MB12 What's Driving Your L&D Data?
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 11
Jump-start your day—and your networking—with Morning Buzz, the popular early-bird discussions held each morning of Learning Solutions. Grab your coffee, pull up a chair, and join a casual conversation around an important topic. Share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
Elizabeth Hanna
Digital Lead Producer
PwC
Elizabeth Hanna is a digital lead producer at PwC. She is an instructional designer with over 10 years’ experience creating and producing engaging learning experiences. Having started her career in marketing, she incorporates storytelling and design thinking to develop user-centered content. An active prototyper, she creates content to be able to communicate her vision to her clients and improve the development experience. Elizabeth holds a bachelor’s degree in business and a master’s degree in instructional design and technology.
MB13 Modern Blended Learning
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 3
Jump-start your day—and your networking—with Morning Buzz, the popular early-bird discussions held each morning of Learning Solutions. Grab your coffee, pull up a chair, and join a casual conversation around an important topic. Share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
Jennifer Hofmann Dye
Founder and President
InSync Training
Jennifer Hofmann Dye is founder and president of InSync Training. She specializes in the design and delivery of engaging, innovative, and effective modern blended learning. Jennifer has written and contributed to a number of well-received and highly-regarded books including The Synchronous Trainer's Survival Guide: Facilitating Successful Live Online Courses, Meetings, and Events and Live and Online!: Tips, Techniques, and Ready to Use Activities for the Virtual Classroom. Her latest book, Blended Learning (ATD, 2018), introduces a new instructional design model that addresses the needs of the modern workplace and modern learners.
MB14 A One-Stop-Shop: How to Manage it All on Your Own
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 15
Jump-start your day—and your networking—with Morning Buzz, the popular early-bird discussions held each morning of Learning Solutions. Grab your coffee, pull up a chair, and join a casual conversation around an important topic. Share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
Tracy Parish
Education Technology Specialist
Parish Creative Solutions
Tracy Parish is an accomplished instructional designer, eLearning developer, and consultant based in the Greater Toronto area. With a unique blend of skills in computer programming, adult education, and eLearning design/development, she has built a successful career in instructional design. With over 18 years of experience in instructional design, development, LMS implementation and administration, Tracy is a respected figure in her field. She is a speaker, active Articulate Community Hero, co-host of the Toronto Storyline User Group and webcast Nerdy Shop Talk, the marketing director for the Canadian eLearning Conference, and moderator of the monthly Twitter event #lrnchat.
MB15 Creating Great Audio
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 5
Jump-start your day—and your networking—with Morning Buzz, the popular early-bird discussions held each morning of Learning Solutions. Grab your coffee, pull up a chair, and join a casual conversation around an important topic. Share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
Matthew Pierce
Learning & Video Ambassador
TechSmith
Matthew Pierce, learning & video ambassador from TechSmith, has created videos for learning and marketing for over a decade. He is the lead behind TechSmith Academy, a free platform teaching video and image creation for business, which has been used by tens of thousands of users. He is host of The Visual Lounge Podcast from TechSmith, which streams live on Youtube and LinkedIn weekly. Matthew is a regular speaker at multiple learning and development-focused conferences and is a regular contributor to various training publications.
MB16 Learning at the 5 Moments of Need
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 4
Jump-start your day—and your networking—with Morning Buzz, the popular early-bird discussions held each morning of Learning Solutions. Grab your coffee, pull up a chair, and join a casual conversation around an important topic. Share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
Conrad Gottfredson
Chief Learning Strategist
APPLY Synergies
Conrad Gottfredson, the chief learning strategist at APPLY Synergies, has deep experience in organizational learning, collaborative development, knowledge management, online learning, performance support, and instructional design and development. Conrad is the original developer of the Learning at the Five Moments of Need framework now in use around the world. He has worked with many of the world's largest organizations, helping them attain higher levels of learning agility. Conrad's experience includes the design and deployment of large-scale knowledge management and performance support systems within multinational corporations. In 2014 Conrad was awarded the Guild Master Award for his accomplishments and contributions to the eLearning community. He holds a PhD in instructional psychology and technology.
MB17 Working with Subject-Matter Experts (SMEs)
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 9
Jump-start your day—and your networking—with Morning Buzz, the popular early-bird discussions held each morning of Learning Solutions. Grab your coffee, pull up a chair, and join a casual conversation around an important topic. Share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
Sean Hickey
Lead Curriculum Developer
Ohio State University
Sean Hickey is a curriculum developer and instructional designer at Ohio State’s Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE). As part of his role, he facilitates item-writing workshops for statewide career-tech end- of-course tests and industry credentialing exams, and he develops eLearning materials for teachers and subject matter experts. Sean was previously an instructional designer at McGraw-Hill Education, where he partnered with Apple in the creation of the first generation of interactive iPad textbooks. He has taught educational technology courses and is actively involved in several instructional design groups and associations at both the state and national level.
MB18 AI + Workplace Learning
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 10
Jump-start your day—and your networking—with Morning Buzz, the popular early-bird discussions held each morning of Learning Solutions. Grab your coffee, pull up a chair, and join a casual conversation around an important topic. Share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
JD Dillon
Chief Learning Architect
Axonify
JD Dillon became a learning and enablement expert over two decades working in operations and talent development with dynamic organizations including Disney, Kaplan, and AMC. A respected author and speaker in the workplace learning community, JD continues to apply his passion for helping people around the world do their best work every day in his role as Axonify's chief learning architect. JD is also the founder of LearnGeek, a workplace learning insights and advisory group.
MB19 Storytelling for eLearning
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 16
Jump-start your day—and your networking—with Morning Buzz, the popular early-bird discussions held each morning of Learning Solutions. Grab your coffee, pull up a chair, and join a casual conversation around an important topic. Share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
Rance Greene
Story Designer
needastory.com
Rance Greene comes to the talent development field with a backdrop of theatre, choreography, art, and music. He is a playwright, song-writer and story writer. His connection of instructional design to story design has made him a sought-after speaker and consultant. Rance formed needastory.com to help talent development professionals and leaders understand their audience and what they are asking them to do. His presentations are noted for their lively interactions, practical skill- building and, of course, stories. He involves audiences and students by asking them to think, respond, analyze, and ultimately discover that they are the best storytellers for their audience.
MB20 Virtual Classroom Engagement Strategies
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 1
Jump-start your day—and your networking—with Morning Buzz, the popular early-bird discussions held each morning of Learning Solutions. Grab your coffee, pull up a chair, and join a casual conversation around an important topic. Share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
Kassy LaBorie
Founder & Principal Consultant
Kassy LaBorie Consulting
Kassy LaBorie is the founder and principal consultant at Kassy LaBorie Consulting. She is a professional speaker, author, facilitator, and instructional designer who specializes in virtual engagement for learning and development professionals and business owners who get to use web conferencing technology to connect with people around the globe. In her previous role at Dale Carnegie & Associates, she was the director of virtual training services, a corporate consultancy that partnered with organizations to help them develop, design, and develop successful online training strategies. Kassy is a frequent speaker at industry conferences. She's known for believing that "being online is certainly equal to, and in some cases, better than, being in-person!"
MB21 Getting Your Leaders to Own Their Role in Employee Training
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 13
Jump-start your day—and your networking—with Morning Buzz, the popular early-bird discussions held each morning of Learning Solutions. Grab your coffee, pull up a chair, and join a casual conversation around an important topic. Share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
Laura van den Ouden
Owner
Expert Trainers
Laura van den Ouden is owner and trainer for Expert Trainers, a training company. With over 20 years’ experience, Laura designs and implements extensive eLearning programs for corporate universities and international organizations. She blogs frequently about talent development and transfer of learning and speaks at conferences on the subject. She has written three books:Successful Communication as a Trainer, Influencing Positively, and 100 Teaching Methods for Developers. Laura was named the Netherlands Trainer of the Year for 2019/2020.
GS02 KEYNOTE: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Wednesday, March 27
Executive Ballroom
Where do new innovations—new ideas—spring from? Sarah Lewis offers a new understanding of what enables creative endeavors. What really drives iconic, transformational change on both a personal and an organizational level? From Nobel Prize–winning discoveries to works of art, many of our creative triumphs are not achievements, but conversions, corrections after failed attempts. Drawing on figures such as Frederick Douglass, Angela Duckworth, J.K. Rowling, and others, Dr. Lewis reveals the importance of play, grit, surrender, often-ignored ideas, and the necessary experiments and follow-up attempts that lead to true breakthroughs. Smart, uplifting, and counterintuitive, this keynote will help change the way you think about creativity, innovation, and mastery.
Sarah Lewis
Assistant Professor, Harvard and Author, The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery
Sarah Lewis, an assistant professor at Harvard in the history of art and architecture and African and African American studies, is the author of the bestselling book The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery, which explores how iconic work is born from failure. Dr. Lewis was the guest editor of Aperture magazine’s “Vision & Justice” issue, which won the Infinity Prize from the International Center of Photography, is required reading at NYU’s Tisch School, and became one of Harvard’s core general education classes. Dr. Lewis has spoken on the TED main stage and at SXSW, appeared on Oprah’s “Power List,” served on President Obama’s Arts Policy Committee, and been profiled in Vogue. She holds a BA from Harvard, an MPhil from Oxford, and a PhD from Yale.
SDD201 Using Your Mobile Device to Create Amazing Content
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM Wednesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Design & Development Stage
Learn how to use your mobile device outside of your typical apps and email to discover new ways to create, brainstorm, and improve your learning development workflow.
Are you looking for amazing ways to use your mobile device to create content? In this session, you will learn how to use your phone or tablet to brainstorm, sketch, take notes, collaborate, create audio and video-based media, and animate using several mind-blowing apps. You'll leave the session feeling inspired and have the practical information to apply one or more apps when you get back to your device.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to get creative with your mobile device. Create media with photos, text, graphics, and screen recordings, all from your mobile device
- About several free and inexpensive tools that you can start using today
- 10+ new apps to enhance your production process.
Technology discussed:
Microsoft Office Lens, AI-based tools, OneNote, Notes, Wink
Target audience:
Novice and intermediate designers, developers, managers, and senior leaders
Nick Floro
Learning Architect/Imagineer
Sealworks Interactive Studios
Nick Floro, a co-founder and learning architect at Sealworks Interactive Studios, has over 25 years of experience developing learning solutions, applications, and web platforms. Nick is passionate about how design and technology can enhance learning and loves to share his knowledge and experience to teach, inspire, and motivate. As a learning architect, Nick gets to sketch, imagine, and prototype for each challenge. He has worked with start-ups to Fortune 500 companies to help them understand the technology and develop innovative solutions to support their audiences. Nick has won numerous awards from Apple and organizations for productions and services.
SMM201 What’s New and What’s Next in Articulate 360
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM Wednesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Management & Measurement Stage
We know eLearning pros don’t always have the time they need to keep up on the latest features in the apps they use—and they always like to get an inside peek at what’s on the way.
Articulate 360 has everything eLearning developers need to simplify the entire course creation process. It includes the award-winning authoring apps, Storyline 360 and Rise 360, that make it easy to create courses that look great on any device, as well as an ever-expanding library of 3.5+ million course assets, an easy-to-use project review app, and live online training.
We're adding new features and content continuously—and it's all included with an Articulate 360 subscription. In this session, we’ll give you the scoop on all the latest new features in Articulate 360, and share some of the things we have in the works. We’ll cover all the latest new features and content in Storyline 360, Rise 360, Content Library 360, and Review 360. And you’ll get a sneak peek at what’s coming next.
In this session, you will learn:
- How the latest new features in Articulate 360 will help you create eLearning quickly and easily
- Examples that will help you learn how to use new Articulate 360 features in your projects
- What’s coming next to Articulate 360
Technologies discussed:
Articulate 360 apps, including Storyline 360, Rise 360, Content Library 360, Review 360
Target audience:
Novice, intermediate, and advanced designers, developers, managers, and senior leaders
STP201 Deliver High-Impact Training with Video
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM Wednesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Tools & Platform Stage
Technology is driving every aspect of business, and learning is no exception. Driven by an always-on, mobile culture, learners today have an “instant gratification” mindset and are easily distracted by email pings, text messages, and fitness tracker updates. For instructional designers and other eLearning pros, this means every second counts when fighting for attention, focus, and retention. How do you arrest attention away from everyday distractions and deliver engaging content?
Video is a catalyst for engagement. Studies show that adding video to your content improves the ability to remember concepts with effects that increase over time. Plus, your audience prefers video over static content like slide decks—it’s simply more interesting.
In this session, you’ll learn how to move from static presentations to video. You’ll find out how to boil your subject matter down to its key components, approach story and dialogue writing, and re-imagine your content as video. Learn to use the power of dynamic visual elements, sound effects, and music to captivate your audience and drive your message home.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to develop compelling stories and scenarios that hold learners' attention
- How to write realistic-sounding dialogue that supports your learning objectives
- How to visualize your ideas in a storyboard
- How to build a complete animated video from start to finish
Audience:
Designers, managers, senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive)
Chetan Parmar
Customer Success Specialist Lead
Vyond
Chetan Parmar is a customer support specialist lead at Vyond. He assists customers using the Vyond Studio platform by responding to inquiries via email, Live Chat, and phone calls. He has led initiatives and created new processes to help enhance how the customer support team interacts with customers. He also assists the sales team in providing demos of the platform to prospective users. He and his team set up Vyond’s customers to experience success when using the product.
501 Case Study: Using Microlearning to Teach Over-Programmed Learners at Capital One
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 3
It’s no secret that people today are always on, and always on the go. Professional development competes with meetings, travel, deadlines, and the constant pull of email, instant messages, texts, and more. It’s no wonder today’s employees have so little time for learning! For L&D teams, it’s a challenge to reach people, much less engage them in meaningful experiences. A team at Capital One’s Tech College discovered how to engage their audience with microlearning content that’s relevant, always on, and built by in-house experts. Their microlearning strategy meets a broad range of learning needs—from teaching foundational tech concepts to all employees, to offering hands-on practice that applies interpersonal skills in the Capital One Developer Academy (CODA).
In this case study session, you’ll learn how the Tech College L&D team at Capital One partnered with clients to design, create, and implement self-directed and instructor-led learning experiences that work for even the most over-programmed people. You’ll learn how to use a social learning platform to curate bite-size learning, leverage subject matter experts, and structure content that’s easy to consume on the go. You’ll also learn techniques for designing micro workshops that draw from authentic work experiences, and how to measure the impact of your microlearning strategies and use feedback to iterate on your learning products.
In this session, you will learn:
- Why microlearning is effective in engaging people with limited time and attention spans
- About different frameworks for applying microlearning, from building awareness to hands-on practice and application
- How to leverage in-house experts to create authentic, immersive learning experiences and build institutional knowledge
- Content design techniques to reduce cognitive load and appeal to the senses
- How to measure the impact of learning and leverage feedback to improve your product
Audience:
Designers, developers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Technology discussed in this session:
Social learning platforms
Heather Lutz
Senior Learning Manager
Capital One
Heather Lutz is a learning strategist for Capital One's Tech College. Her team designs and leads technical, leadership, and competency-based workplace learning programs for technologists. Her primary responsibilities include conducting needs analysis, designing and delivering blended learning programs, and cultivating a community of experts to expand Tech College's peer-to-peer learning network. Heather holds an MS in organizational performance and workplace learning from Boise State University.
Alicia Zelek
Early Engagement Manager
Capital One
Alicia Zelek is manager of Capital One’s Early Engagement initiatives, including CODA (Capital One Developer Academy) and recruiting events focused on attracting talented candidates to Capital One early on in their academic careers. For two years she served as program manager for the inaugural CODA program, a six- month software engineering training that prepares non-computer science majors for professional roles as software engineers. She built and launched the program, working with learning and design experts to integrate soft skills training into the coding curriculum. Alicia earned her BA in psychology and Spanish from Duke University, and her MA in policy and organizational studies from Stanford University.
502 Cracking the Compliance Training Code
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 16
Nobody seems to like compliance training—neither people at work nor L&D professionals. But at the same time, everyone wants the people and organizations that serve them to be compliant. Learn how to handle this compliance training paradox and find professional ways to make the best of it.
In this session, you will learn how to first “peel the onion” of compliance training to get to the core of what needs your attention. You’ll also learn a model to understand the elements that influence compliance behavior and which of these elements can be influenced by training. Next, you’ll discover how to use today’s technology to make compliance training effective and efficient. Finally, you will learn how to support what you really want: compliance empowerment.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the compliance training paradox
- How to peel the compliance training onion
- About an analysis model that clarifies the elements of compliance behavior
- When and where training is successful, and when it’s not
- How to address the other elements of compliance behavior
- How to use technology for effective and efficient compliance training
Audience:
Designers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Technology discussed in this session:
aNewSpring platform and adaptivity functionality, aNewSpring MemoTrainer, and Rummler’s performance analysis checklist
Ger Driesen
Learning Innovation Leader
aNewSpring
Ger Driesen is a learning innovation leader at aNewSpring, the learner experience platform for training providers. He connects people, ideas, and inspiration in the global L&D community. He also works as a consultant in learning & leadership development at Challenge Leadership Development Academy, the company he co-founded. He's known as a "Dutch L&D trendcatcher" based on his articles, blogs, and tweets, and he is a regular speaker at international conferences.
503 Case Study: Reinvigorating Your Training Program
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 15
How do you reinvigorate a legacy, but lagging, training program and get stakeholders to believe in the potential of training? Many in L&D experience the challenges of a rapidly growing company: loss of focus as training needs expand, distrust and fatigue from SMEs and internal stakeholders, pressure from sales and go-to-market teams. Come learn about how one team experimented with core DevOps concepts to address these challenges, and find out how to reinvigorate your team, your content, and your audience.
You’ll learn how to look at your training program from a different angle and get buy-in from SMEs and stakeholders. The team designed and executed a strategy to rethink their entire technical trainings portfolio: from classroom technical stack to how they decide what goes into a course. Explore how they used automation, continuous delivery, and incremental testing to deliver high-quality trainings with stakeholder buy-in. Learn about their strategies, successes, and struggles by walking through their DevOps training blueprint. You’ll leave with strategies of your own and ideas that will help you rethink your training offerings and road map.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to leverage continuous delivery in curriculum development and training teams
- How to collaborate with leadership, developers, content developers, and instructional designers
- How to rethink your strategies and reinvigorate your training portfolio
- How to test and implement strategies for automating content production
Audience:
Designers, developers, and managers
Technology discussed in this session:
User-centered design, UX research, and Git
Bridget Egan
Manager of Technical Training Programs and Strategy
Puppet
Bridget Egan is a manager of technical training programs and strategy at Puppet. She was a community college instructor and a continuing education course designer before moving into tech. At Puppet, Bridget focuses on ways to increase accessibility and user focus in technical trainings.
