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.

Though it may seem counterintuitive, most people are at their most creative when they innovate within a given set of boundaries. How can you tell a clever story while obeying the construction rules of a crossword puzzle, the sensitive angles of a stage illusion, or the constraints of a learning program? In this fascinating keynote, David Kwong, a master of working within the lines, explains how constraints give us the freedom to create. You will discover why we are at our most innovative when we design a new form for something familiar and subsequently express it in a novel and compelling way. Through demonstrations of groundbreaking puzzles and illusions you will explore an inspiring new method of problem solving and learn how we obtain and retain information.

Many course designers mistakenly believe that interactivity requires bigger budgets and longer timelines. The reality is that today’s authoring tools offer course designers dozens of ways to leverage multimedia to add meaningful interactions. In this session, you’ll learn how to transform existing slide content into interactive knowledge checks and practice activities. You’ll also discover the five most common eLearning interactions and how they can be used to design more engaging courses.

Effectively managing your learning programs in the modern workplace means taking a leaner, more streamlined bottom-line approach. It starts with clearly identifying the end goal of training, and it involves stripping out the “just-in-case” learning and focusing only on the learning that employees need to achieve business results. In this practical session, Carol Leaman will discuss four steps to driving business impact; how to effectively identify, track, and measure behavior and business results; and a real-world example of measurement-in-action.

Join us for a look at what HTML5 is and learn how you can use it today to deliver the next generation of learning and applications. What can we learn from the buzz and new tools appearing in the consumer and corporate environments, and how can we take advantage of them to help our users learn? You’ll learn what you need to consider in designing content as well as get technical guidelines. Get an introduction to five hot features in HTML5 that you can start using today, and prepare for developing with the new standards. You’ll also receive several great resources to get started with your team from design techniques to mastering development.

In recent years, learning has moved closer to the workplace. Classrooms have moved out of corporate learning centers and into training rooms co-located with offices. Online learning is delivered directly to the desktop more than ever before. The next challenge is to move learning directly into the workflow. To do this, there needs to be a move beyond course delivery and into a broader, more comprehensive, and strategic approach that focuses not just on learning, but on performance and productivity.

In this session, you will learn the six key components of a learning and performance ecosystem and see examples of how they can be applied in dozens of combinations to create learning and performance solutions. You will work through a sample scenario with your peers to analyze a problem and brainstorm a multifaceted solution that takes full advantage of the learning and performance ecosystem. You will learn a practical approach to getting started with learning and performance ecosystem solution design.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to describe a learning and performance ecosystem
• How to identify an opportunity for an ecosystem solution
• How to work with stakeholders and experts to define and prioritize factors that contribute to the problem
• How to identify the best way to measure success
• How to identify ecosystem components available to you
• How to apply components to create a solution

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

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Employees today don’t just use the Internet—they live in it! And they expect their online learning experience on the job to match their online experience in their digital, highly connected life. Is your ecosystem up to the challenge, or does it seem boring and limited to your learners? We’ve been reading about the wave of new employees in the workforce for years, but have we built the learning and performance support environment that will engage them and help them thrive?

In this interactive session, we will explore how the brain operates and how it expects to seek out, receive, and apply information. Then you’ll learn about specific ways to evaluate your current ecosystem and identify ways to tailor it to meet the needs of your connected employees. You will be able to immediately use this information to evaluate your own ecosystem’s readiness and the five things you can do right now to make it more effective for all.

In this session, you will learn:

• How people are learning from YouTube and other social media
• What employees today expect and require from their corporate learning ecosystem
• How to evaluate your current ecosystem’s readiness
• Five things you should start doing now to make your ecosystem more effective

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

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

The current learning environment is massively disruptive, with new learning technologies appearing daily. Focus has shifted from content to experience, and learning strategies now call for a new emphasis on informal learning, collaboration, and user-generated and curated content. Throw into the mix a wide variety of devices and approaches like gamification, and organizational learning has become a very confusing and complicated state.

In this session, you will be able to make better sense of the evolving learning landscape by focusing on key principles that are essential to building the next-generation learning environment. You will explore an example of what the next-generation learning environment might look like by demonstrating the systems, tools, and technologies that collectively make up Xerox Services University. You will leave with a strategic framework for creating a next-generation digital learning environment. You will have an understanding of the technology platforms, services, and tools necessary to successfully deliver the learning experience of the future.

In this session, you will learn:

• The principles that define the dimensions of the next-generation digital learning environment
• The types of tools and technologies necessary to assemble a next-generation digital learning environment
• Key requirements to be used in the selection of tools, technologies, and services to create next-generation digital learning environments
• Practical strategies that can be used to support the implementation and operation of a next-generation digital learning environment

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

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Digital badging is gaining traction in varied corners of the learning and development space from traditional academic environments to organizations and more. However, due to its relative novelty, there are some significant adoption barriers to those incorporating badging strategies.

In this session, you will examine how to align strategies with evidence-based techniques and multi-tiered assessment approaches to produce badges that clearly exhibit their worth and applicability. You will discuss the common questions and concerns related to the credibility and general worth of badges. You will leave this session understanding the critical components required to make badges meaningful to those that earn them.

In this session, you will learn:

• Common badging adoption barriers and how to address them
• The importance of understanding badge metadata and the role it plays in establishing value
• How to incorporate diagnostic, formative, and evidence-based assessment techniques into the learning architecture for badge offerings
• How the role of the mentor or assessor can be implemented to maximize the effectiveness and value of badge offerings

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

Technology discussed in this session:
Digital badges.

Participant technology requirements:
N/A

Taking the plunge and deciding to create a serious game is an exciting and daunting task. Critical for Checkers and Rally’s was to find the right partner to help the company realize the benefits of this learning method. Other companies had tried, failed, or abandoned their investment. The mission was to realize the significant benefits by developing a serious game that could drive results by reducing costs, improve proficiency, encourage engagement, and deliver effective learning.

In this session, you will explore many of the learnings and best practices encountered in the development of a sandwich game contracted by Checkers/Rally’s with Designing Digitally. You will learn what makes a serious game a success or a failure. The discussion will include the proper steps to take throughout each phase of the project to ensure success. You will learn what works and what to avoid or consider. This session will include best practices, and also will show the pain points.

In this session, you will learn:

• What to consider when deciding to develop a serious game
• How to plan and develop a serious game (internally or externally)
• The best practices when creating the serious game
• How to support the serious game after the effort has launched

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

Technology discussed in this session:
Sandwich game.

Did you know that the visual design of eLearning, slides, and other instructional materials have a big impact on learner success? Well-designed materials can motivate learners, improve comprehension, and assist retention.

In this session, you will learn the power principles that will have the biggest impact on your designs. You’ll look into ways that you can apply each principle for maximum success. The goal is to quickly increase your visual design skills as much as possible in one hour. You'll be surprised at how much you can improve. You don’t need to draw well to improve your visual design skills; you need to learn the foundation principles and apply them.

In this session, you will learn:

• Why aesthetics are important to learning
• How to work with shapes, images, and fonts to communicate the right message to your audience
• Tips for laying out a slide or screen so that your designs look professional
• To ensure learners quickly see what is most important
• How to create a unified look that is attractive and pleasing

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

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Too often, content is cranked out without understanding the audience and looking at the best options for delivering solutions. Everyone wants to be more creative, but time, budget, and resources are frequently used as a crutch.

