MB22 How to Write a Winning Conference Speaking Proposal
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Thursday, March 28
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.
The Program Team
The Learning Guild
The Learning Guild Program team is dedicated to creating programs that encompass everything learning professionals need. Our staff comes from diverse backgrounds in learning and development, and bring unique perspectives to the programs and content we create.
MB23 Getting Started with Learning Measurement
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Thursday, March 28
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.
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.
MB24 Mapping Your Career Beyond Your Current Job
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Thursday, March 28
Salon 14
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.
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.
MB25 Designing for Learner Experience
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Thursday, March 28
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 Daniel
Founder + Principal
The Learner Collective
Matthew Daniel is founder and principal at the Learner Collective. He is a learning technologist and learner experience advocate with nearly 15 years’ experience across L&D in verticals ranging from technology and finance to pharma and healthcare—including eight Fortune 100s, among them Nike, Microsoft, Capital One, and Cigna. He helps organizations design experiences learners love through solid ID, also leveraging the tools of a tech startup like UX, design thinking, agile development methodologies, and the product mindset. Matthew has been recognized by local ATD chapters for his contributions to the profession, and by Training magazine as a “Young Trainer to Watch.”
MB26 Point of Work Learning Solutions
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Thursday, March 28
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.
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.
MB27 Design Thinking: What Works
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Thursday, March 28
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.
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.
MB28 Evolving Leadership Training
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Thursday, March 28
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.
Marco Madrazo
Head of Learning Experience Design
Holiday Inn Club Vacations
Marco Madrazo is the head of learning experience design at Holiday Inn Club Vacations. In this role, he has been a key partner in the creation of innovative talent development initiatives, including the newly formed EXPANSIONS Leadership Development Series. Prior to joining HCV, Marco was the program manager for US retail training at Microsoft. In this role, he supported the launch of flagship products such as Office 365 and Xbox One. Throughout his 16-year career in learning and development, Marco has crafted numerous award-winning programs that have increased competence, confidence, and advocacy.
MB29 Personalization in Learning
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Thursday, March 28
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.
Lynne McNamee
President
Lone Armadillo Learning
Lynne McNamee is the president of Lone Armadillo Learning. She has managed marketing campaigns for companies such as Avis, HP, and Bank of America, and recently was the marketing director for Bluewater, consultants for learning, talent, and human capital management. Lone Armadillo Marketing Agency, which Lynne founded in 2008, specializes in strategy, plans, processes, and tactical execution of multi- and omni- channel marketing programs for B2B entrepreneurial companies. She has been a HubSpot partner since 2011. She was cited by The New York Times for innovations in marketing.
MB30 Using AR in the Workplace
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Thursday, March 28
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.
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.
901 Writing an eLearning RFP That Generates Accurate Quotes
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Thursday, March 28
Salon 10
To hire a vendor to assist with an eLearning project, your organization may require you to issue an RFP (request for proposals) and obtain multiple quotes. When you get the quotes back, they may vary significantly. How do you know which one to choose? But the better question starts at the beginning of the process: How do you obtain accurate, apples-to-apples quotes from quality eLearning vendors? To receive good quotes, you need to issue an RFP that provides appropriate and clear information for the vendor to accurately price and schedule your project. Once you have accurate quotes, then you can decide which vendor is best for the project using a criteria-based, methodical approach.
In this session, you’ll look at strategies for writing an RFP that gives you the information you need to best determine which quote is right for your organization. You’ll examine eLearning pricing philosophies and pricing methodologies, and the information required in the RFP to calculate prices and timelines. You’ll also: look at sample RFPs that will generate apples-to-apples quotes and those that will generate vastly different quotes; review an eLearning RFP template and learn guidelines for using it; and share decision-making criteria and methodologies you can use in this process.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to describe and discuss eLearning project pricing methodologies
- What information is required to calculate prices and timelines
- How to write an eLearning RFP that generates apples-to-apples quotes
- A methodical, criteria-based approach to choose the best vendor for the project
Audience:
Designers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Jennifer De Vries
President
BlueStreak Learning
Jennifer De Vries is the president and chief solutions architect at BlueStreak Learning. Jennifer, a CPT, has over 25 years of experience managing eLearning programs for companies such as IBM and Motorola. She frequently writes about eLearning for industry journals and is best known for her groundbreaking report, Rapid E-Learning, published by Bersin & Associates. In 2010, Jennifer was named one of the 20 most influential people in online learning by Online University Rankings. In 2016, she was named Most Influential Woman in eLearning by Corporate America News. BlueStreak Learning focuses on helping organizations successfully start and grow high-quality, customer-focused eLearning programs.
902 Starting Off Strong: Planning for Successful ID Projects
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Thursday, March 28
Salon 13
It can be challenging for an instructional designer to manage scope creep and have difficult conversations throughout the course of the project, however you can minimize the likelihood of those things happening with the right tools in your toolbox, and a friendly, approachable attitude.