504 The Accidental People Challenges of Agile Development
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 4
Agile is a decentralized strategy in deeply centralized organizations. This conflict is made worse when the people in agile can’t adjust to the mindset. Transforming skills, culture, leadership, talent, and perception of quality, ambiguity, bias, and skills creates struggle in new agile practitioners.
In this session, you’ll explore the way agile is supposed to work and look at strategies for easing the transition to this approach. You’ll revisit the Agile Manifesto to find clues for transition and identify the new skills and competencies required for agile success. You’ll look at how to challenge the culture to balance agility, efficiency, predictability, accountability, and throughput, as well as how to promote and drive collaboration and participation to ensure trust. You’ll also discuss how to determine the explicit change to leadership.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the subtle imperatives that make agile work
- How to redefine competencies and behaviors for agile staff
- How to create a job benchmark to identify appropriate agile talent
- How to defocus hierarchy and focus on collaboration and trust
- How to change the culture to drive agile success
- How to identify and share bias
Audience:
Designers, developers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Lou Russell
Managing Practice Director
Moser Consulting
Lou Russell is director of learning at Moser Consulting. As an executive consultant, speaker, and author, she channels her passion to create growth in companies by growing their people. Lou inspires greatness in leadership, projects, and teams. She is the author of seven popular books on leadership, teams, and project management. Most importantly to Lou, you will leave this session with a new tool.
505 Design with the End in Mind: Getting Measurable Results with xAPI
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 17
As xAPI gains traction in the learning space and is incorporated into more authoring tools, apps, and enterprise systems, the specification is making a transition into easy, widespread use. However, if you’re looking to better use it at your organization, you may be wondering how to develop a strategy to implement meaningful xAPI.
This session will explore how to develop a strategy for data you want to capture by starting with the end in mind. You will examine why organizations have adopted xAPI, potential sources of xAPI data, and the impact of xAPI on existing resources. You’ll begin by considering your end goal and learn how to develop a strategy to get useful data from xAPI to support adaptive learning, reports, and visualizations. You will leave with an understanding of xAPI, common pitfalls in implementation, and tools to support good use, as well as a host of free resources to get started today.
In this session, you will learn:
- The definition of xAPI, and its differences from SCORM
- About common sources of xAPI data
- How to outline a data strategy for implementing xAPI
- How to identify resources to get started with xAPI
Audience:
Designers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Technology discussed in this session:
Learning record stores and forced direction graphs
Art Werkenthin
President
RISC
Art Werkenthin, president of RISC, built his first learning management system (LMS) in 1988 and now has over 25 years' experience working with LMS in the oil and gas, retail, finance, and other industries. Art is keenly interested in the xAPI specification, and RISC was an early adopter of this technology. Interested in expanding the xAPI to the LMS, Art has served for the past three years on the ADL cmi5 committee. In 2015, RISC demonstrated the first implementation of a cmi5 runtime engine embedded in its LMS. Art has presented on cmi5 at several conferences, including mLearnCon, DevLearn, and xAPI Camp.
Duncan Welder
Director of Client Services
RISC
Duncan Welder is a director of client services for RISC. He is an educational technology geek, having spent over 20 years implementing learning management systems, domestically and abroad, to manage regulatory compliance. As an xAPI evangelist with a career grounded in instructional design and eLearning, Duncan has provided presentations to professional organizations including the Connections Forum, The Learning Guild, and the Association for Talent Development. Duncan is an active member of the Houston ATD, currently serving as director of special interest groups.
506 The Good, the Bad, and the Awesome: A Video-First Approach to Learning
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 5
Video, while an awesome medium for conveying information, isn’t usually the primary delivery method in L&D. It takes time, effort, and a particular skill set to make it effective. However, there are benefits to video, including a vast of amount of complicated information that can be conveyed in a short amount of time. But is it feasible or realistic to take a video-first approach to learning? What are the challenges that need to be overcome? What are the gotchas that will bring a video-first strategy to a grinding halt? The path isn’t just challenges—there are benefits as well.
If you’re looking to move to a video-first approach strategy or want to use video more prominently in your learning offerings, it can be helpful to know what to look out for on that path. This session will look at what it takes to make video a primary player in your strategy, drawing on lessons learned by launching a video-first learning platform. You’ll explore the good, bad, and awesome of planning, creating multiple videos, launching them, and measuring success. This session will focus on the strategy of using video—how to set about planning, creating, and implementing video in your eLearning—not on specific video creation skills.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the benefits and drawbacks of a video-first (or video-heavy) strategy
- Tips for optimizing timelines for video development
- What challenges to expect around hosting and delivering video
- Some of the metrics to watch, and how to understand them
Audience:
Designers, developers, and managers
Technology discussed in this session:
Video and video-hosting platforms
Matthew Pierce
Learning & Video Ambassador
TechSmith
Matthew Pierce, learning & video ambassador from TechSmith, has created videos for learning and marketing for over a decade. He is the lead behind TechSmith Academy, a free platform teaching video and image creation for business, which has been used by tens of thousands of users. He is host of The Visual Lounge Podcast from TechSmith, which streams live on Youtube and LinkedIn weekly. Matthew is a regular speaker at multiple learning and development-focused conferences and is a regular contributor to various training publications.
507 The Digital Makeover: The Make-It-Work Moments
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 9
It’s that Herculean challenge, the digital makeover. Take a biweekly face-to-face simulation, costing the firm millions of dollars in travel, expenses, and staffing, and turn it into a rich digital experience. Prepare learners with tools, resources, and training to begin their career. Also, make sure they feel welcomed, understand expectations, and are grounded in the firm’s structure, priorities, and methodologies. Oh, and you have four months to do it!
In this case study session, find out how a large professional services firm transformed an in-person consulting simulation for experienced hires from face-to-face into a virtual experience by using design thinking and agile project management approaches to the development. You’ll explore creating simulations, including when and when not to use them. You’ll learn how to develop an engaging and competitive experience to promote team-building, relationship development, and collaboration in a virtual environment. You’ll also practice identifying opportunities for phased development that sometimes lead to a faster, less expensive way to engage learners.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to use design thinking with the challenges of converting face-to-face activities to digital
- How to design and structure branching scenarios to meet learning objectives in differing competencies
- How to implement a phased approach to asset creation to meet any development timeline
- How to increase engagement with competitive simulations
- How to leverage web-based tools to foster collaboration and networking
Audience:
Designers, developers, managers, senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.), strategists, and architects
Technology discussed in this session:
BranchTrack, Cisco WebEx Training Center, Articulate Storyline, Cornerstone OnDemand, and Microsoft PowerPoint
Elizabeth Hanna
Digital Lead Producer
PwC
Elizabeth Hanna is a digital lead producer at PwC. She is an instructional designer with over 10 years’ experience creating and producing engaging learning experiences. Having started her career in marketing, she incorporates storytelling and design thinking to develop user-centered content. An active prototyper, she creates content to be able to communicate her vision to her clients and improve the development experience. Elizabeth holds a bachelor’s degree in business and a master’s degree in instructional design and technology.
Tera Pham
Senior Manager of Learner Experience
PwC
Tera Pham is a senior manager of learner experience at PwC with a focus on leadership development and project management. With over 12 years of experience, Tera creates learning experiences to meet career growth and performance needs that lead to knowledge retention and business result. She has spent the last four years supporting professional consultants in a variety of training initiatives. Prior to PwC, Tera supported numerous Fortune 100 companies in various industries with the learner experience as the ultimate goal.
508 Designing a 360 Virtual Reality Tour for Onboarding
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 10
Onboarding new employees is a critical step in preparing them for their new job. It also can be key to retaining talent, as a recent report by SHRM notes that half of all hourly workers leave new jobs in the first four months. Many organizations solve the onboarding challenge by relying on eLearning for policy, procedures, and other topics, but this approach often is not effective and does not truly prepare new employees. What about familiarizing new employees with an organization that has multiple buildings? Or showing them how to navigate a large warehouse, hospital setting, or manufacturing facility?
A 360-degree virtual reality tour is an alternative solution for onboarding new employees. With 360 VR photos and video, organizations can design fully immersive and interactive tours that not only familiarize new employees with their surroundings but also teach them areas of importance in the context of their job roles. In this session, you’ll look at an example of a university that sought to help distance students and new students familiarize themselves. The session will break down this example and discuss how this project was designed, including things to consider when getting started, the design process, and all the hardware, software, and technology used to implement it. Finally, you’ll look at some feedback and the value it added to the onboarding experience.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to get started with a 360 virtual reality project
- About the design process for creating 360 VR tours
- About cameras, software, and hosting platforms
- About delivery to smartphones and headsets
Audience:
Designers, developers, and managers
Technology discussed in this session:
Samsung Gear 360 camera, 360 photo/video stitching software, nadir and zenith patches, Oculus Go, VR headsets similar to Google Cardboard, and several WebVR hosting platforms
Kevin Thorn
Director of Development
Artisan E-Learning
Kevin Thorn holds an EdD in instructional design and technologies and is an award-winning eLearning designer and developer. He is the director of development for Artisan E-Learning, and principal owner of NuggetHead Studioz, LLC., a boutique studio specializing in consulting and developing custom learning experiences. Kevin combines his skills in technology, instructional design, eLearning development, illustration, graphic design, animation, video, and educational comics to develop innovative learning solutions. He is a well- known industry speaker and trainer in visual communication, eLearning development, and design workflows and is a certified facilitator in LEGO® Serious Play® methodologies. ?
509 Out of Control! Navigating Learning in the Age of Content and Platform Overload
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 18
From classroom to CMS, LMS, mobile, LXP, VR, AR, AI and beyond, the delivery mechanisms for training content have never been so varied. To what extent should the ultimate distribution channel guide content development principles? In a culture of instant gratification, does learner convenience come at the expense of content quality?
In this session, we will share case studies from more than three decades of delivering best-in-class corporate education initiatives. We will discuss how content has evolved in reaction to, and in tandem with, innovations in delivery technology. We will share examples of changing the message to suit the medium and changing the medium to suit the message; focusing on what works, what should be avoided, and what’s still unknown.
In this session, you will learn:
- How new technology delivery platforms influence content creation
- How to make the right content and platform choices for your business and learners
- How to evaluate innovations in content design and delivery
- The one thing that trumps convenience!
Audience:
Managers, senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Technology discussed in this session:
LMS, LCMS, LXP, AR, VR, content authoring tools
Ben Sangree
Senior Engagement Manager
Intuition
Ben Sangree is a senior engagement manager at Intuition, where works with clients across industries designing and delivering customized digital learning solutions. These highly-tailored solutions range from blended eLearning and video-based courses to instructor- led services and content consultancy. Ben previously worked at international online learning and media start-ups, where he was responsible for marketing, business development, recruitment, and training. He is currently an MBA candidate at UCLA Anderson.
Carlos Remigio
Senior Relationship Manager
Intuition
Carlos is a senior relationship manager at Intuition. He is responsible for overseeing business development efforts, as well as the implementation of Intuition’s financial services learning solutions and professional services in the Americas. Working closely with some of the world’s leading banks, investment managers, insurance companies, regulators, and other market participants, Carlos devotes most of his time to client consultations and the development and delivery of tailored blended learning solutions.
510 Digital Literacy Skills for Virtual Trainers, Presenters, and Facilitators
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 14
The virtual environment is rapidly changing and participant expectations are high. Are you keeping up with new ways to communicate and connect with your remote audience? Are you presenting yourself as a virtual professional? For example, do you know when to turn on your webcam, and when to leave it off? And does your virtual voice convey the tone and meaning that it needs to get your point across? Are you preparing enough for your online events to avoid technical meltdowns? These important items seem subtle yet they are often overlooked, and can make or break your virtual presentations.
In this session you will learn answers to each of the above questions, and more! Specifically, you will learn five key skills of digital literacy: smooth video, quality audio, advance preparation, audience engagement, and mobile mastery. You'll learn how to communicate virtually and hear practical tips such as when to turn on the webcam and when to leave it off, and how to make your audio sound crystal clear. You'll learn what exactly to include in pre-session communication and calendar invites, how to engage a remote audience using platform tools, and presentation tips for remote users who join live events by mobile device. You'll leave with a list of ready-to-use action items that can be immediately applied to your next virtual event.
In this session, you will learn how to:
- Assess your current "digital literacy" as a virtual presenter, trainer, or facilitator
- Use virtual platform tools to engage remote audiences
- Present yourself professionally, with clear audio and video
- Create an action plan to increase your credibility in virtual events
Audience:
Designers, managers, facilitators, virtual trainers
Technology discussed in this session:
Common virtual collaboration platforms, such as Skype, Adobe Connect, WebEx, GoTo, and Zoom
Cindy Huggett
Principal Consultant
Cindy Huggett Consulting
As a leading industry expert and 20+ year pioneer of virtual training, Cindy Huggett, CPTD, has vast experience delivering engaging learning solutions via the virtual and hybrid classroom. She's the author of six acclaimed books on the subject, including The Facilitator's Guide to Immersive, Blended and Hybrid Learning. She is a past member of the ATD global board of directors and was one of the first to earn the Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP now CPTD) credential. She holds a master's degree from the University of Pittsburgh and was a Triangle Business Journal 30- Under-30 Award Winner.
511 Our SMEs Don’t Agree with Each Other—and That Improves Our Simulations
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 13
Sometimes there isn’t one correct answer. Training is straightforward when teaching a set way to do a task or explaining the best way to handle a situation. It is not so easy when even subject matter experts disagree about the right course of action. When your SMEs lack consensus, what do you teach your workers? Should you include the ambiguity that naturally occurs in complex situations as part of your simulations? How do you create computer-based simulations that are realistic, but not too complicated to develop and manage?
In this session, you’ll discover how to capture the richness of conflicting input from subject matter experts and use that information in your simulation design. You’ll compare how you gather input from your SMEs with a method of working through key decision points. You’ll look at strategies that help you determine whether your learners need to be able to sort through multiple possible actions where more than one option could be correct or wrong, or even deadly. You’ll then learn how to incorporate varying opinions into simulations where your learners can think through possible actions, select what they think are the best options, and measure their performance against that of experts. Go back to work ready to create linear simulations that incorporate the complexity of the real world, where often there is no single right answer.
In this session, you will learn:
- Approaches for incorporating subject matter disagreement into training design
- Methods to support learning when no set correct answer can be determined
- How the complexity of multiple possible correct answers can make linear simulations more realistic
- Strategies for designing simulations for decision-making practice and testing
Audience:
Designers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Technology discussed in this session:
Simulations
Launa Mallett
Sociologist
NIOSH
Launa Mallett is a social scientist at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health’s Pittsburgh research facility. She holds a master’s degree in anthropology and a PhD in sociology from the University of Kentucky. Launa leads a team working to improve the safety and health of miners through better training techniques and strategies. Her team also develops products to communicate the agency’s research findings. Her past experience includes developing and conducting full-scale simulations in virtual environments. Her team’s current work includes addressing the topics of heat- related illness, mine emergency response, and transitioning workers to new jobs or tasks.
512 Extending Your Reach: Taking Your Training Content Beyond Your LMS
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 1
Training departments often are asked to serve more than just internal employees when it comes to product training efforts—from channel partner training to customer education. Creating, sharing, and maintaining valuable and accurate product training is critical, but managing this can quickly become more time-consuming and labor-intensive than you realize when you’re working with multiple LMSs and people that use other training systems. Sharing training across learning platforms can get complicated quickly. Is your content compatible with each LMS? Can the systems communicate? Is there a single source of truth for reporting?
Whether managing multiple LMSs supporting internal and external learners or across internal platforms, you’ll need a strategy for handling the various system behaviors and learner experiences you’ll encounter. This session will discuss the technical considerations for distributing training across multiple systems, including learner access, content delivery, course version control, and reporting. From this session, you will gain insight into implementing an extended enterprise content delivery plan to effectively expand the reach of your training content and measure results. Plus, you’ll find out how to navigate the various technical hurdles you’ll encounter along the way.
In this session, you will learn:
- What an extended enterprise model supports, and the potential value it can bring to your organization
- What questions to raise internally for defining potential audiences and defining the desired experience for non-employees
- About available options and tools that support an extended enterprise, cross-platform content distribution model
- About technical considerations and solutions to support a distributed content training model
- How to support content version control across platforms
- How to centrally manage training content across platforms
Audience:
Managers and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Tammy Rutherford
Managing Director
Rustici Software
Tammy Rutherford is the managing director at Rustici Software, which helps eLearning companies work well together. Since joining Rustici Software in 2011, Tammy has advised hundreds of government agencies, eLearning vendors, content publishers, and organizations on strategies and software solutions for implementing and leveraging eLearning standards in their products and ecosystems. A graduate of Vanderbilt University, she has spent the past 25 years in various account management and marketing roles within the Nashville, Tennessee, business community.
513 BYOD: Using PowerPoint as a Photo Editor
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 2
When designing eLessons, job aids, and more, you may have photos or illustrations to incorporate into your designs. And while it would be great to further edit or add some effects to those pictures, you might think it’s not possible without a lot of time and a working knowledge of an expensive photo-editing software.
Fortunately, you don’t necessarily need a graphic design background or fancy software to produce creative and visually intriguing picture effects. You can easily add more visual interest to your pictures with a tool you probably already have: PowerPoint! In this session, you’ll take a hands-on approach to learning how to use PowerPoint to change the shape of your pictures, isolate parts of a picture, pop out colors, pop out an entire element of the photo, and more.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to create professional-looking photo effects
- About the differences between picture tools and drawing tools
- How to combine shapes and pictures
- How to change the colors of your photos
Audience:
Designers
Technology discussed in this session:
Microsoft PowerPoint
Technology required:
A laptop running PowerPoint
Kristen Hull
Communication & Instructional Design Analyst
Choice Hotels
Kristen Hull is a communication and instructional design analyst with Choice Hotels. Previously, for 10 years, she was a technical trainer and instructional designer for various software applications, traveling all over the US and the world. Kristen has created and delivered content to hotel staff, accountants, and telecom administrators. She also has a background in choir singing and applies those vocal techniques to create eLearning voice-overs for her department.
514 BYOD: Creating Your Own AI Chatbot for Adaptive Learning
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 7
When you’re faced with the difficult task of engaging learners, one of the best ways to drive that engagement is interactivity. Chatbots offer a way to easily create and deploy interactivity and adaptive learning sequences in learning engagements. While new technologies like chatbots may seem daunting and inaccessible at first, they don’t have to be.
This session will walk you through the creation of a simple chatbot based on Google’s Dialogflow. You’ll come away understanding how to think about conversational interfaces, especially how they look at language and how you can easily work within their frameworks to create powerful conversational interfaces for learner engagement. The lessons learned here also work for any conversational interface, as the same conventions apply.
