MB01 Conference Orientation and Daily Docent Kickoff
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 1
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
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.
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. ?
Melissa Chambers
Online Instructional Specialist
MSC Consulting
Melissa Chambers is an online instructional specialist at MSC Consulting and a contract speaker coach/host for The Learning Guild's Online Forums and Guild Academy. Melissa has over 20 years' experience in creative media production, project and change management, online instructional design, and eLearning strategy development, and has been designing, producing, and coaching for synchronous online programs since 2002. She holds a master's degree in instructional design for online learning, and has spearheaded award-winning programs in eLearning, process improvement, and strategic development. Melissa has a passion for lifelong learning, technology, cultivating creativity, and having fun while working.
MB02 Design Thinking for Learning and Development
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 2
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
Josh Cavalier
Founder
JoshCavalier.ai
Josh Cavalier has been creating learning solutions for corporations, government agencies, and secondary education institutions for nearly 30 years. He is an expert in the field of learning & development and has applied his industry experience to the application of ChatGPT and other Generative AI frameworks for business and life skills. Josh is passionate about sharing his knowledge and has a popular YouTube channel that shares tips and tricks on Generative AI. He is a seasoned speaker, presenting at conferences like DevLearn, Learning Solutions, ATD ICE, TechKnowledge, NAB, and Adobe MAX.
MB03 Using Learning Games in Online Training
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 3
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
Louise Pasterfield
Managing Director
Sponge UK
Louise Pasterfield is the managing director of Sponge UK with more than 20 years’ experience in learning and design. Her focus is on making learning absorbing so people can immediately apply what they have learned to the workplace. She works with forward-thinking organizations to use advanced technologies to deliver better performance. Louise regularly speaks at leading exhibitions and conferences on eLearning developments, technology, and learning solutions, sharing her knowledge and real-life experience with clients around the world.
MB04 Measures of Success
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 5
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
Craig Taylor
Customer Success Manager
HT2 Labs
Craig Taylor, a customer success manager for HT2 Labs, has been involved in the training/L&D field since 1993, when he cut his teeth in the training-delivery world while serving in the British Army. His subsequent learning and development roles have been in the rail, nuclear, healthcare, and financial sectors, where he has worked to help organizations understand the value that current and emerging technologies can bring.
MB05 Starting Out in L&D: What Do You Need to Know?
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 7
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
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.
MB06 LMS Implementation: Stories from the Trenches
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 9
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
Anthony Altieri
IDIoT in Chief/xAPI Evangelist
Omnes Solutions
Anthony Altieri is the IDIoT in Chief (instructional developer for the Internet of Things) and founder of Omnes Solutions, as well as an xAPI evangelist, authoring a course on xAPI Foundations for LinkedIn Learning. Anthony has worked on multiple projects implementing global LMS systems. He is a maker, focusing on user analytics and bringing the virtual learning world and the real world together through the use of Bluetooth beacons and other IoT devices using xAPI. Anthony has lectured to audiences on topics ranging from the spread of HIV to network security, content development, why it’s important to learn to code, and, of course, xAPI.
MB07 Video for Learning: Types, Tools, and Techniques
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 11
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
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.
MB08 Microlearning
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 13
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
Diane Elkins
Owner/Founder
E-Learning Uncovered
Diane Elkins is owner of Artisan E-Learning, a custom eLearning development company, and E-Learning Uncovered, where she helps people build courses they're proud of. She has built a reputation as a national eLearning expert by being a frequent speaker at major industry events for ATD, The Learning Guild, and Training Magazine. Her favorite topics include accessibility, instructional design, and Articulate Storyline. She is co-author of the popular E-Learning Uncovered book series, as well as E-Learning Fundamentals: A Practical Guide, from ATD Press. She is a past board member of the Northeast Florida and Metro DC chapters of ATD.
MB09 Virtual Classrooms
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 14
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
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.
MB10 Using AI in Learning
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 15
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
Joe Fournier
Learning Infrastructure Designer
Anthem
A long-time learning professional, Joe Fournier has been a hands-on practitioner, manager, director, and consultant to many Fortune 100 companies. He is currently a learning infrastructure designer focusing on the edge and exploring the use of technology in learning and performance contexts. Joe's current projects and interests include mobile learning, AI/machine learning, chatbots, and blockchain. Joe leads the internal Learning Innovation and AI Enthusiasts learning communities at Anthem.
MB11 The Current and Future State of Performance Support
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 16
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
Chris King
Executive Director
APPLY Synergies
Chris King is a recent addition to APPLY Synergies, but a long-time practitioner of the 5 Moments of Need®. As the executive director of the 5 Moments of Need Academy, Chris is responsible for spreading the word about workflow learning and optimizing how organizations learn and perform. He leverages his credentials as a PMP, Certified ScrumMaster, 5 Moments of Need® Designer, and a LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® certified facilitator to modernize the typical approach to learning.
GS01 KEYNOTE: Composing Your World
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Tuesday, March 27
Executive Ballroom
Why do some people just play notes they are handed while others write new music in the world? In this captivating presentation, violinist Kai Kight will tackle this question, perform original music, and share the inspiring story of how he became an innovative composer in a field of conformity. This session will leave you feeling inspired to explore beyond what learning and development typically looks like, to find out what is truly possible when you take your future into your own hands and bring your unique ideas forward.
Kai Kight
Composer and Entrepreneur
As a classical violinist turned innovative composer, Kai Kight uses music as a metaphor to inspire individuals and organizations across the world to compose paths of imagination and fulfillment. Inspired by his own mother who, when diagnosed with cancer, revealed regrets of not bringing her ideas to the world, Mr. Kight is on a mission to spark a global mindset shift in which ingenuity is the norm, not the exception. He is a graduate of Stanford University’s design and engineering program, a Mayfield Fellow, and a Kleiner Perkins Design Fellow. As a musician, Mr. Kight has performed his original music for thousands in venues across the world, from the White House to the Great Wall of China. As a speaker, he has created impactful experiences for audiences at conferences, companies, and universities internationally. Some of his clients include The Walt Disney Company, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and the Super Bowl–winning Seattle Seahawks.
SDD101 The Future of Learning Today: Where Should You Focus?
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM Tuesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Design & Development Stage
Join this session for an in-depth look at the tools, designs, and technologies you should be focused on in learning today and what’s just around the corner. The session will dissect what technology will be enhancing learning, and what you should get excited about and start planning to integrate into your solutions.
What can you learn from the buzz and new tools appearing in the consumer and corporate environments, and how can you take advantage of them to help your users learn? This fun session will give you dozens of ideas and reboot your brain for fresh perspectives on how to enhance your learning today.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to think about organizing, developing, and tagging content
- Amazing tips and techniques you can apply as soon as you get back to your desk
- About examples and resources you can use to excite your team and organization
- About valuable resources you can use to grow your personal learning network
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Free frameworks; HTML5; Bootstrap.
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.
SMM101 The Future of Learning Data
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM Tuesday, March 27
With the advancements of machine learning, multiple data points now reveal previously hidden connections between what your employees know and the results your business will achieve. This revolutionary technology now allows you to reach Kirkpatrick’s Level 4—organizations can measure behavior change and predict future business outcomes based on learning data. These learning insights provide the opportunity for businesses to take strategic action before a predicted negative outcome becomes reality.
In this session, you will hear how getting to Kirkpatrick Level 4 is possible. The session will outline how learning data is captured and how it predicts business outcomes. You’ll also find out how best-in-class organizations like FedEx, At Home, and Walmart are using learning data to predict and change business outcomes, and you’ll hear about the results they’ve achieved.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to capture learning data that you can use to predict business outcomes
- Why the L&D field is undergoing a fundamental shift
- How organizations are changing predicted negative business outcomes before they happen
- How organizations can measure behavior change and predict business outcomes based on learning data
- How getting to, and moving beyond, Kirkpatrick Level 4 is possible
Audience:
Novice to advanced managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Axonify.
Carol Leaman
CEO
Axonify
Carol Leaman is the CEO of Axonify, a disruptor in the corporate learning space and innovator behind the world’s first employee knowledge platform. Previously, she was CEO of several other tech companies, including PostRank, a social engagement analytics company she sold to Google. Carol is a thought leader whose articles appear in various publications; she also sits on the boards of many organizations and advises high-tech firms. Carol’s awards include the Waterloo Region Entrepreneur Hall of Fame Intrepid Award (2011) and the Sarah Kirke Award (2010) for Canada’s leading female entrepreneur. She is a finalist for the Techvibes Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2017).
STP101 iSpring—Much More Than “Just” a PowerPoint Tab
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM Tuesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Tools & Platforms Stage
How can you create HTML5 content and animations without knowing how to program or code? Use user-friendly tools without a steep learning curve to create engaging, interactive content that exports directly to HTML5. Integrate the work once and publish to all PCs and mobile devices.
This session will demonstrate an overall introduction to iSpring and the features that make it a robust rapid authoring tool. Find out how you can take a drab PowerPoint and push its boundaries by combining it with iSpring. You’ll also learn about some of the new features in the upcoming release of version 9, including interactive videos and drag-and-drop quizzes!
In this session, you will learn:
- About various iSpring-native interactions (branching scenarios, animations, and interactions)
- Tips and tricks for motion design within PowerPoint
- About ‘storyboarding bullets’ and synchronized animations with narrations using PowerPoint and iSpring
- About interactive elements and functionality using PowerPoint
- About new features in the upcoming iSpring version 9
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, instructional designers, content strategists, and rapid authoring tool integrators.
Technology discussed in this session:
Microsoft PowerPoint, iSpring Suite, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator.
Michael Cerantola
Integration Manager
Knowledge One
Michael Cerantola is an integration manager at Knowledge One. He began working in the eLearning world while Flash still reigned supreme. With the gradual demise of Flash over recent years (and its inevitable phase-out), Mike has spent years converting legacy content to display in HTML5 browsers. Working through custom designs, rapid authoring tools, and audio/visual, Mike has faced challenges including browser display inconsistencies and optimization for mobile data plans, all while keeping the source document editable for clients. It became clear to him that PowerPoint plus a rapid authoring tool was the arsenal of choice to keep production costs low while staying profitable.
101 eLearning Boot Camp: All the Basics You Need to Get Started
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Tuesday, March 27
Junior Ballroom G
No formal eLearning background or training? Don’t have the time to slow down and learn the basics? You’re not alone. If that sounds like you, you may feel like you’re always a beginner—struggling to catch up with books and articles filled with academic and technical terms that don’t align with your practical experiences.
Whether you’re brand-new to eLearning, just exploring it for your organization, or simply want some help filling in some knowledge gaps, what you need is a quick, plainspoken foundation of eLearning basics. And in this session, you’ll learn what you need to get started with eLearning, including a few characteristics that define eLearning, a simple explanation of how eLearning works, and the people, process, and tools that go into making it. You’ll also take a look at basic design and development processes you can follow to more smartly manage your eLearning projects.
In this session, you will learn:
- What distinguishes eLearning from other types of online learning
- About the technology used to create, share, and track eLearning courses
- The meanings behind many common industry acronyms like SCORM and LMS
- About a simple, universal eLearning design and development process
- About easy tools and tips for smartly managing your eLearning projects
Audience:
Novice designers and developers. No prior knowledge of eLearning is required, but a basic understanding of web technology is helpful.
Technology discussed in this session:
eLearning tools, including everything from Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel to explanations of what authoring tools are, what they do, and the function of the LMS in delivering and tracking eLearning.
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.
102 Comics for Adult Learning: What the Evidence Reveals
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 14
Comics for learning have a long history of telling stories to teach concepts and processes. A one-page comic scene can describe a complex process, or a comic scenario with characters and dialogue can help explain more difficult situations by telling a story. Unfortunately, L&D professionals often discard the idea of using the comic medium in adult learning, seeing it as either an unacceptable medium or too costly both in time and budget. These misconceptions can lead you to bypass an effective medium for learning.
Recent evidence supported by research shows adults retained more information from a comic than from a text-only version of the same content, and they recalled the information at a higher percentage. In this session, you will explore and discuss the research into what makes for an effective learning comic, the difference between a printed vs. digital comic, and the effective uses of the emerging interactive graphic novel. Having evidence-based knowledge about comics will give you a better understanding of how to use comics in your organizational learning efforts, and give you the evidence you need to get others to buy in to this approach.
In this session, you will learn:
- About recent evidence and research on the effectiveness of comics for learning
- How comics are used in performance support initiatives
- About using the comic medium to mitigate complex and sensitive topics
- About the emergence of interactive graphic novels in the L&D industry
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers and managers.
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. ?
103 Conquering Compliance with Performance Support
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 2
Often, the traditional mandatory training required by regulatory agencies does not adequately prepare staff to perform the tasks as expected. Reviewing the information once a year, staff forget the information before they are required to complete the task on the job. It’s no surprise, then, that when surveys or inspections occur, staff are unable to perform as required.
This case study session will explore how one healthcare institution implemented performance support (PS) to overcome the “forgetting curve” and provided safety information for associates directly in their workflow. Now as questions occur, staff have immediate access to specific answers, allowing them to quickly return to the task at hand. The new process successfully documented compliance and achieved surveyor recognition for “exemplary safety education.” This session will briefly review PS concepts, demonstrate the process used for development of the PS, and discuss how it was implemented in conjunction with mandatory training.
In this session, you will learn:
- Basic concepts of performance support
- How to incorporate the PS Pyramid into PS
- How to define requirements to be included in a PS solution
- How to prepare staff for a regulatory survey after implementation of PS
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Demonstration of the EPSS (electronic performance support system) developed on Ontuitive’s LearningGuide Manager.
Molly Petroff
Education Specialist
Saint Vincent Hospital
Molly Petroff, an education specialist at Saint Vincent Hospital, is the architect of performance support (PS) at the hospital and has implemented several PS solutions focusing on the moment of apply for health system associates. She has worked in staff development for over 25 years, focusing the last 15 years on online learning technologies and the last five years primarily on PS design and development. She has authored numerous eLearning programs and PS solutions for in-house delivery and for other institutions. Molly, an RN, holds a BSN in nursing, an MEd in adult education, and certificates in eLearning instructional design and 5MoN design.
104 Design Learning Like an Artist: Van Gogh’s 7 Principles for Learning
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 3
Do you like to learn from extraordinary people? Vincent Van Gogh is one of the most admired artists in history. He reached his high level of mastery with almost no formal training at all. So what are the secrets of his learning journey? His letters give clear answers on the principles of learning that he applied. These principles are not just useful for the time when he lived—they’re also applicable for learning design today.
In this session, you will discover the learning principles and performance support that Van Gogh used to reach his extraordinary level of mastery. Informed by primary-source research into his letters, you’ll find out how Van Gogh managed to be very productive in poor circumstances, and you’ll learn the seven principles of learning and performance support that he applied. You will also get inspired and discover how you can apply these seven principles in learning design today. Be ready for the most colorful session you’ll ever experience!
In this session, you will learn:
- About fresh perspectives to apply to your learning design
- How smart blends of learning and performance support will lead to great results
- About the seven principles that Van Gogh used to reach his high level of mastery
- How practice, reflection, motivation, and social learning work best
- How to apply the seven principles presented in your learning design projects
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers and developers.
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.
105 Organizing the L&D Community for Social Good
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 16
The Houston Food Bank delivered 79 million meals in 2016 and had a goal to deliver 100 million meals in 2018. With this massive expansion, training was required in a number of areas, from leadership development to food safety and compliance. Delivering this training while keeping operating expenses low, however, seemed difficult—that is, until they got support from the Houston L&D community.
In this session, learn how the Houston ATD chapter organized a community effort and competition to develop and deliver training content to the Houston Food Bank and establish an infrastructure to manage training in a systematic, automated way. You’ll learn about the birth of the concept, the project management required to put it into action, and the ongoing effort now to support and continue the expansion of the food bank’s learning ecosystem. At the end of the session, you will be equipped with an outline for creating your own L&D social-good project for your community.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to organize your L&D community to support charities and services
- How to assess the learning needs of charities
- About technologies you can use to support learning organizations
- About the keys to ongoing success and building a learning culture
- Methods to manage volunteer project work with a deadline
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers, developers, project managers, and managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Learning management systems, authoring tools, project management, and association 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.
106 YouTube-Style Mobile Learning
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 9
Many organizations want to provide on-demand, just-in-time performance support that requires minimal technical skills to create. Likewise, capturing and sharing tacit knowledge is becoming a top priority. Is it possible to create this kind of solution both in a way that will engage the learner, and in a way that can be measured and evaluated? Yes—with YouTube-style videos.
In this session, you’ll learn how to create quick, effective mobile learning through YouTube-style videos. Using real examples of successful videos as discussion points, you will learn simple ways to develop tutorials using different levels of rapid-development tools. You will also explore publishing formats and the use of comments to engage the learner and capture feedback. You’ll leave with ideas to develop various types of video tutorials and make them available to learners within your organization. The steps and examples demonstrated will provide practical ideas for implementing video as part of a mobile learning strategy.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to effectively design a video for performance support
- A variety of approaches to engaging your learner with video
- Reliable and easy ways to make video accessible on mobile devices
- Tips for creating YouTube-style tutorials with rapid development tools
- Practical ways to implement video as part of a mobile learning strategy
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers and developers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Video, mobile devices, and rapid development tools.
Sarah Mercier
CEO & Strategic Consultant
Build Capable
Sarah Mercier, CEO and strategic consultant at Build Capable, specializes in instructional strategy and learning technology. Sarah is known for translating highly technical concepts and research to real-world practice. She is an international facilitator for the Association for Talent Development and Greater Atlanta ATD Past President. Her innovative learning solutions have been recognized by winning industry awards, such as Best of Show at FocusOn Learning DemoFest for xAPI for Interactive eBooks, and Best Performance Support Solution at DevLearn DemoFest for Critical Success Factors training and assessment tool. Sarah is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and business events on topics such as instructional design and development, accessibility, data strategy, and learning ecosystems. Her work has been published in ATD’s 2020 Trends in Learning Technology, The Book of Road-Tested Activities, TD Magazine, Learning Solutions Magazine, CLO Magazine, and a variety of other training and workforce publications.
107 5 Powerful Ways to Use Games in eLearning
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 5
Games can be a powerful tool for improving business performance. With advances in technology and expertise, new opportunities are opening up to use games to meet all kinds of workplace challenges. From increasing sales to upskilling managers to preventing compliance breaches, eLearning games are versatile and full of potential. But how do you match an eLearning game to a business problem? And can you balance playability with practicality in a corporate setting?
In this session, you’ll look at the science behind games: how they aid information transfer, support better decision-making, and encourage behavior change. You’ll study practical examples of eLearning games and explore new ways to use them in the workplace. You’ll also examine the creation of games, including the use of media, and how you can design games to align with a corporate culture and brand.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the learning rationale for games in eLearning and the science behind it
- Which types of business problems or challenges games can support
- About types of games, and when and how to use them
- From case studies and examples of games, including in eLearning, VR, and video
- About game tools, technologies, and expert tips
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, and managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Games, VR, and video.
Louise Pasterfield
Managing Director
Sponge UK
Louise Pasterfield is the managing director of Sponge UK with more than 20 years’ experience in learning and design. Her focus is on making learning absorbing so people can immediately apply what they have learned to the workplace. She works with forward-thinking organizations to use advanced technologies to deliver better performance. Louise regularly speaks at leading exhibitions and conferences on eLearning developments, technology, and learning solutions, sharing her knowledge and real-life experience with clients around the world.
Jason Butler
eLearning Developer and Games Evangelist
Sponge UK
Jason Butler is an eLearning developer and games evangelist for Sponge UK, and previously a creator of indie games. User experience is central to his vision of what digital learning can and should be. Jason works with global businesses to develop eLearning solutions that deliver tangible business results while delighting learners. The first-ever recipient of the Learning Developer of the Year at the Learning Technologies Awards, Jason regularly speaks on eLearning games at key learning conferences in the UK.
108 Creating Effective User Experience in the Digital Age
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 7
The requirements for effective enterprise user experience design seem to change on a daily basis. With a myriad of devices, software and cloud solutions, AI, machine learning, and AR/VR all impacting the way people receive and interact with content, it is difficult to know how to effectively integrate training into an employee’s work life. And to design it as a powerful and useful experience is even more challenging.
This session will rise above the noise and clutter of tech news, buzzy trends, and hyperbolic learning solution promises and look closely at what makes superior user experience (UX) in the digital age. It will explore how information can be delivered in a seamless and frictionless way and even leverage technology in compelling ways. By spotlighting design thinking practices, the session will elevate the learner as the key stakeholder of any learning experience. You’ll learn how using approaches such as personalization and user collaboration can contribute to a more modern take on UX and lead to stronger performance.
In this session, you will learn:
- How the user experience is affected by a wide variety of variables
- How to use an empathy map to understand users better
- How users want to participate in learning through collaboration and contribution
- How you can leverage technology to deliver highly personalized learning
- How machine learning and AI are impacting UX
- From a high-level view of the two leading UX design processes (IDEO and Stanford d.school)
- How well-designed UX can lead to effective performance support
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers, developers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
IDEO design thinking and the Stanford d.school process.
