-D VR without leaving the room. Find out how leading corporations are using VR simulations to provide a safe, consistent place to practice leadership interpersonal skills at an accelerated pace with learners who are distributed across the globe.
In this session, you will learn:
- How learning leaders are leveraging VR for cost savings
- How VR content can be customized to your workplace
- Why VR solves the three most compelling training problems—cost, consistency, and impact
- About the latest research and VR learning models used by industry leaders
Audience:
Designers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
A 2-D virtual reality simulation for leadership skills development.
Carrie Straub
Executive Director of Educational Programs and Research
Mursion
Carrie Straub is the executive director of educational programs and research at Mursion, where she is responsible for leading the design of immersive learning among more than 80 partners. Carrie, a PhD, provides guidance and consultation to researchers and educators about how to best leverage VR simulations to elevate soft skills for high-stakes professions. Previously, she was research director for TeachLivE, the project that originally developed and tested the core technology utilized by Mursion. In that capacity, she planned and directed activities for a national research study to discover whether practice in VR produced measurable changes in performance.
315 BYOD: Creating Engaging AR Learning Experiences on a Low Budget
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Wednesday, October 24
Trinidad AB
Face-to-face learning events (meetings, onboarding, team-building, ILT courses, etc.) are often confined to a closed space like a training room. What if you could go beyond the room without leaving the physical space? What if you wanted the org chart, or the company history on the wall, to come alive? What if you could augment reality with meaningful clues to collect in order to solve a puzzle? With low budget?
Bring your Apple or Android device! First, you will experience a simple augmented scavenger hunt using your phone or tablet. Ordinary pictures will come alive. In the second part of the session, you will go behind the scenes. You will explore three applications that work together to create engaging augmented reality learning experiences on a relatively low budget: the ClueKeeper scavenger hunt app, the Zappar augmented reality app, and one more. At the end of the session, the group will brainstorm some practical ideas for you to take home.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to design an augmented reality scavenger hunt
- How to engage users to explore new products, intranet, or applications in your organization
- How to create an illusion of static pictures coming alive
- How to use physical cards that turn into how-to videos in your hand
Audience:
Designers, developers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Augmented reality (through the integration of ClueKeeper and Zappar apps), and photo manipulation into GIFs or videos.
Technology required:
ClueKeeper app on Apple or Android devices.
Zsolt Olah
Sr. Learning Technologist
Amazon
Zsolt Olah is a sr. learning technologist at Amazon with 20 years of corporate learning and development experience in the intersection of technology, digital learning, and data. In this role, Zsolt is responsible for the full life-cycle of learning data projects from the strategy document to data storytelling. His motto: "Less Content, More Impact." He’s a frequent speaker at national (DevLearn, ATD International Conference & Expo, TechKnowledge) and international learning conferences; blogger at elearningindustry.com. Zsolt is an advisory board member on the Workforce Development Edtech Board along with a group of chief learning officers, practitioners, and academics looking at where L&D is heading in the future. Previously, he worked as a digital learning & experience manager at Amazon Web Services (AWS). In his free time, Zsolt has also published a book, written two screenplays, completed the HarvardX Data Science certification, and played mostly mediocre soccer.
416 BYOD: Introducing WebXR—a Lightweight Way for Developers to Create VR
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Thursday, October 25
Martinique AB
Unity and Unreal Engine create high-quality VR experiences, while AR learning usually requires building an app. A lightweight way to create VR and AR experiences is needed for quicker turnarounds and lower costs.
WebVR, and now WebXR, are HTML/JavaScript-based standards that allow surprisingly simple creation of high-quality VR/AR experiences that can be distributed via a URL. This session will introduce WebXR and walk through a simple project with follow-up resources.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the benefits of WebXR
- A workflow for how to create a WebXR project
- About integration of web-based VR into mobile and other systems
- How WebXR can help make VR projects part of a “normal” L&D workflow
Audience:
Designers and developers.
Technology discussed in this session:
WebXR, WebVR, HTML, mobile VR, and Samsung Odyssey (Windows Mixed Reality).
Technology required:
Laptop, smartphone, and Google Cardboard.
Hugh Seaton
GM
Adept Reality
Hugh Seaton is GM of Adept Reality, a software company focused on using VR/AR in adult learning. Prior to Adept, Hugh founded AquinasVR, a VR/AR software company which he sold to the Glimpse Group, parent of Adept. Hugh’s focus, whether in immersive technologies, IoT or artificial intelligence, is on the intersection of learning science, creativity, and the cutting edge technologies that can bring learning to new levels of effectiveness.
510 VR and AR for Behavior Change
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM Thursday, October 25
St. Croix A
If you got the chance to walk around experiencing the world as a retired person, would that change your financial planning in the present? If you got to have firsthand experience of being a patient, could that change how you treat patients? If you were able to experience the results of a major safety catastrophe, would that make you safer in your daily work life?