In this session, you will learn:
- How chatbots work
- How to create a training set for a chatbot
- How to work with Dialogflow
- What intents, entities, and parameters are, and how they work
Audience:
Designers, developers, and managers
Technology discussed in this session:
Natural language processing, artificial intelligence, and chatbots
Technology required:
Laptop
Hugh Seaton
GM
Adept Reality
Hugh Seaton is GM of Adept Reality, a software company focused on using VR/AR in adult learning. Prior to Adept, Hugh founded AquinasVR, a VR/AR software company which he sold to the Glimpse Group, parent of Adept. Hugh’s focus, whether in immersive technologies, IoT or artificial intelligence, is on the intersection of learning science, creativity, and the cutting edge technologies that can bring learning to new levels of effectiveness.
F03 Learning and Technology: A Guild Master Panel
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 11/12
Advancements in technology have fundamentally changed what it means to live, work, and learn in an increasingly digital world. Understanding the role technology plays in our work is critical as technology continues to advance and become even more embedded into our work. It’s also important to ensure that technology supports your strategy instead of driving it. Being prepared for this emerging technological world won’t be easy and will require an understanding of where we’ve been, where we are, and where we are headed.
Join in a discussion with many of those who have been recognized as Guild Masters, exploring the role technology plays in our work. You will discuss the various technologies that have shifted the landscape of organizational learning, and the common characteristics of emerging technologies that have the potential to disrupt organizational learning. We’ve invited all our Guild Masters to this discussion, making this super-sized panel a conversation you won’t want to miss.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to keep technology from driving our decisions
- How technology can disrupt organizational learning
- Lessons from the past that inform how we approach the future
- The common characteristics shared by disruptive technologies
- Tips for staying ahead of changes in the learning technology landscape
Audience:
Designers, Developers, Managers, Senior Leaders
Technology discussed in this session:
None
Clark Quinn
Chief Learning Strategist
Upside Learning
Clark Quinn, PhD is the executive director of Quinnovation, co-director of the Learning Development Accelerator, and chief learning strategist for Upside Learning. With more than four decades of experience at the cutting edge of learning, Dr. Quinn is an internationally known speaker, consultant, and author of seven books. He combines a deep knowledge of cognitive science and broad experience with technology into strategic design solutions that achieve innovative yet practical outcomes for corporations, higher-education, not-for-profit, and government organizations.
Joe Ganci
President
eLearning Joe
Joe Ganci is the owner and president of eLearning Joe, a custom learning company. Since 1983, he has been involved in every aspect of multimedia and learning development. Joe holds a computer science degree, writes books and articles about eLearning, and is widely considered an eLearning development guru. He consults worldwide and also teaches at conferences and client sites. Joe writes tool reviews and has received several awards for his work in eLearning, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999 and an eLearning Guild Master Award in 2013. His mission is to improve the quality of eLearning with practical approaches that work.
Marc Rosenberg
President
Marc Rosenberg and Associates
Dr. Marc Rosenberg is a global expert and speaker in training, organizational learning, eLearning, knowledge management, and performance improvement. He has written two best-selling books, E-Learning, and Beyond E-Learning. His 100 monthly columns, “Marc My Words,” appeared in The eLearning Guild’s Learning Solutions magazine from 2010 through 2018 and are still available online. Marc is past president and honorary life member of the International Society for Performance Improvement, is an eLearning Guild “Guild Master,” has spoken at the White House, debated eLearning’s future at Oxford University, keynoted conferences around the world, authored over 200 columns, articles, white papers, and book chapters, and is frequently quoted in major trade publications. Learn more at www.marcrosenberg.com.
Conrad Gottfredson
Chief Learning Strategist
APPLY Synergies
Conrad Gottfredson, the chief learning strategist at APPLY Synergies, has deep experience in organizational learning, collaborative development, knowledge management, online learning, performance support, and instructional design and development. Conrad is the original developer of the Learning at the Five Moments of Need framework now in use around the world. He has worked with many of the world's largest organizations, helping them attain higher levels of learning agility. Conrad's experience includes the design and deployment of large-scale knowledge management and performance support systems within multinational corporations. In 2014 Conrad was awarded the Guild Master Award for his accomplishments and contributions to the eLearning community. He holds a PhD in instructional psychology and technology.
Karen Hyder
Online Event Producer and Speaker Coach
Kaleidoscope Training and Consulting
Karen Hyder, online event producer and speaker coach at Kaleidoscope Training and Consulting, has been teaching about technology since 1991, when she delivered instructor-led software courses for Logical Operations. She was promoted to director of trainer development, helping trainers improve skills and earn certifications. In 1999 she created a course for trainers using virtual classrooms, and helped launch The eLearning Guild Online Forums in 2004. She continues to host The Guild’s Best of DemoFest, and was honored with the Guild’s Guild Master Award. Currently, Karen provides coaching and production support for a series of online courses at Hearing First, a not-for-profit that serves audiology professionals earning CEUs.
Frank Nguyen
Executive Director
Genentech
Dr. Frank Nguyen is a learning executive who specializes in transforming learning organizations through strategy and technology. He has led enterprise learning for Fortune companies including AIG, Amazon, American Express, Intel, MicroAge, and Sears. Frank has published extensively on the intersection of eLearning, instructional design, and performance support. He is a recipient of the Learning Guild Master and the ISPI Distinguished Dissertation awards. His work on compliance training, learning strategy, business transformation, and technology has been recognized by Brandon Hall and Chief Learning Officer. Frank has served on a variety of learning industry committees for Adobe, ATD, BJET, Brandon Hall, eLearning Guild, and ISPI.
Julie Dirksen
Learning Strategist
Usable Learning
Julie Dirksen, a learning strategist with Usable Learning, is a consultant and instructional designer with more than 15 years' experience creating highly interactive eLearning experiences for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to technology startups to grant-funded research initiatives. She's interested in using neuroscience, change management, and persuasive technology to promote sustainable long-term learning and behavior change. Her MS degree in instructional systems technology is from Indiana University, and she's been an adjunct faculty member at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She is the author of Design For How People Learn.
Jean Marrapodi
VP/Senior Instructional Designer
UMB Bank
Jean Marrapodi, Ph.D., CPTD, has designed and developed eLearning for over 20 years in various industries and higher education. Named a Guild Master in 2016 by the eLearning Guild, she is considered an industry thought leader. Over the last 10 years, Marrapodi has presented more than 75 workshops and webinars for industry organizations and has taught over 40 graduate and undergraduate courses at New England College of Business, where she served as director of eLearning. Her expertise lies in her ability to make the complex simple, and pinpoint client needs to drive to business outcomes. She is a soup-to-nuts eLearning designer, able to single-handedly build a project from idea to rollout and work in a specific role on a project team. She is the chief learning architect at Applestar Productions, providing targeted eLearning and custom workshops for her clients.
Jane Bozarth
Director of Research
The Learning Guild
Jane Bozarth, the director of research for the Learning Guild, is a veteran classroom trainer who transitioned to eLearning in the late 1990s and has never looked back. In her previous job as leader of the State of North Carolina's award-winning eLearning program, Jane specialized in finding low-cost ways of providing online training solutions. She is the author of several books, including eLearning Solutions on a Shoestring, Social Media for Trainers, and Show Your Work: The Payoffs and How-To's of Working Out Loud. Jane holds a doctorate in training and development and was awarded the Guild Master Award in 2013 for her accomplishments and contributions to the eLearning community.
Nick Floro
Learning Architect/Imagineer
Sealworks Interactive Studios
Nick Floro, a co-founder and learning architect at Sealworks Interactive Studios, has over 25 years of experience developing learning solutions, applications, and web platforms. Nick is passionate about how design and technology can enhance learning and loves to share his knowledge and experience to teach, inspire, and motivate. As a learning architect, Nick gets to sketch, imagine, and prototype for each challenge. He has worked with start-ups to Fortune 500 companies to help them understand the technology and develop innovative solutions to support their audiences. Nick has won numerous awards from Apple and organizations for productions and services.
Robert Gadd
President
OnPoint Digital
Robert Gadd is president of OnPoint Digital and responsible for the company’s vision and strategy. OnPoint’s online and mobile-enabled offerings support more than one million workers and include innovative methods for content authoring, conversion, and delivery extended with social interactions, gamification, and enterprise-grade security for workers on their device or platform of choice. Prior to OnPoint, Robert spent 10 years as CTO of Datatec Systems and president/CTO of spin-off eDeploy.com. He is a frequent speaker on learning solutions—including mobile, informal learning, xAPI, and gamification—at national and international T&D conferences.
Bill Brandon
Editor, Learning Solutions
The Learning Guild
Bill Brandon is the editor of Learning Solutions. He has designed, managed, and delivered instruction since 1968, and has been an e- Learning practitioner since 1984. Before becoming the editor in 2002, Bill held instructor and management positions in the United States Navy, Texas Utilities, Atmos Energy, TGI Friday's, and The Sales Consultancy. The co- author of eight books and the author of dozens of articles on technical topics, he has also developed programs for major conferences and owned a consulting business. He is a past president of the Texas Chapter (now the Dallas Chapter) of ISPI, and for 10 years led the Learning Technology SIG of the Dallas Chapter of ASTD. Bill is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and now lives near Dallas, Texas.
Connie Malamed
Founder and Mentor
Mastering Instructional Design
Connie Malamed helps people learn and build instructional design skills at Mastering Instructional Design. She is a consultant, author and speaker in the fields of online learning and visual communication. Connie is the author of Visual Design Solutions and Visual Language for Designers. She also publishes The eLearning Coach website and podcast. She was honored with the Guild Master award in 2018 for contributions to the learning technologies industry.
David Kelly
Chairman
The Learning Guild
David Kelly is the Chairman of the Learning Guild. David has been a learning and performance consultant and training director for over 20 years. He is a leading voice exploring how technology can be used to enhance training, education, learning, and organizational performance. David is an active member of the learning community, and can frequently be found speaking at industry events. He has previously contributed to organizations including ATD, eLearn Magazine, LINGOs, and more.
SDD202 Using Learning Journeys to Enhance Outcomes
11:00 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Design & Development Stage
Learning is not a one-time event; however, performance support professionals are often challenged to deliver successful outcomes via individual event formats. Learning pathways in an LMS help to bridge the gap and create a road map, but business team members may not invest sufficient time to complete the pathways, which don’t always suit the context of the learner.
Using tactics developed by marketers to build customer journeys that educate and nurture, learning professionals can enhance outcomes and optimize learner experience. Learning journeys offer the opportunity to utilize multiple modalities, personalize the experience, and deliver relevant enablement opportunities at the right time using the right mechanism. This session will introduce you to customer journeys and show how you can adapt these to learning journeys for internal and external learners. You’ll learn about the components of a learning journey and how to map a learning journey. You’ll review some sample journeys and, most importantly, explore a scenario for collaborative experience.
In this session, you will learn:
- What a learning journey is
- How to plan and map a journey
- About common elements of a journey
- Where to begin building learning journeys
Audience:
Designers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Technology discussed in this session:
Microsoft Visio and draw.io
Jennifer Brick
Founder
Capdeca Solutions
Jennifer Brick is a customer success and enablement leader with more than a decade of experience developing learning programs for SaaS organizations. Jennifer has managed programs for internal, customer, and partner success. As founder of Capdeca Solutions, Jennifer develops learning solutions and provides consulting services for SaaS organizations to launch and optimize their customer success and training organizations. During her tenure at Salesforce leading custom enablement delivery and consulting partner enablement for the marketing cloud product, she learned the tactics and techniques of marketers, and how powerful they are when applied to learning and success programs.
SMM202 Demystifying xAPI with Immediate Strategies for Learning Analytics
11:00 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Management & Measurement Stage
You continue to hear about xAPI and how learning analytics can bring new insights about your training, but you aren’t quite sure how to get started. You may also feel like xAPI is only for developers and requires a lot of technical knowledge and coding skills. Because of these misconceptions, you are missing out on valuable learning data that you could be using to improve your training.
In this session, you will explore practical ways to get started with learning analytics. You’ll find out which basic tools you need to start collecting learning data and gain insights on how your learners are interacting with your training. You will also take a look at different learning record providers (LRPs) that send xAPI statements out of the box, and learning record stores (LRSs) that can provide deeper insight into those statements.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to plan for learning data in the design phase
- About free and low-cost solutions to start collecting learning data
- What to do with the learning data you’ve collected
- Immediate ways to gather learning data in your next project
Audience:
Designers, developers, and managers
Technology discussed in this session:
Learning record stores (LRSs) and learning record providers (LRPs)
Phil Littleton
Lead Manager—Digital Delivery Services
Association of International Certified Professional Accountants
Phil Littleton is a lead manager of digital delivery services for the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants. Phil is primarily a professional learner but also practices as an eLearning developer, web developer, learning analytics explorer, learning experience designer, and learning technologist. He has been in the L&D field, officially, for over 10 years as a trainer, instructional designer, and LMS administrator.
STP202 Blend It 2019: Engaging Global Learners in Onsite-Online Environments
11:00 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Tools & Platform Stage
What do you do when you have multiple people attending your web sessions while grouped together in various physical locations—two in an office here, 10 in a conference room there, a few in the room in front of you? You may often engage people through first-rate onsite meetings and online learning opportunities but struggle to carry that high level of engagement into hybrid onsite-online environments.
This session will help you understand how blended learning environments can be supported by an ever-expanding array of free or low-cost social media and online broadcast tools (e.g., G Suite Products including Google Docs, Zoom, and other cloud-based resources), providing opportunities to seamlessly carry onsite interactions into online interactions, and extend the reach of online interactions back to onsite activities. You’ll also explore how you can foster learner participation by rethinking your ideas about blended learning environments, exploring blended learning opportunities, and seeing how the use of collaborative social media tools can connect otherwise unavailable presenters with members onsite and online.
In this session, you will learn:
- Methods for effectively extending the way you work with colleagues and learners in blended/hybrid (onsite-online) environments using low-cost or no-cost tools
- Techniques you can adapt to extend the reach of your talent development efforts into engaging, global learning spaces
- How to create “smart classrooms” with the technology available to you
- How concepts of blended learning are continuing to evolve
Audience:
Designers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Technology discussed in this session:
Zoom, G Suite Products
Paul Signorelli
Writer-Trainer-Presenter-Consultant
Paul Signorelli & Associates
Paul Signorelli is a writer, trainer, presenter, and consultant at Paul Signorelli & Associates. He is a co-writer of Workplace Learning & Leadership (ALA Editions, 2011) and author of the forthcoming Change the World Using Social Media (Rowman & Littlefield, spring 2019). Paul explores, uses, and writes about eLearning, educational technology, social media tools, leadership, collaboration, and innovation. He served on New Media Consortium advisory boards/expert panels documenting trends, challenges, and educational technology innovations in a variety of settings before helping found FOEcast (Future of Education Forecast) in 2018.
Paul Venderley
Instructional Designer
Crane Morley
Paul Venderley is an instructional designer with Crane Morley. His first foray into designing blended learning environments was to convert a week-long, in- person new hire orientation into a webinar, and he hasn’t looked back since. Although he does create a small number of ILT programs, the bulk of the content he designs blends eLearning or virtual learning with supplemental online resources. In 2015, Paul received the LearnX Gold Award for Rapid Authoring, and in 2018, he was given OneOC’s Spirit of Volunteerism award for his role in coaching a team of instructional designers through their own eLearning project.
SDD203 Learn More. Grow Business. Be Compliant. Measure Impact.
12:00 PM - 12:45 PM Wednesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Design & Development Stage
Organizations in 2019 are facing competitive pressures, compliance risks, launching new offerings, and needing to measure the impact of investment. Let us show you how we help organizations solve for these types of challenges with our learning ecosystem. Organizations spend $130 billion on training each year. How do they know it’s working? In 2018, HIPAA fines were an average of $3.1 million per organization. Could those fines have been avoided by putting the right system and processes in place?
In this session, you will learn:
- How to grow sales with video and social
- About just-in-time learning
- How to manage complex compliance and reporting
- How to measure business impact
- About organizational dashboards
Carrie Hancock
Sales Director NA
NetDimensions
Carrie Hancock is a sales director for North America at NetDimensions. With nearly 20 years’ experience in the learning management space, Carrie specializes in new business development and major market expansion. Following her early career in marketing and sales in the medical field, she took her healthcare knowledge into computer-based learning for hospitals and health facilities. Carrie contributed to a triple-digit revenue expansion of a small healthcare learning company, which led to a profitable acquisition. She is a graduate of Clemson University.
Ali Zaheer
Sr. Solutions Consultant
NetDimensions | KZO Innovations
Ali Zaheer, a senior global solutions consultant at NetDimensions/KZO Innovations, has been in the L&D industry for over 16 years. His experience includes learning system administration, exam systems, and content development. Ali specializes in creative learning presentations with engaging learner experiences. His passion is experimenting with new technologies that increase learner adoption.
Garfield Bolt
Solution Consultant
Peoplefluent
Garfield Bolt, a solution consultant at Peoplefluent, has been an IT consulting entrepreneur for 25 years, and has a strong interest in automation technologies of all kinds. Garfield taught IT to elementary and high school students, and he is also related to the world record holder for sprinting, Usain Bolt.
SMM203 Sell and Distribute Your eLearning Content Anywhere
12:00 PM - 12:45 PM Wednesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Management & Measurement Stage
You've created your online SCORM or xAPI training program, and you want to sell it far and wide. You need to track student usage and be sure that customers are only using as many seats as you've sold them. How will you distribute it to many LMSs and keep it up to date? How will you ensure you’re getting paid enough, and what should you do if you’re not?
We’ll walk you through the challenges involved in loading and establishing the initial distribution, using Training Vault as a centralized content distribution platform to a variety of LMSs. We will discuss how to organize, separate, and license the amount of content to be used. We’ll take you through the risks and wins you can achieve with SCORM- and xAPI-based distribution, and how to gather learners' experience data to meet compliance criteria. You’ll construct a licensing management model and usage expectations from a technical and a client perspective, with Training Vault ensuring you are charging appropriately for your work.
In this session, you will learn:
- To centrally store and manage SCORM and xAPI content, one copy for everyone
- Ways to simplify sharing large content libraries with various providers
- To brand and customize content for various consumers
- How to license content packages across many platforms, including blocking and non-blocking techniques, as well as sales model approaches
- Auditing solutions for certification of learners
- Upgrade techniques that can be automatically distributed to some or all learners
Technologies that will be discussed:
Training Vault, learning management systems (various), content management systems (various), WordPress, Sharepoint
Target audience:
Novice and intermediate designers, developers, and senior leaders
George Vilches
Principal Software Engineer
Rustici Software
George Vilches is president of JCA Solutions, an eLearning standards software expert consultancy. As a tech leader, his focus is on software platforms to provide the best integrations for content distribution and eLearning standard conformance. He oversees custom integration projects for SMB and enterprise companies looking to up their eLearning standards game. George teaches classes on SCORM and xAPI challenges, and integrating these technologies within myriad environments, and contributes to various xAPI and SCORM working groups.
STP203 Looking Ahead to the New Learning Landscape
12:00 PM - 12:45 PM Wednesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Tools & Platform Stage
Today’s learning landscape is vastly different from the programs of our past. We’re asked to do more with less; technology has rapidly changed expectations (and possibilities!); competition has strengthened; and your time to address it all has likely been spread thin.