Scott McCormick
CEO
Emergent Enterprise
Scott McCormick is a national speaker, CEO, editor and writer. In a 30+ year career he has helped launched three companies including his current business, Emergent Enterprise. He has spoken at ATD CETS Showcase, Learnaplaooza, Augmented World Expo, LiveWorx, Realities360,, and XR Immersive Enterprise 2020. Scott speaks and consults on topics such as emergent technology adoption strategy and user experience and is editor of emergent-enterprise.com, the tech news and insight website. He was featured in the 2019 eBook, What is Augmented Reality? and has delivered strategy webinars and onsite presentations to leaders in healthcare, manufacturing, hospitality, and consulting.
109 Say Goodbye to Content Mayhem: Lessons Learned by Allstate
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 15
Do you fear that your employees lack a single place to go when looking for the information needed to do their jobs? Do you worry about delivering consistent customer service experiences? You’re not alone: Allstate had these same concerns before they set a company-wide initiative to build a world-class training environment and knowledge repository for their employees.
In this session, you will hear directly from Allstate as they describe how they modernized their content management system to fight mayhem in all its various forms (accidents, content chaos). By delivering a single, searchable content repository that is used during onboarding and while on-the-job, Allstate ensures that their 13,000 claims agents have consistent access to standardized job aids, process documents, and best practices—all in one location.
In this session, you will learn:
- How Allstate reduced duplicate content by 75 percent so claims agents could find the correct piece of information every time
- How customer calls have been streamlined by enabling claims agents to access a single repository
- How Allstate ensures lower regulatory risk and better compliance by ensuring use of the most up-to-date information
- How expenditures were decreased by eliminating extraneous systems like SharePoint, intranets, and shared drives
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Inkling.
Claudia Lewis
Director, Professional Services
Inkling
Claudia Lewis, the director of professional services for Inkling, is responsible for ensuring that the company’s customers can quickly and effectively build and share content with the Inkling platform. She leads a team of implementation managers to help get customers configured and trained and get their content distributed throughout the enterprise. Prior to Inkling, Claudia supported the development of web-based learning and remote collaboration at the international education reform organization Teach For All. She holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson School, and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University.
Pat Baker
Associate Manager Claims—Knowledge Management
Allstate
Pat Baker is the associate manager of claims—knowledge management for Allstate. For the past eight years, Pat has led various training and knowledge management teams within the company. She now runs the claims knowledge management team, which maintains the Inkling knowledge management system, known internally as the Knowledge Library. Pat holds a bachelor’s of science degree in business administration and is president of the Allstate African-American Working Network.
110 BYOD: Building Responsive Interactive Video with Simple HTML Snippets
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 11
You can create interactive video in a number of ways. There are tools for developing this kind of content, but they can be complex, expensive, and may not adapt to users’ various screen sizes. Another option, particularly if you want this content to be responsive, is to code it up yourself. If you’re not a strong coder this may seem too complex, but it’s actually much easier to accomplish than you might expect.
In this session, you will learn how to build responsive and interactive video with some easy-to-use HTML code snippets. Using simple HTML, you’ll be able to create interactions that allow the user to answer questions, choose a hotspot area on the video, branch to different parts of the video, and even to switch languages on the fly. This session will share the HTML code you’ll need to create your own interactive and responsive video, and also the steps you’ll use to develop this content yourself.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to create simple video
- How to make your video responsive
- How to trigger questions during your video
- How to create a hotspot in your video
- How to link to other parts of your video
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers and developers. Some HTML is helpful, but most of the code will be provided.
Technology discussed in this session:
HTML.
Participant technology requirements:
Laptop running Sublime Text.
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.
111 BYOD: Just Make It Look Pretty
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 1
You’ve put hours into analyzing content, spent days painstakingly storyboarding your product and drafting the scripts, and carefully thought through navigation choices—and yet, when you show it to your client or stakeholders, you’re still met with “Great, but can you make it look nicer/better/modern/pretty?” What more can you do when you’ve utilized sound learning theory and development strategies, but you’re still expected to be a graphic designer on top of it all?
In this session, you’ll explore how the combination of just a few fundamental principles of design can make what you create look more coherent and fluid, even if you’re not a trained graphic designer. You’ll learn how to analyze existing design, identify areas for improvement, and understand what principles and strategies can help you achieve a more aesthetically appealing design. Whether you consider yourself to have an aesthetic eye or not, these principles will enhance the presentation of your content in a way that will impress your audience and stakeholders.
In this session, you will learn:
- About basic principles of design that can quickly enhance your visual design skills
- How to analyze existing content and identify the weak areas of a design
- How to use design best practices to improve those weaknesses
- How to break down efficient designs into the fundamental design principles
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers and developers.
Participant technology requirements:
A laptop running Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple 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.
F01 Building a Learning Culture
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Tuesday, March 27
Junior Ballroom F
The problem comes down to this: When great training, including great eLearning, comes up against a lousy organizational culture, the culture wins every time. In addition, great technology cannot overcome a bad learning culture. What many organizations fail to grasp is that culture can promote or kill any learning effort, and therefore must be part of the overall learning strategy.
In this session, you’ll uncover how to build (or rehabilitate) the learning culture at your organization. You’ll explore how organizational and learning culture can make or break your initiatives. You’ll then find out how making strategic choices when it comes to communication, change management, technology, leadership, and the right measurement strategy can all work to improve your learning culture and help your initiatives succeed.
In this session, you will learn:
- How learning and organizational culture impacts the success or failure of learning initiatives
- How to use communication and change management to improve the learning culture
- How technology can aid or hinder a learning culture
- How leadership helps or hinders a learning culture
- How the right measurement strategy can improve a learning culture
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (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.
SDD102 6 Steps to Awesome eLearning Scenarios
11:00 AM - 11:45 AM Tuesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Design & Development Stage
When training courses don’t feel relevant to your learners’ work, the learners are less likely to meaningfully engage. You can capture their attention by turning dull, text-filled slides into a relatable scenario. This type of interaction gives learners an opportunity to apply new skills and explore outcomes in a low-pressure environment.
Learn a simple, six-step instructional design approach to building awesome eLearning scenarios. You’ll find out how to translate content into a decision-making activity, select relatable characters, and set the scene for your scenario. You’ll also get tips for adding context and providing feedback that illustrates the potential consequences of your learners’ virtual choices.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to turn course content into a decision-making activity
- How to select characters for your scenario
- How to set the scene with background imagery
- Tips for adding meaningful context
- How to provide feedback
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, and project managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Microsoft PowerPoint.
Nicole Legault
Community Manager
Articulate
Nicole Legault is a community manager at the software company Articulate. Nicole has a varied skill set that includes expertise in instructional design, eLearning development, and more. She has written hundreds of articles on the topic of eLearning and instructional design. She is a skilled public speaker and has delivered many hours of training and presentations on a variety of topics related to training. Nicole strives to create engaging sessions based on practical skills that can be used immediately on the job.
SMM102 Using Learning Data to Predict Workplace Success
11:00 AM - 11:45 AM Tuesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Management & Measurement Stage
You already know the value of tying your people development activities back to the “holy grail” question: “Did anybody even use the thing?” But, at times, that can be a daunting task fraught with pitfalls and challenges that often make people resort to a “happy sheet” or “tick in the box.” There must be a better way!
In this case study session, you’ll learn about a process that designers undertook to identify the correlation, if any, between the way people behaved during an online development program and how they applied what they had learned back in their workplace. While the specific outcomes from this research highlight a specific L&D topic, the process is of broader interest, as it will give you insight into how you can make that all-important connection between learning and application.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to apply the Brinkerhoff Success Case Method in your own context
- How to bridge the gap between input (learning) and output (performance)
- How xAPI can provide valuable insights into audience behavior
- How you can use these insights to enhance and enrich your design and facilitation, as well as provide evidence of the impact of your people development activity
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Curatr, Learning Locker, xAPI, Google Forms, and Skype.
Craig Taylor
Customer Success Manager
HT2 Labs
Craig Taylor, a customer success manager for HT2 Labs, has been involved in the training/L&D field since 1993, when he cut his teeth in the training-delivery world while serving in the British Army. His subsequent learning and development roles have been in the rail, nuclear, healthcare, and financial sectors, where he has worked to help organizations understand the value that current and emerging technologies can bring.
STP102 It Looks So Easy! Successfully Producing Virtual Learning Sessions
11:00 AM - 11:45 AM Tuesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Tools & Platforms Stage
Virtual learning sessions can be engaging ways to reach a wide and dispersed audience, but the skills you need to successfully plan and produce them are distinctly different from those you need for in-class sessions or other learning experiences. When planning to adopt virtual classroom platforms for learning sessions, successful organizations need a clear idea of what management, design, delivery, and technical issues to consider.
In this session, you will explore the key elements of virtual-session success that the presenters have identified from their decade-plus of experience hosting and producing online events. You’ll learn how to develop a reliable, repeatable process for producing virtual learning sessions, how to adjust instructional design and delivery techniques for virtual classrooms, and how to make your virtual classroom platform and related tools work reliably. You’ll also learn how to successfully coach a subject matter expert (SME), and you’ll leave with tips on how to best avoid technical issues—all while making everything look easy to the learners.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to effectively manage the production of successful virtual learning sessions, from planning to evaluation
- About the recommended roles for an effective virtual classroom production team
- How to design for virtual classrooms rather than face-to-face ones
- How to determine how much coaching an SME needs in order to be an effective presenter
- Tips for avoiding and troubleshooting technical issues before, during, and after virtual sessions
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, and managers. Attendees should have some experience with virtual events, either as participants or producers.
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.
SDD103 6 Ways Every Learning Leader Should Be Using Video
12:00 PM - 12:45 PM Tuesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Design & Development Stage
Melissa is a rising star at your company. She’s been promoted five times in as many years, and she is on track to join your leadership bench program. Unfortunately, she just gave her two weeks’ notice.
Capturing the knowledge of exiting employees is just one of the ways you could be using video but probably aren’t. This session will explore six examples of how companies are improving their learning strategies with video. You’ll also examine trends driving the use of video, and how you can tap them within your business.
In this session, you will learn:
- New ways to use video to create and curate formal learning opportunities
- New ways to implement video to support and scale informal learning initiatives at all levels of the organization
- About technology shifts that are making video more accessible to all employees
- How Millennials’ learning experiences in college will accelerate the use of video within business
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.), and anyone convinced they could be getting more value out of video.
Technology discussed in this session:
Video storage and streaming, video content search, and video recording.
Steve Rozillis
Head of Customer Evangelism
Panopto
Steve Rozillis is part of the team at Panopto, helping L&D professionals to convert general interest in video into concrete, practical applications for video-enabled training, communications, social learning, and knowledge management programs. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Duquesne University. A father of two children under 8, his hobbies today include a surprising number of arts and crafts projects.
SMM103 Language, Culture, and eLearning: How to Make Your Multilingual Learning Project Successful
12:00 PM - 12:45 PM Tuesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Management & Measurement Stage
Too often, eLearning developers and instructional designers create projects for a multilingual audience using only English as the framework language. They have it translated to their target languages, then scratch their heads over why global learners aren’t progressing as quickly as those in the United States.
To ensure your global audience is reaching their learning objectives, this session will discuss six elements that are crucial for developing successful multilingual, multicultural eLearning projects.
In this session, you will learn:
- Intercultural competency—what it is and how you achieve it
- How culture impacts your global training programs
- How to avoid culture clash
- Language complexities and eLearning white space
- Cultural and social norms, and the dos and don’ts of using localized jargon
- Learning techniques and culture—using cultural differences for effective teaching
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.)
Technology discussed in this session:
Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, and other authoring tools.
Ray Reyes
Vice President—USA
Zinacle
Ray Reyes is a vice president, USA at Zinacle, where he oversees strategic direction for the US market for the Spanish-based translation and localization company. With offices in Boston and Atlanta, and production teams in Spain and Romania, Zinacle is a leader in providing translation and localization services to the learning and corporate training industry. Ray is a global speaker and author who has worked with Fortune 500 multinational companies, as well as small to medium enterprises, to develop successful multilingual learning strategies. He attended the University of Georgia, Shorter University’s MBA program, and Harvard Business School’s Aligning Strategy and Sales program.
STP103 Reaching Every Device with Articulate 360
12:00 PM - 12:45 PM Tuesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Tools & Platforms Stage
Provide learners with an engaging learning experience on any device—without spending countless hours tweaking content for various screen sizes. With Rise, the responsive course authoring app in Articulate 360, all you need is a web browser to quickly create beautiful courses that are automatically optimized for every device.
In this session, you’ll learn how to build beautiful, fully responsive courses in Rise. The session will cover how to use pre-built lesson types to create engaging learner experiences, and how to create custom lessons with modular blocks. You’ll also see how to share your courses with learners.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to use Rise to build responsive courses
- How to use pre-built lesson types
- How to use modular blocks to create custom lessons
- How to share your courses
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Articulate 360 and Rise.
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.
201 Creating Engaging Learning Experiences
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Junior Ballroom G
Most of eLearning is deadly dull. The prose is turgid, the dialogue is worse, the stock photos are gratuitous, and the practice items are rote if not outright silly. Not only is this not fun, it’s not effective. There are plenty of reasons why: limited time and resources, and stakeholders who believe eLearning must be seen as serious. Yet, the outcome is unfortunate. And you can do better!
This session will examine the benefits of making learning engaging, and the steps that you can (and should) take. You’ll explore writing, graphics, introductions, examples, and—most importantly—practice that will engage learners. It’s not about points, badges, and leaderboards, but tapping into intrinsic motivation in ways that will cognitively and emotionally hook interest. You’ll also explore design processes that will systematically uncover the necessary information and bake what’s needed into your design. It’s time to go beyond boring and on to intrinsically interesting learning.
In this session, you will learn:
- About interesting ways to use SMEs
- About the power of story for you and your learners
- When to collaborate
- How to create characters with depth
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers and managers with experience designing for learning.
Technology discussed in this session:
Authoring, branching, and cartoon tools.
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.
202 Better Feedback for Scenario-Based eLearning
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 7
When you create a scenario, you work hard to make it realistic and relevant for your learners. Unfortunately, even otherwise engaging scenarios sometimes include abstract feedback like “Incorrect. Please try again.” Simply saying the choice is right or wrong can make learners lose interest and focus, and it doesn’t help them learn from their mistakes.
In this session, you will learn how to show learners the consequences of their decisions rather than telling them they’re right or wrong in scenario-based eLearning—the difference between “intrinsic feedback” and “instructional feedback.” You will explore several options for intrinsic feedback, such as progress meters, character responses, and environmental changes. You’ll learn guidelines for when to use immediate feedback and when to delay the feedback in scenarios. You will discuss how to design feedback to meet the needs of both novice and expert learners. You’ll also learn when direct instructional feedback is beneficial for learning.
In this session, you will learn:
- Multiple methods to show the consequences of decisions in scenarios
- When to use immediate or delayed feedback
- How to provide appropriate feedback for novice and expert learners
- When to use intrinsic feedback (showing consequences) and instructional feedback (direct coaching)
- How to work with SMEs to get information to provide realistic consequences
- How to write better feedback for short scenarios and complex branching scenarios
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, and managers. This session will be especially helpful for those who have created (or attempted to create) scenario-based learning. Anyone with an interest in creating scenario-based eLearning, at any level of experience, can benefit.
Technology discussed in this session:
Adobe Captivate.
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.
203 Closing the Skills Gap with Personalized Pathways and Social Learning
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 2
There is a growing disconnect between the supply and demand of skills required to fill some of the most essential jobs globally. A “one size fits all” approach to learning and development is simply not working, putting business performance and innovation at risk. How people learn, where people learn, and what people learn must change to allow individuals to experience a specific pathway that fully meets their individual needs.
During this session, you will learn how providing a personalized learning pathway enhances engagement and performance, resulting in improved business outcomes. An international case study will be analyzed, highlighting the benefits of offering a journey that meets the needs of each and every individual. The session will show you how to create a learning experience that enhances progress and ensures completion using blended learning principles. In addition, you will learn how you can use social media to communicate with learners and provide collaborative opportunities to bridge the skills gap and deliver personalized pathways.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to create a personalized learning culture within your organization
- Why personalized pathways engage and motivate learners
- How a personalized learning journey can positively impact business outcomes
- How to deliver individual pathways using a blended learning approach
- How social media contributes to a personalized learning culture
Audience:
Intermediate project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.). An understanding of the main social media channels would be beneficial.
Technology discussed in this session:
Social media platforms.
Mark Griffiths
Client Partner
Newleaf Training & Development
Mark Griffiths is a client partner at Newleaf Training & Development and heads up the East Coast office in Orlando, Florida. Mark has a degree in IT and a postgraduate degree in education, and he has personally gained over 15 years’ experience in the training, eLearning, and talent development arena—working with nonprofit, educational, and privately held organizations such as Randstad, Boston Scientific, and Citrix to create and deliver high-impact blended learning solutions using a wide range of eLearning authoring tools.
Wendy Richard
Resort Operations Manager
Walt Disney World
Wendy Richard is a resort operations manager at Walt Disney World. A media-trained, multilingual strategic thinker, he has accumulated experience in a variety of areas across the Walt Disney World Resort over the past 15 years, including learning and development, diversity, recruitment, and theme parks as well as resort operations. He earned his doctorate in organizational leadership with a specialization in organizational development. Wendy’s primary research focus involves social media and workplace learning. He currently serves as VP of engagement at the Association for Talent Development (ATD) Central Florida Chapter.
204 xAPI: An Introduction for Instructional Designers
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 9
As adoption of xAPI takes hold, the convergence of working and learning offers instructional designers the opportunity to do more than ever before. xAPI allows for more robust tracking of the learning process, including learning that happens outside the LMS and on the job. As actual data is integrated with learning metrics, you can tailor the process to individual needs and draw useful conclusions about the learning as a whole.
xAPI lets you offer and track learning experiences that are outside the LMS box. As an instructional designer, are you ready to step up to this challenge? This session will cover three key areas that impact instructional design: (1) identifying learning data needs, data sources, and meaningful visualizations that answer organizational and L&D questions; (2) making choices about infrastructure—how and when to work with your LMS, your LRS, or both; and (3) models for taking advantage of xAPI across a variety of learning vectors: formal and informal, social and private, formative and summative, predictable and variable.
In this session, you will learn:
- About new challenges in your work as an instructional designer
- About the impact that xAPI can have on your organization’s learning and performance strategies
- How to identify data needs and likely sources within the organization to meet them
- How to choose one or more initial projects that leverage xAPI’s capabilities beyond what’s available in SCORM today
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
xAPI, SCORM, LMS, and LRS.
Megan Torrance
CEO
TorranceLearning
Megan Torrance is CEO and founder of TorranceLearning, which helps organizations connect learning strategy to design, development, data, and ultimately performance. She has more than 25 years of experience in learning design, deployment, and consulting . Megan and the TorranceLearning team are passionate about sharing what works in learning, so they devote considerable time to teaching and sharing about Agile project management for learning experience design and the xAPI. She is the author of Agile for Instructional Designers, The Quick Guide to LLAMA, and Making Sense of xAPI. Megan is also an eCornell Facilitator in the Women's Executive Leadership curriculum.
205 Make Virtual Classroom Learning Relevant with Scenario-Based Learning!
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 16
Adult learning principles state that adults learn best when content is relevant. So why do most virtual classroom lessons rely on lectures and slides? Unfortunately, virtual classroom sessions tend to focus on getting as much content out there as possible, and leaving it up to the learners to figure out how to make it all work.
One of the most effective ways to ensure learning sticks is by getting learners involved, and scenario-based learning design does just that. You only have so much time to dedicate to formal learning, so every moment needs to be impactful and relevant. This session will explore how to design three types of scenario-based activities in the virtual classroom: problem-based, predictive, and play-based. Discover ideas for producing appropriate scenarios that resonate with your learners in the virtual classroom. You’ll leave with detailed examples of each type of scenario, and a template to walk you through seven steps for constructing scenarios in your virtual classroom design.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the role of scenario-based learning in modern workplace learning
- How scenario-based learning supports adult learning theory
- Techniques for implementing three types of scenario-based learning in the virtual classroom
- Seven steps for constructing scenarios
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers and developers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Virtual classrooms.
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.
206 Strategies for Keeping Your Mobile Learners Engaged
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 15
Developing a mobile learning strategy involves a lot more than great instructional design. A clear path for implementation makes sure your products aren’t just another app on your learners’ mobile devices. This means making sure your learners have easy access to the right content at the right time, but it also means giving learners an experience that inspires trust in both your content and your organization.
In this session, you’ll explore the things you need to consider when developing an implementation plan for mobile learning. Using lessons learned from real-world examples, you’ll learn about planning for updates, the importance of a marketing plan, and other issues that can make or break the success of mobile learning.