Discover planning tools and techniques that can help your project experience go smoothly from start to finish. You’ll learn how to lay the foundation for a positive and collaborative relationship with your SME by holding a kickoff meeting that sets realistic expectations. You’ll then look at how to use Google Docs and RealTimeBoard for your ID projects to determine timelines for milestones, and visually plan the course at a high level. You’ll leave with concrete tips and tools you can use right away to confidently approach the planning process, and set the tone for a collaborative, successful project.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to start a project off strong with a productive kickoff meeting
- How to lay the foundation for a positive and collaborative relationship with your SME
- How to use RealTimeBoard as a visual planning tool to make sure everyone understands the scope
- How to use Google Docs as a project planning tool
Audience:
Designers, developers
Technology discussed in this session:
Google Docs, RealTimeBoard
Heather Bolden
Teaching & Learning Designer
Case Western Reserve University
Heather Bolden is a teaching and learning designer at Case Western Reserve University. She enjoys brainstorming and problem-solving with faculty to come up with new ideas and solutions for engaging students in online and in-person courses, in a variety of formats. She helps faculty discover how online learning can work for them and their students by focusing on pedagogically enhancing their courses and figuring out the appropriate role technology can play.
903 Putting Learners in Control with Flexible Learning Experiences
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Thursday, March 28
Salon 11
With so many tools at their disposal, how do L&D professionals create effective learning ecosystems that meet the diverse needs of their learners? The key is focusing on relevancy, choice, and motivation. By listening closely to your learners about what, when, and how they want to learn, grow, and develop, you can deliver personalized experiences that help them fit professional development into their busy day. Learner-driven experiences offer the ideal mix of microlearning and macrolearning, from short how-to videos to in-depth learning paths. Done right, they will inspire your learners to build new skills and knowledge, put what they’ve learned into practice, and reflect on what went well and what could have gone better.
This session will share one team’s recent experience developing a new learning resource that puts learners in control of where and how they acquire knowledge and skills. You’ll discover a process for understanding learners’ needs and motivations, making design decisions, and adjusting the design based on learners’ reactions. You’ll learn how to include your learners in the design of learning experiences that focus on the capabilities that are most important to them. This session will help you design flexible solutions that consistently encourage and engage learners by integrating five key elements of a successful learner-driven approach. You’ll leave understanding how to prioritize the capabilities of an effective learning environment that resonates with all types of learners.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to design using a learner-driven approach that meets the needs of today’s learners
- Design tips using the five key elements of a successful learner-driven approach
- How to mix content types for maximum effect, from short-burst videos to in-depth learning paths
- How to provide the setting and guidance for your employees to make learning a habit
Audience:
Designers and managers
Technology discussed in this session:
Mobile devices, performance support applications, and Harvard ManageMentor
Diane Belcher
Senior Director, Product Management
Harvard Business Publishing
Diane Belcher is a senior director of product management at Harvard Business Publishing. She is responsible for strategy, business performance, category management, and market awareness across all of the Corporate Learning product lines. Prior to joining the Harvard Business Publishing team, Diane worked for Fidelity Investments, where she held various roles in human resources and led the customer experience strategy for the workplace investing business.
Robert Jones
Product Director
Harvard Business Publishing
Robert Jones is a product director at Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning. He leads the team responsible for defining, creating, and evolving the company’s self-paced leadership development solutions. Prior to joining Harvard Business Publishing, Robert held positions at Pearson, Rave Mobile Safety, AOL, and Blackboard. Robert earned his undergraduate degree from Cornell University.
904 Best Practices for Developing, Implementing, and Supporting Serious Games
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Thursday, March 28
Salon 4
Many people in the eLearning field are trying to use gamification and serious games to spark employee engagement and drive learning retention. Everyone is working to make the best serious game that will enhance the learning objectives and retain learning. The biggest setbacks for some of these serious games and gamified learning experiences have been little to no planning, tough-to-pinpoint metrics, little to no implementation strategy, and insufficient or nonexistent post-deployment support.
There are many serious games that are built for companies and for internal use within the eLearning industry. This session will discuss what makes a serious game a success or a failure. You’ll hear about planning, developing, implementing, and supporting serious games for companies that have never gone down the route of serious games and gamified learning experiences. You’ll also learn the proper steps to take throughout each phase of the project to ensure success, including best practices and pain points you may have to deal with when going down the route of gamification and serious games.
In this session, you will learn:
- Best practices to ensure a successful serious game implementation
- How these serious games are living, breathing things
- Best practices taken by other organizations in regard to phases of the effort
- A framework for how to start thinking about game design as an educator
Audience:
Designers, developers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Andrew Hughes
President
Designing Digitally, Inc.