In this session, you will learn why creativity is critical to communicating and improving learning, from content delivery to how a learner experiences the information. You’ll learn simple techniques to improve communication, present concepts, and get inspired for your next project. You will see how creativity can improve results and the simple techniques and tools to get started with, whether you don’t have a creative bone in your body or you are an artist and just need some inspiration. This session will help you unlock your brain and let the creativity start to flow.

In this session, you will learn:

• Techniques for getting more creative
• How to inspire your team to be creative
• How to get and give creative feedback
• How to best run a creative meeting or brainstorm session
• Tips and resources to get inspired

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

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

L&D practitioners face three significant challenges: adding context to their mobile learning and performance support challenges, understanding the possibilities of new technologies, and opportunities to see real-world applications.

In this session, you will gain an overview of augmented reality, 3-D, and wearable technology (glasses and watches). You will then learn a variety of real-world solutions with examples, such as training medics using augmented reality, applying Spanish in an augmented reality game, and the use of a 3-D mHealth viewer for educating medical students on anatomy. Additionally, you will see and discuss a variety of augmented reality and 3-D mobile learning and performance support solutions and have the opportunity to brainstorm on how they can leverage within their own projects.

In this session, you will learn:

• How augmented reality can provide real-world context to your mLearning solutions
• How augmented reality is being used as a performance support tool
• How wearables are being used to aid in decision-making/performance support
• How 3-D is being used to add realism

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

Technology discussed in this session:
Aurasma from an augmented reality development perspective, 3-D mHealth, wearable technologies, smartphones and tablets, and iBeacons.

As futurist Ray Kurzweil noted, “We are destroying jobs at the bottom of the skill ladder, we are adding new jobs at the top of the skill ladder. To keep up with that rising skill ladder, we need to make people more skilled. One methodology to do that is education.” To be enablers of the skill sets of the future, jobs in the learning profession will change.

In this session, you will learn about seven major trends that are likely to have a significant impact on shaping the world over the next decade, specifically: quantum computing, synthetic biology, the Internet of Everything, sensors/robotics/AI, big data, 3-D printing, and neurobiological advances. You will learn how each of these trends will influence developments and create new opportunities in the learning profession. You will also discuss some of the new roles in the learning profession that may be created in the future, such as: cloud scrubber, expression coach, learnbot programmer, and sensor coordinator. Will you be ready for this brave new world of learning?

In this session, you will learn:

• Seven key trends causing rapid and profound change in the world
• How those changes are impacting the learning profession
• New learning roles emerging to exploit the changing world
• The current level of acceptance and preparedness for these new roles
• Paths to expedite preparedness for the new roles

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

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Is your organization employing a workforce of motivated and vibrant human beings? Or is the office full of lumbering zombies barely able to pillage snacks from the kitchen and groan in meetings? Many organizations have employees that are so disengaged that it’s like they are becoming the working dead. But there’s hope, and you can save them!

In this session you will learn how to keep your organization from being overrun by an army of unthinking, unmotivated, undead employees. You will explore a number of specific tips, insights, and strategies for invigorating your workforce using a 21^st-century development strategy.

In this session, you will learn:

• Why employee disengagement is killing your company
• A five-step plan for how L&D can enliven and engage employees
• What the future of work and engagement looks like—and why L&D plays a critical role

Audience:
Novice and intermediate  managers and directors.

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Learning and development managers are faced with an ever-changing technical environment and a marketplace requiring cost-effective, competitive solutions. Questions most managers face include: how to ensure that an appropriate mix of training professionals are hired to meet customers’ educational and technical needs, while keeping prices competitive; determining the correct toolset needed to reach a training audience; considering if there is a one-size-fits-all solution appropriate for a team; and how to maintain an eLearning team’s relevance in a fast-moving training world. Staying ahead of new technology while keeping price in check is a challenge.

In this session, you will look at these questions and more. You will explore how the correct mix of learning professionals and experience levels are key in achieving success in today’s eLearning environment. The session will provide insight on criteria to consider when selecting software and hardware for your eLearning team. You will also learn key ways to keep your team relevant and on the forefront of new, eLearning technology.

In this session, you will learn:

• The benefits of composing an appropriate mix of learning professionals to meet a specific performance need
• Ways to maintain the appropriate mix of eLearning professionals over time
• Which training tools (software/hardware) best meet specific training development needs
• Methods for maintaining technical skills within an eLearning team

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

Technology discussed in this session:
Authoring software solutions, learning management systems, HTML5, Adobe Flash, Adobe Creative Suite, and mobile.

Mobile is the new way of learning. Learners want it and companies want to provide it. However, app development can be expensive, especially if you are starting from a mostly print or standard eLearning model of training. Finding a way to give learners and organizations the mobile learning they want without breaking the bank is a must in today’s training market.

In this session, you will learn how EPUBs can be used as a low-cost solution for taking training content mobile. See how these digital books are able to support many of the same bells and whistles traditional eLearning interactions support. You will examine how digital books leverage the same inputs as traditional apps such as gestures, but cost a fraction to develop and maintain across multiple operating systems and devices. You’ll discover there is a slightly different design process required when building training for eBooks. And you will learn some great examples of how it’s done so you can try it yourself.

In this session, you will learn:

• Which platforms and tools are available for digital publication use
• The different audiences for each publishing platform and which best fits your audience
• Real world strategies from companies that use digital book platforms as part of their mobile strategy
• The do’s and don’ts of digital book publishing

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers and developers.

Technology discussed in this session:
Apple iBooks and Adobe Digital Publishing Suite.

Social learning is the latest trend in eLearning and corporate L&D—for good reason. As organizations move from hierarchies to wirearchies and communities of practice become the new content management solution, building meaningful connections between colleagues is critical. However, most organizations are going about social learning the wrong way, and technology vendors aren’t helping by bolting on discussion forums and adding integrations into social media which are not enough to capture the benefits of social learning.

In this session, using the familiar jigsaw technique, you will work together in a group to discover the key to social learning—felt accountability. That is, as each group learns a topic, you’ll be motivated by accountability to yourself and your group. The session will go through several examples of successful social learning projects. You will leave with a clear understanding of how to correctly implement social learning within your organization.

In this session, you will learn:

• What makes for authentic social learning
• How to avoid common pitfalls of social add-ons
• How to design training programs with social in mind, from the ground up
• How to drive participation in a discussion forum, without begging
• How to build communities of practice with every online training
• How to engender felt accountability in online courses

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

Technology discussed in this session:
Variety of eLearning tools, including course building tools, learning management systems, MOOC platforms, and social.

Microlearning video is the creation of video-based content under one minute in length that is primarily consumed on mobile devices. The rise of user-generated micro-content has required the use of rapid storyboarding and predefined video content structures. As the length of the video decreases, so does the optimal format of the video.

In this hands-on session you will learn the process for creating micro-video, including formats, content creation applications, and implementation. You will explore the steps for the creation of micro-content and tricks for using video analytics to select the best content for a micro-video. You will leave with a step-by-step process for creating short form video-based content.

In this session, you will learn:

• The structure of a micro-format
• Applications for micro-video creation
• Steps for creating a micro-video
• How to deliver micro-content in your organization

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

Technology discussed in this session:
Video Editors.

Participant technology requirements:
A laptop with Wi-Fi capabilities and a simple video editor, such as Windows Movie Maker or iMovie.

Storyline 2 is Articulate’s most powerful tool yet, but many are not using it to its fullest capabilities and producing the level of engagement and interactivity needed in many eLearning solutions. Storyline 2 is laden with such a wide variety of features that it is easy for users to lose track of some of the key, lesser-known features that provide an opportunity to create dynamic eLearning.