In this session, you will learn:
- How your mobile design drives learner engagement (or doesn’t)
- How to develop a long-term content management strategy
- How to collect learning data without overwhelming your users
- What information you need to know to determine whether your mobile learning is effective
- How to plan for updates, how often you should do them, and why
Audience:
Novice and intermediate designers and developers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Mobile devices.
Jennifer Solberg
CEO
Quantum Improvements Consulting
Jennifer Solberg, PhD, is the founder and CEO of Quantum Improvements Consulting (QIC), an Orlando-based firm specializing in the application of emerging technology to training for complex skills. A cognitive psychologist by trade, her work focuses on how to design, develop, implement, and evaluate training technology for the Department of Defense and other clients. At QIC, she leads a growing team of learning science professionals. In addition to her many peer-reviewed publications, her work has been featured in The New York Times, the Pentagon Channel, and Signal Magazine.
207 Lasting Impact! When Marketing Strategies Meet Learning Solutions
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Junior Ballroom F
As the lines between marketing, communication, and training are blurring, L&D is being asked to think “like a marketer” and develop or promote creative new learning solutions. So how do marketers engage their audience and change people’s behavior despite evolving technology and consumer preferences? The secret is their strategy. How can L&D professionals apply these strategies to change learner behavior and engage participants?
In this session, you’ll learn relevant strategies to think like a marketer while accomplishing your L&D goals. Through team-based activities, you’ll explore real-life examples and principles that top marketing organizations use to resonate with their audiences. You’ll also uncover the role a marketing strategy has on your learning programs through revealing unstated learner needs, applying insights, and creating a learner persona. You’ll leave this session with practical tips to apply to your next training project.
In this session, you will learn:
- Why incorporating marketing principles into your learning strategy can create lasting learner impact
- How to uncover unstated learner needs to shape your training solutions
- About creating a target audience and learner persona and the benefits of this approach
- How to integrate ideas from other industries into your learning programs
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Danielle Wallace
Chief Learning Strategist
Beyond the Sky
Danielle Wallace is the chief learning strategist at Beyond the Sky: Custom Learning. Previously, as a marketing leader with Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo, she learned strategic marketing principles which she now applies to learning and development to create compelling breakthrough solutions. Danielle is a sought after speaker at global conferences and her thought leadership is found in numerous industry magazines and publications.
208 Making Evidence-Based Recommendations to Your Organization
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 5
Many professionals struggle with providing clear recommendations to their organizations on what approach to take with courses. Simply putting things online because it is the trend does not seem like a very educated way forward. This often leads to disappointing results that are costly and do not deliver the expected outcomes. Many learning professionals remain unsure of how to formulate an answer to the question they are asked.
This session will share techniques developed over the years to make evidence-based recommendations to an organization. You will learn how to analyze content in order to provide a recommendation on instructional strategies and achieve greater stakeholder buy-in. You will explore a technique that can be applied to any type of content.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to perform a multimedia analysis
- How to build business cases for projects
- How to recommend instructional strategies
- Techniques for successful proposals
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, project managers, and managers with some knowledge of the analysis process.
Technology discussed in this session:
Microsoft Excel.
Luc Blanchette
Techno-pedagogical Advisor
Universitv© de l'Ontario Franvßais
Dr. Luc Blanchette is a seasoned learning and development professional. During his 20 years in the Canadian Armed Forces, he worked as a training development officer in a variety of positions and training establishments. He has advised various organizations on how to implement modern training solutions. He has been involved in a variety of aspects of training modernization such as online learning, blended learning, driver simulation, online assessment, instructor development, alternate training delivery and change management. He holds an undergraduate degree in adult education, a master's in distance education, and a doctorate in education with a specialization in instructional design.
209 The Journey from Structured Classroom Training to True Performance Support
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 18
Structured, classroom-based training can take a long time and add additional costs, and it can be very frustrating to create resource documents. Who wants paper references that have to be updated constantly, or to use a homemade reference system that is just as painful to maintain? Are you losing good people during or just after their new-hire training? There has to be a better way!
Come see how one organization transitioned their classroom-heavy, training-style program into a performance support-based program. See how they shortened their new-hire training program in half and improved morale as well as turnover. You’ll see how they can now support their staff in a way that has saved them money and improved their regulatory scores in the process.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to shift from classroom-based new hire training to a performance support-based system
- Performance support implementation do’s and don’ts
- How to engage your team in this process
- How to incorporate compliance requirement to the performance support tool
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VPs, CLOs, executives, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Demonstration of a performance support tool.
Peggy Kidd
Quality Assurance & Compliance Manager
AvMed
Peggy Kidd is a quality assurance manager for AvMed. Peggy has more than two decades of experience in compliance and has overseen the training program for AvMed’s member engagement team for the last 15 years. She has authored an eLearning program for in-house delivery and has taken its training program from structured classroom-heavy training to a performance support-based program.
210 Interactive Video Examples: Learning from the Best
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 3
Interactive video for training and learning is an extremely beneficial method of engaging viewers and increasing knowledge transfer. Many people have heard of interactive video but might not know how to get started, what the best practices are, what’s possible, or how it works with tools they already use. This session will help companies and institutions add an engaging asset to their toolbox and be better informed in their video strategy planning.
In this session, you’ll explore some of the best interactive videos in the eLearning and training space, discussing viewer engagement tactics, best practices, adaptive experiences, branching, scalability, production quality, data collection, and integration into existing learning strategies.
In this session, you will learn:
- Best practices of interactive video
- How other educators are leveraging interactive video in their curriculum
- How to scale interactive video strategies
- How to leverage data obtained from viewer engagement with interactive video
Audience:
Novice to advanced project managers, managers, and directors.
Technology discussed in this session:
Interactive video from a variety of sources and technologies, displaying on laptop, tablet, and mobile.
Kyle Morton
Founder
HapYak Interactive Video
Kyle Morton is the founder of HapYak Interactive Video. A veteran of successful startups, Kyle has more than a decade of experience in search, advertising, and web video. He has held leadership positions with private and venture-funded startups including RAMP Video, where he led product strategy; Secure-Bank, one of the first internet credit card processors; WebOS, a pioneer in internet applications; and Third Screen Media, one of the first mobile advertising platforms. At HapYak, Kyle leads product strategy and partnerships.
211 Best Practices for Implementing Gamification
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 14
Gamification is an important and powerful strategy for influencing and motivating people. Unfortunately, many people think that gamification means adding a game to their learning program or making a computer or video game. Because of this confusion, combined with a lack of real-life case studies of gamification successfully applied to learning programs, many learning professionals do not understand how to deconstruct games to effectively drive the learning and behavior they need.
Using case studies from real-life programs at organizations such as Brown University, Amazon, Wyndham Properties, and ATB Financial, you’ll learn how and why gamification works, in what context it is most effective, and what the limits are to this approach for employee engagement in corporate learning and talent development. Through hands-on application combined with anecdotal and empirical data, you will experience the good, the bad, and the ugly of gamification strategy design.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to create a fun, collaborative gamification experience to achieve business objectives
- How gamification tackles challenging problems and provides real-time understanding of challenges
- How to structure gamification mechanics and motivators to generate needed change
- How to map a practical method for approaching gamification in your organization
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, and directors with a foundational knowledge of instructional design.
Technology discussed in this session:
eLearning, LMS, and microlearning.
Monica Cornetti
President
Sententia
Unlike other gamification practitioners, speakers, and consultants, Monica Cornetti has focused intensively on the latest immersive engagement techniques and the latest research in the adult education, corporate training, and talent development fields. A gamification speaker and designer, Monica was recognized as #1 in the Most Influential Women in Gamification who have created a legitimate impact in the gamification industry. At the intersection of learning and play, she is leading a team of trusted, cutting-edge curriculum designers and developers to improve the performance of individuals and organizations across the globe.
212 State of the Industry: cmi5 Support in Authoring Tools and LMS
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 17
Deciding when to incorporate new standards and tools into your learning ecosystem can make evaluation difficult. With the ADL’s release of cmi5 in June 2016 as the xAPI profile for LMS/content communication, a wave of LMS and authoring tools have embraced the specification. Other authoring tools have been slower to adopt cmi5, opting to rely on xAPI-enabled SCORM modules to extend tracking beyond the limited data points of SCORM.
This session will look at cmi5 conformance for authoring tools and LMS, allowing attendees to make educated buying decisions. xAPI enthusiasts will gain an understanding of extending cmi5 capabilities through xAPI. You will explore commercially available authoring tool and LMS adoption of cmi5, including the structure of xAPI statements generated by those tools. More importantly, you will review how to use those statements for reporting on a variety of interactions within an online content module.
In this session, you will learn:
- About cmi5 support for various authoring tools and LMS
- About the benefits and limitations of xAPI-enabled SCORM content
- About the infrastructure you need to support xAPI and cmi5 within your organization
- About options for cmi5 adoption within an organization
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers, developers, managers, and directors with a general understanding of eLearning standards such as SCORM, AICC, and cmi5.
Technology discussed in this session:
Authoring tools, LMS, and LRS.
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.
213 BYOD: Getting Started Building Branching Scenarios
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 1
Do you want to introduce more interactivity into your eLearning courses? Do you want to provide a safe space for your learners to explore through trial and error? Have you heard about branching scenarios but not known how to go about building one?
In this session, you will learn the basics for interacting with tools to build branching scenarios. You will learn the high-level process for building branching scenarios from start to finish. You will also practice conducting an SME interview, and you’ll build a small prototype of a branching scenario based on the information you collect in the interview. You will leave with a base understanding of how to build a branching scenario.
In this session, you will learn:
- The basic design principles behind branching scenarios
- The pedagogy behind branching scenarios
- The advantages and disadvantages of using various tools to create branching scenarios
- Which questions to ask subject matter experts to get content to write
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers and developers. Familiarity with branching scenarios is a plus but not required.
Technology discussed in this session:
BranchTrack, Articulate Storyline, and Twine.
Participant technology requirements:
Participants need a laptop and an internet connection. Participants who want to work in Storyline should bring a laptop that has that software. If participants want to work in BranchTrack but have already used their trial, they will need a current BranchTrack subscription. Participants who have access to neither program can use Twine, which is open source and therefore free.
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.
214 BYOD: Storytelling on Steroids with VideoScribe
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 13
Do you have a story to tell? A lesson to teach? A product to market? VideoScribe lets you do all that. Rapidly. VideoScribe lets you create whiteboard animations that you can post online or include in eLearning or presentations. No drawing talent needed!
Our brains crave stories. When listening to a good story, your brain becomes fully engaged by experiencing the events of the story (as opposed to passively decoding language, as it does during a lecture). This is why storytelling is such a powerful learning tool. Fuse the power of stories with the incredible reach of videos and you have a game-changer in the world of learning. HubSpot has projected that video will claim more than 80 percent of all web traffic by 2019. Opportunities abound for learning and marketing professionals who know how to leverage this powerful combination!
In this session, you will learn:
- How to create a new scribe to tell a story
- How to add and manipulate images and text on the canvas
- How to adjust draw and play time
- How to preview, play, and save scribes
- How to add music to a scribe
- How to insert a scribe into a PowerPoint deck
Audience:
Novice designers and developers with intermediate computer skills.
Technology discussed in this session:
VideoScribe.
Participant technology requirements:
A laptop running VideoScribe (free trial version is OK).
Karin Rex
Learning Experience Architect
Geeky Girl
Karin Rex is a learning experience architect at Geeky Girl as well as an author, facilitator, instructional designer, and frequent speaker on technology-related topics. Since 1989, Karin has owned Geeky Girl, a boutique learning organization where she devotes her time to writing, teaching, and course development (eLearning, virtual classroom, face-to-face classroom, and blended). Karin is a certified synchronous facilitator, designer, and producer with a master’s degree in professional writing. Additionally, Karin teaches writing classes for Penn State University.
215 BYOD: Must-Know Photoshop Tips for Learning Developers
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 11
High-quality visuals are crucial to the success of eLearning courses and videos. Photoshop lets you create these quickly and easily, but many eLearning developers find Photoshop too complicated and either avoid it altogether or don’t take full advantage of the features available.
In this session, you will learn a variety of simple, yet powerful, Photoshop tips every learning developer should know. These tips will save you time and help you easily create high-impact visuals. You will learn such things as how to easily and effectively remove people from backgrounds, how to remove unwanted portions from a complex image, and how to quickly change the color of part of a photo. You will leave with practical and time-saving knowledge that you can instantly apply on the job.
In this session, you will learn:
- Methods to easily and effectively cut out people and objects
- How to create versatile image fades
- How to easily remove unwanted aspects in a complex image
- How to quickly change the color of part of a photo
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers and developers. Basic knowledge of Photoshop is helpful but not required.
Technology discussed in this session:
Adobe Photoshop.
Participant technology requirements:
A laptop running the latest version of Adobe Photoshop.
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.
SDD104 Design Tips for Developing Mobile Training
1:00 PM - 1:45 PM Tuesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Design & Development Stage
Imagine no longer sitting at your desk to complete the latest product training module, and instead accessing it on your tablet in your van—or accessing performance support on your phone from a casino floor! Learn what the Aristocrat Technologies team had to learn to make these experiences better for learners.
This session will explore design considerations for mobile training. Whether you are a fan of calling it “snack sized” or not, the “snackability” requirements for mLearning do in fact exist. You will look at where the team started, some of the bad ideas they had along the way, and where they are now—plus, what their learners think of the experience!
In this session, you will learn:
- About factors to consider when moving from desktop to mobile modules
- About usability and design techniques for mLearning
- About authoring tools that work well with mLearning
- About user experience stories from learners and designers
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, managers, and directors with some knowledge of mLearning as a delivery method.
Technology discussed in this session:
Mobile browsers, eLearning authoring tools, TechSmith products, GoAnimate, Axonify, and Vimeo.
Christiana Houck
Director of Learning Solutions
Aristocrat Technologies
Christiana Houck is a director of learning solutions at Aristocrat Technologies, a PhD, and a learning and education nerd. She leads a team of energetic trainers and award-winning instructional designers. The team uses an agile project management approach, is looking into AR, and measures business impact through behaviors. Previously, Christiana developed and delivered instructor-led training and eLearning and taught professors how to teach online.
SMM104 Define the Learning Problem Before Determining the Solution
1:00 PM - 1:45 PM Tuesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Management & Measurement Stage
You’re looking for a learning solution; that’s why we’re all here. But first, let’s take a step back and look at the learning problem—how do you define it? How do you measure it? When the challenge is well-defined, the learning solution becomes clearer. So let’s try defining the problem from a new perspective—the learner’s. The learner is the first key stakeholder in education, so why don’t we put ourselves in their shoes to properly identify the problem and the solution?
In this session, you will discover how some of the world’s leading organizations define their learning problems and create a framework to identify the right solution by starting with the learner experience. Regardless of industry, there has been a clear education/experience gap. This gap continues to expand between the needs of today’s learners and the way the experience is delivered. We will walk through a breakdown of today’s typical learner and the typical learning experience, then explore which aspects of the learner’s journey needs some love to find the right learning solution.
In this session, you will learn:
- What today’s learner looks like
- Why it is important to take a deeper dive into the problem prior to exploring solutions
- How to identify the learner’s journey and the gaps in that journey
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers, developers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VPs, CLOs, executives, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Adaptive Engine, Mobile/Omni-Channel.
Beatrice Conley
Enterprise Solutions Manager
BenchPrep
Beatrice Conley is an enterprise solutions manager at BenchPrep, where she helps organizations deliver engaging, unmatched learning experiences with a learner success platform. While studying psychology, human development, and education at Northwestern University, she explored the way improvements in technology are rapidly changing the way we communicate and ultimately learn, which is why she landed in the EdTech space. For the last four years, Beatrice has worked in K-12 schools incorporating new curriculum management systems and now helps improve the overall professional learning experience for organizations that require enterprise-level solutions.
STP104 Essential Design and Development Tools—and They’re Free
1:00 PM - 1:45 PM Tuesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Tools & Platforms Stage
Shrinking budgets and constrained resources have made it more important than ever to make the most of the resources you have when designing learning experiences. Thankfully, the increasing availability of cloud-based applications and other free tools makes it easier than ever to create and develop learning experiences that don’t have to cost a bundle.
This session will focus in on some of the most popular and useful free tools that will ensure you can design and manage your projects quickly and easily. You’ll not only leave with a list of tools you can use immediately, but you’ll also learn how to use them and see practical applications for each of them. Curated from a list of over 460 resources, there is something here for everyone.
In this session, you will learn:
- Over 25 categories of free tools that can be useful for instructional design
- How to use key tools from these categories within your project design
- Which tools will help you manage your project development process
- How get the most from these tools to develop and deliver quality learning experiences
- How to identify free tools that will provide the biggest impact to your budget
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers and developers.
Technology discussed in this session:
A wide range of free design and development tools.
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.
SDD105 Designing Your Organization for Learning Agility
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM Tuesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Design & Development Stage
The fourth industrial revolution is leading to the creation of jobs requiring new skill sets and, in many cases, the creation of new jobs themselves. This calls for continuous training and upskilling. Traditional formats, like learning in classroom and instructor-led formats or learning in formal education settings, no longer work; they are neither cost-efficient nor time-efficient.
Despite the availability of online content, both in-house and MOOCs, many organizations fail to sufficiently skill employees for their day-to-day demands, resulting in erosion of competitive advantage. This session introduces the notion of the continuous learning organization, where people learn at the speed of change and deliver business impact on the ground.
In this session, you will learn:
- The key differences between a legacy learning organization and an agile learning organization
- The key differences between a learning management system and a continuous learning and development platform
- How to use technology and content effectively in building an agile learning organization
- How to link learning with business impact
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Disprz, a mobile app.
Kuljit Chadha
Co-Founder and COO
Disprz
Kuljit Chadha, the co-founder and COO of Disprz, is a serial entrepreneur who relishes taking nascent technology products to new markets. He has a track record of taking at least three products that were category-defining across media, formal education, and enterprise learning to both emerging and developed markets across the world. In his latest stint as co-founder of Disprz, a knowledge-tech startup (which was adjudged the mobile learning company of the year in 2017), Kuljit has interacted with over 100 L&D heads globally and has assimilated a treasure trove of best practices. He holds an MBA from a top-ranked business school in India.
SMM105 The Learning Revolution: 6 Trends That Will Change Behaviors
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM Tuesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Management & Measurement Stage
The holy grail of learning is undoubtedly behavior change. It’s said that learning can only be proved when behaviors are affected and one can see an evidenced change in practice. But how realistic is genuine behavior change in a learning program?
This session will explore what the future has in store for learning. You will examine six different trends that will change behaviors, using world-class examples and case studies. Find out how to use an omni-channel approach for a learning revolution within your organization.
In this session, you will learn:
- The definition of a learning ecosystem
- About the power of omni-channel solutions
- How immersion and augmentation can be used in everyday learning
- About the next generation of personalization and social learning
- New and effective ways of assessing your learners
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.), as well as students and vendors.
Rose Benedicks
CEO
Dashe & Thomson
Rose Benedicks is a renowned learning design expert and CEO of Dashe & Thomson. She has won awards for her learning experiences and is recognized for her approach to workplace challenges. She excels in aligning learning with business needs and proving the ROI of well-designed learning experiences. She holds a masters in instructional systems technology from Indiana University, is a leading presenter in the industry, and teaches instructional technology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
STP105 Creating Amazing Experiences: Let’s Get Inspired!
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM Tuesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Tools & Platforms Stage
Designing great user experiences for your learners is critical to the success of how they engage; how they utilize content, tools, and apps; and how they focus on the task at hand. This session will break down what’s important in designing great experiences, and provide you with resources to get you started and inspired from mobile to desktop and beyond.
This session will cover design strategies, what works and what doesn’t, and demonstrate how to plan and prototype, using several great examples. You’ll get more than 10 resources for building inspiration and getting you and your organization to the next level.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to evaluate what you see, hear, and feel, and how to apply what resonates with your audience
- How to conduct interviews and create feedback loops to improve your concepts
- About a new series of resources and tools to implement on your next project
- How to share, get inspired, and motivate your organization to grow
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Apps and tools: Paper, PowerPoint, PDF, Marvel, and DropBox Paper.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.
301 Developing Informal Learning Content for Retail Organizations
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 16
Learning content is often walled off from other categories of content developed in the enterprise. Learning content is often considered inappropriate for audiences outside the organization because it’s designed to talk to employees and has a tone (and, most often, a quality level) that is not appropriate for consumer communication. Due to this attitude, loads of quality content is wasted that could have an impact on the organizational bottom line.
In this session, you’ll take a look at an approach for multi-purposing internal learning content in a way that communicates well not just with internal stakeholders, but also external consumer audiences. This content creation strategy will allow you to develop a library of content that can turn internal educational content into external marketing, saving your organization development time and costs while also helping your employees and consumers become experts in your products and services. You’ll find out how to create informal learning that works for educating both your consumers and internal audiences, and how to get internal stakeholders on board with this approach.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to create informal learning that works for consumer and internal audiences
- How and when to use video for informal learning content
- How to appropriately brand informal learning for external use
- About the quality standards that outside audiences expect
- How to use product reviews profitably
- When NOT to use informal learning as a marketing tool
- How to communicate the value of informal learning to internal stakeholders
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Blogs and blogging, digital magazines, YouTube, Roku, and Apple TV.