Andrew Hughes is the president of Designing Digitally, Inc. and has over a decade in the strategical planning and development of enterprise custom gamified learning solutions for government and Fortune 500 clients. Andrew is also a professor at the University of Cincinnati and prior to this was a contractor for the US Department of Education, Ohio Board of Regents, and General Electric. Andrew oversees a team of 30 employees and is focused on ensuring the clients’ challenges are met with engaging, educational, and entertaining learning experiences.
905 None of the Above: How Good Intentions Create Bad Assessments
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Thursday, March 28
Salon 9
As more learning and training is delivered online, instructors and trainers no longer have the opportunity to get to know all their learners by meeting them face-to-face. This disconnect often leads to missing or ineffective assessments as eLearning developers increasingly hope their learners understand the content, but lack the tools to adequately measure the level of understanding. How do you know if your eLearning assessments are effective? Are you testing learners’ content knowledge, or do your assessments measure their deduction skills? In this session, you will explore common test-writing pitfalls and discover how smart test-takers excel without learning the content.
This session will help trainers and eLearning developers recognize high-quality, content-driven assessments and provide an opportunity to experience poorly written test items from the point of view of the test-taker. Learn multiple-choice question-writing “rules,” such as including plausible distractors; learn to recognize common test-item pitfalls, like convergence; and find out how smart test-takers use grammatical cues and distractor length to make educated guesses. Combine all of these best practices, and you will take your eLearning assessments to the next level!
In this session, you will learn:
- Best practices for multiple-choice assessments
- About common assessment-writing pitfalls and how to avoid them
- How to connect assessments to stated learning objectives
- How to identify the depth of knowledge (DOK) level of a learning objective
- How to match the DOK level of an assessment item to its stated learning objective
- About the consequences of relying on poorly written assessment items
Audience:
Designers, developers, trainers, and other training professionals
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.
Cara North
Learning & Development Leader, Speaker, & Author
Medical Mutual
Cara North is an award-winning learning leader who has worked in both corporate and higher education settings, as well as an independent consultant. Cara currently manages the learning and performance function at Medical Mutual. She is the author of Learning Experience Design Essentials and serves as a lecturer at Boise State University in their Organizational Performance Workplace Learning (OPWL) masters and certificate program.
906 Designing Interactive Video for a Learning Context
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Thursday, March 28
Salon 5
Interactive video often has a wow factor that’s hard to deny. What’s critical for L&D, though, is thinking beyond the wow factor to ensure interactive video truly supports learning and performance improvement. Interactive video offers a range of design models, each with different strengths. Understanding how to align those strengths to different learning needs simplifies your design process, reduces development costs, and produces the best results for your organization.
In this session, you’ll explore a range of interactive video options in order to build a reference framework. You’ll discover how these models can then be applied to different learning needs, contexts, and situations to take advantage of each model’s strengths. You will also walk through instructional design strategies for each model to help you begin your planning and design work. And you’ll hear a range of practical tips to help you make your designs come to life with the best possible results for your organization.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the design models commonly used for interactive video
- How design models can support different learning needs and contexts
- Instructional design and planning strategies for each design model
- Practical design and creation tips for interactive video that speed up the creation process and improve the learning experience
Audience:
Designers and developers
Technology discussed in this session:
Interactive video examples and eLearning authoring and delivery tools
Chris Van Wingerden
Sr VP Learning Solutions
dominKnow Learning Systems
Chris Van Wingerden is Sr. VP Learning Solutions at dominKnow Learning Systems, where he leads dominKnow's content and its training and client success teams. In his almost 20 years with dominKnow, Chris has helped create hundreds of hours of online learning programs, from traditional eLearning courses to immersive game-based designs, as well as working in responsive design projects to meet mobile device needs. Chris is also co-host of the popular weekly live video session and podcast, Instructional Designers in Offices Drinking Coffee (#IDIODC). Chris has a BA in adult education and a BA in English literature.
907 DemoFest Showcase
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Thursday, March 28
Salon 3
DemoFest is a huge science fair-like event; a collective showcase of eLearning examples from conference participants. As you move from table to table, exploring a wide range of learning solutions, you can discuss the tools, tech, and processes with those who built them. Although it’s an exciting evening of discovery, diving deep into each of the projects can be challenging.
Join us the day after to get an exclusive, in-depth look at some of the most popular solutions, voted on by your peers and shared at DemoFest. Over this full hour, select demonstrators will go back under the hood of their solutions and allow you to dig into the how and why of their projects.
In this session, you will learn:
- Cutting-edge examples of innovative learning solutions
- Why a design decision was made, and its impact
- About the various technologies used, and why they were chosen
Audience:
Designers, developers, managers
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.
908 Using Story Beats to Plot eLearning Scenarios
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Thursday, March 28
Salon 14
Everyone likes stories. Using storytelling techniques to spice up otherwise dull training modules is a great idea. Situating learners in a realistic context encourages them to apply skills and retain knowledge longer. But it’s not easy to write engaging narratives. Scenarios written by educators tend to be prescriptive, predictable, and preachy. Even worse, they feel contrived and artificial. Learners know when they are being manipulated to think or feel. Outwardly, they may click the right answer, but inwardly they resent it. Recent studies have shown that this sort of training may actually produce a reverse effect, compelling learners to feel more opposed to the training lesson than before they participated. So, how do you write a real-world learning scenario that isn’t contrived?