In this session, you’ll look at different examples from ongoing research into how to use immersive learning environments to address difficult behavior change problems. Several intriguing studies seem to suggest that having a visceral experience may be a powerful tool for behavior change.
In this session, you will learn:
- About research efforts to use VR and AR for behavior change
- About the limitations of these efforts, and what to be cautious of
- About examples of ways to use VR for behavior change
- About models for behavior change that apply to visceral experience
Audience:
Designers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Virtual and augmented reality.
Julie Dirksen
Learning Strategist
Usable Learning
Julie Dirksen, a learning strategist with Usable Learning, is a consultant and instructional designer with more than 15 years' experience creating highly interactive eLearning experiences for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to technology startups to grant-funded research initiatives. She's interested in using neuroscience, change management, and persuasive technology to promote sustainable long-term learning and behavior change. Her MS degree in instructional systems technology is from Indiana University, and she's been an adjunct faculty member at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She is the author of Design For How People Learn.
610 Designing AR Experiences for Performance Support
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Thursday, October 25
Montego C
While many companies are experimenting with AR in the L&D space, there are a number of businesses harnessing the power of AR for enhancing operational performance outside of the training department. How do these experiences differ, and how can you renew your department’s focus on performance by taking on more advanced AR solutions in your efforts?
In this session, you will learn practical approaches for designing effective AR experiences. You’ll discover an approach to strategic implementation of AR by forming a partnership with functional business units. You’ll also explore the difference between simple marker-based AR solutions and more advanced computer vision and machine learning–backed AR. You’ll then look at how you can integrate AR systems with operational business systems in order to maximize return on investment and realize the opportunity that AR-enabled workers represent. Finally, you’ll look at aligning measurement of business task success and AR experience usage in order to align learning and production.
In this session, you will learn:
- Advanced AR strategy
- What markerless AR is, and why it matters
- How to approach measuring AR performance support
- How businesses are solving big problems with AR solutions
Audience:
Managers and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Augmented reality, ARKit, ARCore, machine learning, text and object detection and recognition, and xAPI.
Chad Udell
Chief Strategy Officer
Float and SparkLearn
Chad Udell is the award-winning managing partner, strategy and new product development, at Float and SparkLearn. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies and government agencies to create experiences for 20 years. Chad is an expert in mobile design and development, and speaks at events on related topics. He is author of Learning Everywhere: How Mobile Content Strategies Are Transforming Training and co-editor/author, with Gary Woodill, of Mastering Mobile Learning: Tips and Techniques for Success and Shock of the New.
710 Why Companies Are Turning to VR to Improve L&D
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Friday, October 26
Montego B
Many reports and studies claim there is dissatisfaction with the learning function inside organizations everywhere. And as the workplace and workforce continue to rapidly change, the need to upskill and develop employees has never been greater. Enter VR, which has become the solution to corporate learning’s problems. In its infancy as a new technology, VR has drastically improved the way individuals learn information—and corporate learning has taken notice.
In this session, you will learn how employee training can be accelerated and improved upon using VR technology. You’ll learn why some of the world’s biggest companies are turning to VR to train and develop their workforce and how they’re having success. This session will cover the science behind VR and why it’s such a great fit for learning, as well as the data that proves VR to be a highly effective learning tool. A few case studies will offer real-life examples of how companies created, implemented, and measured VR training programs.
In this session, you will learn:
- Why companies are turning to VR as a solution, and what business challenges VR is solving
- The science of VR and why it’s disrupting traditional learning methods
- From real-life examples of VR implementations at large corporations
- How companies are measuring success of VR implementations better than other learning programs
- How to get started with VR (hint: It’s not as hard as you think)
Audience:
Designers, developers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Oculus Rift HMD, HTC Vive, Google Daydream, and Samsung Gear VR.
Derek Belch
Founder and CEO
STRIVR
As founder and CEO, Derek Belch leads the vision and strategy behind STRIVR’s mission to elevate performance through immersive experience. Derek incubated the company with co-founder Jeremy Bailenson in Stanford’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab while pursuing his master's in virtual reality and serving as a graduate assistant football coach. Using sports as his proving ground, Derek’s vision quickly expanded from the athlete to the enterprise. Derek is driven by a competitive passion for impacting performance, and with STRIVR is pushing everyone to train like an athlete.