Mark Lassoff
Founder
Dollar Design School
Over two million people have learned coding and design from Mark Lassoff. Mark and his company are pioneers in new media learning, having created the first streaming media network dedicated to learning workforce and career skills. They produce broadcast-quality learning content that focuses on digital skills such as design, coding, and digital productivity. Mark is an in-demand speaker and has traveled the world to teach. He was named to the 40 under 40 in both Austin, Texas, and Hartford, CT. In 2017, Mark was awarded the prestigious Learning Guild Guild Master Award.
302 Evaluation for the Real World
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Tuesday, March 27
Junior Ballroom F
You’ve spent lots of time and money on your most recent L&D project. Now executives want to know: “Was it effective? What’s the ROI?” Do you know how to answer? If the answer is “no,” you’re not alone. One of the things many instructional designers struggle with is the dreaded evaluation. Even those who know the theory inside and out often struggle to put it into place.
Kirkpatrick’s model is great from an academic perspective, but the reality is that it’s challenging to implement in today’s fast-paced, deadline- and results-driven world. In this session, you will learn practical strategies for integrating evaluation into your projects from the very beginning. Evaluation is not a “one size fits all” process. You use different approaches to create different learning experiences, whether they’re instructor-led training, eLearning, social learning, VR, or blended curricula. In this session, you will learn to tailor your evaluation approach to your training project.
In this session, you will learn:
- Best practices for evaluation in a corporate environment
- How to set expectations with stakeholders
- What executives care about and what they don’t
- Tips for evaluating different types of training
- How to customize your evaluation plan to your project
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, and managers.
Dan Myers
Senior Manager of Staff Training
The Cheesecake Factory
Dan Myers is a senior manager of staff training for The Cheesecake Factory. Dan has more than 15 years of experience in all phases of learning and development, including managing the learning function, instructional design, multimedia development, and LMS administration. He brings many years of experience working with executive stakeholders to develop training programs that get results.
303 Starting with Empathy
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 9
Every session and course you build is intended to improve people’s work performance in some way. So, before jumping into building the content, it is vital to find ways of seeing things from the learning audience’s point of view. Doing this well improves their learning experience, ensuring they get the right content and just what they need.
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. During this session, you’ll explore ways of using empathy to see things from the learners’ points of view—and how to use that insight to craft better learning experiences. You’ll explore techniques and determine ways of answering important questions about your learning audience. For example: What do the learners already know? How do they feel about having to complete the content? Are they clear about the way they’ll use the content in their work?
In this session, you will learn:
- About the importance of beginning with empathy
- How to ask better questions to get better answers
- How application of real-world experience improves the learning experience
- How an empathy-centered approach can raise the level of learning retention
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, and managers.
Dawn Mahoney
Owner
Learning In the White Space
Dawn J. Mahoney CPTD is a talent development professional who is passionate about developing people through better learning content, better learning strategy, and better dialog. In 2015, Dawn founded Learning In the White Space, a boutique consultancy devoted to planning a learning strategy and bringing it to life. Dawn writes the "Last Word" column in Training Magazine and is the author of Lean Learning Using the ADDIE Model.
304 So, You’ve Decided to Use Scrum. Now What?
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 7
Scrum has quickly become a preferred methodology for developing educational content in a fast-paced world. But how do you take those agile concepts and apply them to an existing development team deeply rooted in linear processes? MedStar Health had a patient education video production team that was buried under projects. They needed to implement Scrum, and fast, but quickly found that the out-of-the-box process needed some customization.
In this case study session, explore how the production team from MedStar Health’s Simulation, Training, and Education Lab (SiTEL) made Scrum work across multiple linear video projects. Find out what blended well with the existing waterfall framework, what didn’t, and how the solution was customized to fit the team’s needs. You’ll learn how a staged, slow agile release process can facilitate acceptance and support. Learn about the video production life cycle and how to identify natural breaking points within a linear project to facilitate floating project tasks. You’ll learn the basics of managing multi-project sprint backlogs, stickies, and Scrum boards.
In this session, you will learn:
- What the video production project life cycle is, and how to break up linear phases to fit within the incremental nature of a Scrum framework
- How to manage multiple linear projects by finding natural breaking points and floating project tasks
- How to adapt the Scrum board, stickies, and backlogs to support multiple video projects
- How to introduce and pilot Scrum using a slow rollout to maximize team member support
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, project managers, and managers.
Hilda Demarino
Project Manager
MedStar Health
Hilda Demarino is a senior certified project manager professional and Scrum master for the Patient Education Group of MedStar Health, SiTEL Division. She has leveraged nearly 10 years of designer experience coupled with her project management skills to produce state-of-the-art healthcare education with advanced technologies. She recently led a multimedia production team to create over 100 pieces of patient education video content using the Scrum framework. In 2014, Hilda led her team to a first-place win in the Mobile Solution category at The eLearning Guild’s DevLearn DemoFest.
305 Adopting the Performance Support Mindset
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 17
The time was right for The Predictive Index to adopt a performance support mindset. The only problem was, they hadn’t done it before! In spite of the challenges posed by an agile software environment, over 20 languages, and no hint of which tool set to choose, performance support is now alive and well and growing in its adoption around the globe throughout the PI Network. So how did they accomplish this?
In this case study session, you will learn some practical “how-to” advice on adopting a performance support mindset from a small team of two who started from scratch. You’ll gain some insights into not only what worked but what didn’t work, so you can avoid making the same mistakes. You’ll learn about their processes and tools and find out how they implemented performance support in a company that had never even heard of it before.
In this session, you will learn:
- What business challenges performance support can help solve
- What considerations might impact a performance support adoption
- How to implement performance support in your organization
- How to integrate a variety of high-performing tools into your workflow
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Pendo, Salesforce, and Drupal.
Roberta Dombrowski
Experience Design and Strategy Director
Year Up
Roberta Dombrowski is a passionate product experience leader with a focus on building products and experiences for the way people learn and work. Over the years, she’s been fortunate to build experiences for communities of learners, educators, managers, and employees. She is currently the experience design and strategy director at Year Up and is an adjunct professor at Boise State University.
306 Enabling the Deskless Retail Workforce
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 18
Sales. Complaints. Stocking. Theft. These issues dominate the retail day-to-day, leaving little time for development. Distributed stores, varying experience levels, and the growing complexity of omnichannel are making it more difficult for L&D to support retail employees. Although this audience is underserved by L&D, they are at great risk for injury, they interact with customers, and they have the power to make or break your business—one decision at a time.
This session will explore the reality of the retail workplace and determine why traditional learning approaches continue to fall short. You will learn about the differentiating role deskless employees will play as the retail business continues to experience seismic disruption. L&D professionals will craft the modern retail learning and performance experience by reimagining L&D tactics to better fit into the day-to-day. You’ll hear stories of emerging retailers that have evolved their learning ecosystems to better support the needs of the deskless worker. The session will demonstrate how a renewed focus on learning can drive measurable business outcomes through an evolved customer experience.
In this session, you will learn:
- Assess the day-to-day performance reality of the retail worker
- Apply modern learning principles and tactics to support the deskless worker
- Enable frontline managers to improve continued learning and coaching experiences
- Foster organizational agility through a reimagined approach to workplace learning
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Knowledge sharing platforms, microlearning platforms, mobile devices, and POS devices.
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.
307 Evaluative Inquiry as a Catalyst for Learning and Change
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 14
Many learning and development professionals are shifting away from an overreliance on outcome-based evaluation models, such as the Kirkpatrick evaluation model, in favor of advanced evaluation models that drive actual use of findings and organizational learning. If you’re in the beginning stages of this transition, though, you may be wondering what other approaches are out there and how best to translate them from theory to practical use.
This session will share results from a recent case study that explored the use of one advanced evaluation model, evaluative inquiry (Preskill and Torres, 1999), within one department in a corporation. You’ll learn about the guiding principles, procedural guidelines, lessons learned, and recommendations throughout the planning, implementation, and evaluation process. This session will provide you with the resources and practical advice you’ll need to communicate, justify the use of, and apply the evaluative inquiry model within your organization.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the guiding principles of evaluative inquiry
- About the procedural guidelines of evaluative inquiry
- Lessons from applying evaluative inquiry in the field
- Tips on how to apply evaluative inquiry in your organization
- How to plan and implement evaluative inquiry
- About evaluative inquiry high-level processes
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers, developers, and managers.
Marie Paydon
Clinical Training Manager
AbbVie
Marie Paydon is a clinical training manager with AbbVie. She is a learning and development professional with extensive experience and passion around creating and elevating methods for organizational learning.
Marlies De Kluyver
Sr. Learning Excellence Manager, Global Learning
Abbvie
Marlies De Kluyver is a senior learning excellence manager of global learning for AbbVie, and a passionate learning professional who is inspired to improve the learner experience. She started her career as a digital developer and joined the Illinois Institute of Art to teach a new certificate program for adult learners. She collaborated with the school to redesign the program and develop four additional programs that launched across all sister schools in the US. Marlies also worked for Motorola as a media developer. At AbbVie, she has grown from the development side into supporting brands, global learning managers, and partners in driving learning excellence.
308 Tips for Building Accessible Courses in Storyline
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 5
Enabling course accessibility is a common task for developers, but it also creates many questions. What makes a course accessible? How can you use Storyline to make courses accessible to a variety of audiences? What are some best practices when planning and developing WCAG or 508-compliant courses? How can you test courses to ensure accessibility?
In this session, you will learn what “accessibility” means for eLearning, and how you can utilize tools within 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 that are possible in Storyline. Finally, you will examine tools, resources, and best practices for testing your eLearning modules for accessibility.
In this session, you will learn:
- What “accessibility” means
- How to determine which Storyline tools to use for compliant eLearning courses
- How to increase accessibility without decreasing functionality
- About tools and resources that will aid in development and testing of accessible eLearning courses
- How to test your eLearning to ensure compliance
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers and developers with a basic understanding of Storyline.
Technology discussed in this session:
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.
309 Dynamic Video Interactions for Increased Engagement
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Tuesday, March 27
Junior Ballroom G
Over the last decade, instructional designers have become more and more reliant on eLearning courses to deliver content. Unfortunately, traditional eLearning courses don’t always effectively engage and excite the end user. The result is learner apathy and exhaustion, poor knowledge retention, and high training attrition rates.
In this session, you’ll learn how a combination of animated video production, digital storytelling, and eLearning interactions can help you create dynamic, engaging training that your learners will want to take. You will walk away understanding how to leverage the key elements of stories and non-linear assessments to captivate your learners. Most importantly, you will learn how to design training that lets you accurately track and identify where your learners are having the most success and where there are opportunities to provide additional support.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to create engaging training by combining video elements with traditional eLearning activities
- The best way to design a course so that you can use data to support the ongoing needs of your learners
- How to leverage the features of eLearning creation tools to get the most out of the learning experience
- Best practices of digital storytelling in an eLearning course
- Tips and tricks for rapid development of multimedia courses
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers, developers, and managers. Attendees should have a familiarity with Storyline (or other eLearning creation tool) and a basic understanding of triggers and variables.
Technology discussed in this session:
Articulate Storyline and GoAnimate.
310 Gamification vs. Serious Games: Differences and Similarities for L&D
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 2
Gamification and game-based learning are both buzzwords in the education and training industry. Although both are innovative ways to train your learners, they cannot be used interchangeably. While both relate to education, how they do so varies considerably. Organizations are warming up to the idea of using gamification and serious games to train their employees. However, many organizations are still unsure of the benefits of gamifying their training needs.
This session will examine the benefits and best practices, along with the contrasts between serious games and gamification of learning. Every organization has its own unique learning needs, and just because it is cool to gamify does not mean you should do so in every situation. In this session, you will explore the approaches to using gamification and the aspects of gamification and serious games that make people want to play. You will also use examples and case studies to discuss similarities and contrast differences between gamification and serious games.
In this session, you will learn:
- About best practices to ensure a successful understanding of gamification
- About first steps you can take into the gamification realm
- What to look for when implementing gamification into your learning
- What learning means in a serious game
- How to nurture a serious game
- How to evaluate a serious game
- When to implement serious games—and when not to
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Whiteboard and HDMI projector.
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.
311 How to Choose the Wrong LMS
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 15
Selecting the wrong LMS can lead to years of frustration – missing features, bad support and bad contracts can be maddening. So how can you avoid picking the wrong LMS? Problems with RFP’s, being too trusting in marketing slogans, sticking to selection rules rather than product fit, and weak negotiation tactics are just a few of the stumbling blocks you’ll want to consider in detail, and be prepared to avoid.
In this session you’ll discover what actions can lead you to choose the wrong LMS and how to avoid them in the future. Jake White is an industry veteran, and has been through the LMS purchase process many times. He'll share the pitfalls you should avoid, as well as practical insights for choosing the right LMS for you. Learn to fix the flaws in your selection process, and leave this session with renewed hope (and tactics) for finding the right LMS for your organization.
In this session, you will learn: (list at least 4 audience takeaways)
- The importance of the right fit
- Common mistakes to avoid in the selection process
- A practical process for choosing a winning solution
- Industry insights and how to ensure a successful relationship with your vendor
Technology discussed in this session:
Learning management systems
Jake White
CEO/Founder
Torch LMS
Jake White spent 10 years directing learning, including the use of multiple LMSs. Since 2010, he has served as the CEO/Founder of Torch LMS. He brings unique insights to this subject, having experienced LMS purchasing as a buyer and an LMS provider. He is a Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP), accredited through the Association for Talent Development.
312 Reaching More Learners with Virtual Instructor-Led Training
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 3
Due to cost and time constraints, only a small percentage of John Deere’s dealer technicians had the opportunity to attend offsite instructor-led training. The company needed to reach more technicians with training that would go beyond what asynchronous training could provide in a format that could be taken with just a computer and internet connection. The training needed to be globally accessible, highly engaging, and encourage the development of strong diagnostic skills.
In this case study session, find out how John Deere adapted its diagnostic engine training from face-to-face to a virtual instructor-led format capable of reaching students in their homes and at their places of work. You will hear about the initial goals, the hurdles that had to be overcome, and the processes and technologies that were implemented, and you’ll see examples of the final product. You will learn about what worked well—and what didn’t. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss how the techniques John Deere used might be implemented in your situation.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the business case for moving from face-to-face to virtual instructor-led classes
- About the hurdles John Deere encountered in developing effective online synchronous training and how they were overcome
- What processes and techniques are most effective in developing virtual instructor-led classes
- What technologies John Deere is using in its virtual instructor-led classes
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, and managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Adobe Connect; various technologies used to set up and operate a video studio (tricaster, handheld and PTZ video cameras, lighting and audio equipment); and internet bandwidth requirements.
Stephen Acheson
Senior Instructional Designer
John Deere
Stephen Acheson is a senior instructional designer with the John Deere Power Systems Worldwide Training Department. In this position, he works with diverse teams to design and develop training modules for a worldwide audience. Steve has led several cross-divisional teams designing and developing company-wide training on a wide range of subjects, including a recent two-year overhaul of the complete technical engine curriculum. Steve received his BA in education from Warner University and his MA in performance and training from the University of Northern Iowa. He has over 36 years of experience in the field of education and training.
Lisa Wahl
Project Manager
John Deere
Lisa Wahl is a Project Manager with the John Deere Power Systems Worldwide Training Department. In this position she works closely with the development team to connect content and users with the LMS as well as the development of communication and marketing for JDPS training curriculum. Lisa works with multiple cross-divisional teams to ensure alignment across the enterprise in regard to training content accessibility, user experience and communication. Lisa is currently pursuing her degree in Communication from the University of Norther Iowa.
313 BYOD: Dial Up the Creativity in Your Storyline Game Interactions
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 13
Gamifying your courses can be a real creative challenge. However, it becomes a little easier when you can add familiar game elements to your web-based courses like timers, health meters, progress trackers, navigation joysticks, etc. The good news is that Articulate Storyline 3 and 360 make it easy to create all of these things by leveraging the new dial interactive object functionality.
In this hands-on session, you will create timers, meters, and virtual joysticks in Storyline 3 or 360 using the built-in dials feature. You will experience the ease with which you can build these items and explore different ways to utilize these objects in your gamified learning projects. You will leave the session with a few new tools under your belt, and a renewed commitment to explore and invent creative uses for other Storyline standard tools and functionality.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to use the Storyline dial interactive object to create interactive objects that are not dials
- How to make them functional with variables and triggers
- How to effectively incorporate the objects you’ve created into your gamified courses
- Best practices for game elements, as shared by the instructor and other participants
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers and developers. This course targets Storyline users looking for creative ways to add game elements to their projects. Participants should have a basic knowledge of Storyline 3/360, as well as some understanding of triggers and variables. Some knowledge of creating graphics is helpful but not required.
Technology discussed in this session:
Articulate Storyline 3/360: dials, variables, and triggers. JavaScript will be discussed lightly, but no knowledge of JavaScript is required.
Participant technology requirements:
Laptop running either Storyline 3 or 360 (trial version is OK).
Owen Holt
Sr. Manager, Training & Knowledge Management
Q2
Owen Holt is a manager of talent development with Lithium Technologies. He has over 25 years of experience in the learning and development field, including 12 years managing training development and delivery for global audiences. His experience also includes developing training as a profit center for two startup software companies, and consulting with a sales organization to improve its sales culture through revitalized training solutions.
314 BYOD: Creating Microlearning Videos with PowerPoint
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 11
Delivering short bursts of lessons over time is a solid approach for helping people learn and retain information, and one great approach for this kind of training is microlearning video. If you’re not producing one- to three-minute videos for your audience, it’s time to start. It’s not expensive, and you probably already have the tool you need on your computer: Microsoft PowerPoint. If you can create slides in PowerPoint, you can create microlearning videos, too.
In this BYOD session, you’ll learn how to produce a short, animated microlearning video in PowerPoint at no cost. Starting with a storyboard, script, and prepared slides, you’ll learn how to animate text and characters so they appear, dance across the screen, and disappear on cue. You’ll break your video into scenes by applying the best slide transitions. And you’ll give it a professional touch with your own voice-over narration and royalty-free background music. With a few more clicks, you’ll have a professional-looking video that you can share on Facebook, post to YouTube, or host on your LMS.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to apply animations and motion paths to slide objects like text and characters
- How to use the animation pane to manage multiple objects on a slide
- How to use timing settings to make objects enter, move, and exit on cue
- How to apply slide transitions and timings to separate scenes
- How to add background music and your own voice-over narration
- How to export and save your video in various sizes for different purposes
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers and developers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 and MP4 video.
Participant technology requirements:
A laptop running PowerPoint 2016 (most features work in PowerPoint 2010-2016) with a mouse, built-in microphone, and speakers. Participants will need to load a sample PowerPoint file and a music file.
Daniel Jones
Modern Workplace Learning Evangelist
Daniel Jones is a modern workplace learning evangelist and an experienced learning and development manager, engaging classroom trainer, and captivating webinar host. He holds an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, a BA in international business and French from Grove City College, and continuing education certificates in training and human resources development and technical communications from the University of California. A dual US-Swiss citizen, Dan speaks German and French in addition to his native English.
315 BYOD: Low-Cost, High-Impact AR Experiences
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 1
Augmented reality (AR) allows you to create an immersive experience for learners. AR combines the web, images, sound, movies, games, search engines, databases, and social media and explodes them across the physical world, revealing invisible stories around product, process, and operation. But what makes a compelling AR experience that makes learning stick, and how can you get started?
In this hands-on session, participants will work together to design and create a low-cost AR learner experience that packs a punch, while discovering which AR experiences work across different learning solutions. You will also explore several AR authoring tools to identify limitations and how to design around them. You’ll discover the wide range of options for designing AR learning experiences and find out just how easy it can be to get started on developing your own.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the functions and limitations of current AR authoring tools
- How to prepare an AR experience design plan
- Which AR experiences create sticky learning
- How to test a sample of current AR viewers
- Best practices of mobile AR experience design
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, and managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Layar, Zappar, cloud storage, and AR mobile apps.
Participant technology requirements:
A laptop and a smartphone or tablet.
Ann Rollins
VP, Custom Solutions and Chief Solutions Architect
The Ken Blanchard Companies
Ann Rollins is a modern learning champion with nearly 30 years of industry experience helping form and execute learning and leadership development strategy for Fortune and Global 500 companies. Unintimidated by global scale, she always has her eyes on the technology horizon and helps clients consider how the technology in our hands outside of work today may have a place inside the learning ecosystem tomorrow. She takes a practical, design thinking approach to support clients as they transform what leadership development (and learning in general) happens in their organizations, and help drive plans to innovate to prepare for what's next.