In this hands-on workshop, you will learn some of the favorite go-to features, such as states and layers. You will have the opportunity to use some of the more hidden features of Storyline. You will leave this session with an increased understanding of Storyline 2, which will ultimately increase your eLearning development speed. This session focuses on the practice and uncovering of key features that will greatly enhance your ability to build better courses in less time.

In this session, you will learn:

• To practice with shortcuts and rapid solutions
• How to develop creative solutions with states and layers
• How to use some of the hidden features of Storyline

Audience:
Novice and intermediate developers.

Technology discussed in this session:
States, layers, slides, and triggers in Storyline 2.

Participant technology requirements:
Windows laptop with Storyline loaded.

Have you ever started development on a project and realized that you have no clue where to start? Or maybe you have an idea of what you need, but don’t have the tools necessary to achieve what you want? In this session you will learn about tools that you can add to your instructional design toolkit. We will explore the topics of blueprinting, project and time management tools, templates for rubrics, and accessibility considerations, and you will walk out of the session with physical and digital copies of a number of tools.

Learning moves at the speed of business, and being able to deliver effective solutions is not the main challenge—it’s the ability to do so on a very short notice. This session will showcase the art of the possible on content and curriculum development, as well as the perils associated with too-rapid roll-out. You will explore what we learned and what we did to mitigate the issues uncovered at the pilot, and how we engaged the higher headquarters on rethinking their approach.

Learning has to happen as fast as the needs arise, otherwise learning professionals risk being relegated to compliance training. We need to be a strategic partner, but with so many needs, the traditional way simply isn’t working. One solution is to properly equip internal experts to successfully train others. In this session you’ll learn how to work with highly specialized SMEs in technical domain areas. Learn how to equip SMEs in a structured, repeatable way to develop and deploy learning quickly. Learn to create a force-multiplier that creates vast quantities of learning more quickly than the “traditional” instructional design way.

Gamification is changing the learning landscape. Gamification options are becoming more and more robust, with many new features, analytics, and capabilities benefiting divisions across the organization. This session will separate fact from fiction, speak to its psychology, incorporate real-world uses, and review what is on the horizon for this dynamic technology. Bring your questions, your workplace challenges, and your game, as we’ll experience gamification and have fun!

As an organization, AdaptiveU has embraced the concept of “anywhere works,” encouraging employees to work from anywhere. This radical change gave rise to an inevitable consequence: training a scattered workforce. Thus, the need for creative solutions that don’t compromise on functionality and performance. After an in-house experiment and with continual improvement, AdaptiveU has been able to change the way its teams learn and grow. Join AdaptiveU on its journey to make learning and development fun and engaging. You will gain insights applicable to your learning environments, especially if you are open to training and learning from “anywhere.”

Admit it. When you watched classic Star Trek, you envied Spock’s Vulcan power to mind meld with others. The need for speed in acquiring knowledge and skills is more important than ever. Business technology, processes, and culture are rapidly changing. Facebook releases new code twice daily, blowing away traditional companies’ 18-month cycles. Amazon ships packages in two days and is experimenting with one-hour delivery. Customer feedback is instantaneous with Twitter. Come learn how you can help experts transfer learning at something closer to the speed of thought. (Disclosure: We still have a little room for improvement.)

Organizations are increasingly looking beyond the confines of learning management systems. Where organizations were once focused on content delivery, they’re now switching to user-generated content and more social, connected learning experiences. As devices and sensors are added to the learning environment, datasets have marched toward the realms of big data. Yet, as is so often the case with data-driven strategies, connecting data with action can remain a mystery.

In this session, you will learn about the tools and methods that were applied to help learning organizations connect their various platforms together and start deriving actionable data insights. You will learn why it is becoming necessary for organizations to think strategically about how they share data between systems, how they avoid redundancy and replication, and how others are tackling big issues like identity and security. You will leave this session with an action and a code of practice for learning organizations looking to use big data.

In this session, you will learn:

• How other organizations are using big data in learning
• How to use a standard like the xAPI as part of your strategy
• How to tap into an organization’s data supply chain
• How to use data to recognize a wide range of achievements
• How to create actionable data
• About a code of practice for using big data

Audience:
Intermediate and advanced managers and directors.

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Training events often fall short of delivering results in the workplace. Training can be too far removed from application on the job, and in many cases there is a reliance on outmoded models that fail to take into account the dynamic environment of the modern workplace. The demand for information and action is accelerating. This paradigm requires a different approach to supporting performance and development, including real-time access to people, process, tools, and content, linked to the unique needs of the individual.

In this session, you will learn how certain US federal government agencies are transforming their initiatives from a learning event model to continuous development through the design and implementation of performance ecosystems. You will see real-world examples of ecosystem design and implementation, and will be able to evaluate your own initiatives through the lens of always-on continuous development. Some of your takeaways will include: measurable approaches to supporting multiple points of need within the workplace, from just-in-time to new skill development; and a short list of tools and technologies that are easing adoption.

In this session, you will learn:

• How government agencies are transforming their learning and development initiatives
• The constituent parts of a performance ecosystem, including formal and informal content, social media, and performance support
• The need for better tracking and measurement
• Where ecosystems have been, where they are now, and where they are going

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

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

If you taught them this, why don’t they do it? Educational services at Saint Vincent Hospital got tired of hearing this question and started looking for a new learning paradigm for the institution. The solution was found in performance support. By blending learning opportunities and performance support for associates—before a class, during a class, and on-the-job—Saint Vincent is able to significantly impact job performance.

In this session, you will learn the principles of performance support, the process of gaining buy-in for performance support at Saint Vincent Hospital, and how performance support was successfully blended into a learning continuum for several projects. Details will be provided and examples will be shared. You will have the opportunity to step through the process of developing a fully integrated performance learning plan and discuss potential points of implementation for your organizations.

In this session, you will learn:

• The difference between job aids and true performance support
• The benefits of providing performance support throughout the learning ecosystem
• Steps to be taken to implement performance support throughout the ecosystem
• The potential metrics to be used to determine the success of the implementation

Audience:
Advanced developers.

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Bring your HTML5 learning to life through GreenSock’s animation platform API. GreenSock allows you to build animations that are fast, robust, and compatible with a lot of different browsers and mobile devices. In this session you will learn the basics of the GSAP platform and how to start animating like a pro on mobile and desktop devices.

Agile processes are all the rage due to their ability to create products faster and more efficiently. This means that instructional designers and other learning and development professionals are being challenged to approach their work with speed, flexibility, and accuracy. However, typical design and development processes fail to support this challenge.

In this session, you will learn what it means and doesn’t mean to carry out agile instructional design. You will be provided the direction and insights that learning professionals need to become more agile instructional designers. You will explore the barriers to executing an agile development approach and how to overcome them. You will also look at strategies useful to support implementation of agile instructional design in your organization.

In this session, you will learn:

• What it means to execute agile instructional design
• How to define the barriers to implementing an agile approach
• The strategies that will support the implementation of an agile instructional design approach
• The direction and insights that learning professionals need to become agile instructional designers

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

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

eLearning and instructional professionals often have questions surrounding design vision, which is the range of motion of creative design ideas that they can incorporate visually into learning projects. Many find themselves struggling to be more creative and seek to extend their visual approaches to type, images, and composition. For the designer, more methods mean more opportunities to create better visual solutions for learning materials and content-driven courses.