This session will explore how to apply techniques used by writers of films and screenplays. First, you will briefly discuss a movie plot by its three-act structure: beginning, middle, and end. That’s a really good way to start conceptualizing an eLearning scenario but, by itself, doesn’t go deep enough to be very helpful. It’s easy to get started plotting out your story only to lose your way without a clue of where to go next. You will look at Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheet used by screenplay writers. In film writing terms, a “beat” refers to a single story event that transforms the character and story at a critical juncture.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to apply structure technique to plot your scenarios more quickly and effectively
- What is essential to include in your story’s beginning, middle, and end
- What a story beat is, and how it moves a story forward
- About the 15 story beats from Snyder
- How to apply the 15 beats to your storyboard
- When each story beat should occur in your scenario
Audience:
Designers and developers
Technology discussed in this session:
Articulate 360 and Adobe Captivate
Mike Roy
Learning Experience Designer
Mike V Roy Consulting
Mike Roy is president and senior instructional designer at Mike V Roy Consulting. He has designed learning experiences for government and global Fortune 100 companies. He specializes in scenario and game-based learning. In a previous life, he designed media-rich online courses in higher education and taught graphic design (Ohio University). He has a master's degree in instructional design from the University of Virginia and a master's in media production from Longwood University. He is a writer, storyteller, teacher, artist, and musician who loves to learn.
909 BYOD: 10 Smart Tips to Create eLearning Like a Pro with Captivate
8:30 AM - 11:00 AM Thursday, March 28
Salon 2
Extended BYOD (2 Hours)
eLearning development can be time-consuming, especially if you don’t know all the tips and tricks and nuances that make the development process faster and more effective. eLearning developers require an extensive set of tools and techniques in order to utilize the full environment effectively. The key is to know the best way to accomplish your task and create awesome eLearning courses.
In this hands-on session, you will learn some nifty tips and tricks to create eLearning courses like a pro using Adobe Captivate. Along with the tips, you’ll learn about some shortcuts and work-arounds to make the eLearning creation workflow simple for you, yet more effective for your learners. During this session, you will also get an opportunity to share some of your own tips and tricks with your fellow eLearning professionals.
In this session, you will learn:
- Tips and tricks to be more productive with Captivate
- How to optimize the course creation workflow
- How to build interactions in Captivate
- How to make the most of the hidden features in Captivate
Audience:
Designers and developers
Technology discussed in this session:
Adobe Captivate
Technology required:
A laptop running the latest version of Adobe Captivate
Pooja Jaisingh
Senior Director, Digital Learning
Icertis
Pooja Jaisingh works as a senior director of digital learning at Icertis. She has created several award-winning eLearning courses and authored books and video courses on eLearning tools and technologies. In her previous roles, she worked as a principal eLearning evangelist at Adobe and chief learning geek at a start-up. Pooja is CPTD-, and COTP-certified. She holds a master’s degree in education & economics and a doctorate in educational technology.
910 BYOD: Exploring Overlooked Features of Storyline 360
8:30 AM - 11:00 AM Thursday, March 28
Salon 7
Extended BYOD (2 Hours)
Many Storyline users continue to use the same features over and over, unaware of many of the newer or harder-to-find solutions that could make their work easier, faster, and better. Articulate Storyline continues to evolve, and this is an opportunity to evolve your knowledge and skills with it!
In this session, you will explore and practice several lesser-known and newer ways to create interactivity, improve workflow, and stimulate interest for the learner. You will explore features including text-to-speech functionality, closed caption creation, marker creation, and animated hover states.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to build a variety of cool picture interactions
- How to design animated hover states
- How to quickly build customized markers
- How to practice using text-to-speech to generate closed captions
- How to design more custom LMS reporting or Rise interactivity with the course completion trigger
- Build unique game-style interactions with drag-and-drop states
Audience:
Designers and developers
Technology discussed in this session:
Articulate Storyline 360
Technology required:
Laptop (Windows, or Mac running Windows) and Storyline 360; some of the tips are only available in Storyline 360, but participants with Storyline 2 or 3 could participate
Ron Price
Chief Learning Officer
Yukon Learning
Ron Price has over 35 years of experience in organizational effectiveness, leadership coaching, instructional design, spiritual development, and experiential learning. His unique background has allowed him to support a wide range of customers, from schools like Duke University and Harvard Business School to multinational corporations like Sanofi, Amazon, BP, and Pepsico. In 2002, Ron founded a consulting firm and challenge course devoted to increasing organizational performance while developing authenticity and integrity. After joining Yukon, Ron worked closely with the Articulate team to design the certified training programs for the Articulate tools. He is a Guild Master.