Myra Roldan
Program Manager, Technical Curriculum
Amazon Web Services
Myra is an L&D thought leader who brings a unique mix of technical, business, and adult education expertise to the game. She is a TEDx speaker, author, and technical designer who has won awards for her learning designs. Her superpower is her natural ability to make complex technical subjects easy to understand by breaking them down in a way that makes it easy to consume and move forward with action. She strives to evoke transformation by doing her part to decolonize technology. Myra works at Amazon and she has earned a Bachelor of Computer Science, MSEd, and an MBA.
SDD106 What eLearning Design Can Learn from Web Design
3:00 PM - 3:45 PM Tuesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Design & Development Stage
eLearning technologies, conventions, and trends are progressing daily, and the path they’re on is not so different from that of the web. Web design reached “high design” status long ago, while eLearning design is much more often left to grassroots methods and simply “what we’ve done before.” This session seeks to bridge the gap by exposing what eLearning design can learn from web design.
This session will offer a brief overview of the histories of both eLearning and web design and compare their trajectories to demonstrate why it’s important to consider web design principles when making decisions for your eLearning courses. Then you’ll explore the specifics of what you can learn from well-established web design conventions to make your eLearning more effective. Some of these takeaways include: effective typographic choices (hierarchy, consistency and rhythm, negative space); humanizing design with micro interactions and screen size considerations; and why adaptive design is growing in importance.
In this session, you will learn:
- Why it’s important to consider web conventions when designing your eLearning
- Why utilizing micro interactions is so important
- How to design eLearning with a tech-savvy audience in mind
- How to leverage simple typographic principles to make your courses more effective
- How to design accessible learning for mobile devices
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, and project managers with a basic understanding of the limitations of popular eLearning development software.
Technology discussed in this session:
Articulate Storyline 2 and 360, Adobe Captivate, Adapt, Microsoft PowerPoint, and web browsers and mobile devices in general.
Bryan Marcum
Graphic Designer
Infinitude Creative Group
Bryan Marcum is a graphic designer at Infinitude Creative Group. He graduated from Oklahoma State University as a nationally recognized graphic and motion graphics designer. By complete accident, Bryan ended up in the corporate learning space and fell in love with the way people learn. He has since added eLearning development, web design, and audio engineering to his list of proficiencies.
SMM106 Knowing Your Business: Using Context to Improve Success
3:00 PM - 3:45 PM Tuesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Management & Measurement Stage
You want a seat at the table, but you have a difficult time engaging with the right stakeholders. You want your team to be recognized as performance consultants, but do you understand how the business operates?
The challenge of earning a seat at the table has plagued the learning profession for years. Culture, engagement, and business impact are themes we are all familiar with. But do we really know what this means, or do we focus too much on the method of delivery? Do we let our process get in the way of results? In this session, we will discuss how to improve business acumen and learn to ask the right questions in the right context to get to the root of addressing business problems in your organization.
In this session, you will learn:
- Practical applications of networking, networking tools, and research to gather data on your audience
- How to ask effective questions to get to the root of the business issues your internal customers need to address, and why these questions are important
- How to apply information so that your solution is delivered in the context of what is important to your customers
- How to work with your partners in the business in the context of their needs
- How to limit preconceived notions
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
LinkedIn, your company’s website, public information, podcasts.
Mike Simmons
Founder
Catalyst A.C.T.S
Mike Simmons is an enabler and a coach. He helps leaders and professionals breakthrough the challenge of second-guessing their work. He does this through a combination of frameworks, process, tools, and thinking. He takes a beginner's mind approach to the work he does, starting with questions informed by experience, practice, and doing the work. Possessing more than two decades of operations, consulting, customer success, sales, sales operations leadership experience; 15 of those years were in the EdTech space where Mike helped numerous clients achieve success through the application of innovative technology to their learning, skills development, and behavior change challenges.
STP106 Content to Context: Retooling Learning Technology for Today’s Workplace
3:00 PM - 3:45 PM Tuesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Tools & Platforms Stage
All too often, learning technologies are disconnected and used in isolation. For example, you may use one set of solutions to author content, which is then deployed in another solution to be consumed and managed. To then connect those learning opportunities to performance measures requires still another solution. It’s hard to identify the most important connection: where it all fits with your day-to-day, on-the-job experiences.
This session will explore ways in which the guided exchange of expertise among colleagues using today’s social business systems can replace yesterday’s learning management systems. Learn the potential impact of viewing skill acquisition through the lens of context rather than content. See how to integrate the learning function and the associated solutions seamlessly into day-to-day work. Finally, learn about the opportunity to simplify technology infrastructure in favor of solutions that tap into the wellspring of co-workers’ expertise.
In this session, you will learn:
- How online communities of practice can have enough strategic and business value to pay for themselves
- How to embed learning where work is performed, redefining the meaning of a “course”
- Why acquiring new knowledge and skills in context is so much more effective than using traditional, structured learning
- How to leverage user-generated content and peer-to-peer relationships to create more effective, less costly learning opportunities
Audience:
Intermediate managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.) with online learning experience (e.g., as an instructional designer, facilitator, or participant).
Technology discussed in this session:
SmarterPath, Jive, and Microsoft Office 365.
Stan Jeffress
Sr. Learning Consultant
Pokeshot
Stan Jeffress is a senior learning consultant at Pokeshot. With more than 15 years’ experience in the learning and development field, Stan has worked in various roles such as LMS administrator, project manager, consultant, and instructor. He also used this experience to work as a freelancer before joining Pokeshot. Stan’s role includes assisting clients with social learning strategy development, managing SmarterPath integrations, providing sales support, and contributing to product innovation.
401 Learning by Practice: Microlearning with Immediate Application
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Junior Ballroom G
Many learners want shorter nuggets of content. It can be challenging, however, for instructional designers to fit everything they need to do into five- to seven-minute chunks. If you’re not careful, the lessons can end up being mostly teaching, and what gets lost is the chance for learners to practice the skills being taught and the chance to apply the new skills to their own situation.
In this session, you’ll walk through a case study of 30 microlessons (built in 30 days) that focus primarily on practice and application. You’ll learn how to keep the formal learning part to a minimum so you can give learners a chance to try techniques out for themselves and even apply them to their own lives immediately, before ever leaving the course. You’ll get to see real-life examples of many microlearning formats, including branching scenarios, skills and drills, games, and application activities.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to focus your microlearning designs on practice and application
- How to pick a narrow, targeted topic that learners can explore in a short period of time
- How to design opportunities for students to apply techniques to their own lives
- How to incorporate teaching points throughout an interaction, rather than use the “teach then quiz” model
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers and developers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Articulate Storyline.
Diane Elkins
Owner/Founder
E-Learning Uncovered
Diane Elkins is owner of Artisan E-Learning, a custom eLearning development company, and E-Learning Uncovered, where she helps people build courses they're proud of. She has built a reputation as a national eLearning expert by being a frequent speaker at major industry events for ATD, The Learning Guild, and Training Magazine. Her favorite topics include accessibility, instructional design, and Articulate Storyline. She is co-author of the popular E-Learning Uncovered book series, as well as E-Learning Fundamentals: A Practical Guide, from ATD Press. She is a past board member of the Northeast Florida and Metro DC chapters of ATD.
402 Boost Performance on a Budget: Tips for Innovative Learning and Development
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 9
Is your L&D program short on dollars but big on expectations? Most learning and development professionals feel under-resourced given the learning needs they face, the vast number of tools and approaches available, and their overall ambition to do great work. Today’s L&D professionals need to do more with less, but how?
Humentum and its member organizations regularly work with limited funds to design, deliver, and evaluate projects for learners across the globe. This session will explore their success stories using cost-friendly tools, approaches, and innovative learning solutions to address the world’s most difficult problems. You’ll learn about successful strategies used in the international development and humanitarian relief sector, and you’ll discuss how to apply these principles in domestic, corporate, and other settings.
In this session, you will learn:
- From examples and case studies of learning projects delivered affordably
- About cost-friendly tools to design, deliver, and evaluate learning initiatives
- About creative solutions to common L&D problems
- How to do more with less!
Gus Curran
Member Services Manager
Humentum
Gus Curran, a member services manager at Humentum, is passionate about helping people learn. He works with the Humentum team, member LMS admins, and other L&D professionals to create and share innovative training that is appropriate and accessible for learners all over the world. Gus is happiest when connecting with people who believe, like he does, that if you listen to the learner and help them meet their goals, you can make a difference in their life.
Mark Nilles
Director, Learning and Impact
Humentum
Mark Nilles, a director of learning and impact at Humentum, is a learning professional with a nontraditional L&D background. His work has focused on introducing new teaching and learning approaches to the Humentum portfolio. Expanding the reach and impact of learning through eLearning is an important aspect of Mark’s work. His perspective is informed through years of training and capacity building for international development and humanitarian relief professionals around the world. Mark has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin¬¬–Madison and a master’s degree in international education from Florida State University.
Paige Winn
L&D Specialist
FHI 360
Paige Winn is a senior learning and development specialist based at FHI 360 headquarters in North Carolina. When she’s not managing instructional design and eLearning initiatives, she enjoys her favorite work role: facilitating meaningful and lively workshops across the globe to make learning more impactful.
403 Transforming L&D: From Course Catalogs to a Learning and Performance Ecosystem
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Junior Ballroom F
Is your organization interested in moving beyond course delivery to a broader, more comprehensive and strategic approach that focuses not just on learning, but on performance and productivity? How do you justify your L&D budget? What metrics do you track, and how compelling are they to your funders? Are your sponsors asking you to give them courses or improve the productivity of the organization?
This session will reveal the “secret sauce” you need in order to transform your L&D function to create and sustain a learning and performance ecosystem. You will explore the paradigm shift that is required for L&D’s transformation from course provider to ecosystem solution provider. The session will define some key changes to typical L&D roles, processes, and metrics that make ecosystems work. It will be interactive and engaging, with time reserved to discuss participant concerns, ecosystem drivers, and pain points.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the six components and three building blocks of the learning and performance ecosystem
- How critical performance analysis is to the learning and performance ecosystem
- About the metrics of the learning and performance ecosystem
- About the critical ecosystem skills and processes your L&D function must acquire to be successful
- How several organizations are going about transforming their L&D function to an ecosystem approach
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Steve Foreman
President
InfoMedia Designs
Steve Foreman is the author of The LMS Guidebook and president of InfoMedia Designs, a provider of eLearning infrastructure consulting services and technology solutions to large companies, academic institutions, professional associations, government, and military. Steve works with forward-looking organizations to find new and effective ways to apply computer technology to support human performance. His work includes enterprise learning strategy, learning and performance ecosystem solutions, LMS selection and implementation, learning-technology architecture and integration, expert-knowledge harvesting, knowledge management, and innovative performance-centered solutions that blend working and learning.
404 Using Sprint Planning to Tackle Mammoth Projects
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 3
eLearning teams are consistently tasked with completing large projects under impossibly tight deadlines. Often, this feels like eating an elephant. How do you map out the project? How do you hold SMEs, designers, and developers accountable? How do you display progress to stakeholders? The eLearning team at Karmak struggled with these questions and consistently failed to meet deadlines. They wondered: Could borrowing an internal development model be the answer?
In this case study session, you’ll hear the tale of how Karmak’s eLearning team turned its eyes to the “sprint planning” process already used by software developers within the company. By making this one significant shift in the planning process, the team reduced the number of weekly meetings they attended, more accurately calculated deadlines, held everyone more accountable for their share of the work, increased buy-in among stakeholders and SMEs, set clearer expectations for every member of the team, and had a lot more fun in the process, all without spending an extra dime.
In this session, you will learn:
- How sprint planning is defined, and why it works so well in a development setting
- How to reduce the amount of time your team spends in meetings each week
- How to improve visibility throughout a project to increase accountability, improve efficiency, and confidently set deadlines each and every time
- How to identify and deal with potential roadblocks early on, before they stop your team in their tracks
- How to increase buy-in among internal stakeholders by setting expectations and fostering a fun, creative atmosphere
- How to implement a sprint planning process at your organization quickly and inexpensively
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, and managers with basic project-planning and instructional design skills.
Ezzy Schesvold
Senior Instructional Designer
Karmak
Ezzy Schesvold is a senior instructional designer at Karmak. With five years of experience on Karmak’s eLearning team, Ezzy has a passion for creating engaging, meaningful, effective coursework. She holds a degree in art from Blackburn College and takes every opportunity to bring her creative vision to Karmak’s eLearning.
Joe Healy
Instructional Designer
Karmak
Joe Healy is an instructional designer for Karmak, a position he has held for two years, after stops in software design and marketing for the company. Prior to joining Karmak, Joe worked as a journalist, where he honed the storytelling skills that he brings to every course he creates. He holds a BA in political science from Sam Houston State University and an MPA from Southern Illinois University–Edwardsville.
405 Unlocking the Potential of Responsive Design
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 7
Despite technology promises, developing content that is meaningful, accessible, and maintainable in a world of multiple devices and varied platforms remains a huge challenge. Responsive design still holds the key, but to unlock its real power, instructional designers need to differentiate between “true” responsive and many of the “pseudo-responsive” approaches in use today.
To be successful in a multi-device world, instructional designers need to let go of the control they’ve gotten used to with “slide-based” learning and embrace the idea that web-based learning doesn’t have to be so constrained. This session will provide participants with a thorough understanding of the principles of responsive design and how to apply them to any type of learning, from traditional courses to knowledge bases and job aids. Recognizing the difference between true responsive design and other approaches equips designers with the knowledge they need to make more effective training that is easier to develop and maintain.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the benefits of responsive design as applied to learning development
- About the differences between true responsive design and other responsive design approaches
- Two simple but powerful metaphors to help you understand and apply true responsive design principles to all your learning development projects
- How true responsive design can benefit multiple types of learning development projects—from more traditional courses to other types of vehicles such as knowledge bases and job aids
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, and managers.
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.
406 70:20:10 Learning Ecosystem Benchmarking Report
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 16
70:20:10 is a popular concept in our industry. The framework provides structure that should exist in our efforts to support a workforce. However, what does 70:20:10 look like beyond just the ratio? How are organizations using the framework and, more importantly, what benefits are organizations seeing from using this approach?
In this session, you will examine the results of a year-long benchmarking study conducted with organizations applying the 70:20:10 framework to their organizations’ strategies. You will explore the lessons these organizations learned, and how you can apply these lessons in your own work. You will discover both what works and what challenges you can expect to encounter. You will leave this session with powerful proven practices that can be applied when designing and maintaining a successful 70:20:10 ecosystem.
In this session you will learn:
- The results of a year-long benchmarking study examining 70:20:10 applications
- Proven practices for applying the 70:20:10 framework
- How to get stakeholders on board with 70:20:10
- Best practices for designing and maintaining a successful 70:20:10 ecosystem
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, project managers, managers, and directors.
Technology discussed in this session:
N/A.
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.
Bob Mosher
CEO/founder/Chief Learning Evangelist
APPLY Synergies, a 5 Moments of Need Company
Bob Mosher, the chief learning evangelist at APPLY Synergies, has been an active and influential leader in the learning and training industry for over 30 years, and is renowned worldwide for his pioneering role in eLearning and new approaches to learning. Before co-founding APPLY Synergies consultancy with Conrad Gottfredson, Bob served as the chief learning evangelist for Ontuitive, director of learning strategy and evangelism for Microsoft, and executive director of education for Element K. He is an influential voice in the IT training industry, speaking at conferences and participating in industry associations. Bob was awarded the Guild Master Award in 2014 for his accomplishments and contributions to the eLearning community.
407 Building the xAPI Learning Ecosystem of Your Dreams
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 2
You’re excited about the promise of an xAPI-enabled world, but you’ve got a learning management system, a catalog full of SCORM-based courses that you need, and a handful of learning tool vendors that don’t use xAPI. What if you could get the most out of an LMS and an LRS at the same time as you move to your next-generation learning and performance infrastructure?
This session will start with the learner-facing tools that will capture your xAPI data: eLearning, mobile tools, performance support, social and informal activities, and data sources from the business. You’ll review your options when it comes to LRSs and how they work (or don’t work) with your LMS. Will you work with a standalone LRS? A front-end xAPI solution with a built-in LRS? Or an LRS that is aligned with your LMS and your current learning infrastructure? You’ll hear real-world stories of three different xAPI implementations to help you plot your organization’s course toward your next-generation learning ecosystem.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to combine activities from a variety of front-end learning tools into a coherent picture of learning and performance
- About the possibilities for your next-generation learning and performance infrastructure
- How to identify key partners in your business to engage as you migrate from SCORM to xAPI and all along the way
- From the experience of others who have implemented xAPI in their organizations
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.). A basic understanding of xAPI and learning management systems will be useful.
Technology discussed in this session:
xAPI, SCORM, LMS, and LRS.
Megan Torrance
CEO
TorranceLearning
Megan Torrance is CEO and founder of TorranceLearning, which helps organizations connect learning strategy to design, development, data, and ultimately performance. She has more than 25 years of experience in learning design, deployment, and consulting . Megan and the TorranceLearning team are passionate about sharing what works in learning, so they devote considerable time to teaching and sharing about Agile project management for learning experience design and the xAPI. She is the author of Agile for Instructional Designers, The Quick Guide to LLAMA, and Making Sense of xAPI. Megan is also an eCornell Facilitator in the Women's Executive Leadership curriculum.
408 Tilt and Turn to Learn with Captivate Games!
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 14
What if you could get your learners out of their seats and spinning in circles? This presentation will demonstrate a game that does just that. Then you will learn about the advanced actions and JavaScript that made it possible.
In this session, you will see a few use cases and the mechanics of Adobe Captivate’s new WHILE condition. You can use the WHILE condition as a timer and as a way to react to the device orientation and angle. You will also learn about the JavaScript needed to capture a mobile device’s orientation and angle and feed those numbers into Captivate. Plus, you’ll get to participate in a real-time demonstration of this engaging, fun interaction! You’ll be out of your seat and laughing while you learn about Orlando.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to create a game-based learning course using Captivate
- How to use the WHILE condition/loop
- How to access the mobile device’s orientation and angle with JavaScript
- How to execute JavaScript using Captivate
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers and developers with basic Captivate and instructional design skills.
Technology discussed in this session:
Adobe Captivate (latest version).
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.
James Kingsley
Senior Director Product Development
ELB Learning
James Kingsley, with a rich tenure of over 15 years in the eLearning domain, has always had a penchant for morphing tools and applications to achieve beyond their initial capacity. His recent venture, MicroBuilder, is a testament to his innovative prowess. Developed at ELB Learning, MicroBuilder is conceived to equip eLearning developers with a streamlined pathway to craft MicroLearning modules. His expertise stretches across a wide technical spectrum including Node.js, Vue, Mongo, with particular adeptness in integrating APIs, xAPI, SCORM, and extending the capabilities of existing tools. Besides being a seasoned coder, James has an eye for identifying and molding viable eLearning solutions, making significant strides in web, mobile, and desktop-specific realms. His relentless pursuit of refining and evolving eLearning solutions continues to mark a substantial footprint in the industry.
409 A Business Case for Cost-Effective VR
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 15
Many organizations see virtual reality as too expensive to create and implement. However, cost barriers to VR entry can actually be fairly low, and introducing VR into organizations can be more cost-effective than you imagined.
This session will examine ROI that shows potentially more impact from VR than from an eLearning course, as well as which VR strategies to use for various business learning needs. You’ll learn how to bring real-world objects into the virtual world, and how to utilize and reuse VR objects and experiences with no developer skills. You’ll explore levels of immersion and how to use mixed reality to enable true blended learning. Finally, you’ll look closer at best-practice business cases for VR’s application and use.
In this session, you will learn:
- About VR’s low cost barriers to entry
- How to change VR experiences on the fly while in VR
- About applications of VR in the enterprise
- Why VR is potentially more cost-effective than other learning mediums
- About forthcoming VR technologies
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
HTC Vive, Samsung Gear, and Google Cardboard; the Immerse, Sansar, and Edorble platforms; and Unity.
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.
410 BYOD: Become an Animation Master in Camtasia
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 11
TechSmith Camtasia is an amazing tool for capturing and publishing conceptual videos and procedural demonstrations. Used properly, Camtasia’s advanced animation features can turn your video from boring to amazing. But the seemingly high learning curve and production time often dissuades Camtasia users from taking advantage of these important capabilities. It doesn’t help that your organization increasingly expects your team to build more videos in half the time.
In this hands-on session, you’ll get practice with the different animation capabilities of Camtasia, and you’ll implement practical patterns and techniques to make your videos more engaging. After this session, you’ll be able to animate your videos quickly and efficiently without sacrificing productivity or deadlines.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to design animation patterns in your storyboard
- How to use behaviors and effects
- How to animate cursors and text
- How to use standard and custom animations on multiple media
- How to fine-tune visual, behavior, and effect properties
Audience:
Intermediate designers and developers. Must have some previous experience with Camtasia.
Technology discussed in this session:
TechSmith Camtasia.
Participant technology requirements:
Laptop running Camtasia.