Your job is to ensure that your organization continuously better serves learners, outperforms competition, and leads your market in learning innovation. Your challenge is not to figure it out on your own, but find the right partner to help you do so, without sacrificing your vacation!
During this session you will learn about BenchPrep’s partnership approach, as well as create your own priorities to guide/evaluate your existing and future partners. You will also gather ideas to better engage and serve your learners, as we dive into different learning products consisting of blended sales training, continued education, and tests prep courses.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to create a long-term plan for success (walk before your run) for your eLearning program
- Concepts to help your team better engage your learners
- About solutions that will help you better monitor and understand the health of your learning program(s)
- How training organizations have used digital tools to augment and improve their in-person and virtual classrooms
- How organizations are creating lifelong learning programs that continuously serve learners new content
Technologies discussed:
BenchPrep Learning Solution (Web App & Mobile), BenchPrep Content Management Solution: Blueprint, BenchPrep Administrative Solution: Tenant Dashboard, BenchPrep Reporting Solution: Boost
Target audience:
Novice, intermediate, and advanced designers, developers, managers, and senior leaders
Katie Long
Enterprise Solutions Manager
BenchPrep
Katie Long is enterprise solutions manager at BenchPrep. For more than five years, she has helped organizations strategically navigate their platform selection processes. At BenchPrep she helps education- focused organizations evaluate the health of their current programs, while establishing a custom plan and solution roadmap to meet their short and long-term goals.
601 Developing Hype Resistance: Learning Science and Professional Practice
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 9
As an L&D professional, your responsibility is to practice based on sound empirical data. Yet too often practices are based on myths, superstitions, misconceptions, and hype. You’ve heard the claims: “scientifically based,” “addresses the modern learner,” and “this is the future of learning” are just a few of them. And this matters; you not only could be wasting time and money, but actually undermining your own objectives! How do you cut through the fog and find the real value?
This irreverent session hones a sharp knife to cut through the hyperbole. You’ll start with an overview of learning science with an eye on what it means for designing instruction, as a basis to evaluate claims. Then you’ll discover how that model cuts through a representative sample of the things you should be worrying about. Finally, you’ll gain resources to help you bolster your claims and learn how to talk to those stakeholders who don’t want to change. It’s past time to start practicing like professionals. Come get the basis to improve your designs and resist distractions.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the basics of cognition and learning science
- How to check claims
- How to query claimants
- How to deal with the believers
Audience:
Designers and managers
Technology discussed in this session:
Assessment instruments
Clark Quinn
Chief Learning Strategist
Upside Learning
Clark Quinn, PhD is the executive director of Quinnovation, co-director of the Learning Development Accelerator, and chief learning strategist for Upside Learning. With more than four decades of experience at the cutting edge of learning, Dr. Quinn is an internationally known speaker, consultant, and author of seven books. He combines a deep knowledge of cognitive science and broad experience with technology into strategic design solutions that achieve innovative yet practical outcomes for corporations, higher-education, not-for-profit, and government organizations.
602 Content Intelligence: Multiplying the Value of Content Assets
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 17
Learning experiences are born from content, and your organization invests heavily in building that content. This material is developed by different departments that often aren’t communicating, decreasing its impact and potential. Without an enterprise-wide content ecosystem that connects multipurpose content, these assets get locked up into learning, marketing, and support content “pickle jars,” unable to electrify your connected customer and learner journeys. Today, there’s so much inefficiency, waste, and copy/paste in content creation. But the landscape is evolving! In the near future, all of your content may be united by a content ecosystem. What can you do today to prepare for this?
In this session, you’ll discover new, measurable value from all the content created within your enterprise. Using content intelligence practices, assets come to life, connect up, and educate learners and customers while minimizing redundant effort. In this session, you’ll learn how to prepare for the inevitable unified content ecosystem by aligning cross-department projects and establishing rhythms and patterns to support future collaboration. And you’ll learn how this creates enduring assets that apply to multiple audiences (both internal and external) and increases the overall return on investment. You’ll discover examples of projects and workshop initial ideas to jump-start your content intelligence practice right away.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to prepare for the future of content creation
- How implementing content intelligence practices will impact learning content today
- The six disciplines of content engineering
- How to determine the real value of your content and transform it into multipurpose material
- Why training departments should eliminate department borders to upgrade learning content
- How to start conversations within your company to promote content intelligence practices
Audience:
Managers and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Anna Lively
Manager of Training and Learning
Simple [A]
Anna is a manager of training and learning for [A], the Content Intelligence Service. Anna’s professional career includes nearly 20 years of experience in a variety of corporate functions such as instructional design for eLearning and instructor-led courses, LMS administration, leading process improvement initiatives with Six Sigma methodologies, and sales and marketing. Anna’s diverse background includes design and development of eLearning courses for small startups, nonprofit organizations, and Fortune 500 clients.
603 The Best Training Is No Training
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 4
Why do organizations train, and why do they train so much? Simple questions; complex answers. Despite all the L&D industry knows about performance improvement, people still tend to throw training at problems, or accept client requests for courses even before they know why. And, too often, the courseware doesn’t even work. This isn’t because the training is necessarily bad, but because people shouldn’t have done as much of it in the first place. Organizations train to compensate for bad documentation or teach workarounds to bad processes. They train to fix culture and morale problems. They train to meet compliance requirements and then report attendance over competency. They train repeatedly to be sure everyone “gets it.” They train to “CYA.”
What must you learn from all this? How about “less is more.” In this session, you’ll learn why, in many cases, training should be the last resort—not the first. You’ll learn how to eliminate the need for training, recognizing that in some cases training is a symptom of dysfunction, not its solution. With a focus on process, leadership, and new technologies, this strategic session will look at several key principles that can reduce the need for training but improve performance significantly. This isn’t the end of training by any means, but a major rethinking of its role in performance improvement and a key to your professional growth.
In this session, you will learn:
- Why training matters less
- Why training is not a universal band-aid
- Why more technology isn’t always better
- Why training should be the last alternative, not the first
- Why increased proficiency is inversely proportional to more training
- Why getting closer to work means getting farther from training
Audience:
Designers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Marc Rosenberg
President
Marc Rosenberg and Associates
Dr. Marc Rosenberg is a global expert and speaker in training, organizational learning, eLearning, knowledge management, and performance improvement. He has written two best-selling books, E-Learning, and Beyond E-Learning. His 100 monthly columns, “Marc My Words,” appeared in The eLearning Guild’s Learning Solutions magazine from 2010 through 2018 and are still available online. Marc is past president and honorary life member of the International Society for Performance Improvement, is an eLearning Guild “Guild Master,” has spoken at the White House, debated eLearning’s future at Oxford University, keynoted conferences around the world, authored over 200 columns, articles, white papers, and book chapters, and is frequently quoted in major trade publications. Learn more at www.marcrosenberg.com.
604 Case Study: Creating a Successful Learning System at Shoptech Software
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 14
Software training lacks variety, and offering only ILT and outdated HTML tutorials didn’t help Shoptech Software’s case. Training was boring, lengthy, and costly to attend. Participation was stagnant, and customers were utilizing phone support more than training. Shoptech needed a better solution for their manufacturing clients. They needed a learning system with a combination of technologies and resources designed to solve clients’ immediate problems.
In this case study session, you’ll find out how Shoptech Software changed their learning culture, creating a system that focused on the needs and accessibility of their customers, and you’ll examine its overall impact on the organization through in-house statistics. You’ll explore their learning-on-demand approach to review the most basic and advanced functions of their software systems using microlearning videos, in addition to incorporating a new customer community platform with items such as video catalogs and learning tracks. You’ll also learn how to incorporate nontraditional learning techniques into standard software simulations such as storytelling and gamification to increase engagement.
In this session, you will learn:
- How creating a system for learning, versus creating different types of training, can benefit your department and organization
- How short problem-solving tutorials and the use of video can affect the software industry
- How to organize and deliver video and interactive simulation tutorials using a customer community
- How to incorporate nontraditional training techniques such as storytelling and gaming into software training
Audience:
Designers, developers, and managers
Technology discussed in this session:
Salesforce community, Articulate 360, Camtasia
Dawn Tedesco
Instructional Designer/Owner
Career Compliance Solutions
Dawn Tedesco, owner of Career Compliance Solutions, has extensive experience in employee and management skills development, including over 20 years of hospitality operations and HR management and training experience. She has designed and developed training programs for several large organizations and now specializes in instructional design, eLearning development, and helping businesses with management skills and compliance training. She is a silver award winner from the Horizon Interactive Awards in 2020.
Lindsey Atha
Training Manager
Shoptech Software
Lindsey Atha is the training manager at Shoptech Software. She has 10 years of experience in technical support, instructor-led training, and consulting. Taking advantage of her early background in customer support and custom development coordination, Lindsey works closely with clients to assess their needs and provide solutions tailored to fit specific learning and customer preferences. She has helped write content, design curriculum, and launch Shoptech’s virtual training program. Partnering her degree in secondary education with hands-on experience, Lindsey has been able to help create an interactive learning program for both customers and employees.
605 Correlation Is Not Proof: Gaining Legitimate Insight from Learning Data
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 15
L&D has wrestled with the idea of measuring impact for decades. Unfortunately, most of the methods used as “proof” of impact are simple correlations. And most people know the adage “correlation does not equal causation.” This session will help participants understand different, more practical types of analytics, and how they can provide much more impactful insights than simple correlations.
This session will examine practical examples of data sets, and how insights can differ greatly based on the analysis chosen. Using the same data sets for different analyses, you will learn how simple analyses lead to broad—and often dangerously inaccurate—insights. By learning how to best structure data for analytics—using simple, everyday tools—you will see the benefits of proper analysis and the dangers of a simplistic analysis of the same data. Most importantly, you will then see how logically a strategy for performance improvement flows from proper analysis—and how easy it is to continue improving your organization.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the risks of using correlation to “prove” impact—and how common that is
- The difference between relative, comparative, and distributive analytics (in plain English)
- How to identify statistically significant differences
- The difference between a statistically significant event and a fluke
- Practical steps to identify L&D overachievers and underachievers
- How to easily craft a prescriptive strategy from those findings
Audience:
Managers and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Technology discussed in this session:
Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel
A.D. Detrick
President
MetriVerse Analytics
A.D. Detrick is the president and founder of MetriVerse Analytics, a leading provider of L&D/HR measurement and analytics consulting. He is a recognized expert in the areas of learning measurement, assessment, evaluation, and human capital analytics. In his role, he oversees the design and implementation of measurement and analytics strategies for many of America’s largest and most technically innovative companies. He is a regular speaker at industry events and has contributed to numerous books on learning and analytics. Before founding MetriVerse, A.D. helped design measurement strategies as a consultant for Xerox Global Learning Services, Intrepid Learning, and JPMorgan Chase.
606 Software Training Doesn’t Have to Be Boring
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 18
Most of the training videos produced by trainers are for software. Some of them are really engaging, but many are boring and turn people off rather than helping them learn a new program. Sometimes the training videos are nothing more than nasal voice-over with a mouse moving on the screen. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Many editorial and production techniques that media professionals use to make television interesting can be applied to software videos to make them more engaging and better support learning.
In this session, you’ll explore five principles of video content that drive professional television production, and that you can apply to software training videos to keep learners engaged and make content quicker and easier to understand. You’ll also learn five specific techniques to make your training videos look more polished and interesting that you can immediately put into action.
In this session, you will learn:
- Five key principles of effective video based on professional media practices
- Five specific techniques you can apply to your software videos to make them more engaging
- General techniques to make video content quicker and easier to understand
- Key questions to ask when reviewing your training videos
Audience:
Designers and developers
Technology discussed in this session:
Video
Jonathan Halls
Author, Rapid Media Development for Trainers
Jonathan Halls
Jonathan Halls, who has spent 30 years as a media trainer, started his professional life in radio hosting a daily live news talk show. Author of Rapid Media for Trainers, Rapid Video for Trainers, and Video Script Writing, he formerly headed up the BBC’s production training in Britain, and is today an adjunct professor at the George Washington University where he teaches digital media. Based in Washington, DC, he provides workshops and consulting for training organizations in how to make instructional videos and podcasts. He has trained thousands of broadcasters, journalists, and trainers in 25 countries, including people from The Financial Times, Daily Telegraph, London Times, Straits Times, Time of India, DeVolkskrant and many more.
607 7 Crucial Factors for Making Transfer Happen
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 10
Talent development professionals want to get the best results from learning programs. Yet, most experts agree that only about 20 percent of learning is implemented in the workplace. And this percentage has held steady for decades. Would you accept, as a client, a 20 percent transfer rate for a service or product? In an era of growing accountability, it’s the mission of talent developers to increase the rate of transfer. Because in the end, it’s only on-the-job behavior that matters: The business only benefits when learning positively impacts performance. Ensuring learning transfer is therefore an important challenge facing talent developers today. But how can you make sure your learning programs have a high rate of transfer? What makes learning really work?
In this session, you will learn to make sure your learning programs have a high rate of transfer. You’ll examine seven factors that are crucial to making transfer happen. These seven factors were revealed in recent research that analyzed hundreds of training sessions of international companies. The study looked at how transfer took place six months later. During this session, you will be invited to use a web-based app called Transfer Quick Scan. The app checks the rate of transfer of a learning program of your choice. It shows you directly the effectiveness of the seven factors and advises you on how to redesign your learning program to have more impact. You can use these results Monday back at work!
In this session, you will learn:
- About the seven factors that make transfer happen, and how to apply them in every learning program in your organization
- How to use Transfer Quick Scan to evaluate the effectiveness of a learning program
- How to share and compare the outcome of the scan with other participants
Audience:
Designers, developers, managers, trainers, moderators, and coaches
Technology discussed in this session:
Transfer Quick Scan
Laura van den Ouden
Owner
Expert Trainers
Laura van den Ouden is owner and trainer for Expert Trainers, a training company. With over 20 years’ experience, Laura designs and implements extensive eLearning programs for corporate universities and international organizations. She blogs frequently about talent development and transfer of learning and speaks at conferences on the subject. She has written three books:Successful Communication as a Trainer, Influencing Positively, and 100 Teaching Methods for Developers. Laura was named the Netherlands Trainer of the Year for 2019/2020.
608 Leveraging Virtual Reality Simulations for Leadership Development
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 1
In the 2018 LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report, employers reported leadership, communication, and collaboration as the most crucial skills to learn from L&D programs. Yet when it comes to developing these complex skills, many current offerings may teach what to do but lack opportunities to practice and apply them. Learners may try games, role-plays, or pre-recorded simulations, but are you truly moving the needle on performance? In light of shrinking budgets, limited time, and lack of effectiveness, how can you demonstrate impactful gains at scale?
Virtual reality (VR) simulations solve the three most compelling training problems: cost, consistency, and measurable impact. In this session, you will explore how the emerging field of VR is being used in leadership development and discover how learning leaders use VR to realize cost savings. You will find out how Nationwide Insurance is using VR simulations to create highly impactful leadership development programs at an accelerated pace with learners who are distributed across the globe. You’ll hear about the latest research in VR from a leading researcher and experience an immersive, realistic learning event in 2-D VR without leaving the room.
In this session, you will learn:
- Why VR solves the three most compelling training problems—cost, consistency, and impact
- How role-playing with virtual avatars can modify behavior to drive performance results
- About the latest research in VR models for learning used by industry leaders
- How to apply this technology to leadership development and see how it can be easily customized to your workplace, using a case study from Nationwide as an example
Audience:
Designers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Technology discussed in this session:
Mursion’s software application
Anna Strasshofer
Business Development Associate
Mursion
Anna Strasshofer is a business development associate at Mursion. She is a recent MBA graduate from the Rollins College Crummer Business School and leads projects on the market research and efficacy of simulation-based learning for multinational organizations. With a background in hospitality and restaurant management, Anna joined Mursion in 2017 because she believes that large organizations need better digital tools that give young professionals opportunities to learn from mistakes safely and become better leaders.
Carrie Straub
Executive Director of Educational Programs and Research
Mursion
Carrie Straub is the executive director of educational programs and research at Mursion, where she is responsible for leading the design of immersive learning among more than 80 partners. Carrie, a PhD, provides guidance and consultation to researchers and educators about how to best leverage VR simulations to elevate soft skills for high-stakes professions. Previously, she was research director for TeachLivE, the project that originally developed and tested the core technology utilized by Mursion. In that capacity, she planned and directed activities for a national research study to discover whether practice in VR produced measurable changes in performance.
Sherry Robinson
Learning & Performance Consultant
Nationwide Insurance
Sherry Robinson is a learning & performance consultant with Nationwide. She designs and develops learning solutions to support the claims organization, focusing on instructor-led training, learning cohorts, and other solutions as needed. For more than 18 years, Sherry trained people on selling skills and leadership. She is now applying her expertise in the insurance industry. Sherry is a graduate of Howard University and has a degree in political science. She also holds a master's in practical theology from Ohio Christian University.
609 Business Storytelling: Creating Persuasive Visual Narratives
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 11
The best communicators frame their ideas in a story. Unfortunately, as effective as storytelling is, it remains one of the greatest struggles in the business world. L&D professionals often “firehose” their audience with data and fail to communicate strategic insights. The result? You lose your audience to boredom, confusion, and misinterpretation. And worse, you’ve lost your chance to provide value and connect with your audience. But weaving tales alone isn’t enough to spur your customer, prospect, or manager to take action. It’s the arc of story combined with powerful data and visuals that infuse the right balance of logic and emotion to generate decision-making.
Through practical exercises, this session arms you with techniques for creating authentic, impactful business stories that elevate the conversation and motivate your audience to act. You’ll learn how to use a simple framework for crafting a narrative; how to identify and infuse your “big idea”—the key takeaway of your presentation; and how to bring your ideas to life visually using easy design strategies.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to craft a compelling business story by understanding the four classic signposts of storytelling
- How to identify and infuse a “big idea” into your story: the one thing you want your audience to know or do with the information
- How you can apply the power of storytelling to everyday communications
- How to apply tools and a framework that will allow you to put a story together quickly, before ever opening PowerPoint
- How to use eye-catching visual techniques that will help illustrate the story you are telling with your facts and data
Audience:
Developers, managers, senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.), and all others
Technology discussed in this session:
Microsoft PowerPoint
Kevin Campbell
Director of Global Training Development & Delivery
The Presentation Company
Kevin Campbell is the director of global training development and delivery for The Presentation Company, a business communications firm that specializes in innovative online and onsite presentation skills training. Kevin’s career includes over 15 years’ experience in employee training and development, marketing, business communications, and management. He has held positions as a Nike Global Trainer, facilitating workshops for employees throughout North and South America. Kevin also spent 10 years in the entertainment industry, where he crafted stories as a host for networks such as National Geographic, AMC, and A&E. Kevin has also spent time behind the camera, developing pilots for Bravo and Comedy Central.