F6 Panel: Lessons Learned from Early AR/VR Adopters
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Thursday, March 28
Salon 1
Augmented and virtual reality are fast emerging in both the enterprise and consumer markets. While these technologies are still evolving, the potential these technologies have to support learning and performance are already emerging.
In this session we will explore AR and VR with L&D professionals that are already exploring the space. We will hear about the lessons they have learned in their projects, and the areas of our work where AR and VR may have the greatest impact.
In this session, you will learn:
- How AR and VR have been used successfully in L&D situations
- The challenges of advancing AR and VR for learning solutions
- Lessons from AR/VR projects that didn’t go as planned
- The types of outcomes that are best served by AR and VR solutions
- Tools and approaches to consider when getting started with these technologies
Audience:
Designers, Developers, Managers, Senior Leaders
Technology discussed in this session:
Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality
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.
Destery Hildenbrand
XR Solution Architect
Intellezy
Destery Hildenbrand is an XR solution architect with Intellezy. Destery has over 17 years of experience in training and development and seven years focusing on immersive technologies. Destery has spent time in corporate environments and higher education. Destery's primary focus is helping organizations plan, design, and develop engaging learning experiences through Immersive technology.
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.
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.
1001 Establishing Clear Expectations for Successful eLearning Projects
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Thursday, March 28
Salon 5
You’re tasked to begin multiple new eLearning projects simultaneously and are responsible for successful and timely completion. You initiate the work and quickly find that other stakeholders with differing expectations are now involved. The pressure is on to keep the project on track and on budget with limited resources. What do you do? There are many factors that can derail projects. Breaking ground on new development and keeping track of multiple assets can be daunting for new or seasoned designers and managers. Reproducing quality work that meets your expectations can be tricky on a tight budget or schedule. Additionally, frustrations run high when work is submitted that misses the mark and must be redone, or is grudgingly accepted.
Glean lessons learned and best practices to avoid costly production missteps in this session. Learn how to maximize resource effectiveness when the scope changes, or a project remains undefined. This session walks you through project assessment, stakeholder planning, and troubleshooting tips for effective communication and production. Find solutions to your project woes and irritations. Get valuable and complete feedback the first time. Learn from experienced, rapid development project professionals and save yourself the headaches. Discover beneficial techniques to maximize success and tip the ROI scales in your project’s favor.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to avoid costly rework
- How to maximize resource effectiveness and production hours
- How to establish clear standards for quality control
- How to develop a stakeholder plan for maximum input and expedient decision-making
- How to break the review loop and get effective feedback and solutions the first time
Audience:
Designers, developers, and managers
Technology discussed in this session:
This session will sample actual project deliverables and their progress from beginning to completion. Projects include online courses that have been created for use within any LMS environment viewable on both desktop and mobile devices.
Kacy Deering
Digital Learning & LMS Administration Supervisor
Pryor Learning Solutions
Kacy Deering, digital learning & LMS administration supervisor at Pryor Learning Solutions, is an integral founding member of Pryor’s online platform, where she has managed hundreds of on-demand and ILT development projects. Kacy’s role includes driving multiple virtual and live training projects simultaneously; researching new topics, technologies, and opportunities in professional education; consulting with clients on blended learning solution strategies; and assisting operations, marketing, IT, and sales with cross-organizational projects.
Sheryl McAtee
Content Development Supervisor and Managing Editor
Pryor Learning Solutions
Sheryl McAtee is the content development supervisor and managing editor at Pryor Learning Solutions. She has more than 30 years of experience in the business training and online learning industry. Sheryl has experience in all phases of ILT and eLearning development including project planning, instructional design, multimedia development, training delivery, vendor management, and content curation. She currently oversees development activities at Pryor Learning Solutions, and leads various project teams to create engaging, effective learning and performance solutions for learners in small, mid-size, and Fortune 500 businesses.
1002 You Have 1 Month and No Money to Create an Online Training Program. Go!
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Thursday, March 28
Salon 3
A neurology medical affairs team at a large pharmaceutical company was facing the perfect storm. A low-priority product with an anticipated launch in over two years had become one of the global company’s most important assets overnight, with a new launch timeline of months. Training was in the process of being converted from self-led to automated. A single trainer was tasked with developing a comprehensive curriculum in a new area (typically 15 to 20 hours) to deploy via LMS. The existing team required training and completion of a new certification process. The team also underwent expansion during this time, which required that the new hires completed onboarding and therapeutic training simultaneously. Management wanted the team to begin the training on the product in three weeks!
In this case study session, you’ll find out how to make the most of limited resources by repurposing existing content, employing blended learning formats, and collaborating with learners and stakeholders to create buy-in and engagement. You will learn about the creative and unorthodox strategies used to create a large amount of content in a short period of time. The instructional design techniques presented in this session are intended to be helpful in a time crunch but can also improve the overall quality of the training. You will explore how a team of veterans and new hires completed a comprehensive training program and successfully obtained certification for field deployment.