TJ Palazzolo
Consulting Curriculum Developer
Oracle
TJ Palazzolo is a consulting curriculum developer for Oracle. TJ has spent the past 15 years consulting on and implementing training development and evaluation processes for the enterprise software industry, including the introduction and integration of eLearning tools, multimedia, and agile methodologies. TJ’s passions include visual learning and process improvement.
411 BYOD: Harnessing the Power of the Narrative—Storytelling and Adobe Spark Video
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 1
You think your content is important, but does your audience? Stories provide context for facts, and a narrative is an effective way to capture your audience’s attention, change a perspective, or explain something well; and yet, many L&D professionals are not using storytelling enough during the learning and development process. How do you add more narrative to information you need others to understand?
There are plenty of TED talks and books about why storytelling is important, but in order to truly get better at telling your story, you must experience the story creation process. In this interactive session, where everyone will write a story, you will learn how to select the most important details from your content to include in your story; how to keep your narrative succinct and relevant; and how you can use stories to train others. Once you write your story, you will create a video to tell your story using a free and easy-to-use tool called Adobe Spark.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to harness the power of a narrative
- How to incorporate the essential elements of a good story
- How to translate your content into a story
- How to leverage technology to more effectively tell your story
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Adobe Spark.
Participant technology requirements:
A laptop or device with a word processor tool, such as Microsoft Word, and a free Adobe account to access Adobe Spark. Participants should be logged into Adobe Spark at the beginning of the session.
Heather Snyder
Director of Instructional Design
Endurance Learning
Heather Snyder, a director of instructional design at Endurance Learning, is a passionate learner who started her career as a computer geek on a helpdesk. Always driven by her appetite to find the best ways to absorb new information, Heather discovered a passion for training. After spending eight years as an informal trainer, she began her role as an eLearning designer and developer in 2013, which led to her current role at Endurance Learning.
F02 Strategies for Supporting Complex Skill Development
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Salon 5
eLearning has a satisfactory set of options if your goal is information delivery or procedural training, but what about creating meaningful eLearning for complex skill development or for the not-so-procedural problems that show up more and more in the workplace? What about creating learning for those situations where your SME can’t tell you what good performance looks like except to say, “Well, you know it when you see it”?
Frameworks from complexity science and the science of expertise development can help you diagnose these kinds of complex learning problems, and can help point to eLearning design strategies that can actually address and support complex skill development. You will learn how variables like frequency of use, tacitness or explicitness, and level of automaticity affect skill development. This session will address assessment strategies for complex learning as well.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to diagnose a complex skill problem
- How to use complexity models such as the Cynefin framework for learning
- How to use alternative assessment and feedback strategies for complex learning environments
- How to use learner self-assessment as a tool for complex learning
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers and managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
eLearning specific examples: Cynefin complexity model, Ericsson Skill Development Research.
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.
SDD107 Create a Design Blueprint for Workflow Learning
4:00 PM - 4:45 PM Tuesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Design & Development Stage
Do your learning solutions end when your learners depart? Do you struggle to know what content to include in your limited time? How are you shaping the 70 percent and the 20 percent of the 70:20:10 mix? There is a lot of talk today about informal or workflow learning, but what are you doing to design it? What if there was a proven way to design for the 70 and 20?
Do you talk about informal learning but struggle with the “how”? Are your instincts telling you that workflow learning sounds right, but you don’t know where to begin? Join this session to review the Five Moments of Learning Need and how this methodology extends learning into the workflow. The Five Moments approach plans both formal and informal learning in the workflow and courses. What if you could leverage existing resources, clearly identify gaps in content, and sketch how to close those gaps? You’ll explore the Learning Experience and Performance (LEaP) Plan, which is the blueprint for designing informal learning and a project plan for workflow learning projects.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the difference between informal learning and performance support
- About the Five Moments of Learning Need, and how you can use them to create an effective mix of formal and informal learning as part of a blended workflow learning program
- How you can leverage the LEaP Plan for learning, performance support, or a combination of both
- How to identify skills and knowledge that can safely be learned through informal or workflow learning, as well as skills and knowledge that should absolutely be taught by an instructor in a classroom
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, and directors.
Technology discussed in this session:
Electronic performance support systems (EPSSs).
Chris King
Executive Director
APPLY Synergies
Chris King is a recent addition to APPLY Synergies, but a long-time practitioner of the 5 Moments of Need®. As the executive director of the 5 Moments of Need Academy, Chris is responsible for spreading the word about workflow learning and optimizing how organizations learn and perform. He leverages his credentials as a PMP, Certified ScrumMaster, 5 Moments of Need® Designer, and a LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® certified facilitator to modernize the typical approach to learning.
SMM107 Putting Data to Work: Insights for Business and ID
4:00 PM - 4:45 PM Tuesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Management & Measurement Stage
Thanks to xAPI, L&D professionals have an ever-growing pool of data; but, in order for that data to give you more value than the traditional LMS-based data sets, you need to rethink what measures and analyses you want to employ.
This session will look at real-world applications of data (from xAPI and other sources) as a means to explore a variety of L&D and business-related questions in areas including performance impacts and design insights. You will learn more about the limitations of decoupling learning data from other business metrics, and how to create a stronger analysis by leveraging qualitative as well as quantitative data.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to ask the right questions of your data
- Why learning data on its own is not enough
- How to build a feedback loop for instructional design
- How to incorporate qualitative and quantitative data to build business insights
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, managers, and project managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
xAPI.
Janet Laane Effron
Managing Principal
Four Rivers Group
Janet Laane Effron is a data scientist who focuses on the creation of effective learning experiences through iterative processes, data-driven feedback loops, and the application of best practices in instructional design. She has worked on xAPI design projects related to designing for performance outcomes and designing both for and in response to data and analytics. Janet’s areas of interest include text analytics, machine learning, and process improvement. She is also the co-author of Investigating Performance: Design and Outcomes with xAPI.
STP107 Creating Robust Onboarding with the Tools You Already Have: A Case Study
4:00 PM - 4:45 PM Tuesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Tools & Platforms Stage
Effective onboarding can be pivotal for retaining new hires. Employees who don’t feel engaged often leave during the first year, costing the company up to five times their annual salary. At Fidelity, a percentage of employees were voluntarily leaving within 18 months of hire, many to pursue other opportunities. The onboarding experience needed a radical overhaul on a lean budget, both financially and in terms of organizational capital.
In this session, you will learn how Fidelity transformed its onboarding program into a customized, streamlined experience using existing technology, without massive cost outlays. You’ll learn how the change was implemented without extensive organizational capital to obtain buy-in. You’ll find out how automation was built without purchasing new applications and how the program accomplished a global reach without increasing human effort to run it. You’ll see how it saved managers’ time and organized the onboarding process by consolidating resources. Finally, you’ll see the results, including a 19 percent drop in new-hire separations in the first year.
In this session, you will learn:
- What components of an onboarding program are vital to new-hire success
- How to provide a consistent, immersive experience to help new hires stay engaged
- How to use technology you may already have to automate and customize the training process
- How to plan your program using the design thinking method for maximum impact
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Microsoft SharePoint.
Donna Tortorella
Director of Project Management & Instructional Design, Asset Management Talent Development
Fidelity Investments
Donna Tortorella is a director of project management and instructional design at Fidelity Investments. She has more than 16 years of experience in the learning and development industry, with areas of focus that include performance consulting, instructional design, assessment design, project management, and operations and resource management. Donna studied educational psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University, and communication theory and marketing at the University of Pennsylvania. At Fidelity Investments, she provides oversight and guidance on design, development, and implementation of a range of learning solutions for varied associate populations.
Yogish Gowda
Web Developer, Asset Management Learning and Development
Fidelity Investments
Yogish Gowda is a web developer at Fidelity Investments with over four years of professional experience in the learning and development industry. He is an expert in development of SharePoint workflows and administration and specializes in the development of custom websites, digital campaigns, and eLearning. Yogish has a computer science engineering degree from Jain University, India.
STP108 Encore Presentation: iSpring—Much More Than “Just” a PowerPoint Tab
5:15 PM - 6:00 PM Tuesday, March 27
Expo Hall: Tools & Platforms Stage
How can you create HTML5 content and animations without knowing how to program or code? Use user-friendly tools without a steep learning curve to create engaging, interactive content that exports directly to HTML5. Integrate the work once and publish to all PCs and mobile devices.
This session will demonstrate an overall introduction to iSpring and the features that make it a robust rapid authoring tool. Find out how you can take a drab PowerPoint and push its boundaries by combining it with iSpring. You’ll also learn about some of the new features in the upcoming release of version 9, including interactive videos and drag-and-drop quizzes!
In this session, you will learn:
- About various iSpring-native interactions (branching scenarios, animations, and interactions)
- Tips and tricks for motion design within PowerPoint
- About ‘storyboarding bullets’ and synchronized animations with narrations using PowerPoint and iSpring
- About interactive elements and functionality using PowerPoint
- About new features in the upcoming iSpring version 9
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, instructional designers, content strategists, and rapid authoring tool integrators.
Technology discussed in this session:
Microsoft PowerPoint, iSpring Suite, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator.
Michael Cerantola
Integration Manager
Knowledge One
Michael Cerantola is an integration manager at Knowledge One. He began working in the eLearning world while Flash still reigned supreme. With the gradual demise of Flash over recent years (and its inevitable phase-out), Mike has spent years converting legacy content to display in HTML5 browsers. Working through custom designs, rapid authoring tools, and audio/visual, Mike has faced challenges including browser display inconsistencies and optimization for mobile data plans, all while keeping the source document editable for clients. It became clear to him that PowerPoint plus a rapid authoring tool was the arsenal of choice to keep production costs low while staying profitable.
MB12 Daily Docent Kickoff
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 1
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
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.
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. ?
Melissa Chambers
Online Instructional Specialist
MSC Consulting
Melissa Chambers is an online instructional specialist at MSC Consulting and a contract speaker coach/host for The Learning Guild's Online Forums and Guild Academy. Melissa has over 20 years' experience in creative media production, project and change management, online instructional design, and eLearning strategy development, and has been designing, producing, and coaching for synchronous online programs since 2002. She holds a master's degree in instructional design for online learning, and has spearheaded award-winning programs in eLearning, process improvement, and strategic development. Melissa has a passion for lifelong learning, technology, cultivating creativity, and having fun while working.
MB13 Instructional Designers: Moving from Accidental to Intentional
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 2
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
Cammy Bean
Senior Solutions Consultant
Kineo
Cammy Bean started in the industry as a junior instructional designer in 1996 and has since collaborated with hundreds of organizations to design and deliver training programs. She’s worked at small startups, mid-sized training companies, boutique eLearning shops, and as a freelance instructional designer. An English and German studies major in college, Cammy found an affinity for writing and making complex ideas and concepts clear to an audience. In 2009, she helped start up US operations for Kineo, a global provider of learning solutions. Originally Kineo’s VP of learning design, Cammy is currently a senior solutions consultant. In this role she leads the North American sales team, supports clients through the initial discovery process, and manages Kineo’s portfolio of custom client accounts to help organizations meet their strategic business objectives through better learning solutions. She is the author of The Accidental Instructional Designer: Learning Design for the Digital Age – second edition (ATD Press, 2023).
MB14 Project Management for Instructional Design
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 3
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
Megan Torrance
CEO
TorranceLearning
Megan Torrance is CEO and founder of TorranceLearning, which helps organizations connect learning strategy to design, development, data, and ultimately performance. She has more than 25 years of experience in learning design, deployment, and consulting . Megan and the TorranceLearning team are passionate about sharing what works in learning, so they devote considerable time to teaching and sharing about Agile project management for learning experience design and the xAPI. She is the author of Agile for Instructional Designers, The Quick Guide to LLAMA, and Making Sense of xAPI. Megan is also an eCornell Facilitator in the Women's Executive Leadership curriculum.
MB15 Meeting the Needs of Modern Learners
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 5
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
Ann Rollins
VP, Custom Solutions and Chief Solutions Architect
The Ken Blanchard Companies
Ann Rollins is a modern learning champion with nearly 30 years of industry experience helping form and execute learning and leadership development strategy for Fortune and Global 500 companies. Unintimidated by global scale, she always has her eyes on the technology horizon and helps clients consider how the technology in our hands outside of work today may have a place inside the learning ecosystem tomorrow. She takes a practical, design thinking approach to support clients as they transform what leadership development (and learning in general) happens in their organizations, and help drive plans to innovate to prepare for what's next.
MB16 Learning and Performance Ecosystems
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 7
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
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.
Steve Foreman
President
InfoMedia Designs
Steve Foreman is the author of The LMS Guidebook and president of InfoMedia Designs, a provider of eLearning infrastructure consulting services and technology solutions to large companies, academic institutions, professional associations, government, and military. Steve works with forward-looking organizations to find new and effective ways to apply computer technology to support human performance. His work includes enterprise learning strategy, learning and performance ecosystem solutions, LMS selection and implementation, learning-technology architecture and integration, expert-knowledge harvesting, knowledge management, and innovative performance-centered solutions that blend working and learning.
MB17 Adaptive Learning
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 9
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
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.
MB18 Free eLearning Design Tools
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 11
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
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.
MB19 Using VR for Learning Experiences
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 13
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
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.
MB20 Creative Inspiration: Where Do You Find It?
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 14
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
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.
MB21 How to Write for Learning Solutions
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 15
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
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.
Pamela Hogle
Program Manager
The Learning Guild
Pamela S. Hogle, a program manager at The Learning Guild, focuses on eLearning technology and trends and explores the ways that L&D professionals can lead changes in mindset and behavior throughout their organizations. She brings these interests to her work creating engaging and relevant content for Learning Solutions magazine and Learning Guild conferences. An experienced journalist, technical writer, and eLearning content developer, Pam has worked in Israel and the United States. She holds master's degrees in journalism and human-canine life sciences.
Susan Jacobs
Publications Manager
The Learning Guild
Susan Jacobs is publications manager for the Learning Guild. She has a deep- rooted interest in and passion for education and technology. Prior to this position, she was a senior content producer at Bright Business Media, a leader in the meeting and events industry. Susan is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
GS2 KEYNOTE: Powerful Portraits: An Intimate Look at Humanity and Learning
8:30 AM - 10:30 AM Wednesday, March 28
Executive Ballroom
During this keynote, you will explore the world of storytelling through the eyes of a photographer. Learn from portrait photographer Platon as he shares his experience photographing an eclectic mix of world leaders, celebrities, our men and women in the military, members of the civil rights movement, and human rights champions. You’ll be on a roller coaster of emotions—from laughter to tears—while hearing the most poignant and mesmerizing stories behind the photos. Platon answers the question “Who is this person?” behind each iconic photo, which will help you answer similar critical questions within the stories you need to tell in your work.
Platon Antoniou
Photographer
The New Yorker
Platon is an award-winning photographer at The New Yorker. He has shot portraits for a range of international publications, including Rolling Stone, the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, and over 20 covers for Time magazine; his 2007 photograph of Vladimir Putin for Time’s Person of the Year cover won first prize at the World Press Photo Contest. In 2011, Platon received a Peabody Award for collaboration on “Russia’s Civil Society” with The New Yorker and Human Rights Watch. He has published four books of his work: Platon’s Republic, Power, China: Through the Looking Glass, and Service. In 2013, he founded a nonprofit, The People’s Portfolio, to support human rights around the world. Platon currently serves as creative director at large for the Center for Civil and Human Rights; as a board member for arts and culture at the World Economic Forum; and as a steward for the Economic Growth and Social Inclusion Initiative.
SDD201 Using Your Mobile Device to Create Amazing Content
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM Wednesday, March 28
Expo Hall: Design & Development Stage
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, with practical information you can apply to one or more apps using your mobile device.
In this session, you will learn:
- About several programs to help you get creative
- About several free and inexpensive tools to help with brainstorming, being more productive, and creating content, all from your mobile device
- About more than 10 new apps to enhance your production process
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Apps to create content from audio to video, with photos, text, graphics, and screen recordings, all from your mobile device (Explain Everything); Microsoft Office Lens and AI-based tools; brainstorming and taking notes with sketches, audio, video, and photos (OneNote, Notes, Wink); apps for mirroring to your laptop; Monitor for presentations and demonstrations.
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 Gamification and Microlearning: Measuring Real-Time Results to Adapt Learning, Automatically
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM Wednesday, March 28
Expo Hall: Management & Measurement Stage
In this session, you will learn why gamification is an almost perfect vehicle to deliver microlearning.
Join in to find out what types of microlearning are applicable to gamified delivery, and what it takes to create them; how they can be “fed” or “pushed” to learners; what deep gamification is; and how “engagement automation” and “guided adaptation” apply. You will then explore what happens when learning and performance data is available in real time, and how this can turn learning from personalized (i.e., determined by needs before learning begins) to adaptive (determined in real time).
In this session, you will learn:
- What modern gamification is, and how it differs from “points, badges, and leaderboards”
- Which microlearning strategies apply to gamification
- About use cases that work well for gamified microlearning engagement
- Why engagement automation is important for creating mass engagement at scale
- About the difference between personalized and adaptive learning
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Gamification, performance data, and microlearning.
Roni Floman
VP Marketing
GamEffective
Roni Floman is a vice president of marketing and product evangelist for GamEffective. She has been involved with GamEffective since 2013. Prior to that, she was a consultant for numerous technology start-ups and led business development at telecom and enterprise software companies. Roni holds an LLB degree, magna cum laude, from Tel Aviv University and an MBA from INSEAD. She is also a published author.
STP201 Turning Static PowerPoints into Engaging, Interactive Online Learning: A Comprehensive Approach
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM Wednesday, March 28
Expo Hall: Tools & Platforms Stage
In the modern age, how do you keep your learners engaged? Join this session to listen in on some best practices for HTML5 in eLearning, including how to chunk content, add interactivity, and create non-linear presentations.
Learn how to reinforce your subject matter and keep your learners engaged by adding exploratory content such as pop-up boxes and glossaries. Got mobile in mind? Making sure images, charts, and tables have a zoom-in feature is a great way to ensure your content gets across, regardless of whether your learner is on a desktop, tablet, or smartphone.
In this session, you will learn:
- About analyzing content for eLearning output
- About separating content into smaller, manageable “chunks”
- How and when to add interactivity throughout a presentation
- How to add trigger animations throughout a presentation
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, project managers, rapid authoring tool integrators, storyboarders, instructional designers, writers, and editors.
Technology discussed in this session:
Microsoft PowerPoint, iSpring Suite, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator.
Michael Cerantola
Integration Manager
Knowledge One
Michael Cerantola is an integration manager at Knowledge One. He began working in the eLearning world while Flash still reigned supreme. With the gradual demise of Flash over recent years (and its inevitable phase-out), Mike has spent years converting legacy content to display in HTML5 browsers. Working through custom designs, rapid authoring tools, and audio/visual, Mike has faced challenges including browser display inconsistencies and optimization for mobile data plans, all while keeping the source document editable for clients. It became clear to him that PowerPoint plus a rapid authoring tool was the arsenal of choice to keep production costs low while staying profitable.
501 Converting Dusty Instructor-Led Training to an Exciting Virtual Experience
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 28
Junior Ballroom F
Have you been thinking about leveraging virtual training? Are you trying to get started, but unsure how to convert those old facilitator guides into an engaging virtual classroom experience? Or maybe you’ve been training virtually for a while, but are stuck in a rut and looking for some new and creative ideas.
In this session, you will learn how to keep your audience engaged during a virtual training session. You’ll explore a live classroom demonstration and look at a wide range of activities that can help you design content that encourages regular audience interaction. You’ll also dig into Adobe Connect’s custom pod options and learn to master those scary virtual breakout group activities. Come prepared to laugh and participate as you examine behaviors every virtual facilitator should possess.
In this session, you will learn:
- Unique ways to engage your audience in a virtual classroom
- Best practices that every virtual facilitator should know about
- How to utilize the custom pods available in Adobe Connect
- How to seamlessly run breakout groups in a virtual environment
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, managers, and directors.
Technology discussed in this session:
Adobe Connect.
Carol Johnson
Learning Technology Manager
Capital One
Carol Johnson, a learning technology manager for Capital One, has over 10 years of experience converting and delivering virtual meetings and training. She has received rave reviews for her enthusiastic presentations and absolutely loves to see teams become successful in a virtual setting. Carol has experience with a multitude of platforms and strives to help people understand key techniques to turn every virtual interaction into an inclusive and engaging success story. She has worked in both public education and the corporate world to help teams get started or revamp their curriculums.
502 Targeted Curation for the Savvy Learner
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 3
Curation is a hot topic in learning. No longer is L&D expected to create all training materials. To remain competitive, you need to explore and leverage multiple types of training resources. But how do you find targeted content? What is the right mix of training resources? How do you decide what to include?
In this session, you’ll find out how New York Life Insurance Company resolved these questions and found content that aligned with business goals. You’ll get an inside look at their entire process, including how they collaborated with SMEs in defining a skill and competency; what processes they used to structure the design of their learning concept; the lessons they learned when searching for training assets; and how the structure has continued to evolve over time. You’ll also find out more about their review process, as well as why you need to offer diverse training assets.