610 Building Accessible Courses in Storyline
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 3
Course accessibility is a common task for developers and creates many questions. What makes a course “accessible”? How can you use Articulate Storyline to make courses accessible to a variety of audiences? How can you easily create closed captions and alternate text for your courses? What are some best practices when planning and developing WCAG or 508-compliant courses? How can you test courses to ensure accessibility?
In this workshop, you will learn what “accessibility” means and how you can use tools in Storyline to make your eLearning courses accessible. You will explore the idea of user experience, and how to optimize accessibility that will not only open your courses to a wider audience but also maintain the style and interactivity made possible in Storyline. Finally, you will discover tools, resources, and best practices for testing your eLearning modules for accessibility.
In this session, you will learn:
- What “accessibility” means for eLearning developers
- How to determine which Storyline tools to use for building compliant eLearning courses
- How to increase accessibility without decreasing functionality
- About tools and resources that will help you develop and test accessible eLearning courses
- How to create closed captions for your courses
- How to add alternate text for objects
Audience:
Developers
Technology discussed in this session:
Windows or Mac with Parallels or VMWare Fusion, Articulate Storyline 360
Stefanie Lawless
VP Training
Yukon Learning
Stefanie Lawless is the vice president of training at Yukon Learning, where she manages the design and development of customizable off-the-shelf courseware in Rapid Course and provides virtual training for the Articulate suite of tools. She has spent more than 10 years training people on software products and policies, as well as developing eLearning content and custom courseware for organizations worldwide. Stefanie holds a BS in information technology and an MBA from Western Governor's University.
611 Assessing Learning Performance in AR and VR Systems
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 13
Augmented, virtual, and other emerging “realities” provide opportunities, and challenges, for assessment of human performance at individual and team levels. These tools introduce endless possibilities for observing learning behaviors, but it can be tricky to align those behaviors with precise learning objectives for clean assessment and data collection.
In this session, you will explore why some assessment strategies work better in AR versus VR environments. You will see firsthand examples of techniques in VR and AR systems that help instructors, learners, and other stakeholders evaluate performance and learning. You will discuss strategies and have an opportunity to brainstorm solutions for assessment challenges.
In this session, you will learn:
- Why some assessment strategies are best suited for AR versus VR
- How to blend real-world and virtual data collection techniques
- Strategies for assessing learning at individual and group levels in VR environments
- What kinds of knowledge, skills, and attitudes are best measured outside of an AR/VR system
- How to help learners assess peers within AR/VR environments
- How to work with instructional design teams to align experiences with learning objectives
Audience:
Designers, developers, and managers
Technology discussed in this session:
HTC Vive, Microsoft HoloLens, and more
Patricia Bockelman Morrow
Associate Professor
University of Central Florida
Patricia Bockelman Morrow is an associate professor at the University of Central Florida, where her research incorporates cognitive science, learning science, and modeling and simulation to support efforts from defense, healthcare, and energy industry sponsors. In addition to her research, she serves as graduate teaching faculty in the modeling simulation and training program at UCF. She holds a doctorate degree.
Eileen Smith
Program Director, Applied Research: E2i Creative Studio
University of Central Florida
Eileen Smith is a program director at the University of Central Florida. She creates learning opportunities for end users and emerging designers. Eileen leverages her background in performance theater and interpersonal communications. She has led creative teams in experience development in science centers, exploring engagement with direct interaction as a foundation for experiential learning. Her research projects at UCF have ranged from studying situational awareness in first-responder situations to understanding how to believe patients’ perceptions of pain, exploring how to improve the quality of life for TBI survivors, and understanding the tradeoffs necessary for true healthy, sustainable living.
612 The Top 10 Learning Systems for 2019
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 5
With over 1,300 learning systems around the world, it is no longer easy to find the right one. As a result, buyers look at various resources for information but may be unaware that the right system for them exists. This session identifies the 10 best learning systems around the world, based on 19 criteria. Find out who ranks high for next-generation learning, learning engagement platforms, and skill-based learning.
In this session, you’ll learn about the top 10 learning systems around the world, including breakdowns by functionality, capabilities, next-gen tier rank, vertical ranking, type of system (e.g., LEP, sales enablement, LMS, learning platform, knowledge reinforcement, skills-based), target audience, and road map. You will receive a criteria template to use at your own organization, including details on how to use it, and gain insight into trends for the rest of 2019.
In this session, you will learn:
- Which systems rank in the top tier out of more than 1,300 around the world
- What each vendor offers: pros, cons, and independent analysis
- How to create your own criteria list based on a template
- How to establish a baseline of systems based on verticals
- Differences between the newest segments in the learning system space
- About the nuances of each system
Audience:
Managers and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Technology discussed in this session:
Learning systems including LMSs, sales enablement, learning engagement platforms, learning platforms, training management/operations platforms, knowledge reinforcement tools, and employee engagement platforms
Craig Weiss
CEO
The Craig Weiss Group
Craig Weiss is the CEO and lead analyst for the Craig Weiss Group. He has been recognized by his peers as the most influential person in the world for learning systems and one of the most influential in the world for the eLearning industry. His blog is read in 174 countries, territories, and colonial territories. Craig speaks at conferences and companies around the world.
613 Measuring and Reporting the Impact of Workflow Learning
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 16
As tools and strategies emerge that enable us to better support learning in the flow of work, more and more organizations are looking to focus on workflow learning solutions. But like any new approach, it’s important that we don’t just assume that something is effective because we believe it will be, or that it feels right. Measuring the effectiveness of our efforts is key to understanding our work and to reporting the benefits of our programs, and that includes workflow learning programs.
In this session you will discover how to measure and report on workflow learning. You will look at what workflow learning actually is, and how that understanding changes what it is that we measure. You will discuss the key metrics that link to the impact workflow learning is having on an organization. You will also discover how to measure performance taking place in the flow of work.
In this session you will learn:
- How workflow learning changes our approach to measurement
- The key metrics used to understand organizational impact
- How to measure performance in the flow of work
- Tips for getting started with measuring workflow learning
Audience:
Intermediate and advanced designers, managers, directors
Conrad Gottfredson
Chief Learning Strategist
APPLY Synergies
Conrad Gottfredson, the chief learning strategist at APPLY Synergies, has deep experience in organizational learning, collaborative development, knowledge management, online learning, performance support, and instructional design and development. Conrad is the original developer of the Learning at the Five Moments of Need framework now in use around the world. He has worked with many of the world's largest organizations, helping them attain higher levels of learning agility. Conrad's experience includes the design and deployment of large-scale knowledge management and performance support systems within multinational corporations. In 2014 Conrad was awarded the Guild Master Award for his accomplishments and contributions to the eLearning community. He holds a PhD in instructional psychology and technology.
614 BYOD: Leveling Up Your Visual Design
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 7
The project deadline is upon you, and you’ve just received the approved content for final development. As a team of one (or a few), it’s once again time to shift from instructional designer to graphic designer to get your material out the door. The content is text-heavy and there’s plenty of it. So how can you level up your content to achieve effective visual design and user interface in a short timeline, with limited resources and personnel?
In this session, you’ll explore how various levels of design enhancements can universally improve your content regardless of your graphic design experience. You’ll learn how to analyze existing content design and improve it at several “treatment levels” to fit the time and resources available to you. Finally, you will begin to translate those treatment levels to build the bones of a design system that you can leverage for future projects to consistently achieve cohesive and clean content design.
In this session, you will learn:
- Basic principles of design that can enhance your visual design skills
- How to analyze content and improve weak areas of a design
- How to enhance content at several varying levels of effort
- About the benefits of a design system to streamline development
- How to create a design system for personal or organizational use
Audience:
Designers and developers
Technology discussed in this session:
Microsoft PowerPoint and Apple Pages
Technology required:
Laptop running PowerPoint or Pages
Caitlin Steinbach Locke
Learning Strategist/Project Manager
AstraZeneca
Caitlin Steinbach Locke, learning strategist/project manager at AstraZeneca, is an instructional designer by trade and learning enthusiast by design. Caitlin has worked with clients in higher education, commercial real estate, and government contracting. Caitlin holds a MS Ed in adult education/human resource development with a concentration in instructional design, and is currently pursuing her CPLP designation.
615 BYOD: Game Changer: Playing Your Way Through Niche or Dry Content
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 2
Your employees did the compliance training, the required certification, the new module, etc., but a week later you realize that they retained nothing. They were watching Netflix on their other screen, or they only remembered the content long enough to take the quiz at the end. Companies often overlook content that begs to be gamified—the very niche, complex, or boring content. Your new-hire orientations, compliance training, required or annual certifications that your employees are completing because they have to, are the exact trainings that require your game design investment to ensure the content isn’t glossed over—and that your employees actually learn and retain the content and skills they need to succeed at work.
In this session, you’ll learn how a three-day PowerPoint lecture series for new-hire orientation was revitalized by building a two-day immersive board game, leaving lasting impact on its learners and making waves in the L&D field. You’ll learn all the game elements that you need to take niche or dry content and turn it into engaging in-person or online games that your employees will talk about for months. You’ll walk away with ways to break major functions of your organization into a game that feels both approachable and grounded in reality. Design an unforgettable experience that will promote your learning objectives and have sustainable impact.
In this session, you will learn:
- Why learning games are so effective for making niche or boring content accessible and engaging
- How to select the right programs for your game design investment
- How to choose and use the best game components, mechanics, and dynamics to drive successful gamified learning experiences
- How to build an effective game with limited resources at your disposal
Audience:
Designers, developers, and managers
Technology required:
Smartphone, tablet, or laptop with browser and internet connection
Marci Morford
Learning Strategist
MarSea Consulting
Marci Morford is a learning strategist and leads MarSea Consulting, which builds custom training for companies that have outgrown their startup phase and are ready for streamlined, scalable, efficient training. She develops programs based on business goals, with laser focus on the ROI that growing companies require. Marci is also the director of programs of ATD Puget Sound, where she is currently overhauling traditional monthly lectures into a series of learning games, workshops, and parties. Marci writes for TD Magazine and won DemoFest at DevLearn 2017 (Best of Show - Non-Vendor) with the immersive, blended-learning onboarding game she developed for a global health non-profit.
SDD204 Bringing Stories Center Stage in Training
1:00 PM - 1:45 PM Wednesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Design & Development Stage
Stories have long been touted as powerful, effective tools for learning, but very little has been published on how to design a story so that it impacts learners and aligns with performance objectives—leaving the instructional designer at a loss for how to tell a story effectively in training. Storytelling impacts design on the most basic level of engagement: emotion. It also impacts the delivery of training. Games, microlearning, virtual reality, and scenario design all benefit from strong storytelling skills. Yet the problem remains: How do you design a fitting story that teaches? That’s where story design provides practical guidance.
You want to engage your learners and you’ve heard that story is good for that, but you don’t know where to begin. This session will show you how to concretely connect powerful stories to learning, through examples from HCSC’s compliance training. Experience what training can be like when stories take center stage. Share your observations and expertise, and dive into a story model that is so simple, you will be able to begin writing your own stories for training when you get back to the office. Worried that it takes high-tech tools to make powerful stories a reality? That’s not necessarily true. Learn how to design and deliver a story using the tools you already own.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to mine analysis and stakeholder interviews for relatable characters and strong conflict
- How to design an effective story that connects concretely with learning objectives
- How to deliver stories using the tools you already own
- How to present a solid case for stories to resistant stakeholders
Audience:
Designers and developers
Technology discussed in this session:
Cameras, audio tools, Microsoft PowerPoint, eLearning authoring tools, and animated video
Rance Greene
Story Designer
needastory.com
Rance Greene comes to the talent development field with a backdrop of theatre, choreography, art, and music. He is a playwright, song-writer and story writer. His connection of instructional design to story design has made him a sought-after speaker and consultant. Rance formed needastory.com to help talent development professionals and leaders understand their audience and what they are asking them to do. His presentations are noted for their lively interactions, practical skill- building and, of course, stories. He involves audiences and students by asking them to think, respond, analyze, and ultimately discover that they are the best storytellers for their audience.
SMM204 10 eLearning Project Management Mistakes and How to Fix Them
1:00 PM - 1:45 PM Wednesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Management & Measurement Stage
Even experienced eLearning practitioners struggle with managing projects. Accurately scoping the work, staying organized, identifying decision-makers, holding trade-off conversations, and managing expectations: All of these are challenging things, and they’re not always part of the job description or the skill set that creative eLearning pros bring to the table.
This session will help you make peace with your informal role as an eLearning project manager. You’ll take a closer look at 10 of the most common eLearning project management mistakes, along with tips, tools, and strategies for fixing them.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to use a few basic project management tools to kick off a successful eLearning project
- Pro tips and best practices for keeping yourself organized throughout the project
- Tips for taking the lead in tough project management conversations with subject matter experts (SMEs) and stakeholders
- Easy ideas and tools for getting—and keeping—your project team on the same page
Audience:
Designers and developers
Trina Rimmer
Director, Community and Customer Engagement
Articulate
As the director of community and customer engagement with Articulate, Trina uses her many years of eLearning design and development expertise to guide the creation of inspiring content for our community of workplace learning professionals, E-Learning Heroes. Before joining Articulate, Trina worked as an instructional designer, eLearning developer, and writer focused on delivering creative, engaging, and effective learning solutions to various companies, from global aid organizations to Fortune 500s.
STP204 Adobe Illustrator: Pro Design Tips for Learning Developers
1:00 PM - 1:45 PM Wednesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Tools & Platform Stage
With the continued shrinking of the average attention span, strong visuals are crucial to the success of eLearning courses and videos. Whether you want to add custom icons to your courses or graphics to your videos, Adobe Illustrator allows you to create and edit clean and resizable graphics from scratch. Many eLearning developers avoid these tools because of the fear that they’re too complicated or time-consuming, and they end up either waiting for their organization’s design/marketing team to fit them into their timelines or giving up altogether.
In this session, you will learn how to get started with Illustrator and leverage its capabilities immediately. The simple yet powerful techniques covered in this session will save you time and help you easily create simple, high-impact visuals. You will learn how to create and edit icons, easily change colors, and create animated scenes that you can use in your course scenarios. You will leave with practical knowledge that will strengthen your skill set and that you can instantly apply at work.
In this session, you will learn:
- The difference between Photoshop and Illustrator
- Where to find public domain (free) vector graphics
- How to create and edit icons and graphics
- How to set up a scene for your scenarios
Audience:
Designers and developers
Technology discussed in this session:
Adobe Illustrator, The Noun Project, and Clker
Dana Shalab Alsham
Learning Experience Designer
RL Solutions
Dana Shalab Alsham is a learning experience designer with RL Solutions, a healthcare software company. She is a Toronto-based interdisciplinary designer focused on usability, efficiency, and functionality. Dana has worked as a lead designer and front-end developer in various multimedia projects, including website design and development, vector and motion graphics creation, video production, interactive eLearning, and augmented reality, for both public and private sector clients. With a master's in inclusive design, she is passionate about accessibility and creating compelling user experiences. Believing in the importance of sharing knowledge and learning from others, Dana teaches part time in Sheridan College's bachelor of interaction design program, while taking on occasional freelance projects.
SDD205 Creating Amazing Learning Experiences: Let’s Get Inspired!
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM Wednesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Design & Development Stage
We often get stuck using the same patterns of delivery without thinking about if it is helping our audience, or if it’s the best fit for a challenge. Designing great user experiences for your learners is critical to the success of how they engage; utilize content, tools, and apps; and focus on the task at hand. This session will break down what's essential in designing great experiences, and provide resources to get you started and inspired. We'll discuss design strategies; what works and what doesn’t, how to plan and prototype, and demonstrate several examples for inspiration. You'll get 10+ resources for taking your experiences to the next level, and getting you and your organization to the next level.
In this session, you will learn:
- 6 ways to improve your next project
- Apps and tools that you have (Paper, PowerPoint, PDF, and Marvel App) that can accelerate your process and improve results with the right workflow
- About the versatility of DropBox Paper, which is free
- How to share, get inspired, and motivate your organization to grow
- How to evaluate what you see, hear, and feel, and how to apply what resonates with your audience
- A new series of resources and tools to implement on your next project
Target audience:
Novice and intermediate designers, developers, managers, and senior leaders
Nick Floro
Learning Architect/Imagineer
Sealworks Interactive Studios
Nick Floro, a co-founder and learning architect at Sealworks Interactive Studios, has over 25 years of experience developing learning solutions, applications, and web platforms. Nick is passionate about how design and technology can enhance learning and loves to share his knowledge and experience to teach, inspire, and motivate. As a learning architect, Nick gets to sketch, imagine, and prototype for each challenge. He has worked with start-ups to Fortune 500 companies to help them understand the technology and develop innovative solutions to support their audiences. Nick has won numerous awards from Apple and organizations for productions and services.
SMM205 Transform Your Employee Experience with Just-in-Time Learning
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM Wednesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Management & Measurement Stage
The average employee today relies on dozens of applications every day to do their job, each of which is constantly evolving. To complicate things, any change in process often span across multiple workflows or tools. The problem? There is no easy way for training teams to communicate these changes required for adoption. Documentation is often located in an LMS or manual, external to the systems in question, and is outdated almost instantly. It's also hard for the user to access in their moment of need, resulting in errors and frustration. In this session, we’ll explore the many corporate training trends that have come and gone over the years, and the one that’s here to stay: just-in-time learning.
Tasked with the responsibility of fixing our low Salesforce adoption and developing a training program for new hires that would keep up with our ever-changing processes, I knew something had to change. You’ll learn how implementing a just-in-time learning solution, which delivers bite-sized information at the point of friction when and where employees are likely to make mistakes, will transform your employee experience. Rewards include faster onboarding, higher software adoption, and easier change enablement.
In this session, you will learn:
- Why just-in-time learning matters
- How your customer experience starts with your employee experience
- How to drive adoption of Salesforce or other applications with just-in-time learning
- How to design documentation for just-in-time learning
- How to automatically create documentation from your CRM fields and objects
- How to centralize your system training to reduce content creation by up to 60%
Technologies discussed:
Salesforce and Spekit
Target audience:
Novice, intermediate, and advanced managers and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Melanie Fellay
CEO & Co-Founder
Spekit
Melanie Fellay is the CEO and co-founder of Spekit. Spekit was born out of the first-hand pain that Melanie and her co-founder Zari felt trying to drive tool adoption and enabling employees using outdated and ineffective solutions that couldn't keep up with today's pace of growth and change. Melanie is a BizOps and Enablement enthusiast with expertise driving Salesforce transformations and architecting employee-centric learning solutions. She graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder with a degree in accounting & finance.
STP205 Success Story: Implementing Training for Employees Who Travel Extensively
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM Wednesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Tools & Platform Stage
Oticon is one of the world’s most innovative hearing device manufacturers, with more than 110 years of experience putting the needs of people with hearing loss first. Given the changing and challenging landscape in the hearing healthcare industry, how does Oticon ensure all employees (including account managers and trainers who travel extensively and live across the United States) keep their skills sharp and stay competitive?