In this session, you will learn 10 useful design ideas that can enhance your design thinking and expand your design vision for better learning and education products. You will learn unique and creative visual design approaches, and the contextual design processing abilities that are part of the critical skillset instructional designers need. You will explore various strategies useful in developing better type, images, and compositions to exploit visual creativity. You will learn to build your conceptual utility belts and will find new ways to enhance your content.

In this session, you will learn:

• Basic design thinking approaches embedded across design disciplines
• Contextual design methods to build user-centered content
• Strategies to use to develop better type, images, and compositions that exploit visual creativity
• Creative techniques to help boost visual concepts and strategies
• How to expand your design vision by adding 10 new design techniques

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

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Your company is growing fast. Your team has expanded way beyond the small, intimate group it once was. Demands are increasing. Development tools are changing. The new people have to be brought up to speed, now. And your industry is heavily regulated, so it has to be right. How do you maintain the independent spirit that made your company successful and still get all the work done?

In this session, you will learn the strategies and tools WestJet’s learning and development team developed to solve this problem. You will learn specific strategies you can take home and implement right away, such as breaking the silos, making time for collaboration, getting it right the first time, strategies to speed up development, leveraging talent, and making the most of all team members.

In this session, you will learn:

• To identify key ways to increase collaboration with colleagues and clients on eLearning projects
• To develop key strategies to assist your team in developing high quality eLearning quickly and consistently
• To identify ways to expand the skillsets of your team members and utilize each member to their fullest capacity
• How to break down the barriers and silos that have been built up for years

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

Technology discussed in this session:
PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and Articulate Storyline.

Your employees live in a world where the assumption is that new knowledge and information are always instantly accessible. Employees increasingly turn to readily available online and mobile resources, which offer seemingly unlimited sources of reliable information. As a result, many are growing wary of traditional, mandatory corporate learning programs. How should the L&D function continue to grow to ensure learning programs enable employees to thrive in the 21^st-century workplace?

In this session, you will learn how the learning and development function should continue to evolve to serve both chronically distracted and overwhelmed employees, and growth-oriented yet budget-constrained organizations. You will see how to design holistic learning programs which can match and surpass the expectations of your learners today. The challenges attendees are likely facing will be addressed, and ideas will be offered for implementing learning and communications programs which have succeeded in connecting with both learner and business audiences.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to deliver holistic programs that go beyond just courses
• How to spread awareness and create buy-in around existing and new programs
• How to effectively and sustainably earn the mindshare of your audience
• How to use creative storytelling to communicate value and authenticity

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

Technology discussed in this session:
Desktop, mobile, and tablet devices.

Designing open and digital badges for evidence presented in curated learning ePortfolios, endorses and verifies the claims that a learner makes in this digital narrative—these claims are made against badge criteria and standards that have been co-designed by key stakeholders in the learning journey. Dartmouth College designed and developed badging to track the portion of a course that focused on digital scholarship skills where students could receive both a grade and a badge for each assignment, which would earn a progress badge, and completion of an entire training sequence or practice sequence would earn a completion badge.

In this session, you will learn how the University of Notre Dame and Thompson Rivers University are now using ePortfolios and digital badges to allow learners to chart their own pathway through their learning career. You will learn about three case studies that explore badges, and ePortfolios that show evidence for a range of competencies and capabilities through artifacts.

In this session, you will learn:

• To examine, through case studies, how open and digital badge practice can build and leverage off ePortfolio research
• To investigate what badge claims look like in evidence-based ePortfolios
• To share and present the opportunities for open and digital badge researchers and practitioners

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

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Let’s face it. Learning proposals rarely elicit enthusiastic responses from clients, except when the solution includes video. Suddenly, the decision makers are paying attention. But those nods of approval start disappearing when the discussion turns to the cost, timelines, and sustainability of outsourcing video production. So you have two options: get out your wallet, or find a cheaper, faster, more flexible way to produce the videos you need.

In this session, you will learn how to gain buy-in from internal stakeholders by saving time and money without compromising quality. You will learn the process of moving from a complete dependence on outside resources to producing videos cheaper, faster, and just as good. You’ll be shown how to do the same. Additionally, you’ll leave with a road map to gain buy-in, a sample business plan you can customize, a list of equipment to get you started, and an end-to-end guide to get you from writing your script to writing your acceptance speech.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to sell the idea of producing videos internally
• How to customize the business plan template based on your needs
• The required video production skills and how they can be developed
• What equipment is required to get started and what you will need later
• How to work with clients to write scripts
• The best practices to keep your video shoot running smoothly

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

Technology discussed in this session:
Word, PowerPoint, DSLR cameras, LED lighting, Adobe Premiere, Adobe After Effects, and Articulate Storyline 2.

How do you know if the money spent on training and development is worth it? One of the ways find out is by using analytics to assess who is using content: where, when, and how. Deciphering the ways to analyze a program’s effectiveness can be confusing. There is a lot of talk about big data, but what does it all mean? And just because there is a lot of data, does that really make any of it valuable?

In this session, xAPI and Google Analytics will be compared to learn about your users. Using real-world examples, you’ll see what data is available and how to find it. You’ll learn why some data is more valuable than others, and why big data isn’t always good data. Lastly, you’ll look at how all the data points come together to really bring into view a clear image of who your users are.

In this session, you will learn:

• The basics of Google Analytics and xAPI data reporting
• The analytic process
• To evaluate what you really need to learn about your users
• The pros and cons of using xAPI or Google Analytics to track user events

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

Technology discussed in this session:
Google Analytics, the xAPI, JavaScript, and HTML5.

During design and development SMEs, stakeholders sometimes suggest ideas or practices that are antithetical to good instructional design. For example, a designer might have a stakeholder who believes it’s best to simply film a daylong stand-up training session and deliver it as one video. In this case, like so many others, it’s helpful for the designer to identify research findings to help them understand why learning should be designed differently.

In this session, you will learn the most current research regarding multimedia, visual design/usability, and assessment in eLearning. Framed as a story, this session will use scenarios in which research is used to make design decisions, and attendees will receive a list of places to look for current research to inform eLearning practices. You will receive a list of current research findings and assessments and be able to identify how and where research is best cited for a SME, and how to apply findings to your design and development process.

In this session, you will learn:

• To cite research in three areas: multimedia, visual design/usability, and assessment
• To successfully use research to make data-driven decisions for design and development
• To find sources of eLearning research
• To conduct a research-based discussion with SMEs

Audience:
Novice and intermediate developers, and managers.

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Despite its growing popularity, online facilitation remains a mystery to many faculty and workplace learning professionals. Often restricted by learning management system platforms, online facilitators feel constrained when designing, developing, and delivering high-impact, high-engagement learning events.

In this session, you will learn how to be more creative in an online environment. You will hear the story of how students in a graduate course on social learning walked away from a university’s learning management system and distributed their learning across multiple social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, Padlet, NetVibes, YouTube, Pinterest, and over 20 more locations. The students had a dynamic and learning-rich semester, earning the hashtag, #LearningIsFunAgain. You will explore how to get the best out of facilitated instruction and community-based learning in one flexible model of instruction that can be easily adopted in higher education and workplace learning classrooms alike.

In this session, you will learn:

• How facilitated instruction can occur outside of a learning management system
• How to incorporate social media tools into your instructor-led course design
• How to empower learners to own their own learning
• How to develop and sustain the four primary relationships in a learner-centered classroom

Audience:
Novice and intermediate designers.

Technology discussed in this session:
Facebook Groups, Twitter lists, hashtags, TweetDeck, Google sites, YouTube, Pinterest, Skype, Google Hangouts, Netvibes, WordPress, SlideShare, Evernote, BrainShark, bubbl.us, Padlet, Realtime, Board, Jing, and iTunes.