In this session, you will learn:
- Video and audio editing techniques in Camtasia to make videos more interactive and engaging
- Tips to increase learner engagement during virtual learning experiences
- Project management strategies to handle accelerated timelines
- How to collaborate with learners and stakeholders to build consensus
- Time management and multitasking strategies to accelerate content development time
Audience:
Designers, developers, and managers
Technology discussed in this session:
TechSmith Camtasia, Snagit, Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel, and Articulate Quiz Maker
Jessica McLin
Managing Partner
Versant Learning Solutions
Jessica McLin, managing partner at Versant Learning Solutions, has been an educator in one form or another for the last two decades. Her teaching experience spans a wide variety of audiences: community college students, undergraduates, graduate/post-docs, and professionals. The learning formats have been equally diverse: classrooms, laboratories, conferences, webcasts, and eLearning platforms. Jessica enjoys training and coaching healthcare professionals, including scientific and clinical training as well as professional skills training. Jessica earned a doctorate in neurobiology and behavior from the University of California–Irvine and has received numerous awards and recognition in scientific research, medical affairs, leadership, and education.
1003 The Right Instructional Designer Is Hard to Find
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Thursday, March 28
Salon 1
If you hire the wrong instructional designer, you risk wasting time and money and losing credibility in the eyes of your stakeholders. It’s important to first understand your needs and then look for an instructional designer with the right design experience, level of creativity, and communication skills to make your projects successful. Join this session to discover a recruitment process that can help you identify the skills you need and source the candidates who possess them.
This interactive session will discuss how to avoid hiring the wrong instructional designers. After reviewing the recruitment process, you will learn how you can use it to fill your open instructional design positions and create an effective onboarding plan.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to describe your ideal instructional designer profile
- How to source and review candidate resumes
- How to conduct a thorough interview
- How to develop an onboarding and coaching plan
Audience:
Designers and managers
Tiffany Lombardo
Instructional Design Manager
Cinecraft Productions
Tiffany Lombardo has over 14 years of experience as a learning & development professional. She began her career as part of the L&D team at The Sherwin-Williams Company, where she implemented global learning programs and designed impactful learning for employees, managers, and executives. In 2016, she joined Cinecraft Productions. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature from John Carroll University, and a master’s degree in business administration with a focus in human resources from Cleveland State University. 
1004 Micro vs. Macro: Which Learning Experience Works Best?
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Thursday, March 28
Salon 4
Most L&D teams are keenly interested in exploring ways to combine their macrolearning needs—traditional ILT classes and VILT sessions, tracked online learning, and structured compliance programs—with microlearning initiatives leveraging mobile, game mechanics, and social interactions. While most legacy LMS platforms have yet to include compelling microlearning features, there are ways to design and integrate legacy macrolearning platforms with modern microlearning solutions to achieve tech-enhanced learning success.
It is easy to fall in love with “shiny object” solutions that promote an “out with the old, in with the new” strategy to fix your legacy programs. Are these new solutions really replacements for the stable, workhorse systems you rely on to organize and track performance? In this session, you’ll discuss how striking a balance between old and new likely represents the best approach for many companies seeking to modernize key training programs and metrics. You’ll explore just how legacy platforms can meld with specialized technology sets to craft purpose-built solutions to support your current and future learning needs.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to combine your macrolearning needs with your microlearning desires
- Why the rumor of the LMS’s death (or imminent demise) is false
- About successful case studies where teams extended the old with the new to address changing requirements and heightened use expectations
- About a mixture of commercial solutions and open-source utilities that can help you assemble your own modern learning experience platform solution
Audience:
Designers, developers, managers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Mobile apps, social interactions, game-enabled themes, and extensible APIs, including commercial solutions as well as open-source tools that can enhance and extend legacy learning platforms.
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.
1005 Are You xAPI Ready? Best Practices for xAPI and Rapid Development
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Thursday, March 28
Salon 9
xAPI has been around for a few years. You’ve been hearing about what it is and how it’s used in a conceptual sense. But what about the real world? This session will discuss a company that has made a long-term investment of time and money in existing learning technologies. They were interested in leveraging xAPI but had questions: What could they track with xAPI? Would they need to scrap everything and redesign from scratch? Could they use their current rapid development tools, or did they need to learn a new technology? What benefits could they realize from xAPI?