In this session, you will learn:
- What targeted learning content is, and how it benefits your learners
- How to structure learning content that follows specific design principles and also meets business goals
- How to apply best practices for curating diverse learning content to meet the needs of all learners
- Why targeting the right content increases the adoption and socialization of learning
Audience:
Intermediate designers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Eileen Mickas
Curator
New York Life Insurance Company
Eileen Mickas is a senior associate of curation for New York Life, where she has worked for 27 years. She has been involved in corporate education for over 17 years and has a broad range of experience designing, implementing, and managing core business training programs related to regulatory and compliance topics, as well as designing onboarding curriculums. Eileen’s expertise includes eLearning; she was responsible for designing and developing asynchronous eLearning training programs. In her role, Eileen supports learning by curating content across the enterprise to align core competencies, skills, and roles.
503 Architecting for Results
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 9
The mantra these days is to increase learner engagement, because if learners aren’t engaged, then they’re not learning, right? So learning designers have spent a lot of energy adding bells and whistles—anything to increase engagement. But while learners seem to like all this engagement, is L&D actually seeing any measurable results? According to CEB/Gartner, traditional training only creates 37 percent learning transfer back to the workplace. That’s a problem!
This session will explore current trends in learning and how, in spite of all the effort to improve engagement, the results still come up short. You’ll take a look at what research says about the keys to achieving learning transfer and performance improvement. Finally, you’ll learn about concrete steps you can take to improve learning transfer and review three case studies to see those steps in practice.
In this session, you will learn:
- What current research shows about learning transfer
- What steps you can take to improve learning transfer
- Ideas and inspiration to improve your own learning solutions and outcomes
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Fairly technology-agnostic; the focus will be more on design and approach than specific tech. That said, there will be examples using Totara, Adapt, Storyline, and other tools.
Cammy Bean
Senior Solutions Consultant
Kineo
Cammy Bean started in the industry as a junior instructional designer in 1996 and has since collaborated with hundreds of organizations to design and deliver training programs. She’s worked at small startups, mid-sized training companies, boutique eLearning shops, and as a freelance instructional designer. An English and German studies major in college, Cammy found an affinity for writing and making complex ideas and concepts clear to an audience. In 2009, she helped start up US operations for Kineo, a global provider of learning solutions. Originally Kineo’s VP of learning design, Cammy is currently a senior solutions consultant. In this role she leads the North American sales team, supports clients through the initial discovery process, and manages Kineo’s portfolio of custom client accounts to help organizations meet their strategic business objectives through better learning solutions. She is the author of The Accidental Instructional Designer: Learning Design for the Digital Age – second edition (ATD Press, 2023).
504 Best Practices for Global Learning Solutions Rollouts
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 15
Rolling out new training is rarely easy, but it can be even more tricky when that training needs to be designed for and delivered to a global audience. This was the case when the Sherwin-Williams Company needed to create and share a new global code of conduct training. With the CEO and board of directors as stakeholders, this high-profile rollout had to go smoothly.
In this case study session, you’ll take a closer look at the year-long process used for designing, developing, and communicating the global code of conduct at the Sherwin-Williams Company. You’ll review best practices and lessons learned that you can utilize to save time and money when implementing global training rollouts. You’ll then get tips for how to manage complex projects with numerous partners, which in this case included internal SMEs and stakeholders, instructional designers, graphic designers, developers, a video crew, post-production services, and a third-party localization vendor. Finally, you’ll explore best practices for making global communication work smoothly.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to create a cohesive client and vendor project management process
- How to implement best practices for managing the instructional design, video production, eLearning development, and localization processes
- How to adapt project management practices for a global audience’s unique needs
- How to develop a global training communication plan
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
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. 
Todd Grove
Video Producer & Learning Project Manager
Cinécraft Productions
Todd Grove is a video producer and learning project manager at Cinécraft Productions, with over 12 years of experience in that role. During his time at Cinécraft, he has managed large-scale projects for many different types of clients on time and on budget. He is passionate about meeting customers’ needs by developing creative and engaging solutions that fulfill the business need. Todd earned his bachelor’s degree in electronic media production and business administration from Ashland University.
505 Panel Discussion: The Present and Future of Virtual Classroom Tools
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 16
Virtual classroom tools, when used thoughtfully, have enabled us to increase the audiences we can reach and the learning experiences we can provide. However, the tools we use and the ways we use them are always evolving. What was once considered cutting edge even a few years ago has shifted, and we can only expect it to evolve as technology advances.
In this panel discussion, you’ll learn how people are being strategic about what we can accomplish with virtual classroom tools now, and where we can anticipate this technology moving in the future. Filled with practical advice from people who work with these platforms regularly, this session will help you stretch the functionality of your virtual classroom tools and explore new ideas for crafting engaging learning experiences in them. You’ll leave more prepared for thinking creatively about what you can do with current tools and techniques, as well as where this technology looks to go in the years to come.
In this session, you will learn:
- Ideas for using the virtual classroom tools you have in new ways
- Progressive ways organizations and individuals are leveraging virtual classroom experiences
- How to address some of the biggest challenges with today’s virtual classroom tools
- The future of virtual classroom tools and platforms
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, managers, and
facilitators.
Technology discussed in this session:
Virtual classroom tools.
Bianca Woods (Host)
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.
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.
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.
Nina Talley Everflow
Senior Program Manager
EnCompass
Nina Talley Everflow is a senior program manager at EnCompass, where she manages a portfolio of international projects, weaving in her expertise in designing and managing virtual spaces for collaboration and learning. Nina has a dozen years of experience in program management and coordination in the areas of international development, training, and education; she has provided multifaceted program support for United Nations and US government agencies and private universities. At EnCompass, her favorite aspect of the job is managing an international team of producers to support the company’s growing VILT deliveries across various time zones and languages.
506 Building Your Own LMS Using WordPress and Google Analytics
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 5
There are benefits to off-the-shelf learning management systems, but in some situations the drawbacks outweigh the benefits. They often give you less control over the learner experience and may not provide the meaning from your learning metrics that you need. Sometimes the best solution for your LMS needs is a custom one. But custom LMS solutions are complicated and expensive to create, right? Actually, they don’t have to be.
In this session, you’ll discover an inexpensive and relatively easy solution for creating a custom LMS: WordPress. You’ll find out how WordPress can be used to build a customized LMS with minimal effort and cost, and what the benefits of this approach are for your audience and organization. You’ll then look at how you can use Google Analytics and Google Data Studio in tandem with this approach to deliver enhanced learning metrics that will add value for your organization and stakeholders.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the impact an LMS has on the learner experience
- How to know when third-party LMSs won’t meet your needs, and when to look at a customized solution instead
- How, specifically, you can use WordPress to build your own customized LMS with minimal effort and cost
- How to get the learning metrics you need using Google Analytics and Data Studio
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced developers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.) with basic knowledge of standard off-the-shelf learning management systems and learning reports.
Technology discussed in this session:
WordPress, LearnDash plugin, Google Analytics, and Google Data Studio.
Joshua Berkstresser
Director of Instructional Design
PsychArmor Institute
Joshua Berkstresser, a director of instructional design for PsychArmor Institute, is a learning and development professional with 10 years of experience and a master’s of science in instructional and educational technology and design. While working for Apple Retail, he trained staff in the opening of four stores in the US and UK with audiences of over 180. Josh then entered the nonprofit sector as 2-1-1 San Diego’s manager of learning and development. While there, he brought in a learning management system and facilitated the development of their first eLearning curriculum and blended learning solution.
507 Is It Working? Correlating Usage with xAPI
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 14
Good courseware will use multiple elements such as video, audio, interaction, and good old-fashioned reading. You struggle to balance all of it until it’s a finely harmonized symphony of information, waiting for a person to take it all in. But are any of those activities or videos you’ve worked on actually helping anyone learn? How can you show the relationship between the activities and performance?
This session will show how you can use xAPI to capture data from different activities into a single uniform format in the learning record store (LRS). Then, by looking at a real-world example page with video and test questions, you can start analyzing results to see which activities contribute most to success and which test questions need work. By knowing how to leverage your data, you can begin to see how to design your content to make sure that data is where you need it, when you need it!
In this session, you will learn:
- How xAPI can help you collect usage data
- How to combine activity data to see if your test questions are effective
- How to combine activity data to make sure your activities are accomplishing their goals
- How to use xAPI to compare consumption to performance
- How to make sure your content does what you need it to do
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, and managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
HTML5, JavaScript, xAPI (statements and queries), and LRSs.
Anthony Altieri
IDIoT in Chief/xAPI Evangelist
Omnes Solutions
Anthony Altieri is the IDIoT in Chief (instructional developer for the Internet of Things) and founder of Omnes Solutions, as well as an xAPI evangelist, authoring a course on xAPI Foundations for LinkedIn Learning. Anthony has worked on multiple projects implementing global LMS systems. He is a maker, focusing on user analytics and bringing the virtual learning world and the real world together through the use of Bluetooth beacons and other IoT devices using xAPI. Anthony has lectured to audiences on topics ranging from the spread of HIV to network security, content development, why it’s important to learn to code, and, of course, xAPI.
508 11 Types of Videos You Should Be Making
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 28
Junior Ballroom G
It’s so easy to get caught in a rut making the same type of video, or to just go with the standard talking head video, but this can easily bore your audience and your developers. Furthermore, this lack of breadth in video types doesn’t allow for the video to really meet the needs of your audience.
In this session, you’ll look at options beyond talking head videos and explore 11 types of videos that every learning professional should be able to create. These video types can be used to address learning, performance support, and other organizational needs. In addition to the video types, you’ll explore associated costs in terms of time, effort, and distribution. Break free from the repetitive talking head videos, and make more meaningful, effective, and impactful videos.
In this session, you will learn:
- About 11 types of video that you can use in learning content
- About the general cost and effort needed to create the video types
- When not to use the types of video presented
- Questions to ask to determine which video type will help you achieve your objective
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, and managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Video, including platforms and hosting.
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.
509 Performance Support—5 Guidelines to Guarantee Success
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 2
Performance support is a methodology that has been around for decades. However, recent years have seen a resurgence of interest and possibilities for performance support as technologies have evolved, which has opened new pathways for supporting workers in their moment of need. While promising, performance support is also a deviation from traditional approaches to training and development. How can you and your organization successfully add performance support to your strategies?
In this session, you will examine five guidelines that organizations can follow that will guarantee successful integration of performance support into their strategies. Using these guidelines, you will explore the common challenges new performance support initiatives encounter and how they can be overcome. You will also learn proven practices that can be adapted to your organization’s unique contexts. When you leave this session, you will have the framework needed to successfully implement performance support solutions for your organization.
In this session you will learn:
- Five guidelines to guarantee performance support success
- Common barriers performance support programs encounter
- Proven practices in launching performance support initiatives
- Specific steps for getting started with performance support
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, project managers, managers, and directors.
Technology discussed in this session:
Mobile, EPSS.
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.
Bob Mosher
CEO/founder/Chief Learning Evangelist
APPLY Synergies, a 5 Moments of Need Company
Bob Mosher, the chief learning evangelist at APPLY Synergies, has been an active and influential leader in the learning and training industry for over 30 years, and is renowned worldwide for his pioneering role in eLearning and new approaches to learning. Before co-founding APPLY Synergies consultancy with Conrad Gottfredson, Bob served as the chief learning evangelist for Ontuitive, director of learning strategy and evangelism for Microsoft, and executive director of education for Element K. He is an influential voice in the IT training industry, speaking at conferences and participating in industry associations. Bob was awarded the Guild Master Award in 2014 for his accomplishments and contributions to the eLearning community.
510 BYOD: Content Strategy—Not Just for Marketers
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 1
L&D professionals often think about one single training program only, instead of looking at the entire journey their learners take. Mapping out the learner life cycle and assigning content that engages them along the way not only helps create unforgettable learning experiences and drive individual performance, but also helps with the transfer of knowledge after a training session ends.
In this session, you will learn how marketing professionals create and plan their content, and reasons why L&D professionals should adapt this model. You will learn how to apply these concepts to L&D in order to drive an individual’s performance, help plan for quarters to come, and measure ROI. You’ll learn how to create a content strategy plan and how to implement it in easy steps. You’ll also find out how a single Trello template can help you work more collaboratively with your team in creating such a plan.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to create a content strategy plan
- How to use a project management tool to collaborate with your team
- How to drive performance by offering the right content at the right time
- How to create meaningful and sustainable content
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, project managers, and managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Trello.
Bianca Baumann
VP, Learning Solutions & Innovation
Ardent Learning
Bianca Baumann is VP, learning solutions & innovation at Ardent Learning. Over time, she has developed processes and methodologies to help organizations meet their growth targets with the help of innovative L&D approaches including digital transformations, onboarding, and reskilling programs. She has spearheaded multiple projects in the marketing, automotive, financial, and events industries, creating award-winning programs along the way. She shares her expertise in her blog and at global conferences. She teaches learning experience design at OISE and published the eBook, The Little Black Book of Marketing and L&D, a practical guide that helps integrate proven marketing techniques into L&D.
511 BYOD: Mastering Storyline Variables and Triggers
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 11
Looking for ideas of how to create more interesting learner experiences in Storyline? Wishing your eLearning projects could be more interactive and engaging, perhaps even including gaming elements? If so, then you’ll want to explore what you can do using variables and triggers. This hands-on session will provide you with tips, tricks, and techniques you can use to put them to work immediately and unleash your creativity.
In this session, you’ll learn how to apply variables and triggers within your Storyline projects and, as a result, develop more engaging courses. Understanding variables and how to manage them with triggers will improve your skill set, and your projects will now be limited only by your creativity. The possibilities for your designs become unlimited when you incorporate variables and triggers into your projects. This session will expose you to variables and triggers and allow you to work through exercises that will let you put them into practice immediately.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the difference between text, number, and Boolean variables
- How to create the different types of variables
- How to manipulate variables with triggers
- How to control objects, layers, and states with variables and conditional triggers
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers and developers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Articulate Storyline 3 and 360.
Participant technology requirements:
A laptop running Storyline 3 or 360.
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.
F03 Panel Discussion: Learning Platforms in the Performance Ecosystem
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 7
For decades, there was only one dominant learning platform that most training departments used: the learning management system (LMS). However, in recent years the learning platforms landscape has expanded. Not only have LMSs evolved over time, but additional platforms—such as ESNs, LRSs, intranet portals, and EPSSs—are also growing in functionality and popularity for learning and performance. This makes an organization’s decision on learning platforms much more complex, as it’s no longer a discussion of which platform, but which suite of platforms will meet an organization’s needs.
This panel discussion will explore how these platforms compete, coexist, and work to serve the diverse needs of today’s workforce. The panel’s experts will examine technology-driven performance ecosystems, and how workers leverage multiple systems to get their work done and get ahead. Join the conversation as they make sense of current systems, explore what’s coming next, and examine how different platforms complement and compete with one another.
In this session, you will learn:
- What technologies exist in the growing landscape of learning platforms
- What unique functionality is available from different systems
- What questions you’ll want to answer when evaluating which learning platforms are best for your organization
- Tips on how to build a suite of platforms to suit your needs
- What functionality is emerging in future learning platforms
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
LMS, ESN, LRS, intranet portal, and EPSS.
Mark Britz (Host)
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.
Steve Foreman
President
InfoMedia Designs
Steve Foreman is the author of The LMS Guidebook and president of InfoMedia Designs, a provider of eLearning infrastructure consulting services and technology solutions to large companies, academic institutions, professional associations, government, and military. Steve works with forward-looking organizations to find new and effective ways to apply computer technology to support human performance. His work includes enterprise learning strategy, learning and performance ecosystem solutions, LMS selection and implementation, learning-technology architecture and integration, expert-knowledge harvesting, knowledge management, and innovative performance-centered solutions that blend working and learning.
Megan Torrance
CEO
TorranceLearning
Megan Torrance is CEO and founder of TorranceLearning, which helps organizations connect learning strategy to design, development, data, and ultimately performance. She has more than 25 years of experience in learning design, deployment, and consulting . Megan and the TorranceLearning team are passionate about sharing what works in learning, so they devote considerable time to teaching and sharing about Agile project management for learning experience design and the xAPI. She is the author of Agile for Instructional Designers, The Quick Guide to LLAMA, and Making Sense of xAPI. Megan is also an eCornell Facilitator in the Women's Executive Leadership curriculum.
Stan Jeffress
Sr. Learning Consultant
Pokeshot
Stan Jeffress is a senior learning consultant at Pokeshot. With more than 15 years’ experience in the learning and development field, Stan has worked in various roles such as LMS administrator, project manager, consultant, and instructor. He also used this experience to work as a freelancer before joining Pokeshot. Stan’s role includes assisting clients with social learning strategy development, managing SmarterPath integrations, providing sales support, and contributing to product innovation.
SDD202 Usability Testing: Answering the Design Questions You Never Knew You Had
11:00 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 28
Expo Hall: Design & Development Stage
When designing eLearning, you may be so familiar with the content and delivery systems that you are blind to the problems your actual users encounter. When reviewing learner evaluations, you may get vague comments such as “there were glitches,” but how can you address such issues without understanding the root of the problem or knowing how much of that is under your actual control?
In this case study session, find out how the Morton Arboretum has leveraged usability testing to check assumptions of how basic tasks are being performed on their LMS. You will examine the general process, the benefits, and the limitations of asking users to think aloud while performing tasks and recording their actions. You may be afraid that such testing will be expensive or indicate a need for a complete overhaul of the way you do things; in reality, you probably already have the resources you need to conduct DIY usability testing, and the process can help spark creative solutions to actual learner-identified problems.
In this session, you will learn:
- What usability testing is
- Guidelines for performing usability testing
- About some limitations to usability testing
- Tips on applying knowledge gained during usability testing within the constraints of available resources
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, and project managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
eLearning authoring tools, learning management systems, webcams, and screen recording tools.
Annalisa Burke
Digital Content Specialist
The Morton Arboretum
Annalisa Burke is a digital content specialist at the Morton Arboretum. With nearly 20 years’ experience in the field of education, she has worked as an instructor, project manager, and curriculum developer in corporate, higher ed, and nonprofit settings. She has learned to appreciate the importance of incorporating a diversity of perspectives into projects, and she’s led various cross-departmental evaluation projects designed to enhance the learner experience. Annalisa has an MEd in educational policy from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an MA in romance languages and literatures from the University of Chicago.
SMM202 An Agile Approach to Learning Development
11:00 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 28
Expo Hall: Management & Measurement Stage
Business needs and technology are constantly evolving through cycles of change. Traditional approaches to learning development have had trouble quickly translating a business requirement into an appropriate learning solution available at the moment of need. This delay causes dissatisfaction for the audience for several reasons; most notably, it increases time to competency because learners don’t have the proper learning resources to complete the job. So how can you get faster at designing and developing the learning experiences your audiences need?
In this session, you will learn how to create cross-functional (integrated) teams that can start using agile project management and engage in all steps of the value stream, from analysis to design, development, testing, and release. You will learn how to maintain focus on business value throughout the entire journey by adopting an agile scrum approach. This approach enables frequent deliveries of learning solutions, as well as feedback from your intended audience, and it helps your team speed up your production timelines so you can more quickly create the right learning solutions aligned to the business need.
In this session, you will learn:
- What agile project management is
- About the benefits of using agile
- About the team’s key lessons learned
- How the team used agile methods to develop learning solutions
- About critical components of agile scrum
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Microsoft Team Foundation Server (TFS), VersionOne.
Adam Hadnott
Learning Analyst/Architect
The Boeing Company
Adam Hadnott is a learning analyst/architect with the Boeing Company. He began his career as an instructor and consultant for computer-aided engineering (CAE) and product lifecycle management (PLM) applications. Following this, he developed quality software for engineering designs. Adam has coached engineers throughout the Boeing enterprise on technical processes and applications, and he led the coaching effort supporting the development of the KC-46 tanker. Currently, Adam is supporting the enterprise-wide implementation of multiple major systems spanning supplier management, engineering, and manufacturing. Throughout his career, he has taken advantage of a variety of formal and informal learning opportunities on numerous subjects.
Fabian Zender
Innovation and Performance Engineer
The Boeing Company
Fabian Zender is an innovation and performance engineer at the Boeing Company. He has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from Georgia Tech, and a passion for data analytics and learning. Fabian leads a multi-university capstone program sponsored by Boeing. He was a product owner for the development of learning solutions supporting the 777X, and is the lead for data analytics within the learning organization. Fabian led the development of standard video processes and templates for learning solutions. He is responsible for technical and data architecture to support learning for the enterprise-wide implementation of software spanning finance, engineering, and manufacturing.
STP202 Ready, Set, Animate! Content Animation Options for Any Budget
11:00 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 28
Expo Hall: Tools & Platforms Stage
You have learning content that you want to translate into an animation. You’re short on time and budget. Whether you are creating the animation in house or subcontracting, how do you leverage your expertise in instructional design to help optimize the storyboarding and development process?