Performance orientation and discovery efforts should be a priority before making any decisions about what kind of training should be developed, if any, and how to design, develop, and deliver training using embedded performance support assets.

In this session, you will learn how to help your organization understand what the journey toward adoption of the performance support discipline will require. You will learn how the shift entails moving beyond the traditional training paradigm and adopting an intentional focus on performance. You will learn what it means to treat your organization/enterprise like a dynamic learning and performance ecosystem, and how looking through a performance lens changes the rules of engagement when it comes down to an ultimate goal of sustaining workforce performance solutions.

In this session, you will learn:

• To change the conversation with your stakeholders requesting training
• The significance of Gottfredson’s Five Moments of Need
• To explain the value of using “extended blend” in an intentional, agile design methodology
• To expand your discovery efforts to include attributes of the “point of work”
• To identify the advantages of using single-source documentation

Audience:
Intermediate designers and project managers, managers, and directors.

In today’s device-rich world, it’s absolutely essential to make your eLearning courses available on all types of devices, irrespective of their varying screen sizes, in the best possible manner. Creating responsive courses helps you achieve this goal and helps meet learners where they are.

In this session, you will learn how to create responsive eLearning courses with ease using Adobe Captivate. You will also learn about the best practices to tweak content for a specific device and use the in-product preview to see how the course will appear on various screens. Learn to publish the course as a single project and automatically deliver the most appropriate experience for the learner’s device. Ultimately, this session will provide you the tips and tricks to create a responsive course with minimum effort and maximum impact.

In this session, you will learn:

• About basic steps to create responsive courses
• The best practices to determine the size and position of objects
• The best practices to preview and publish responsive courses
• The best practices to create responsive interaction

Audience:
Novice and intermediate designers and developers.

Technology discussed in this session:
Adobe Captivate.

Participant technology requirements:
The latest version of Adobe Captivate.

Many speakers have aptly discussed the need for experiential, problem-based learning. These talks leave educators, consultants, and designers excited and motivated for change. But still, they are left wondering what makes experiential learning successful? And, even more, they don’t know how to effectively use technology when implementing experiential learning.

In this session, the experiential learning process will be modeled by presenting a problem to the group. The session will build curiosity, engagement, and skills that you can use again in your own training environments. You will look at questions, including how you can identify the behaviors that learners need to learn and how you can create an experience that will effectively ensure the learners can perform. You’ll learn four guiding principles to ensure that learning does happen. You will walk away with a course outline for a topic that uses experiential, problem-based learning.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to use essential questions as a foundation for learning
• Key principals to designing experiential learning
• How creativity fits into the experiential opportunity
• How to complete a design task for an experiential learning session
• How technology supports experiential learning

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

Technology discussed in this session:
Learning portals, corporate MOOCs, and mobile approaches.

The demand to create high-quality courses in shorter periods of time puts pressure on design teams to produce more with less. In addition, IDs must keep their skills honed and motivation high. In this session you will learn practical strategies that have been put in place at USF to enable the creation of 60 new multimedia-rich courses each semester—strategies that will help you with collaboration, peer review, and skill enhancement. In addition, you will get ideas for structuring a redundant framework and learn ways to leverage vendors to support peak periods.

Finding ways to make learning “stick” with technology is always a challenge. Augmented reality (AR) is one of those “make it stick” technology options available for education and training; with AR you can get students interacting with the world in a whole new way. In this session we will explore some AR options that are freely available, look at the features they possess, demonstrate hands-on AR examples that can be used in both training and educational settings, and show you how to get started creating your own AR interactions.

Different people learn differently, and our training needs are unique. The good news is that modern digital technologies enable cost-effective large-scale personalization. In this session, forget about linear, boring one-size-fits-none trainings. Instead, let’s explore how to build personalized digital experiences sensitive to each learner’s goals and designed to drive action on the job. Training is on the brink of a revolution, so let’s witness it in the making. Join us as we discuss five real-life cases that gave rise to new approaches to learning, and ignite engagement in your organization.

Translation and localization of eLearning content presents unique challenges for content creators and multilingual content consumers. Customers and internal users of translated content expect culturally accurate translations completed within budget and on time. Proper planning for translation content can prevent some common pitfalls, save money, and reduce timelines. We will discuss some best practices and considerations for translation planning, content creation, in-country review by end users, and ongoing maintenance of translated material.

Over the past decade, technology has drastically altered the way we do business. However, the tools and strategies that most organizations use to train employees on these technologies have remained the same. These outdated toolsets can cause frustration for learners, and many are time intensive, require significant maintenance, and have little impact on workplace performance. Join us as we examine the gap between training and performance and the cloud-based application cloning and authoring platforms that The Home Depot, Coca-Cola, and the Department of Defense are utilizing to drive measurable cost savings and performance improvements from their system training initiatives.

Many learning and development (L&D) organizations today are well positioned to enable executives within their enterprise to drive change—rapidly capitalizing on emerging changes in technology, process, and skill. However, not all executives outside of L&D view it as an essential, foundational partner. In fact, according to a recent survey of senior learning professionals conducted by the Human Capital Institute, a great challenge facing CLOs today is gaining executive buy-in and overcoming the view of L&D as a cost center.

In this session you will gain practical tips, guidance, and job aids to help learning leaders find their purpose and communicate it to stakeholders in a way that gains support and enhances their value. You will learn how to establish a compelling vision, quantify your value to the business strategy, and fully engage all stakeholders to strengthen their impact. Finally, you will learn how you can motivate global participation, show a pattern of value, and demonstrate results that can positively affect the bottom line.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to gain buy-in from stakeholders, including key executives
• How to inspire and mobilize global participation
• How to establish and demonstrate a pattern of value delivery
• How to leverage data and analytics to define your value trajectory
• How to measure the value of learning to the business
• How to create a communications plan in support of learning initiatives

Audience:
Project managers, directors, and senior leaders.

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

The Experience API and emerging technologies afford organizations the opportunity to create adaptive learning ecosystems of functionality to support learners. Designing learning ecosystems and adaptive systems requires a shift in design approaches. While the Experience API can provide common tracking similar to SCORM for a learning management system, it really extends the ability to collect data with value between systems. This intersystem data value, combined with new design approaches, unlocks a number of use cases.

In this session, you will explore design approaches and models for ecosystems and adaptive systems. Key use cases will be defined and explored in detail. Additionally, you will learn about a case study that shows measurable efficiency of adaptive learning. You will learn about open-source technologies in a reference-adaptive learning ecosystem to enable exploration of practical examples. Finally, you will explore data that shows efficiency of adaptation in both individual and group settings.

In this session, you will learn:

• Design approaches for ecosystems using the xAPI
• The fundamental use cases that can be produced in an adaptive learning ecosystem
• Approaches to define value in learning ecosystems
• Open-source example tools and technologies you can use for your own ecosystem pilots

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

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

It’s a daunting challenge to transition from individual contributor to frontline leader; a challenge that requires new leaders to develop what can be a bewildering variety of new skills. To succeed, new leaders must practice those skills on the job, but few actually do. As a result, many leadership development programs focus on providing great training events only.