This session explores how Oticon leverages iSpring as a key tool in its staff development strategy. You will learn how Oticon uses a blended learning approach to optimize onboarding training for new hires and product launch training for employees. We will also discuss the criteria Oticon used when considering learning platforms and tools, why iSpring was selected, and the results that Oticon has been able to accomplish with iSpring.
In this session you will learn:
- How Oticon uses a blended learning approach to effectively train its employees across the US
- The criteria to consider when selecting a learning platform for your organizational needs
- Factors you should keep in mind when selecting a course authoring tool that allows you to work efficiently with subject matter experts
- The results that Oticon has been able to accomplish by using iSpring in its staff development efforts
Technologies Discussed:
iSpring Learn LMS, iSpring Suite
Audience:
Novice and intermediate designers, developers, managers, and senior leaders
Josephine Poelma
Executive Director, Learning and Development
Oticon, Inc.
Josephine leads the Oticon learning and development team to create best-in-class learning solutions and events for Oticon customers and employees. Prior to Oticon, she led the shared services learning team at a Fortune 500 real estate company, where she was responsible for supporting large-scale product rollout and adoption through end-user training for national real estate brands. Josephine holds a master of science in instructional and performance technology from Boise State University, and a bachelor of business administration from the National University of Singapore. She is a certified project management professional.
701 The Business Case for Learning: Driving Employee Engagement at accesso
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 16
Recent job numbers show that unemployment is moving toward all-time lows, which means the talent wars are getting increasingly competitive among businesses fighting to attract and retain top workers. Even flashy perks like ping-pong, free food, and wine o’clocks are not enough to gain a true talent advantage. New research proves the most coveted benefits are those with substance, that aid professional growth and personal well-being. Not only do development perks provide a competitive hiring edge, but employees given the opportunity to learn at work are also more engaged and interested in their jobs.
This session will dive into how accesso's VP of people has incorporated resounding feedback from employees requesting development opportunities and prioritized meaningful benefits across the organization. This session will discuss why businesses should move past the ping-pong perk hype and toward benefits like employee learning and development, which can not only offer a competitive edge but also increase engagement and ultimately, retention. Attendees will walk away with an understanding of how to make the business case for learning and development to stakeholders throughout the organization.
In this session, you will learn:
- How accesso leveraged employee feedback to create and drive its L&D strategy
- What specific L&D and people-centric initiatives accesso rolled out to the organization
- How strong L&D programs impact accesso's ability to remain competitive for talent
- What impact L&D has made on the business, and how other organizations can make the business case to stakeholders
Audience:
Managers and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Technology discussed in this session:
Internal platforms as well as learning platforms
Shelley Osborne
Head of Learning Experience
Modal
Shelley Osborne is passionate about creating corporate learning cultures that enable continuous skills development and nurture a growth mindset to drive employee engagement and company performance. She has over 15 years of experience across the education, consulting, and corporate sectors. Shelley is currently the head of learning experience at Modal. Recently, Shelley was the vice president of learning at Udemy, where she led the company's learning strategy and continuous upskilling of employees globally. In her work, she often leverages innovative technologies and fresh approaches like virtual reality and gamification to drive lasting engagement.
Maura Schiefelbein
VP of People
accesso
Maura Schiefelbein, vice president of people at accesso, is focused on attracting, engaging, and developing accesso’s most important asset—its people. This includes developing organization-wide, talent-related solutions, as well as partnering with business leaders to plan and implement organizational change while continuing to foster accesso’s unique culture reflective of our core values. Schiefelbein has 15+ years of experience as a human resources practitioner working for Fortune 500 companies such as Fed Ex and Accenture, where she was accepted into the first Global HR Leadership Development program for the company. Most recently, she worked for ADP in a business partner role, which entailed consulting on varied human resources initiatives for her client base.
702 Building an Effective Onboarding Program for Remote Teams
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 15
Successful onboarding for remote employees requires a lot of managerial time, team time, and resources. New team members can feel isolated and unsupported, especially if they are inexperienced with remote work. Remote employees may not receive information necessary to their job due to lack of consistency in the process, or the absence of support that office-based employees typically receive. Stakeholders may express concern at the length of time required for new employees to become independent and productive. This often results in new employees impatiently pushing through onboarding material to become active in the field quickly, without proper assessment of performance gaps and future developmental needs. Managers, who are also often field-based, can miss signs of employee distress or disengagement until it’s too late.
In this session, you will explore the process of developing an effective onboarding program for a remote team. You’ll learn questions and techniques to identify the needs of a group and its managers, as well as success factors for a variety of stakeholders. You will discover how to use this information in developing a system that leverages available content and software. You’ll examine different learning formats and why some types work better than others. You will explore the steps to develop a program that can run as a semi-automated process with limited need for user intervention, and the positive impact such a program might have on team bandwidth and productivity.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to gain buy-in for a team that has not had previous training support
- How to prioritize needs and push content out in stages
- How to involve all stakeholders in a discussion of wants, needs, and success factors
- How to creatively use a limited budget
- Strategies to navigate differing team expectations
- Why your audience must remain a priority at all stages of design
Audience:
Designers, developers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Technology discussed in this session:
Learning management systems, Microsoft SharePoint and PowerPoint, TechSmith Camtasia, Articulate 360, Audacity, and Snagit
Melody Davis
Managing Partner
Versant Learning Solutions
Melody Davis, managing partner at Versant Learning Solutions, enjoys educating adult audiences. She pulls from her years in the field working with medical students, healthcare providers, and opinion leaders to inform her strategies and tactics. Melody has created onboarding systems for a variety of remote teams in the US and globally. She works collaboratively with stakeholders to establish training to meet both current and future development needs. Melody has a PhD in microbiology and immunology from Vanderbilt University and a certificate in instructional design from the University of Washington. She has received numerous awards for leadership in teamwork in the medical affairs arena.
703 Developing Yourself and Your Team Without Breaking the Bank
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 14
Your company does not pay for the rest of your team to attend conferences, courses, or outside development. Reports show that employees leave due to lack of training and development opportunities. What will you do? Your people are great! You don’t want to lose them. Without any budget dollars, how can you provide learning experiences for your team so their skills grow instead of getting stale?
In this session, you will investigate the world around you to create development activities for your staff. You will make a plan to take a field trip, map out your learning network, and find the online resources you need to stretch your team’s instructional design skills. Attending the occasional webinar is not enough to improve learning and development skills. One-stop-shop role? Design a plan for yourself! You can do it and not break the bank or your team budget. There might even be a good cookie recipe because everyone knows that you learn better when you have a plan for treats.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to use your city’s sites to build design skills
- About curation tools that keep you up to date on research and what’s in the news
- How to network for your team’s development
- About easy social media and phone apps to create challenges meant to develop
Audience:
Designers and managers
Technology discussed in this session:
Curation tools like Flipboard, Paper.li, and Feedly; plus Twitter, LinkedIn SlideShare, Zappar, YouTube, Coolors, ZEEF, caption apps, and cellphone cameras
Heidi Matthews
Training Manager
Terracon
Heidi Matthews spends her days connecting people, concepts, and systems in her role as training manager for Terracon, an engineering and scientist consulting company. A career that includes facilitation, instructional design, sales, and management for global and national companies, she has led teams with award winning results. Known on her team and in her learning community for ideas and developing people, sharing to aid other's success is her specialty.
704 Using Branching Scenarios When They Matter Most
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 11
Branching scenarios can engage learners and provide relevant decision-making practice. They can help learners become competent at skills faster than other training approaches. While branching scenarios can be very valuable, nothing is the right solution for every training problem. Branching scenarios can be challenging to design and time-consuming to build. That might leave you wondering: When is it worth the time and effort to create a branching scenario? When do the benefits of branching scenarios outweigh the costs to create them? Are there any easier alternatives that could work, or might even work better in some situations?
In this session, you’ll learn how to evaluate training problems to decide when to use a branching scenario or another approach. You’ll review criteria for deciding when branching scenarios provide enough benefit to justify the effort required to create them. This will help you use branching scenarios when they matter most, saving you time and effort while creating quality learning experiences. You’ll also explore alternatives to branching scenarios such as limited branching and one-question scenarios. These alternatives use some elements of branching scenarios but are simpler to design and develop. You’ll also review the eight “learning domains” identified by Ruth Clark as good candidates for scenario-based eLearning.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to decide whether a branching scenario is the best approach
- Why branching scenarios are an effective solution for certain types of training problems
- How you can use branching scenarios in different learning domains and kinds of training
- How to save time and effort by using alternatives like one-question scenarios and limited branching
- About the criteria that can help you choose branching scenarios or other strategies
Audience:
Designers and managers
Technology discussed in this session:
Examples in Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, and Twine
Christy Tucker
Learning Experience Design Consultant
Syniad Learning
Christy Tucker is a learning experience design consultant with over 20 years of experience helping people learn. She specializes in using scenario-based learning to engage audiences and promote skill transfer to real-world environments. She has created training for a wide range of clients, including Fortune 500 companies, nonprofit associations, state and local government agencies, universities, and more. Christy has been blogging about instructional design and eLearning for over 15 years and is a regular speaker at industry conferences and events.
705 Prototype to Implementation: Building Organizational Buy-In for xAPI
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 13
You’ve heard about xAPI but wonder what comes next. Getting from this initial position of interest to widespread organizational buy-in can be a huge challenge. How do you justify taking resources away from creating and curating learning experiences to build something new and unproven? It can be a challenge to identify the first steps needed to start convincing stakeholders that the investment is worth it. xAPI is a complex solution, and there is no road map that an organization can follow. Everyone is looking for the best ways to use project management strategies to leverage the resources they have access to, so they can achieve those first “wins” in the process of implementing xAPI.
This session will tell the story of how a team at LLamasoft went from creating SCORM content to developing a learning ecosystem. Using low-cost resources, they created a proof of concept consisting of prototype, pilot, and implementation. You’ll learn about the steps that made this a reality—steps ranging from the simple (picking a text editor) to the complex (selecting an LRS) and even the frustrating (working with, and sometimes against, the code). After the organization gained the ability to track video usage in its help system (and more!), xAPI became a no-brainer to stakeholders. This session will explore how real-life victories and setbacks shaped what they were able to achieve. You’ll walk away prepared to establish a proof-of-concept xAPI project that drives value to your organization.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to find the resources to make xAPI work for your organization
- A process to establish an xAPI proof of concept that drives value
- Product management principles and terms to gain organizational buy-in
- An incremental approach to develop xAPI competency
- How the LLamasoft team got their first “wins”
Audience:
Designers, developers, and managers
Technology discussed in this session:
xAPI and reporting software
Andrew McGuire
Learning Experience Designer
dRofus
Andrew McGuire is a learning experience designer at dRofus, where he specializes in developing engaging content and tracking learner experiences. He has been working in eLearning development for the past five years. Before joining the world of eLearning, Andrew taught English at the college level for seven years. He has an MA in English composition from Northeastern Illinois University.
Ryan Hicks
Director, Learning Design and Education Services
Workforce Software
Ryan Hicks’ unconventional path to becoming a learning professional includes years as a musician and band manager, a BS in industrial engineering, and a decade in supply chain design. His balanced approach of optimism and skepticism has led to the development of multiple learning & development organizations and professional credentials. As a lifelong student, he embraces the adage that “change is the only constant.”
706 Creating Better Audio and Video on a Budget
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 3
You probably have suffered through online learning content that featured poor audio or video. You suffered through it because the material was valuable. But have you ever stopped and asked yourself why? Why would anyone sit through this? Why would anyone come back for more? And as an L&D professional, how can you improve the quality of your audio and video content for your learners?
In this session, you will learn how to improve your audio and video quality by optimizing your recording workflow and making smart equipment purchases that won’t break your budget. See exactly which pieces of equipment are critical for professional-quality audio. Learn which software will give you the best results and how to fine-tune it to ensure you are getting the best audio and video captures. Because quality begins at the source, learn how to quickly turn any room into a sound booth and dramatically improve your audio quality. Learn how to use existing lighting to your advantage, and how to supplement it with additional lighting for better video captures. You can create amazing audio and video even if you are on a budget.
In this session, you will learn:
- What equipment you need to record great audio and video
- How to configure your camera and microphone for quality
- How to improve your videos with lighting
- How to improve sound quality with simple adjustments to your recording space
- How to achieve better green screen results
- Which export settings you should be using for the best results
Audience:
Designers and developers
Technology discussed in this session:
Video cameras, DSLR cameras, mobile phones, preamps, microphones, audio, interfaces, lighting, Adobe Audition and Premiere, TechSmith Camtasia, and Audacity
William Everhart
Lead Developer
Artisan E-Learning
William Everhart is a lead developer at Artisan E-Learning, helping clients fulfill their learning needs. His favorite thing in life is witnessing "aha!" moments in his students’ faces—that moment when they finally grasp a concept or technique that has eluded them for so long. As an Adobe Certified Instructor, William has taught thousands and continues to do so as a contributing author at LinkedIn Learning and Pluralsight. Through classroom training, one-on-one coaching, and online programs, he helps people learn to create amazing learning content.
707 Strategies for Identifying and Removing Performance Barriers
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 4
You’ve created great training, but you hear complaints that employees still can’t do their job after passing your class. That’s frustrating! Many customers believe that if employees knew how to do their job, they would do it. After all, that’s why they get paid! Those are the same people who think that the best way to improve performance is by offering and conducting more training. The truth is that employee performance is influenced by several factors, one of which is closing the skills and knowledge gap through more training. And even the best-designed and best-delivered training will fail if the other five performance barriers (including training) are not addressed.
In this session, you will learn how to apply two performance improvement models to identify all barriers limiting employees, and design solutions to remove all performance barriers. The Six Box model (Gilbert’s) and the Influencer model (The Power to Change Anything) each have deficits. But, when combined, they enable you to zero in on effective performance solutions. Applying these two models together decreases the likelihood you’ll hear complaints about ineffective training, and increases the likelihood of having satisfied customers. In this session, you will explore all six performance barriers that stand in the way of peak performance. You will then brainstorm solutions to address barriers to peak performance.
In this session, you will learn:
- About all six barriers to optimum performance
- How to identify all barriers to optimum performance
- How to craft solutions that address all performance barriers
- The solutions that address the most common performance barriers
Audience:
Designers, developers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Matthew Papp
Performance Solution Specialist/Instructional Designer
Consumers Energy
Matthew Papp is a performance solution specialist and instructional designer at Consumers Energy. He has 20 years of experience as a corporate trainer and instructional designer, including seven years as a consultant. Matthew holds degrees from the University of Michigan: a BA in psychology and communication and an MA in adult instruction and performance technology (combined MEd and MBA). He has 20 years of Toastmaster experience and has conducted over 1,000 workshops for professionals and union workers. Matthew has been awarded many times for his workshop facilitation and speaking skills. Some of the tools he uses are Word, PowerPoint, Camtasia, and Captivate.
708 Using Artificial Intelligence to Expand the Realm of Instructional Design
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 10
Artificial intelligence is gradually taking over significant aspects of many people’s lives. From virtual assistants to self-driving cars, from chatbots to the Internet of Things, AI seems to be spreading its wings. The eLearning domain is no exception. In theory, today’s machines can create eLearning content with the help of artificial intelligence. What does this mean for eLearning professionals? If AI will create eLearning courses at the click of a button, what will instructional designers do? Will they be out of jobs? Such a fear is understandable, but this session will explore whether or not it is reasonable.
In this session, you will learn why the fear of artificial intelligence replacing humans in the learning workforce is unwarranted. eLearning professionals deal with content, context, and comprehension. Artificial intelligence can process the first and make some inferences about the second, but the last one remains firmly in the realm of human intelligence. The session will touch upon various examples in this regard. You will also learn why AI is not a threat but an opportunity for instructional designers to take care of more complex, creative, higher-level work that humans alone can do. You will also explore how the new-age organizational learning models could be designed so that AI complements human intelligence to produce the best results.
In this session, you will learn:
- How artificial intelligence is changing the new-age organizational learning experience and design
- How the proliferation of chatbots in the customer service industry did not make humans redundant, but quite the opposite
- How the modern instructional designer’s role has changed with the emergence of artificial intelligence in the learning ecosystem
- Why artificial intelligence is a good bet for facilitating the eLearning process but not for eLearning creation
- How to design a learning model where artificial and human intelligence complement each other and produce better output
Audience:
Managers and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Poonam Jaypuriya
Vice President, eLearning
Harbinger Group
Poonam Jaypuriya is a seasoned eLearning solutions and education technology expert, with over 18 years of experience in eLearning design and development, program management, and product evangelism. She started her career as a programmer and joined the products division of Harbinger Group. She worked on multiple eLearning products, from ideation to product launch. Her responsibilities included everything from product design, engineering, and management to leading product marketing. She heads Harbinger Interactive Learning and is part of the core team managing sales planning, strategy, and learning solution design.
709 Wonder Woman, Wakanda, and Work: Make Your eLearning Representative
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 17
You know that most media—including eLearning—is failing at representation. You see it every day. And not only is it leaving people out of the picture, it’s less effective as a result. Maybe you’ve tried to make your work more inclusive but haven’t been able to find great media, haven’t been able to convince your stakeholders, or simply aren’t confident in navigating how to respectfully represent different genders, ethnicities, orientations, and abilities.
In this session, you’ll explore how to make authentic representation happen in your work and in your organization for more inclusive and effective learning solutions. You’ll find out about methods for crafting authentic representation in your projects and discover sources for media that can enhance that representation even further. You’ll also discuss strategies for getting your team, partners, and/or clients on board with how making authentic representation a priority helps both your audience and the organization as a whole.
In this session, you will learn:
- Simple methods to incorporate better representation in your learning solutions Sources for media that reflect your focus on authentic, diverse, and dignified representation How to increase your own confidence and proficiency in respectfully presenting characters that speak to all learners How to promote the value of authentic representation in your organization
Audience:
Designers, developers, and managers.
Judy Katz
Project Manager
PeBL Pro by Eduworks
Judy Katz makes stuff that helps people learn. Since 1997, she's worked in education and training strategy, design, development, and delivery. She's thrilled to be on the Eduworks team as an instructional designer and product manager for PeBL Pro. Judy has a passion for great design and technology, usability, and social justice. She has a BA in English, an MBA, and an MEd in instructional design for workplace learning.
711 Creating Engaging Virtual Training Using Zoom
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 9
Zoom is one of the newest and fastest-growing virtual classroom platforms on the market today. If you are using it, or thinking of using it, you are not alone! But are you effectively using its tools and features to capture your remote audience’s attention? If you are like most virtual class designers or facilitators, you want your participants to be more involved in their learning and more engaged in the virtual classroom. Zoom provides the tools for interactivity, if you know where to find them and how to use them.