Rapid development tools, LMSs, and LRSs are helping in the transition to a period of widely used xAPI. In this transition, what are the design considerations and best practices for incorporating xAPI into online content? How can you maximize existing development tools while taking your courses to the next level? This session will go beyond concept and look at how you would apply xAPI using three development tools. After that, you will look at the results in a couple of LMS/LRS tools. You’ll learn how problems were solved by identifying the right content and enhancing it using rapid-development tools. After feeding the content into the LMS/LRS, you will see what reports you could get. You’ll see real-world examples that can be used to make business decisions.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to incorporate xAPI into your existing rapid development toolkit
- Why you should incorporate xAPI into your next rapid development project
- Where to start looking for relevant xAPI data
- Strategies to ensure consistent and valuable data beyond completion status and passing score
Audience:
Designers and developers
Technology discussed in this session:
Rapid development authoring tools, learning record stores, and learning management systems
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.
Debbie Richards
President
Creative Interactive Ideas
Debbie Richards, president of Creative Interactive Ideas, is a learning architect, self-proclaimed geek, and early adopter of learning technologies. For over 30 years, she has helped enterprise teams design, develop, and deliver immersive learning programs with measurable impact. Passionate about working with and mentoring other learning professionals, Debbie is a director at L&D Cares. The nonprofit group provides talent development professionals with no-cost coaching, mentoring, and resources to help them thrive and flourish in their careers. She is the past president of the Association of Talent Development, Houston chapter, and a past national advisor for chapters. Debbie has authored two TD at Work guides, Seeing the Possibilities With Augmented Reality and Preparing Your Organization for New Technologies.
1006 You’re a Human—Stop Narrating Like a Robot!
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Thursday, March 28
Salon 13
The standard advice you hear about eLearning narration has taken you down the wrong path. You’ve been told to “billboard important phrases,” “speak at a comfortable and steady pace,” and “e-nun-ci-ate your words.” All this advice has done is turned you into a predictable and boring script reader. “Billboarding” causes you to sound unsure of what you’re saying. That “comfortable pace” is slow, repetitive, and disengaging. And “enunciating” makes you sound like a robot. Since the beginning of civilization, people have passed along information through speech. Narration engages your learners by connecting with them at a primitive and emotional level—a human level. It’s time to throw out the old advice and start talking to your learners like a human.
In this session, you’ll learn how the old narration advice has led to poor learner engagement. You’ll explore new ways of approaching your script that will connect you with your learners as if you were talking directly to them, and you’ll make your narrations more engaging and more human. You’ll start applying the new concepts immediately, so you won’t be left with a bunch of ideas in the form of scribbles on paper. Scripts will be provided, and you will have the opportunity to volunteer and be coached live during the session. This will be a no-pressure environment, with feedback and coaching provided from a place of respect and a mutual desire to improve learning outcomes.
In this session, you will learn:
- How the old advice has led to poor learner engagement
- What you should have really been taught when someone said “billboard important phrases”
- How to use your imagination to put yourself in the room with the learner and talk directly to them
- Specific techniques that help you sound more relatable and human
- How to make awkward script elements, like long lists and questions, sound conversational
- How to “talk to one person” when you’re narrating
Audience:
Designers, developers, managers, and anyone who has to narrate their own eLearning projects
Josh Risser
Voice Over Talent
DIY Narrator
Josh Risser is a professional voice over talent and host of the DIY Narrator podcast. He originally got his start in voice over by designing, developing, and narrating eLearning projects. He developed a strong passion for L&D as a former corporate trainer for a Fortune 500 company and board member of the Big Sky Chapter of ATD. He's on a quest to remove dry and lifeless eLearning narration from the world, ensuring nobody ever suffers through boring training again.
1007 Practical Ways to Bring UX into Learning Solutions
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Thursday, March 28
Salon 10
Over the past 10 years, access to mobile devices and the incredible user experiences designed by companies like Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google have dramatically altered the expectations of learners, resulting in disappointment when they come into contact with many learning solutions. Strictly using typical learning design tools and methods isn’t leading you to the leap in learner experience you need to position yourself for the future as a value-add platform for employee acquisition and retention. In a recent LinkedIn Learning research report, nearly two-thirds of learning professionals wouldn’t even recommend their own learning solutions to their learners. It’s a travesty that so many are working so hard to create products they don’t love and don’t recommend.
In this session, you will explore the tools UX professionals commonly use to create incredible experiences. You’ll learn the basics of how to develop personas and use those personas to choose your learning approach. You’ll learn the basics of design thinking and how to leverage it in the learning design process to create out-of-the-box, user-back solutions. You’ll learn how to leverage user research tools like empathy interviews and usability studies to hone your solutions throughout the development cycles. All combined, you’ll have a brand new set of tools and approaches to continue creating solutions that address business needs, but in a way that learners actually want to use.