In this session, you will learn about a framework for developing frontline leaders that puts demonstrated proficiency first. You’ll learn how new leaders collaborate with their managers to work through journeys. You will learn how within each journey, a behavioral assessment is used to gauge their capability and about the move to training with a real focus on practice on the job. You will see how a series of short and structured moments of truth with managers are used to successfully review practices and progress. This session will provide you with an insightful overview of how to develop an engaging learner journey for proficiency in leadership development.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to identify the pressures that drive leadership development programs to be organized around events
• How to identify the shortcomings of an event-based model
• How to develop a journey-based model
• The roles and responsibilities required to execute a successful journey-based model
• How technology can enable organizations to manage the complexity of journeys

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

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Over the last decade, there has been an industry-wide emphasis on developing learning objects with embedded gamification elements. However, taking the concept of gamification past the singular learning objects to the more global, overall learner experience is more of a rarity.

In this session, you will be shown the specifics of one company’s journey and lessons learned so that you can take those practices to your own company. You will explore the realities and challenges faced when designing and developing a gamified open-learning platform. This session will focus on the learner experience design process with specific emphasis on the engagement model, learning space and journey, and game economy. You will learn how issues were solved relating to employee goals and ambitions, the learner lifecycle and engagement loops, learner motivation and emotional engagement, as well as establishing criterion and conditions that set a solid foundation for the game economy.

In this session, you will learn:

• The definition of gamification
• How to plan for the learner lifecycle
• How to incorporate Barte’s player types into your game mechanics
• How to set up a game economy
• The elements to consider in the learner experience design process
• The best practices for the learning space and how to outline the learner journey
• How to support the learner’s sense of autonomy and mastery
• How to evolve your system to add new functionality and to stay relevant

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

Technology discussed in this session:
Examples of a gamified platform.

As adoption of the xAPI begins to take hold, the convergence of working and learning offers instructional designers the opportunity and the challenge to do more than ever before. The xAPI allows for more robust and interesting tracking of the learning process, including learning that happens outside the LMS and on the job. As an instructional designer, are you ready to step up to this challenge?

In this session, you’ll get a brief introduction to xAPI and what’s new about it from the instructional design side. You’ll also learn about three key areas that impact instructional design: identifying learning data needs, data sources, and meaningful visualizations that answer organizational and L&D questions; making choices about infrastructure—how and when to work with your LMS, your LRS or both; and models for taking advantage of the xAPI across a variety of learning vectors—formal and informal, social and private, formative and summative, and  predictable and variable.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to identify new challenges in work as an instructional designer
• How to describe the impact that xAPI can have on an organization’s learning and performance strategies
• How to identify data needs and likely sources within an organization to meet them
• How to choose one or more first projects that leverage the xAPI’s capabilities beyond what’s available in SCORM today

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

Technology discussed in this session:
The xAPI.

In early 2014, Jane Bozarth’s husband was diagnosed with a large tumor perched atop his brain stem like a golf ball on a tee. The story of his surgery and recovery—“Performance Matters,” which appeared in The eLearning Guild’s Learning Solutions Magazine—became the most popular piece she’s ever published. This session will explore the story, its associated observations, and issues learned throughout relevant to L&D.

In this session, you will learn, from practical examples, the importance of human-centered design and systems design. You will learn how to address performance at the moments of learning need and the important ties between learning-practice-performance. The best L&D practitioners recognize that the performer is an actor in a system and the future L&D practitioner must design beyond the past limitations of the standalone course.

In this session, you will learn:

• The significance of human-centered design for both learning and performance
• How thoughtful and intentional design considers the interaction of all elements in a system (putting the S back in ISD)
• To consider the moment of learning need(s) when designing for learning and extended performance support
• Why designing beyond a discrete learning event will be a critical skill for L&D practitioners

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers and managers.

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Subject matter experts (SMEs) are the lifeline of work for instructional designers, trainers, and facilitators of learning. SMEs bring the content to life and provide both relevance and context. However, it can often seem like you and your SME are speaking two different languages, causing the instructional design process and, more importantly, communication to break down. How can you work better with and coach SMEs through your design and development processes to better ensure a positive working relationship and, most importantly, a successful learning initiative?

In this session, you will learn methods for improving communication between you and your SMEs and ways to change up the questions you ask to improve the responses you receive. You will explore how to employ a coaching framework with SMEs and the importance of speaking their language—losing the instructional design lingo and jargon you’ve become accustomed to. You will find this session interesting and entertaining as you explore the various types of SMEs you’ll encounter.

In this session, you will learn:

• Methods for improving communication between you and your SMEs
• Possible ways to change up the questions you ask the SMEs to respond to
• A coaching language and framework
• How to replace instructional design lingo and jargon for improved clarity

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

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Have you ever wished you could wave a magic wand to make your narrated voice work sound clean and crisp? Well, there is no magic wand, but a digital audio workstation (DAW) comes close. Broadcast professionals spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars creating their ideal audio post-production environment, but with careful planning you won’t need to spend a penny.

In this session, you will discover techniques and technologies which will enable you to create clean, authoritative, professional-grade audio for online presentations with a minimal impact on your budget. You will learn about digital audio techniques such as basic editing, compression, de-essing, gating, noise removal, and normalization—all using robust digital editing software you can get for free or as part of a software bundle. You will see how easy it is to import your professional-sounding audio files directly into your authoring software, with a small price tag to make your manager smile.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to acquire DAW (digital audio workstation) software with robust features for little or no cost
• How a DAW can be used to minimize or eliminate background noise (even including the barking dog down the street)
• How a DAW can be used to move or remove sounds at the phrase, word, and phoneme levels
• How a DAW can be used to emphasize or deemphasize frequencies in your voice, resulting in a bold, professional sound
• The next steps and resources on learning, practicing, and perfecting these skills

Audience:
Intermediate designers, developers, and project managers.

Technology discussed in this session:
Adobe Audition and Audacity.

Video has long since been a medium that evokes emotion and sells products through dynamic storytelling. In the past, however, it has been a passive medium. Fortunately, new knowledge and advancements make it possible to create more interactive video outputs.

In this session, you will learn how video can be leveraged in eLearning and mLearning simulations effectively to teach a skill or change a behavior. You will view examples of how video is used to demonstrate and simulate a task or behavior. You will learn tips and techniques that experts use when designing, producing, and developing video simulations for eLearning and mLearning courses. You will learn about practical tools you can use in the design and development of video-based simulations in your next training project.

In this session, you will learn:

• How video simulations can teach a skill or change behavior
• How to plan for video simulations in your training project
• How to design video simulations efficiently
• What tools can be used to produce video
• What tools can be used to add video simulations into your eLearning or mLearning course

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

Technology discussed in this session:
Storyboarding tools like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Branchtrack. Development tools like Captivate and Storyline.

Producing virtual sessions can be a technical challenge, especially when some participants are located in areas with low or sporadic Internet connections, either domestically or around the globe. Virtual learning professionals located in such environments require effective, simple, on-time support: before, during, and after training deliveries.

In this session, you will learn from the delivery of over 50 virtual sessions (primarily on Adobe Connect and WebEx) where the majority of participants were connecting in from outside North America and Western Europe. You will learn best practices in how technical producers, curriculum designers, and project managers worked together to prepare, mitigate, and resolve many issues experienced by low-bandwidth users. This session will also invite you to collaborate with your peers and brainstorm solutions to some of their most pressing technical challenges. While specifically geared to those that work with clients located in multiple countries, the best practices can also be useful to create seamless virtual experiences for any type of virtual delivery.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to identify typical technical challenges experienced by users in low-bandwidth areas
• How to prepare for and mitigate technical disruptions
• Effective questions to ask your client that can contribute to a more user-friendly design
• On-time producing tips to keep users engaged despite technical interruptions

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

Technology discussed in this session:
Adobe Connect, WebEx, LMS software such as Moodle, Skype, and mobile devices.