Andy Kozak
Manager, College of Technical Operations
JetBlue University
Andy Kozak is the manager of the College of Technical Operations at JetBlue University in Orlando, Florida and New York. The JetBlue University College of Technical Operations provides all maintenance training across the JetBlue system. Projects Andy has worked on in this role include the creation and oversite of the gateway apprentice technician program, developed to support the hiring of qualified technicians and provide a pathway for people in and outside the company who want to be a part of JetBlue in the technical operations department. Andy received his A&P certificate from Spartan School of Aeronautics in 1981, and over the past 36 years he has worked at Pan Am Express, US Airways, and JetBlue Airways.
809 Powering Next-Gen Learning with VR and xAPI
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Friday, October 26
Antigua B
Virtual reality technologies have long been the promise of the future but just out of reach for the mainstream. Recent VR innovations, though, have allowed instructional designers and learning engineers to create and distribute custom VR content in ways that make VR a transformative part of training and learning programs across industries. When combined with xAPI, these futuristic technologies allow you to gain never-before-captured insights from next-gen digital experiences.
This session will take a look at how VR powered by xAPI is currently being used by instructional designers, learning engineers, and L&D professionals to gain new insights from next-gen learning experiences. You will explore case studies that demonstrate how VR interactions allow learners to explore and participate in engaging and intuitive 360-degree virtual environments designed to expand their vision and promote learning, impact, and retention. You will see case studies demonstrating how organizations are using xAPI-enabled VR content to enhance learning, from safety and compliance to onboarding and training.
In this session, you will learn:
- How organizations are creating their own xAPI-powered VR content for learning and training
- How advances in data and learning analytics provide insight into the value of VR learning content
- What the advantages and benefits are of adding VR content to your learning and training programs
- How modern VR tools make immersive content creation accessible for instructional designers and learning engineers at all levels
Audience:
Designers, developers, and managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
VR learning content platforms, including CenarioVR and A-Frame; xAPI; and xAPI-powered learning dashboards.
John Blackmon
CTO and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer
ELB Learning
As CTO/Chief AI Officer for ELB Learning, John Blackmon is responsible for the development and strategy of company products. Prior to ELB Learning, John was co-founder/CEO of Trivantis, where he created the flagship products, Lectora and CenarioVR. John was also co-founder/lead engineer at BocaSoft, which created various software utilities for the OS/2 operating system. His career started at Electronic Data Systems where he designed automatic identification systems for applications at General Motors, followed by time at IBM where he was awarded a patent for seamlessly running Windows applications under OS/2. He also has a patent pending for Responsive Course Design work.
Melissa Milloway
Sr. Learning Experience Designer
Amazon
Melissa Milloway is a senior instructional designer at Amazon, where she specializes in designing and developing digital learning experiences. She was selected as a “30 Under 30” learning leader for Elliott Masie’s Learning 2014 conference and is an avid blogger in the industry.
Margaret Roth
Chief Customer Experience Officer
Yet Analytics
Margaret Roth is the chief customer experience officer at Yet Analytics, a Baltimore-based company that provides tools and solutions to improve learning and talent development. Margaret is interested in the development and design of connected learning environments that leverage xAPI and blended learning. Her background is in experiential education, curriculum design, teaching, and team development. She is the VP of community impact for the Junior League of Baltimore, a member of the SXSWedu Advisory Board, and a co-founder of EdTechWomen. Margaret received her BA in English and environmental earth science and her MA in teaching from Johns Hopkins University.
810 Social Virtual Reality at Visa
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Friday, October 26
Barbados B
What if you could infuse the power of social learning into virtual reality or augmented reality? While they offer deeply immersive experiences for individuals, both can be primarily a solo experience. Learn how Visa is using connected mobile devices in concert with AR and VR hardware to create collaborative experiences for learners.
In this session, you’ll explore Visa’s successes and lessons learned and receive guidance for how you can leverage social VR/AR with your employees. You’ll also learn about Visa’s human-centered design process for developing such experiences, including how they engage users through UX design. Plus, you’ll ideate how social VR/AR can be used within your organization.
In this session, you will learn:
- How Visa took their concept from ideation through implementation
- About Visa’s successes, lessons learned, and guidance for developing VR/AR experiences
- How to build a team-based VR learning experience at your organization
- New ideas for how you can use social VR/AR with your employees
Audience:
Designers, developers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Virtual reality (VR), Vive custom build, and augmented reality (AR).
Carol Combs
Senior Instructional Designer
Visa
Carol Combs is the senior instructional designer for learning and innovation at Visa University, where she focuses on the introduction of compelling and innovative learning experiences. In her role at Visa, Carol develops learning experiences that leverage emerging technologies in mobile, social, and gamified environments. Carol is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and has a background in computer engineering and information technologies.
Kierra Dotson
Creative Technologist
Visa
Kierra Dotson is a creative technologist with Visa, where she explores and designs new concepts and technologies to create new learning paradigms. Kierra is responsible for developing new technology solutions within the Visa University learning ecosystem that shape how data is captured and analyzed.