In this session, you will learn:
- A method to identify learner personas to better focus your learner experience
- How to conduct interviews to develop learner personas, including 20 questions to help you get started
- About the basics of conducting user research—specifically, empathy interviews
- How to incorporate UX tools and methodologies into your instructional design processes
Audience:
Designers, developers, and senior leaders (directors, VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Matthew Daniel
Founder + Principal
The Learner Collective
Matthew Daniel is founder and principal at the Learner Collective. He is a learning technologist and learner experience advocate with nearly 15 years’ experience across L&D in verticals ranging from technology and finance to pharma and healthcare—including eight Fortune 100s, among them Nike, Microsoft, Capital One, and Cigna. He helps organizations design experiences learners love through solid ID, also leveraging the tools of a tech startup like UX, design thinking, agile development methodologies, and the product mindset. Matthew has been recognized by local ATD chapters for his contributions to the profession, and by Training magazine as a “Young Trainer to Watch.”
1008 Exploring What's Possible & How to Get Started with Apple ARKit
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Thursday, March 28
Salon 14
Apple announced its new ARKit in 2017, enabling iOS devices to view and interact with augmented reality. In 2018 they took it a step further by coming out with ARKit 2, enabling 3-D object recognition, persistent experiences, and even shared experiences between two devices. So how do you get started with Apple ARKit, and what application does it have to learning and performance support?
In this session you will explore what it takes to build ARKit-enabled apps, how to get started building ARKit apps, and what the possibilities are for using ARKit in learning. You will walk away from this session knowing what Apple ARKit can do and what it will take for you to develop your own ARKit apps.
In this session, you will learn:
- About Apple Xcode
- The basics of how Apple ARKit works
- The capabilities and strengths of ARKit
- How to get started building ARKit enabled apps
Audience:
Designers, developers, managers
Technology discussed in this session:
Apple Xcode, Swift 4, ARKit
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.
1009 Tools, Apps, and Online Resources: Community Favorites
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Thursday, March 28
Salon 11
With the wide range of tools, apps, and online resources being launched all the time, it’s not always easy to stay on top of what might help you out in your day-to-day work. It’s also easy with this stream of new options to miss out on great new updates or techniques that can allow you to use old favorites in new ways.
Through a series of three-minute mini presentations, you’ll hear from a wide range of speakers about the tools, apps, and online resources they find make a noticeable difference in the work they do in L&D. You’ll discover new resources and software and new ways to use them that can assist you with designing and developing learning experiences, from tools that will help you create content to others that can help your productivity. These speakers won’t just share what these tools are, they’ll also share how they can be used specifically in our industry, and how they’ve personally leveraged them in their own work. You’ll leave this session with a list of practical new ideas for tools and resources to check out when you get back to work.
In this session, you will learn:
- What new tools and apps can help you create engaging learning experiences
- About existing tools and apps you may be able to use in new ways
- Which online resources can help you do your work more efficiently, creatively, and/or inexpensively
- Real-world use cases for how these tools, apps, and online resources can be used in L&D
Audience: Novice to advanced designers and developers.
Technology discussed in this session:
A wide range of technology related to creating learning experiences and managing work in L&D will be shared. Technology categories may include eLearning development, design, multimedia/video, productivity/project management, collaboration, and more.
Mini Presentation topics and speakers
- Diigo: Mollie McCormick
- Camtasia: Holley Berley
- Balsamiq: Marissa Daulerio
- Degreed: Abram Siegel
- Adobe XD: Molly Crowley
- Kahoot: Souleimen Achour
- ScreenToGif: Laura Jakiel
- Teamwork: Suzanne Healy
- Zapier: Micène Fontaine
- TechSmith Fuse and Capture: Ian Kollar
- Google Translate: Charles Zoffuto
Bianca Woods
Customer Advocacy Manager
Articulate
Bianca Woods is a customer advocacy manager at Articulate. Her past experience includes working on the community and event programming for the Learning Guild, learning and communications roles at BMO Financial Group, and teaching art. Bianca is passionate about how visual design and multimedia can help people learn, loves test-driving new technology, and collects photos of bizarre warning signs.
GS03 KEYNOTE: Design Thinking in Learning and Work
11:15 AM - 12:30 PM Thursday, March 28
Executive Ballroom
How do you distill a problem into a creative solution? In the closing session of our conference, Sarah Prevette, who specializes in turning ideas into meaningful innovation, shares her ultimate credo and how it can change your approach to design and work. She'll look at creativity as a skill set and entrepreneurship as a philosophy. Innovation is something people can learn, as long as you embrace the mentality and deftness of the entrepreneur. Join us for a session that will give you tangible tips to take what you’ve learned at Learning Solutions and apply it in your work.
Sarah Prevette
Founder & CEO
Future Design School
Sarah Prevette, the founder of the Future Design School (FDS), believes people should fall in love with the problem they’re solving, not the solution. Named one of the top entrepreneurs in North America by Inc. magazine and one of the Top 20 Power Elite byCanadian Business, Ms. Prevette teaches creativity, innovation, and design thinking to some of the country’s biggest business leaders. At FDS, she works to foster entrepreneurship in a classroom setting. Prior to founding FDS, Ms. Prevette founded Sprouter, an online community providing real-time advice to startups, and BetaKit, a tech news site. She also co-founded BrandProject, which invests in early-stage startups.