Feedback not only serves to inform learners completing eLearning modules, but it can also motivate or demotivate if not properly constructed. How feedback is targeted, displayed, and conveyed can greatly impact any eLearning course’s success. Are you doing all you can to provide your learners the insights and information they need to learn all they can?

In this session, you will explore how feedback in eLearning interactions is vital for high-impact communication with the learner. You will learn several simple, yet powerful, guidelines to replace useless feedback messages (e.g., “No, try again”) with engaging instructional feedback. You will leave this session empowered to apply these principles to impact your own eLearning designs. You will be able to use intrinsic and extrinsic feedback appropriately in eLearning designs, understand how feedback should be a primary repository of content in interactions, and combine immediate feedback with delayed judgment to increase learner motivation.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to use intrinsic and extrinsic feedback appropriately in eLearning designs
• How feedback should be a primary repository of content in interactions
• How to combine immediate feedback with delayed judgment to increase learner motivation
• How to apply various principles to your eLearning designs

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

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Including media in the training you create can be a fantastic way to make your content easier to understand and remember. But you don’t always have the time and budget to hire someone to create these design assets for you, and sometimes stock media just won’t cut it. There is another option, however: creating media yourself, as you likely already have with two tools that can help you out—your smartphone and tablet. By knowing more about the apps and tools that can help you create some of the media needed, and using a device you already own, you can be more efficient and keep project budgets down.

In this session, you’ll explore apps that can help you build animated videos in under an hour, create comics without needing to draw, quickly record your own podcasts, and make people who think they can’t draw look like competent artists. You’ll also learn about the physical tools that can push your mobile devices even further.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to recognize situations where media created in an app can work for a project
• What apps you can use to easily create images, video, audio recording, and more
• What basic media design skills you’ll want to develop to push these apps even further
• What physical tools, such as styluses and stand clips, can help improve the content you create on mobile devices

Audience:
Novice designers.

Technology discussed in this session:
Adobe Voice, Tayasui Sketches, Comic Life, and Paper. Physical tools that can be used with these apps, such as the Jot Pro, and Pencil by Fifty Three.

Choosing an LMS can be wrought with peril. There are many decisions that go into selecting the system that provides the best fit for your company, and there seem to be no end of things waiting to trip you up on your path to your new system. But if you know what to look for, you can avoid the hazards!

In this session, you’ll learn all the places where you can go wrong in your selection process. From knowing what types of systems are available to knowing the difference between good and bad requirements, we’ll walk through some of the larger mistakes that can get made and how to navigate around them. At the end of the session, you’ll have a better idea of what the LMS vendors need so you can help them help you!

In this session, you will learn:

• How to tell a good requirement from a bad one
• How to tell the difference between a problem with the LMS and a problem with your process
• Why you may want to bring in a consultant, and what consultant you may need
• If an LMS even the right decision for your situation

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

Technology discussed in this session:
Learning management systems.

Your learning ecosystem already exists in the resources scattered across your intranet and beyond, but your learners don’t know how to find them. When they are able to access this wealth of information, they are often overwhelmed, leaving the resources underutilized and the employees frustrated and still unable to meet their performance improvement needs. Many organizations have platforms such as an LMS and the content that they want to highlight, but they lack middleware and associated processes to connect the dots.

In this case study session, you will learn how Nielsen addressed the issue by building a dynamic portal—with the help of Sealworks Interactive—that solves the two problems of finding learning resources and being directed to learning opportunities. You will see how the portal solution leverages the LMS and the tacit knowledge of content owners to create an environment where learners can get to what they need fast.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to integrate a portal with other systems: LMS, ESN, TMS, and DMS
• How to integrate a portal with third party content providers
• How to maximize searching
• How to create learning paths
• How to measure the success of a portal

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

Technology discussed in this session:
Python on the Django platform.

Participant technology requirements:
N/A

The struggle of managers to identify the best candidates for the roles within their learning and development (L&D) ecosystem is always an issue, as is cultivating the development of valuable skills and knowledge within the existing ecosystem. The problem can be addressed by detailing the capabilities and competencies that are of the most value and importance in the L&D ecosystem, given the range of experience, degrees (formal education), and certifications available for professional development within the industry.

In this session, you will learn a new perspective on evaluating candidates. In addition, you will learn about helping current professionals within the L&D ecosystem determine the best fit and desire for ongoing professional development. You’ll explore the value of one master’s degree program compared to another, and which professional certifications offer the most value to your team.

In this session, you will learn:

• How professionals with varying levels of formal education add value and strengthen the overall L&D ecosystem
• How different master’s programs are structured from a curriculum and development perspective
• About the relative value of different professional certifications
• About opportunities to develop the skills and education of your existing team

Audience:
Intermediate and advanced managers and directors.

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

There’s lots of talk about replacing training with performance support, and in many cases, it’s a great idea. But what about the times when you need both? How do you incorporate performance support within a training context? How do you use instructional design to get the best of both worlds, and why should you do it? Ideally, your clients should be clamoring for performance support. But in reality, if an independent strategy can’t get traction, perhaps it’s time for a more unified approach.

In this session, you’ll explore the rationale and key approaches to improve performance support adoption through a more cohesive instructional design framework. You’ll learn about key instructional design principles for incorporating performance support into training and various scenarios for using training to support performance support. You’ll also explore the potential pitfalls you could encounter in this journey.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to take the best advantage of the sweet spot between performance support and training
• Six instructional design principles for incorporating performance support into training
• Six scenarios for using training to support performance support
• Six pitfalls to avoid when linking performance support and training

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

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Conventional learning methods were quite simply not working for Bloomingdale’s. The learning tactics at Bloomingdale’s were not driving the correct behavior with their 15,000 associates, and as a result the company turned to microlearning as a way to change behavior and drive bottom line results.

In this session, you will learn why Bloomingdale’s decided to break away from conventional practices and try microlearning in 2012—before microlearning was a known term. You will explore the issues the company faced when it was decided to take the organization down the microlearning path and what the dramatic results have been. You will learn from the pitfalls and successes that were encountered along the way. For some, this session will provide a wake-up call for how learning professionals need to adapt their approaches to better meet the needs of a business and its employees. For others, it will help them gain a better perspective on the true benefits of taking a microlearning approach.

In this session, you will learn:

• Why traditional learning practices were not working at Bloomingdale’s
• Why Bloomingdale’s took a microlearning approach
• What Bloomingdale’s learned during their three-plus year journey with microlearning
• The ingredients of an effective microlearning strategy
• The results that Bloomingdale’s has achieved: a $2.2 million a year impact

Audience:
Designers, developers, project managers, and directors.

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Most organizations operating in the modern training space ask many irrelevant and/or misdirected questions about mobile and social learning, e.g., “Will this be on an iPad, iPhone, or Android?” This question leads to discussions about screen real estate, etc., but misses the critical point relating to the learner experience in mobile and the equivalence of experience for others in non-mobile environments.

In this session, you will explore a host of important elements for an instructional program, such as: long-term learner engagement, non-traditional sequencing and delivery, learning environments, and communities of practice. In today’s hyper-networked and mobile workplace, organizations often turn to the virtual classroom. You’ll also explore mobile technologies and social media as a means to provide rich resources for informal learning outside of the classroom, as well as supplemental learning within the classroom. You’ll learn how to use these tools to build community and continue the learning conversation started in the classroom.