In this session, you will get hands-on experience using Zoom as a virtual classroom platform. You’ll see firsthand how to create an engaging environment for learning. You will gain new ideas and a fresh perspective on using Zoom’s tools and features. In addition, you’ll get ideas for creating interactivity and engagement in your virtual classes. And you’ll participate in several examples of activities that have been successfully transferred from in-person classes to the virtual classroom. You’ll leave with several ready-made activities that you can immediately put to use in your next virtual class.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to open your virtual classes with immediate engagement
- How to recognize Zoom’s tools that can be used for activity
- How to increase participant interaction using Zoom’s tools
- How to apply ready-to-use activities to your own virtual classes
Audience:
Designers and facilitators
Technology discussed in this session:
Zoom
Cindy Huggett
Principal Consultant
Cindy Huggett Consulting
As a leading industry expert and 20+ year pioneer of virtual training, Cindy Huggett, CPTD, has vast experience delivering engaging learning solutions via the virtual and hybrid classroom. She's the author of six acclaimed books on the subject, including The Facilitator's Guide to Immersive, Blended and Hybrid Learning. She is a past member of the ATD global board of directors and was one of the first to earn the Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP now CPTD) credential. She holds a master's degree from the University of Pittsburgh and was a Triangle Business Journal 30- Under-30 Award Winner.
712 You Have Selected an LMS. Now What?
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 1
Once we selected a new LMS, there were still a lot of questions to answer as we went about implementing it. How long does the average implementation take? Did we budget enough for cost? Who needs to be involved? How do we handle historical data and content metadata? Who is held accountable for meeting milestones and for ensuring a successful launch? All these and more were questions we had to think through to ensure a successful implementation. We had one shot at this and couldn't afford to fail.
In this session, you’ll get strategies for how to navigate through the intricate endeavor of switching from one learning management system to another, and learn from our experiences with our own LMS implementation. You’ll find out about some of the most common challenges you can expect, explore best practices to avoid implementation pitfalls, and find out ways to ensure a seamless implementation.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the different phases of an LMS implementation
- Who needs to be involved, and at what stage in the process
- How to avoid implementation pitfalls
- How to identify red flags
Audience:
Designers, managers, senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Technology discussed:
Adobe Prime, Single-Sign-On, ADP HRIS, Skillsoft content library
Margharita Nehme
Learning Experience Specialist
Evident Learning
Margharita Nehme is a Certified Professional in Talent and Development (CPTD) and an accomplished learning design and technology specialist. She holds a Master's of Educational Technology and has over 15 years of experience in providing results-driven and impactful learning programs. Her expertise includes the creation, execution, and evaluation of training programs, message design, and 2D animation, as well as the evaluation, selection, and implementation of enterprise learning ecosystems.
713 Visual Literacy: Making Meaning from Images
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 18
Take a look at these situations: (1) Your client insists on having at least one image per page. They don’t care which images you choose. (2) You realize that the course you are developing is very text-heavy, so you decide to add some images to break it up. (3) You find a really awesome image, so you add it to your next course. Sound familiar? Probably. So ask yourself two questions: “Did I really think about the images before using them?” and “Were any of the images confusing, ambiguous, or irrelevant?” Be honest with yourself. How do you choose the images that will convey meaning for your learners?
Images convey more information and meaning than text alone. But sometimes an image can unintentionally convey the wrong meaning. Or designers assume that everybody will make the same meaning from an image. You need to be intentional about your choices; you must be mindful of how photographs, illustrations, diagrams, infographics, symbols, icons, shapes, colors, etc., create meaning for your learners. You must be visually literate. This session will introduce you to the concept of visual literacy, and how it will make you think differently about how and why you choose images. After leaving this session, you’ll never look at an image the same way again.
In this session, you will learn:
- About visual literacy competency standards
- How elements of art and principles of design convey meaning
- The seven steps for assessing images for meaning and relevance
- Core strategies for developing your own visual literacy skills
Audience:
Designers and developers
Sarah Dewar
Educational Technology Specialist
Michael Garron Hospital
Sarah Dewar is a seasoned instructional designer and developer. She has over 20 years of experience in the realm of adult learning, complemented by 15 years of experience creating innovative eLearning solutions for healthcare professionals. Sarah is currently developing a virtual reality training solution to orient healthcare workers to a new state-of-the-art healthcare centre. She also creates custom animation to engage learners. Sarah shares her knowledge internationally and volunteers her expertise to not-for-profit organizations.
714 BYOD: Awesome Microlearning: Examples and Tips So You Can Do It, Too!
2:30 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 2
Extended BYOD (2 Hours)
Microlearning is really hot right now, but that means there is a sea of different definitions and approaches, and few really good examples of microlearning done well. That makes it incredibly difficult for practitioners to glean best practices so they can design and implement microlearning that is really effective.
In this session, you will explore several examples of microlearning that organizations are using right now to improve performance. Through these examples, you will learn nine tips for designing effective microlearning resources of your own, and you’ll leave with new ideas for incorporating microlearning successfully into your organization. At the end, you will also have an opportunity to apply this to your own work. Using a guided activity, you will identify where microlearning would have the greatest value in your organization and how you can capitalize on the nine tips presented in this session. You will leave this session with ideas for designing microlearning resources that are instructionally sound and ready to rock your organization!
In this session, you will learn:
- Nine best practices for designing microlearning that rocks
- Creative ideas for designing your own microlearning resources
- How to identify where microlearning would have the greatest value in your organization
- How you can capitalize on the nine tips for designing awesome microlearning in your own work
Audience:
Designers and managers
Technology discussed in this session:
Microlearning and gamification
Technology required:
A laptop running Microsoft Word
Sue Iannone
Vice President
Bull City Blue
Sue Iannone, CPLP, is vice president and partner of Bull City Blue, an end-to-end learning agency created to address the needs of training and talent development organizations within the life science industry. Sue has 25 years of learning-leadership experience in the commercial pharmaceutical and biotech space. Having worked for small, medium, and large companies in her career, Sue has led the design and development of numerous learning initiatives—including more than 20 product launches. She has also led multiple performance-consulting initiatives designed to increase the effectiveness of the learning organizations in which she served.
715 BYOD: Mind-Blowing PowerPoint. No, Really!
2:30 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 7
Extended BYOD (2 Hours)
Why are most presentations so bad? Truly terrible? They’re too wordy, text-based, and generally dull. They don’t tell stories that engage, excite, or inspire. And they generally do little to actually help people learn. They are linear and nonresponsive, with no interaction: pretty much everything that you know doesn’t work to convey information effectively. Few people enjoy creating, delivering, or watching PowerPoint presentations, but you can change that.
This session is packed full of techniques to create mind-blowing presentations. Want to know how to create visual slides? Manipulate images? Master animations? Make it interactive? And produce presentations that astound your audience? Then come along for a master class in capturing your audience’s attention and helping them learn. This is a highly practical session where you’ll work on creating half a dozen amazing slides that work effectively, and you’ll look at how to use those skills on many other slides when you’re developing your own presentations. So, don your thinking cap, get ready to critique some dreadful “before” slides, and take part in transforming them into truly mind-blowing presentations that energize your audience and make your next training course the best ever.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to create visual slides using the full range of PowerPoint’s tools to generate your own graphics
- How to use custom highlighting to focus attention and make your point clearly
- How to tell compelling stories using animations, from simple to sophisticated
- How to create interactive visual content to engage your audience, whether in person or online
- How to develop navigable presentations so that you can respond to your audience
Audience:
Designers, developers, and managers
Technology discussed in this session:
Microsoft PowerPoint
Technology required:
Laptop running PowerPoint—ideally PowerPoint 2010 onward, though PowerPoint 2007 will work. Mac versions of PowerPoint will be fine with most techniques, but the layout is somewhat different.
Richard Goring
Director
BrightCarbon
Richard Goring is a director at BrightCarbon, a presentation and eLearning agency. He enjoys helping people create engaging content and communicate effectively using visuals, diagrams, and animated sequences that explain and reinforce the key points.
F04 Designing for All: A Panel About Inclusive, Accessible Design
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 5/6
Discussions and understanding about inclusion and accessibility can vary by organization. These discussions should be about more than just doing the bare minimum for compliance. L&D leaders should be talking about the difference they can make by ensuring everyone has an equal opportunity to learn from what they produce.
In this session, you’ll hear from panelists in instructional design and eLearning who will share stories of what they’ve learned and how they’ve overcome challenges to make their design process more inclusive. You’ll learn how to start the conversation with stakeholders, create new design standards, use tools to build and review better content, and teach others about inclusive, accessible solutions.
In this session, you will learn:
- About inclusive and universal design standards
- About tools for testing accessibility
- Methods for getting buy-in from stakeholders
- About tools to capture feedback and conduct user research
- Techniques for building empathy
Audience:
Designers, developers, managers, senior leaders (Directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Technology discussed in this session:
Web standards, Articulate Storyline and Rise, Adobe Captivate, Trivantis Lectora, Adapt, and xAPI
Jean Marrapodi
VP/Senior Instructional Designer
UMB Bank
Jean Marrapodi, Ph.D., CPTD, has designed and developed eLearning for over 20 years in various industries and higher education. Named a Guild Master in 2016 by the eLearning Guild, she is considered an industry thought leader. Over the last 10 years, Marrapodi has presented more than 75 workshops and webinars for industry organizations and has taught over 40 graduate and undergraduate courses at New England College of Business, where she served as director of eLearning. Her expertise lies in her ability to make the complex simple, and pinpoint client needs to drive to business outcomes. She is a soup-to-nuts eLearning designer, able to single-handedly build a project from idea to rollout and work in a specific role on a project team. She is the chief learning architect at Applestar Productions, providing targeted eLearning and custom workshops for her clients.
Jane Bozarth
Director of Research
The Learning Guild
Jane Bozarth, the director of research for the Learning Guild, is a veteran classroom trainer who transitioned to eLearning in the late 1990s and has never looked back. In her previous job as leader of the State of North Carolina's award-winning eLearning program, Jane specialized in finding low-cost ways of providing online training solutions. She is the author of several books, including eLearning Solutions on a Shoestring, Social Media for Trainers, and Show Your Work: The Payoffs and How-To's of Working Out Loud. Jane holds a doctorate in training and development and was awarded the Guild Master Award in 2013 for her accomplishments and contributions to the eLearning community.
Nick Floro
Learning Architect/Imagineer
Sealworks Interactive Studios
Nick Floro, a co-founder and learning architect at Sealworks Interactive Studios, has over 25 years of experience developing learning solutions, applications, and web platforms. Nick is passionate about how design and technology can enhance learning and loves to share his knowledge and experience to teach, inspire, and motivate. As a learning architect, Nick gets to sketch, imagine, and prototype for each challenge. He has worked with start-ups to Fortune 500 companies to help them understand the technology and develop innovative solutions to support their audiences. Nick has won numerous awards from Apple and organizations for productions and services.
Brian Dusablon
Founder
Learning Ninjas
Brian Dusablon, the founder of Learning Ninjas, is an entrepreneur, coach, and generalist who has worked in the eLearning industry for over 20 years as a trainer, developer, instructional designer, LMS administrator, project manager, and consultant. At Learning Ninjas, Brian leads a collaborative consultancy focused on creating and teaching about accessible and effective learning solutions and technologies. Working with organizations and individuals, he applies existing and emerging technologies to simplify processes, improve performance, and measure outcomes. Brian frequently speaks on a range of topics, including accessibility, user experience, innovative technologies, and entrepreneurship.
801 An ID’s Approach to Accessibility: Lessons Learned
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 17
While many instructional designers strive to create content that is effective for all learners, in reality, their designs often don’t accommodate students with abilities that are different from their own. One way you can ensure that your learning content facilitates learning among all learners is by designing to ADA compliance standards. Not only will doing so result in quality learning for everyone, it will also satisfy a legal requirement to which higher education institutions are beholden.
Although you may not be an ADA compliance expert, all designers have a responsibility to develop inclusive curriculum. There is value in identifying ADA compliance issues early in the curriculum development process. Doing so gives you time to consider alternatives that are ADA compliant, or provides time to correct compliance issues. Learn how one team created guides and a checklist to help focus their compliance checks. They set out to identify reliable resources they could reference when digging deeper into a compliance issue or solution. They built compliance checks into their quality assurance checks ahead of final content delivery to customers. Finally, they built additional time, cost, and training into their projects so they could do the work correctly.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to quickly assess ADA compliance in content
- What to do if you find content you want to use that is not ADA compliant
- How to avoid overlooking ADA compliance issues
- How ADA compliance checks fit into a fine-tuned development process
- How much time compliance checks add to the process
Audience:
Designers, developers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Technology discussed in this session:
The session will review non-compliant assets available directly on websites. Participants with laptops can use them for compliance check activities.
Justin Tumelaire
Education Technology Supervisor
Cengage Learning
Justin Tumelaire is an educational technologist supervisor at Cengage Learning. He has worked in various roles within higher education for nearly 10 years. His experience includes training, instructional design, and project management. Justin has master’s degrees in adult education and training as well as business administration, and he has experience in both online and traditional learning modalities.
Ben Saxon
Supervisor of Instructional Design
Cengage Learning
Ben Saxon is a supervisor of instructional design at Cengage Learning. Before joining Cengage in June 2009, he worked for nine years as a multimedia developer and instructional designer at an online university. His experience includes multimedia design; content development for online, on-ground, and hybrid/blended environments; and curriculum design.
802 Prototyping: Turning Ideas into Reality
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 14
As more and more projects are built to accommodate multiple devices, the need to prototype grows. Whether you are creating a new project, developing an app, or simply launching a new responsive course, prototyping can help you better understand what’s working and what needs to be changed.
In this session, you will explore the latest strategies in prototyping. You will learn about specific tools, techniques, and workflows that will help you kick off any project the right way. You will discuss how to communicate a concept, beginning with low-fidelity prototypes, then gather user feedback and translate this into high-fidelity prototypes before you start development. You will leave this session with tools to turn your concepts into reality!
In this session, you will learn:
- How to get started with Adobe After Effects
- About tools and techniques for applying prototyping to your process
- Techniques for paper-, web-, and app-based prototyping
- How to collect feedback, review, and prioritize next steps
- About dozens of resources and tools to get started
Audience:
Designers, developers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Technology discussed in this session:
Microsoft PowerPoint, Marvel app, InVision app, and Proto.io
Nick Floro
Learning Architect/Imagineer
Sealworks Interactive Studios
Nick Floro, a co-founder and learning architect at Sealworks Interactive Studios, has over 25 years of experience developing learning solutions, applications, and web platforms. Nick is passionate about how design and technology can enhance learning and loves to share his knowledge and experience to teach, inspire, and motivate. As a learning architect, Nick gets to sketch, imagine, and prototype for each challenge. He has worked with start-ups to Fortune 500 companies to help them understand the technology and develop innovative solutions to support their audiences. Nick has won numerous awards from Apple and organizations for productions and services.
803 1 Size Doesn’t Fit All: Personalizing Content to Your Learners
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 4
Often, organizations deliver the same eLearning course to all their employees. This means each learner gets the same course with the same content no matter what they already know or what they have already done. This creates a one-size-fits-all approach without considering learners’ previous experiences.
This session will cover various ways you can move away from this one-size-fits-all approach with tools you may already be using, and you’ll learn about tools you can start using to create a customized personal experience for your learners. You will learn how you can track learner behavior and then use what you learn to adjust and adapt future content so you can get the right content to the right person at the right time. This is not some futuristic vision; you can start using these techniques today, and you will leave this session knowing how you can start personalizing learning.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to personalize content within a single course
- How you can track specific learner behavior with xAPI
- How you can use that tracking to customize and adapt course content
- How to prep your media to adjust and adapt to meet the learners’ needs
Audience:
Designers, developers, and managers
Technology discussed in this session:
Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, and xAPI
Jeff Batt
Founder
Learning Dojo
Jeff Batt has 15+ years of experience in the digital learning and media industry. Currently, Jeff Batt is a Learning Experience Designer for Amazon. He is the founder and trainer at Learning Dojo, a company dedicated to training you to become a software ninja in various eLearning, web, and mobile-related software applications. He was also the program manager of DevLearn for The Learning Guild. Jeff often speaks on developmental technologies such as xAPI, HTML5, augmented reality, mobile development, eLearning development tools, and more.
804 Mastering a Global Learning Ecosystem
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 9
Designing a learning ecosystem can be daunting. Selecting the right technologies for your business is crucial for long-term success. Attend this session to learn how various technologies, strategies, and partnerships work together to form a comprehensive learning ecosystem. Hear how a global company, Yum! Brands, utilizes an LMS, LCMS, CMS, LRS, and various other tools (including AI) to provide training to over 850,000 learners in 135 countries with 41 different languages. This session will describe the struggles related to system constraints, cultural differences, business strategy, and the constant battle of keeping up with emerging technologies. Discover tips and tricks for creating a comprehensive learning ecosystem!
During this session, you will expand your knowledge of a global learning ecosystem and learn best practices related to conducting technology pilots and implementations. You will deepen your understanding of strategic planning discussions and how best practices were shared. Finally, you’ll learn how three separate businesses (KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell) worked together to solve issues, plan strategy, and pilot new technologies.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to structure a global LMS
- Strategic planning best practices
- How to engage with vendors, stakeholders, and conduct pilots on new technologies
- How teams from different cultural backgrounds can work together for a common goal
- How learning takes place in the food service industry
Audience:
Designers, managers, senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.), system administrators, and IT
Dana Collins
Associate Manager, Learning and Hiring Systems
Yum! Brands
Dana Collins is an associate manager of learning and hiring systems at Yum! Brands. Dana has held many roles in the L&D field, including facilitator, instructional designer, and learning and hiring systems technologist. Dana earned a bachelor’s degree in information technology in 2016. At Yum! Brands, she manages and supports a team dedicated to supporting 45,000 global restaurants for KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell. Their LMS provides training for over 850,000 active users with an expansive ecosystem containing LMS, CMS/LCMS, AI, assessment tools, video platforms, and virtual classroom applications. Dana also oversees the training and support for over 100 global training administrators.
805 Case Study: Designing an Integrated Learning Strategy
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 13
The stakes were high, and the learning challenge was tough. A major hospital system was building a new hospital. Nurses, physicians, and hospital staff had to prepare to work effectively, confidently, and safely to provide an excellent patient experience on day one. They had to navigate new spaces; implement new workflows and policies; use new equipment, a new electronic medical records system, and a new communications system; and employ new safety and security procedures. How do you enable busy employees to learn a large and complex set of critical skills in a limited time?
In this case study session, you’ll see how the hospital used an integrated, multifaceted learning strategy to make the move a success. The key was to design and build a systematic set of learning experiences using technology appropriately, guided by sound learning science principles. You’ll learn how to create role-based learning paths that employ eLearning, video, hands-on labs and workshops, online and live simulations, mobile learning and performance support, and fun reinforcement activities. These are based on learning experience design principles including design thinking, active learning, spaced practice, scenarios, and on-demand content. Finally, you’ll see how to implement an iterative, collaborative design and development process that involves internal L&D professionals, hospital leaders and staff, SME-developed content, and external consultants.
In this session, you will learn:
- Learning science–based design strategies for learning multiple complex skills
- How to build integrated learning paths
- How to adapt your organization’s learning technologies to support complex learning
- How to apply learning experience design principles and processes to create effective and engaging learning
- How to make it easy for SMEs to develop learning activities
Audience:
Designers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Technology discussed in this session:
Learning management systems, Articulate Storyline, Microsoft SharePoint, and video
Marty Rosenheck
Chief Learning Strategist
Cognitive Advisors
Marty Rosenheck, PhD, CEO and chief learning strategist at Cognitive Advisors, provides talent development, learning experience design, and learning technology ecosystem consulting. He is a thought leader and sought-after consultant, speaker, and writer on the application of cognitive science research to learning and performance. Marty has over 30 years of experience. He has created award-winning learning experiences, designed learning ecosystems, developed cognitive apprenticeship programs, built performance support systems, conducted needs assessments, specified learning paths, constructed virtual learning environments, and developed formal, informal, and social learning strategies for dozens of nonprofit and for-profit organizations.
806 From ILT to eLearning: Drastically Scale Your Training Delivery and Survive!
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 10
Your company is growing, and you need to scale your training delivery but with a similar cost structure. This was the issue facing Tricentis. They increased their annual training completions from 58 in 2008 to over 18,000 in the first six months of 2018. A traditional instructor-led training model could no longer support this growth. They needed a new eLearning- and technology-led approach.
This case study session will take you through Tricentis’ journey, allowing you to learn from their successes and failures and see plans for the future. Experience how they created engaging online certified courses leveraging new technology. See how a stepped implementation plan is key, and how choosing technology carefully and with an eye for the future can prevent long-term pain. Finally, you will learn how process automation enabled the team to cope with the additional administrative burden, allowing focus to remain on development.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to implement a successful and cost-effective growth strategy for eLearning
- What to look for in the technology to support you in the growth of your training
- How process automation can save you time and money, enabling you to spend the time on course development
- How to survive in a period of hyper-growth
Audience:
Designers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Technology discussed in this session:
ServiceNow LMS, Articulate Storyline, Jira, and Microsoft Office Suite
Antony Leeming
Training Project Manager
Tricentis
Antony Leeming is a training project manager with Tricentis, responsible for training implementation and design worldwide. Tony has been with Tricentis for two years, creating and delivering training all over Europe. He has over 15 years’ experience in the training and adult education sector—training people in everything from financial services to scuba diving.
Jordan Grantham
Tricentis Academy Team Leader
Tricentis
Jordan Grantham is team leader at Tricentis Academy, overseeing the completion of thousands of courses worldwide every year. Jordan has experience in language teaching and technical training, as well as project management and team leadership in the startup sector.
807 Show Me What You Got: Simulation as Assessment
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 11
You’re an instructional designer who cares about the efficacy of your course—in other words, you want to make sure your users are actually learning something. You start writing some multiple-choice questions and throw in some true/false questions for good measure. This is just what you do for educational assessment, right? Stop here for a second. Do you understand why you’re doing that? Are you interested in some alternative methods for assessing your learners?
This session will introduce you to the fundamental concepts of educational assessment. You will explore alternative methods of educational assessment in the form of simulations. Additionally, you will learn how different fields are turning to simulation-based assessments, and you’ll learn about some tools used to develop them in the eLearning community. Finally, you will see a live example of a simulation-based assessment developed in Storyline.
In this session, you will learn:
- Fundamental concepts in educational assessment
- Why simulations work as assessments
- How different fields are using simulation-based assessments
- How scoring methods work in simulation-based assessments
Audience:
Designers and developers
Technology discussed in this session:
xAPI, iSpring, BranchTrack, and Storyline.
Jenny Saucerman
Online Learning Instructional Design Manager
Credit Union National Association
Jenny Saucerman is an online learning instructional design manager for Credit Union National Association. She joined CUNA in May 2018. Jenny has over 10 years of experience in the eLearning space, with a focus on simulation and game-based learning, assessment, and learning analytics. She holds a master's degree in educational psychology from the University of Wisconsin- Madison.
808 Extraordinary Video with Ordinary Equipment and Award-Winning Results
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 1
Most people carry around a video camera every day—it just happens to also be a smartphone. If you think video taken on a smartphone won’t be professional enough for your eLearning courses, think again. This session will share essential tools—including apps, a gimbal, lights, and microphones—that can help you produce high-quality video without breaking the bank. In case you’re not convinced, you’ll see how this setup was used to produce video for a Storyline course that was voted Best Immersive/Simulation Solution at the Learning Solutions 2018 DemoFest.
Legitimate movies have been filmed on a smartphone, and you can do it too! Whether you’re creating talking-head video or something a little more cinematic, this session will teach you about the apps, equipment, tips, and tricks you can use to produce professional-quality video without a Hollywood budget. You’ll explore the logistical considerations that can make or break your video production, where to find professional actors who can get the job done, how to plan and budget for a video shoot, and what it takes to execute. Finally, you’ll see examples of these videos in action.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to build a tool kit you can use to produce professional-quality smartphone video
- How to budget for a custom video shoot, and where to focus your spending
- How to record video successfully using an iPhone, gimbal, external microphone, and a few other pieces of equipment
- About production techniques and post-production tools that can make the process more efficient
- About a specific case study where these video techniques were used to produce an award-winning eLearning course
Audience:
Designers, developers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Technology discussed in this session:
iOS (iPhone, iPad), FiLMiC Pro/Remote, DJI Osmo Mobile gimbal, Shure MV88 microphone, Zoom H6 recorder, and Adobe Creative Suite (Prelude, Audition, Premiere Pro, After Effects)
Cherie Simmons
Storyboard Project Manager
Artisan E-Learning
Cherie Simmons is a storyboard project manager at Artisan E-Learning with over 25 years of experience in training, strategic planning, coaching, and curriculum development. Organizations have turned to her to build full curriculums and facilitate tailored workshops. Cherie has designed and led entire school districts and companies through high-level strategic planning. While each strategic process is unique, she crafts them all to deliver creative approaches, strong ownership, realistic plans, and effective outcomes. Her approach to instructional design and writing eLearning content is no different. Cherie recently joined Artisan E-Learning, where she oversees the writing and direction of storyboards developed for clients.
Amy Morrisey
President
Artisan E-Learning
Amy Morrisey, president of Artisan E-Learning, has spent her career in learning and development. Before working with Artisan, Amy spent 17 years in corporate training as a classroom trainer and executive coach teaching sales training and coaching international teams to deliver persuasive business case presentations. Amy has helped Artisan define its culture, drive business goals with real data, and realize operational efficiencies to double production capacity. While the day-to-day operation of the company takes most of her time, her passion for giving learners solid training with actionable results means that she's usually elbow-deep in a project or two as well.
809 Performance Support: Enabling Productivity at Point-of-Work
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 18
Training alone cannot drive performance, only contribute to it; that’s the root of the problem. L&D already excels within long-held training paradigms to deliver effective knowledge transfer—it’s not wrong, it’s just not enough! The business needs workforce productivity, meaning consistent performance at Point-of-Work, where performance represents the productivity end of a learning-performance continuum. In the current training paradigm, Point-of-Work is out of scope. Traditional training needs assessments cannot inform “intentional design” frameworks like the Five Moments of Need or even 70:20:10, both of which enable convergence of learning with work. Point-of-Work and moments of need are also out of scope for existing LMS technology. Both the conversation and tactics must change, because stakeholders have a blind spot—they expect one thing, training, and it’s not enough.
In this session, you will learn: cross-industry tactics and methods to identify and apply; which conversations need to change, and a proven tactic to succeed; a methodology to build seamless continuity across a learning-performance continuum from Point-of-Entry to Point-of-Work; Point-of-Work assessment tactics to capture performance attributes across the learning performance ecosystem; and technology implications critical to adopting a Point-of-Work solution discipline.
In this session, you will learn:
- An effective technique to change the conversation to performance
- About core Point-of-Work performance attributes found in any ecosystem
- About the components of a Point-of-Work assessment methodology
- A strategy for integrating agile intentional design methods into frameworks like the Five Moments of Need
- About the technology implications of integrating performance support
Audience:
Designers, developers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Gary Wise
Founder/Principal Strategist
Human Performance Outfitters
Gary Wise, the founder and principal strategist at Human Performance Outfitters, is a workforce performance strategist and coach with performance consulting fueling his foundational discipline and perspectives. He is a 30- plus-year veteran of corporate L&D gigs and is now a Point-of-Work consultant and coach. Gary’s experience includes several performance support system integrations. He speaks at many local and national events, is a longtime blogger, and advocates for changing things mired in outdated paradigms. He recommends disruptive solutions that normally accompany shifting paradigms.
810 Trends: What the Research Says About Learning Styles, Evaluating Learning, and eLearning on a Budget
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 3
The eLearning Guild’s director of research, Jane Bozarth, along with contributors to recent research, reviews the Guild’s recent reports on learning styles, evaluating learning, and creating eLearning with limited resources. We’ll look at what’s happening—or not happening—industry-wide, with an emphasis on what works; such as what factors support success, how to counter myths and misperceptions, and what content lends itself best to particular approaches.
This review of research is designed to familiarize you with what’s happening in the field and to help you find ways to be successful with approaches you’re considering, or that you’re already using and would like to enhance. You’ll leave with practical, evidence-based advice to help you engage in conversations and apply new ideas back at work.
In this session, you will learn:
- What practical insights you can gain from current research into learning styles, evaluating learning, and creating eLearning on a budget
- State-of-the-industry practices in these areas
- Benefits and barriers facing practitioners
- Solutions to common challenges
Audience:
Designers, developers, and managers
Will Thalheimer
Founder
Work-Learning Research
Will Thalheimer, PhD, MBA, is a world-renowned speaker, writer, researcher, and consultant focused on research-based best practices for learning design, learning evaluation, and presentation design. Will wrote the award-winning book Performance-Focused Learner Surveys (second edition); created LTEM, the Learning-Transfer Evaluation Model, the Presentation Science Workshop, and co-created the eLearning Manifesto. Will has the honor of being a Learning Guild Master.
Jane Bozarth
Director of Research
The Learning Guild
Jane Bozarth, the director of research for the Learning Guild, is a veteran classroom trainer who transitioned to eLearning in the late 1990s and has never looked back. In her previous job as leader of the State of North Carolina's award-winning eLearning program, Jane specialized in finding low-cost ways of providing online training solutions. She is the author of several books, including eLearning Solutions on a Shoestring, Social Media for Trainers, and Show Your Work: The Payoffs and How-To's of Working Out Loud. Jane holds a doctorate in training and development and was awarded the Guild Master Award in 2013 for her accomplishments and contributions to the eLearning community.
Tracy Parish
Education Technology Specialist
Parish Creative Solutions
Tracy Parish is an accomplished instructional designer, eLearning developer, and consultant based in the Greater Toronto area. With a unique blend of skills in computer programming, adult education, and eLearning design/development, she has built a successful career in instructional design. With over 18 years of experience in instructional design, development, LMS implementation and administration, Tracy is a respected figure in her field. She is a speaker, active Articulate Community Hero, co-host of the Toronto Storyline User Group and webcast Nerdy Shop Talk, the marketing director for the Canadian eLearning Conference, and moderator of the monthly Twitter event #lrnchat.
811 Instructional Design Meets Process Improvement
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 15
Designers experience waste during the development of blended learning curricula. Multiple meetings, storyboards, learner personas, and prototypes create a framework for the finalized product; however, failure to eliminate process redundancies (waste) will produce no standard products. What if there were a methodology that could streamline and standardize instructional development among designers, learners, and customers?
In this session, you will learn about the Lean methodology to help standardize instructional design practices in your organization. You’ll create a process map that lays out a current instructional design process to identify waste in the process, and you’ll engage with Lean tools that help identify and eliminate waste in processes.
In this session, you will learn:
- Why using process improvement (Lean methodologies) can increase learner productivity
- How to implement process improvement (Lean) methods
- About process improvement tools
- About the benefits for learners, designers, and customers of implementing process improvement tools in instructional design
Audience:
Designers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Technology discussed in this session:
Microsoft Power BI, Articulate 360, and Microsoft PowerPoint
Faustino Payan
Sr. Communications, Content, and Policy Specialist
City and County of Denver
Faustino Payan is a senior communications, content, and policy specialist with the city and county of Denver. He has over 10 years’ experience conducting process improvement, adult facilitation, eLearning development, and policy analysis. He has been recognized for his process improvement and eLearning contributions to the city and county of Denver. He is also a photographer and graphic designer. Faustino holds a bachelor of arts in organizational and corporate communications from the University of Texas–El Paso, and he is pursuing a graduate degree at the University of Colorado–Denver in information and learning technologies with emphasis in instructional design and adult learning.
Eric Elmore
Executive Director
Wayne’s Leadership College
Eric Elmore is the executive director of Wayne’s Leadership College for Early Childhood Teachers. He serves as an early childhood special education teacher with Aurora Public Schools. In addition, he has over eight years of experience working in early childhood education as a teacher, curriculum developer, public speaker, staff developer, coach, management specialist, and community leader. Eric holds a master’s degree from the University of Colorado–Denver in early childhood education and is pursuing a doctorate of education in leadership for education equity.
812 Using Chatbots to Engage, Support, and Inform Your Learning Audience
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 16
You can’t be available to provide coaching and feedback 24/7, but an intelligent chatbot can! All over the world, people are using artificial intelligence to manage their bank accounts, book travel, and find great products, so why not use this same technology to help people learn new skills and advance their careers? You might have already considered using artificial intelligence to bring the “wow factor” to your next project, but it can sound like a complicated and expensive endeavor—especially for your first time.
In this session, you’ll develop ideas for realistic, engaging, two-way conversations in your next learning program. You’ll review examples of chatbots that introduce a course and deliver prework, give embedded performance feedback during the course, and share personalized tips after the course. You’ll discover programming tools to get started without specialized skills or equipment. You’ll recognize how easy it is to integrate a chatbot with what you’re already using: Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, Trivantis Lectora, even Microsoft PowerPoint. You’ll save money with a list of free or very low-cost sources for the tools and training you need to build your first bot. You’ll gain a checklist to avoid common beginner mistakes and ensure that your new AI is chatting away as soon as possible.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to identify at least three ways to incorporate a chatbot into your next learning project using the tools you have today
- Where to locate the training, software, and tools to help you implement a smart chatbot easily and affordably
- How to avoid common pitfalls experienced by new developers, so you can get your chatbot talking with your customers and learning audience as soon as possible
- Why artificial intelligence has a place in the near future of learning
Audience:
Designers, developers, managers, senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.), and consultants
Technology discussed in this session:
Platforms for building chatbots, including SnatchBot, ChattyPeople, IBM Watson, and Botsify
Joe Ganci
President
eLearning Joe
Joe Ganci is the owner and president of eLearning Joe, a custom learning company. Since 1983, he has been involved in every aspect of multimedia and learning development. Joe holds a computer science degree, writes books and articles about eLearning, and is widely considered an eLearning development guru. He consults worldwide and also teaches at conferences and client sites. Joe writes tool reviews and has received several awards for his work in eLearning, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999 and an eLearning Guild Master Award in 2013. His mission is to improve the quality of eLearning with practical approaches that work.
Margie Meacham
Chief Freedom Officer
Learningtogo.info
Margie Meacham is a leading expert in the application of neuroscience and machine learning to enhance knowledge management, learning, and performance. She teaches education, training, and leadership development professionals how to apply the latest discoveries in cognitive neuroscience, educational psychology, and artificial intelligence. Her first book, Brain Matters: How to help anyone learn anything using neuroscience, is a practical review of current research placed into practice. Her second book, AI in Talent Development: Capitalize on the AI Revolution to Transform the Way You Work, Learn, and Live, is a call to action for educators to embrace AI applications to accelerate learning. She has been recognized by the World Training Congress as a Top 100 Most Innovative learning professional and her blog is recognized as one of the Top 100 related to neuroscience.
F05 Panel: Microlearning at Work
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 27
Salon 5
Microlearning has infiltrated L&D. It’s been fascinating to listen to the tactics, strategies, and debates about what it is and what it isn’t, as well as why it’s important or whether it is even anything new. Beyond the hyperbole, L&D practitioners are employing microlearning initiatives but what results are they seeing?
In this panel experts will examine what makes microlearning work in organizations at the micro and macro level. They will also discuss the role of L&D in this space, and the skills needed to create small, effective content to meet the needs of today’s learners.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to define what microlearning is and isn’t, and whether it matters
- How to discuss microlearning with your team and stakeholders
- Strategies for determining if microlearning is the right approach
- Where microlearning fits into a broader organizational learning strategy
- How to introduce microlearning into your organization
Audience:
Designers, Developers, Managers
Technology discussed in this session:
None
Mark Britz
Director of Event Programming
Learning Guild
Mark Britz is the director of event programming at The Learning Guild. Previously he worked for more than 15 years designing and managing learning solutions with organizations such as Smartforce, Pearson Digital Learning, the SUNY Research Foundation, Aspen Dental Management, and Systems Made Simple. Mark is also an organizational social designer, helping businesses achieve the benefits of becoming more connected and collaborative to improve learning and engagement. Mark is the author of Social By Design: How to create and scale a collaborative company, and regularly presents and writes about the use of social media for learning, collaborative networks, and organizational design.
JD Dillon
Chief Learning Architect
Axonify
JD Dillon became a learning and enablement expert over two decades working in operations and talent development with dynamic organizations including Disney, Kaplan, and AMC. A respected author and speaker in the workplace learning community, JD continues to apply his passion for helping people around the world do their best work every day in his role as Axonify's chief learning architect. JD is also the founder of LearnGeek, a workplace learning insights and advisory group.
Summer Salomonsen
Head of Cornerstone Studios
Cornerstone
As head of Cornerstone Studios, Summer Salomonsen is leading Cornerstone's transition into original content creation, overseeing the design and development of Cornerstone's learning content brands. Previously, as chief learning officer of Grovo, she architected the company's content strategy, leading her team to build the world’s only adaptive, responsive, and continuously growing microlearning library. While a principal consultant at Intrepid Learning, Summer won Gold in Brandon Hall’s 2017 Emerging Star Award category for her work crafting dozens of high-impact learning experiences for leading global brands. Summer holds an EdD in organizational change and leadership from USC and is based in Colorado.
Alicia Zelek
Early Engagement Manager
Capital One
Alicia Zelek is manager of Capital One’s Early Engagement initiatives, including CODA (Capital One Developer Academy) and recruiting events focused on attracting talented candidates to Capital One early on in their academic careers. For two years she served as program manager for the inaugural CODA program, a six- month software engineering training that prepares non-computer science majors for professional roles as software engineers. She built and launched the program, working with learning and design experts to integrate soft skills training into the coding curriculum. Alicia earned her BA in psychology and Spanish from Duke University, and her MA in policy and organizational studies from Stanford University.