In this session, you will learn:

• To identify why, when, and how participants will be utilizing the mobile virtual classroom
• How to apply design strategies that maximize the live, mobile environment
• How to incorporate social media tools and networks into a virtual learning experience to accomplish formal and informal learning
• How to integrate social media into a virtual classroom design during live sessions and in-between live sessions

Audience:
Intermediate designers and developers.

Technology discussed in this session:
Mobile technologies and social media that can be incorporated into a live virtual classroom event.

Technology has completely changed the way we live, work, and learn. Technology has brought us the Internet, smartphones, tablets, and many more tools that have changed our lives forever. Of course, these same technologies have also brought us memes like Socially Awkward Penguin, Success Kid, and yes, Grumpy Cat.

These two worlds collide as four industry experts use today’s memes to explore the innovative world of learning. The rules of each presentation are simple: Each speaker’s presentation has 20 slides that automatically advance every 20 seconds. That provides each speaker with six minutes and 40 seconds to share their vision of how learning is being innovated. And there’s one last rule—slides can use only common Internet memes for visuals. Join us for what is sure to be a fun and informative session.

In this session, you will learn:

• How learning is being innovated
• How Ignite session formats can create unique learning opportunities
• What learning might look like years from now
• Way more about Internet memes than you ever thought possible

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

Technology discussed in this session:
Various.

Learning in an eLearning module is generally assessed through multiple choice questions, rather than measuring demonstrations of target behaviors. When you design eLearning, you build in knowledge checks. All too often, these quizzes are reading comprehension tests rather than authentic assessments of skills. You need to test the target objectives to ensure you meet the goal of the program.

In this session, you will look at aligning assessments with intended outcomes and designing activities that measure skill gains. You will learn about alternatives like scenario-based activities that allow users to practice decision-making skills they will need to apply to their new learning on the job. You’ll also learn about self-check assessments and rubrics that learners and reviewers can objectively evaluate. You will learn how to create assessments that reflect measurable gains and help designers like you demonstrate ROI on projects, and help learners better master the subject at hand.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to align assessments to outcomes
• How to build authentic assessments
• How to build a rubric
• How to create online scenario-based assessment activities
• Why multiple choice questions don’t effectively assess skills

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

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

There is plenty of research about the increasing use of video to engage learners and drive performance. The thirst for video content is effectively shown in some startling stats: YouTube is the second-most used search engine with over 1 billion-plus unique users every month; and online video is forecast to account for 60 percent of all web data by 2020. When video is the most popular, shareable form of media content, how can you explore the learning opportunities the technology affords?

In this session, you will explore various techniques and practical insights learned from working with this technology. You will also explore concepts from learning and instructional design, psychology, and technology. You will learn how certain forms of video narrative and interactive enhancement lend themselves to certain learning requirements, such as how flow states can be induced in learners through certain techniques. You will leave the session understanding how these elements interact to create rich, engaging learning experiences.

In this session, you will learn:

• About advances in technology that let L&D professionals enhance the learning potential of instructional videos with interactive technology
• What types of interactive video are suitable for certain types of learning need
• How certain situational cues can be manipulated via interactive video to induce flow states in the learner
• How to create an immersive learning environment, combining both storytelling and games
• How to employ game development processes, such as pace, scoring, video/graphical interactions, and fun
• How to use storytelling techniques and how to create a production process distinct to interactive narratives

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

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

If you look at the learning solutions that are being produced today, there is still an issue with the solutions hitting the mark and moving the needle for a learner. You need to take a step back and focus on the learner, the experience you want them to have, and how to convey the information in a way that moves a learner to action outside of the learning event.

In this hands-on and active session, you will learn about the key design framework to help learning practitioners think beyond the content or information they are given to build a course, and really consider how to make it meaningful to learners. You will explore learner profiles, stories, and contextual themes to keep the learner top of mind, even when the stakeholder is focused on the information. This session will provide you with a collaborative and creative outlet to explore new ways of putting content together, and give you the tools to help explain the value that this approach produces.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to step back from the information and content, and build an effective performance-changing solution for your stakeholders
• What learner experience is and how to ensure you are designing around it
• How to create learner profiles and keep them front of mind
• How to enhance the quality of your courses, regardless of the eLearning tool
• Tips and techniques to add more engagement in your learning solutions
• How to navigate through a content/information dump session and steer the conversation back to the outcomes for the learners
• The top five things that are essential to do when you are designing your courses for learner experience

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

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

How often are you faced with the dilemma and the questions: “Can I use this?” or “Where can I find images, video, music, and audio I can actually use without violating copyright?” With so many media assets, such as images, video, and audio readily available online, it can be a headache to figure out what you can use for a project and what is restricted by copyright. How can you ensure you are working within the legal guidelines, but still get the job done?

In this session, you’ll take a high-level overview of copyright and intellectual property and focus on the practical application of finding works you can use. With a primary emphasis on usability rather than the restrictive nature of copyright, you will be empowered to find high quality, legally compliant resources. You’ll walk away with resources, including a decision-making flow chart, and websites that have already approved the use of their content.

In this session, you will learn:

• The differences between copyright as it applies to non-profit and commercial entities
• When you can re-use something found online and when additional permission is needed
• What Creative Commons licensing is and why it’s important to you
• How to find Creative Commons-licensed works
• How to properly provide attribution when using a Creative Commons-licensed work
• About websites and resources that provide open access and public domain works available for free use

Audience:
Novice and intermediate designers and developers.

Technology discussed in this session:
Open Attribute plugin.

Shrinking budgets and accelerated production schedules can make it difficult to leave room for professional voiceover narration for eLearning projects, and it’s often one of the first things cut. Unfortunately, skimping on quality narration can leave learners confused or distracted, which has a direct negative impact on their attention and retention.

In this session, you will explore the problems of costly and time-consuming professional voiceover narration by teaching you the skills you need to improve your performance. You will be able to provide quality narration in-house. You will learn that switching to in-house production results in significant money and time savings. Whether you are doing the eLearning narration or your employees are, this session teaches essential skills to improve performance. And freelancers will gain the skills and knowledge to offer professional-quality narration, allowing them to provide an all-in-one product to clients with no outsourcing.

In this session, you will learn:

• About the importance of breathing and techniques to improve it
• The best ways to warm up
• About enunciation, volume, tone, and inflection, and how it affects the end result
• Exercises you can do for just a few minutes every day that will improve your narration
• Three simple secrets that practically guarantee you’ll see an improvement in your narration in just two to three weeks

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

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

The difference between a novice and an expert Captivate developer primarily falls in knowing things like when and how to create user variables, system variables, and shared actions. Impossible, you say? You’ll never be able to wrap your head around these topics?

Don’t be frightened. Even if you’re new to Captivate, or using prior versions of the tool, come and learn! That big impenetrable wall you seem to see has a door in it that you can just walk through if you have the key to unlock it. In this hands-on session you will gain a deeper understanding of these activities and functions and be provided with real example files and additional resources. Come with your questions, and if you don’t know what to ask, come anyway and just soak it all in!

In this session, you will learn:

• When and how to create user variables and system variables
• When to use simple actions and how to create standard advanced actions
• When and how to create conditional advanced actions
• When and how to create shared actions
• When and how to use JavaScript in Captivate

Audience:
Novice and intermediate designers and developers.

Technology discussed in this session:
Adobe Captivate 9.

Participant technology requirements:
Adobe Captivate.

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:
Various emerging technologies.

Participant technology requirements:
Installed version of Articulate Storyline Version 2 (at least a trial version).