In this session, you’ll learn how smart instructional design and planning can help make your animations more effective and timely to produce. You’ll learn how to recognize when animation is a suitable way to deliver your content. You will explore the iterative process of scripting and storyboarding when developing a blueprint for your animation. Even if you’ve never animated, you’ll walk away from this session with the ability to recognize the time and effort involved in creating animations with increasing levels of complexity.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to tailor content into a script suitable for animation
- How to storyboard for animation by leveraging storytelling and animation principles
- About the animation process and best practices
- How sound effects can bolster even the simplest animations
- About the difference between 2-D animation software (like After Effects or Animate CC) and rapid animation tools (like GoAnimate or VideoScribe)
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers and developers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Tools such as Adobe After Effects, Adobe Animate CC, GoAnimate, and VideoScribe.
Kataryna Nemethy
eLearning Developer/Instructional Designer
Baycrest Health Sciences
Kataryna Nemethy is an eLearning developer and instructional designer at Baycrest Health Sciences with years of experience in eLearning, instructional design, and educational technologies. As a formally trained biomedical illustrator and animator, she is passionate about the interface between education, technology, and design—particularly when they come together to produce a simple, effective, and good-looking product.
SDD203 How Global Organizations Create and Deliver eLearning at Scale
12:00 PM - 12:45 PM Wednesday, March 28
Expo Hall: Design & Development Stage
For global organizations, time is of the essence. Getting eLearning content about new products or services into learners’ hands instantly can be a game-changer, giving them a vital competitive edge.
International businesses need an easy-to-use toolkit for the rapid creation and distribution of eLearning at scale. You will learn how global companies such as PwC, Jaguar Land Rover, EE, L’Oreal, and many more create and deliver content instantly to their global user communities with gomo.
In this session, you will learn:
- How global teams can work together with collaboration
- How to guarantee design consistency across your eLearning library
- How ease of use allows you to roll out tools to hundreds of users across an organization
- How to get courses into an LMS in seconds
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
gomo
Mike Alcock
Global Sales Director
Instilled
Michael Alcock, global sales director for Instilled and Gomo, is responsible for the company's strategy for UK and worldwide sales, product development, and global marketing. Prior to Gomo, Mike founded Atlantic Link Limited, where he invented the world's first cloud-based authoring tool.
SMM203 Onboarding Millennial Employees for Lasting Engagement
12:00 PM - 12:45 PM Wednesday, March 28
Expo Hall: Management & Measurement Stage
Do you want to learn how to onboard Millennial employees to set them up for long-term success?
This session will go over ways to identify development opportunities, create a training program and onboarding schedule that’s customized to the employee, and incorporate other team members to foster collaboration from the start. You’ll receive templates you can use to start conversations and keep track of the onboarding process.
In this session, you will learn:
- About common motivators for Millennial employees
- How to create a new employee onboarding schedule
- How to identify development opportunities for long-term success
- How to foster team-building and collaboration during onboarding
Audience:
Novice to intermediate project managers and managers.
Shea Hanson
Manager of Content, Business Skills
LinkedIn Learning
Shea Hanson is a manager of content for business skills at LinkedIn Learning, where she and her team create training courses that help professionals improve their skills. Shea manages the content strategy for leadership and management, project management, human resources, sales, customer service, marketing, and finance and accounting training. With a background in instructional design, Shea’s passion is to help professionals improve their skills and transform their lives through simple and helpful video courses.
STP203 Speeding Up Your Workflow with Articulate 360
12:00 PM - 12:45 PM Wednesday, March 28
Expo Hall: Tools & Platforms Stage
Articulate knows that eLearning developers face big challenges. You’re asked to create engaging courses for any device, develop gorgeous eLearning on a budget, work with stakeholders, and develop your skills.
Articulate 360 was built to address all of these problems and help you get more done. The solution includes award-winning authoring apps, Storyline 360 and Rise, which make it easy to create mobile learning; it also includes over two million course assets, a project review app, and live online training with experts like Tom Kuhlmann. In this session, you’ll discover how to use these apps and resources to speed up your workflow.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to use the apps in Articulate 360 to create mobile learning
- About the resources available in Articulate 360
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Articulate 360 apps, including Storyline 360, Rise, Content Library, and Articulate Review.
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.
601 Design Critique Party: Getting Feedback, Having Fun
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 5
Something big is missing from the L&D field: design critiques. Critiques are collaborative sessions that help designers find solutions to design problems. Many creative fields use design critiques to improve the implementation of their products. Input from others brings new perspectives and insights to one’s work. Feedback makes designers more effective and creates a positive work culture. Yet, in learning experience design, critiques are vastly under-used.
You can change the culture by participating in this critique party and bringing your new skills back to the job. This session will quickly run through the rules of running an effective design critique. It’s all about posing questions that help others solve their design problems. Then volunteers will have the opportunity to present their (draft or finished) work, state what they want to achieve, and get ideas, inspiration, and feedback from their peers in 10- to 15-minute rounds. This is an excellent way to break through obstacles if you are stuck and to improve your instructional and visual design skills.
In this session, you will learn:
- The etiquette and rules for running an effective design critique
- How to maintain an open discussion
- How to focus on achieving the designer’s objectives
- The difference between critique and criticism
- How to verbalize potential solutions so they are helpful
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, and managers. Attendees should have a basic understanding of learning experience design and be willing to have an open discussion to help others find solutions to design challenges.
Technology discussed in this session:
eLearning, websites, mobile designs, learning portals, informal approaches, slides, etc.
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.
602 Build Once, Deploy Anywhere: How RBC Is Leveraging Adapt Learning
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 16
All businesses need to provide learning that is relevant and timely to their employees, while attempting to maximize learner receptivity by providing it through one of learners’ many available devices. This can make it difficult to create eLearning that is engaging, flexible, and responsive as well as being accessible across multiple devices seamlessly.
Adapt Learning is a rapid development tool that meets these needs. In this session, you will learn about Adapt Learning and get a look at how the tool is changing the way the Royal Bank of Canada designs, develops, and delivers modern deep scrolling content faster than ever. Adapt Learning keeps your eLearning flexible and practical by allowing you to start learning on your work computer, finish on your tablet, and refresh on your smartphone. You’ll never notice a reduction in quality, but you’ll definitely appreciate the flexibility it provides.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the Adapt framework, including interactive components, sophisticated theming, branding options, and deep scrolling content
- How Adapt content is changing the way learners at RBC consume content on a device of their choice
- How Adapt has allowed RBC to be agile, co-develop, and expedite development
- How RBC employs a “build once, deploy anywhere” process that lets the bank share test cases pertaining to efficiencies gained and development time
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, managers, and directors.
Technology discussed in this session:
Adapt Builder (free and proprietary versions).
Jeremy Pearce
Senior Manager - Design, Innovation, and Development
RBC—Royal Bank of Canada
Jeremy Pearce is a senior manager of design and innovation at the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). He has a varied skillset with experience in the creation of eLearning training programs, gamification, video development, web design, graphic design, and animation. With over 10 years of experience, Jeremy and his team work to balance an exceptional learner experience with the art of the possible.
603 Adding xAPI to Your RFPs: Rethinking Your Process
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 18
The Experience API is a marvelous enabling technology that can give you a rich picture of an individual’s learning path. Since it captures experiences in a consistent format, it opens the door for mobile, social, or offline learning. But xAPI is a terrible place to start when writing an RFP. It should not be the reason you’re buying software. xAPI is a feature—you should be buying a solution.
Ideally, the process of selecting a new technology should look like this: Identify your learning goals, uncover what your staff needs to achieve those goals, and select a technology that meets your business and technical requirements. While it’s not recommended to include xAPI in your RFP for the sake of it, this session will provide clear recommendations for how to write an RFP if you decide you need xAPI. That way, you’re well set up to select a technology provider that suits your goals and allows you to get started with xAPI.
In this session, you will learn:
- Why you shouldn’t include xAPI in your RFP just for the sake of it
- How to go about writing an RFP so that you are well set up to find a provider that offers a solution that supports your goals
- How to include xAPI in your RFP if you decide to do it anyway
- What capabilities to require of a provider
Audience:
Novice to advanced project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
LMSs, authoring tools, LRSs, and content management systems.
Chris Tompkins
Vice President of Business Development
Rustici Software
Chris Tompkins is the VP of business development for Rustici Software, a company that provides software to improve compatibility across the L&D ecosystem. He is an expert in the standards (like SCORM and xAPI) and uses his technical expertise to support eLearning RFP and procurement. Chris has an MBA from Belmont University, focused on entrepreneurship and negotiations. Building on previous work at HP/Compaq and XM Satellite Radio, he has over 15 years of experience matching the right technical solution to a client's needs.
604 2018 Trends: What the Research Says About Microlearning, Social Tools, and Video
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Junior Ballroom G
In this session, The eLearning Guild’s director
of research, Jane Bozarth, reviews the Guild’s most recent reports on video,
microlearning, and social tools for learning. We’ll look at what’s happening—or
not happening—industry-wide, with an emphasis on what works, such as what
factors support success 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 are 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 we can gain from current research into microlearning, social tools, and video
- State-of-the-industry practices in these areas
- Benefits and barriers facing practitioners
- Solutions to common challenges
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VPs, CLOs, executives, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Video, social tools, assorted technologies used in microlearning solutions.
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.
605 Mind-Blowing PowerPoint. No, Really!
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Junior Ballroom F
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 non-responsive, with no interaction—pretty much everything you know doesn’t work to convey information effectively. Few people enjoy creating, delivering, or watching PowerPoint presentations, so let’s 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’ll astound your audience? Come along for a master class on capturing your audience’s attention and helping them learn. You’ll create half a dozen amazing slides that work effectively, and apply the skills to other slides. As it’s all live in a single session, you’ll see how to rapidly create compelling visual content, making your training course the best ever. Plus, you’ll get a free PowerPoint toolkit to kick-start things, and video tutorials for support.
In this session, you will learn:
- 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:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, and directors. Basic knowledge of PowerPoint is useful but not essential.
Technology discussed in this session:
Microsoft PowerPoint (all versions, but ideally 2007 onward).
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.
606 Panel Discussion: The Expanding Landscape of Performance Support
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 2
The demands of the modern organization require you to look for more efficient ways to help people build their skills. Because of this, organizations are looking beyond traditional classes and courses that take time away from the job, and they’re also focusing on performance support: providing help directly in the flow of people’s work. These just-in-time options include more than just the job aids you’ve used in the past. Resources such as social technology, EPSS, video, and augmented reality offer new ways to provide employees with instant access to the answers they need.
In this panel discussion, experts will share their insights on the changing nature of work and learning, and on how performance support technologies are striving to meet the challenges of the modern, agile workforce. Join this session to learn more about the tools and strategies being employed, how to shift to a support-centric ecosystem, and the now and next of performance support technologies.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the technologies that exist in the expanding performance support landscape
- About the organizational strategies being employed to launch, sustain, and succeed with performance support
- About the implications of a BYOD approach to performance support
- About the future of performance support in the work-learning ecosystem
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Electronic performance support systems (EPSS), augmented reality, and video.
Mark Britz (Host)
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.
Molly Petroff
Education Specialist
Saint Vincent Hospital
Molly Petroff, an education specialist at Saint Vincent Hospital, is the architect of performance support (PS) at the hospital and has implemented several PS solutions focusing on the moment of apply for health system associates. She has worked in staff development for over 25 years, focusing the last 15 years on online learning technologies and the last five years primarily on PS design and development. She has authored numerous eLearning programs and PS solutions for in-house delivery and for other institutions. Molly, an RN, holds a BSN in nursing, an MEd in adult education, and certificates in eLearning instructional design and 5MoN design.
Saif Altalib
Sr. Instructional Designer
Amazon Web Services
Saif Altalib, MEd and MBA, has 17+ years of experience in designing innovative performance improvement and instructional solutions. Saif won an Atlanta ATD Award for best software learning program in 2010 and has presented multiple times at Learning Guild conferences.
Hal Christensen
President
QuickCompetence
Hal Christensen, President at QuickCompetence, has been providing organizations with strategic guidance and solutions to improve employee performance for three decades. An early pioneer of the performance support movement, he has successfully introduced performance support solutions into many organizations in the financial, healthcare, telecommunications, and energy industries. Hal chairs the ATD NY Performance Support SIG and also teaches an online course, Creating Effective Performance Support Solutions.
607 Designing a Flexible, Future-Focused Learning Infrastructure
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 9
L&D professionals are rarely able to build their ideal learning ecosystem; they often inherit legacy systems and approaches. With so many technologies designed to support specific parts of your ecosystem, it can be difficult to organize them into a comprehensive learning strategy with the flexibility to meet the future needs of your rapidly evolving business and the mobile, social, and global engagement necessary for a generationally diverse workforce.
While working together through a sample scenario, you will learn a practical approach to designing a learning and performance ecosystem that both leverages the existing tools you have and anticipates the future needs of your rapidly changing business, so you can identify and demonstrate meaningful business results that will support your ability to grow and evolve your ecosystem when the organization is ready for it.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the components that comprise a learning and performance ecosystem
- How to identify ecosystem components available to you
- How to identify future ecosystem components that will support rapidly changing businesses
- How to organize components to create a flexible ecosystem solution
- How to identify meaningful business measures to track success
- Where to seek support to grow and evolve your ecosystem
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, and directors.
Tammy Olson
Global Learning Program Manager
Donaldson Company
Tammy Olson, a global learning program manager at Donaldson Company, is an experienced global learning leader and strategist with a passion for developing learning strategies, infrastructures, and solutions that leverage social, collaborative, virtual, and mobile learning technologies for Fortune 500 companies. Tammy continually looks for opportunities to innovate the way people work by integrating learning and collaboration exactly where and when it is needed. She has over 20 years’ experience creating technology-enabled learning experiences to engage and develop high-performing, diverse employee populations.
608 How Leadership Development Turned a Dying Company Around
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 14
In 2011, one company had the lowest productivity in its industry in the Asia Pacific, was not making cost of capital, and had a toxic culture. By 2016, the company had the highest productivity in the Asia Pacific, it made record profits, and unions were working happily with management. The organization achieved this by addressing its leadership vacuum and investing in management development that spanned the 70:20:10 in often creative ways.
This session will explore how to develop and select leadership training that influences a culture. You’ll find out how to put in place support for learning transition to the workplace context, how to take a holistic approach to learning on the job though experience, and how to use unorthodox TNA methods to target training effectively. Join this session to learn how a seemingly intransigent culture can change through effective leadership development. You’ll leave knowing how to “wow” customers with training that actually makes a difference.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the place of leadership development in an organization’s culture
- How to underpin TNA with business data
- How training and development can be partnered for holistic learning
- How to turn leadership training into a cultural driver
Audience:
Advanced managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.). A general understanding of business strategy and some knowledge of the leadership development field would be useful.
Technology discussed in this session:
Virtual reality.
Diane Edwards
General Manager People Systems and Technology
Ports of Auckland
Diane Edwards is a general manager of people, systems, and technology at Ports of Auckland. Diane holds postgraduate qualifications in education, accounting, and banking, and is the current national president of the New Zealand Association for Training and Development (NZATD). Diane was the HRINZ (Human Resources Institute of NZ) 2010 HR Specialist of the Year (training and OD); the 2015 HR Generalist of the Year; and the 2016 Governance NZ Gender Diversity Leader of the Year. She also won the 2016 SSON Australasian Culture Creation Award. Diane holds fellowships of NZATD, HRINZ Institute of Management, and the Financial Services Institute of Australasia.
609 User Testing: A Deep Dive
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 13
User testing is one of the most powerful tools in creating solutions that work the way you want—and the way your learners expect. Unfortunately, it’s often overlooked and can even be scary if you’ve never done it before. But solid user testing techniques can actually be easier to start using than you might expect.
In this session, we will cover a simple and reliable process—including customizable templates for each step—and recommended tools that are easy to learn and cheap (or even free) to use. Whether you’re new to eLearning or just new to discovering usability principles, you will leave this session with the knowledge, tools, and confidence you need to get started making user testing a part of your process, and you’ll even have your first user test under your belt!
In this session, you will learn:
- How user testing can be used specifically in the world of L&D to make what we create better
- What user testing can help you with and what it can’t
- Everything you need to start performing user tests, from planning to reporting
- Which amazing, easy, and free tools will be the most help with your user testing process
Audience
Novice and intermediate designers and developers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Productivity and collaboration software such as Google Sheets, Docs, and Forms; web conferencing software such as Zoom and GoToMeeting; advanced user testing software such as TechSmith Morae.
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.
610 Dammit Jim, I’m a Doctor, Not a Graphic Designer!
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 3
Designers often find themselves playing many roles in training development. Due to time or budget constraints, the role that usually ends up taking a backseat is the role of graphic designer. And this is a challenge because solid graphic design makes a big difference in how people receive and process information, which is L&D’s ultimate goal. While graphic design can seem difficult and time-consuming, it doesn’t have to be.
This session will explore five effective and user-friendly practices that will increase the quality of what you design. You will be able to translate the practices to any tool you use for development, from simple tools like PowerPoint to more complex graphic tools like Illustrator or rapid development tools like Storyline and Captivate. The session will focus on simple approaches that can make a big difference, such as how to organize content and how to effectively use color and backgrounds for the optimal learning experience. You’ll leave with practical tips that will make your content both more appealing to the eye and more effective for learning with minimal effort and time.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to pick the right font palette for your project and why you should to stick to it
- Why it’s important to select an appropriate color scheme and use it consistently
- How to create proper contrast and why it matters
- Why leaving some empty space in your design can make it easier for people to learn from
- How to place your text in contrast to your background and increase legibility
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers and developers.
Jeremy Medrano
Chief Creative Officer
Infinitude Creative Group
Jeremy Medrano, a creative director at Infinitude Creative Group, found his passion for visual design and storytelling early on. After graduating with a degree in digital filmmaking from the Art Institute of Dallas, Jeremy began his career as a video editor, motion graphic artist, and graphic designer. Due to his dedication and drive for innovative results, he quickly moved into a management role, then into creative direction. At Infinitude, he oversees the artistic development of all work; supervises the team of designers, editors, and production artists; and is always pushing the envelope to produce better work and expand the organization's capabilities.
611 How Content Curation and Knowledge Management Can Help Us Thrive
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 17
We are facing a knowledge tsunami—the sheer amount of content available is increasing at an exponential rate, while the shelf life of that content is shrinking dramatically. It can be overwhelming, not just to learners, but to us as well. As we look at the content we develop and publish, we have to ask some very important questions. Is it good content? Is it the right content for the right purpose? Is it up-to-date? Is it understandable? And even when we are confident in our content, we have to make sure it gets to the right people, at just the right time.
This presentation focuses on the two major tactics to avoiding a knowledge tsunami: content curation and knowledge management. Both are important; you can’t have one without the other. In this session, you’ll learn about the rationale for and the strategies behind content curation and knowledge management, and why these two approaches are so critical as L&D moves forward. From SMEs and instructional designers, to L&D leaders, the knowledge tsunami is a fact of our professional lives, and it’s time to face it head on.
In this session, you will learn:
- Why the two tactics of knowledge management and content curation are so powerful together
- Why these two tactics are of particular importance to L&D
- Key knowledge management and content curation strategies you’ll want to consider
- Tips for implementing knowledge management and content curation strategies at your own organization
Audience:
Intermediate and advanced designers, developers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VPs, CLOs, executives, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
This presentation will focus on general strategies for knowledge management and content curation rather than specific tools/technologies.
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.
612 Modern Learning Ecosystem Design with xAPI
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 15
While the L&D community is increasingly familiar with the Experience API (xAPI) and its value for data collection and interoperability, few examples exist to clarify the value of xAPI as applied within different existing learning infrastructures. This session is focused on sharing the ways xAPI can connect and provide value in any eLearning environment.
This session presents a series of different learning ecosystem configurations and the ways xAPI and a learning record store (LRS) can provide value in each case. The three main learning ecosystem configurations examined range from the simplest (LMS and LRS) to three systems connected (LMS, LRS, and CMS) to the fully modular (LRS, LMS, simulations, microlearning, performance assessment, and other tools). For each of these configurations, the presentation shares specific values and practical applications gained by connecting an xAPI LRS to the existing system.
In this session, you will learn:
- What kind of additional granular insights and eLearning information you can gather by connecting an LMS to an LRS
- How connecting an LRS to your existing LMS and CMS can help you connect data on formal, informal, and summative learning experiences
- How xAPI can connect to all of the components of your learning ecosystem to enable cross-source data collection and analysis across even the most distributed learning systems
- How data collected through xAPI contributes to the future of learning personalization and data-driven L&D
Audience:
Intermediate designers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.) with general knowledge of learning tools and applications. There will be a broad (and brief!) introduction to xAPI and the LRS.
Technology discussed in this session:
Experience API (xAPI) and learning record stores (LRSs).
Margaret Roth
Chief Customer Experience Officer
Yet Analytics
Margaret Roth is the chief customer experience officer at Yet Analytics, a Baltimore-based company that provides tools and solutions to improve learning and talent development. Margaret is interested in the development and design of connected learning environments that leverage xAPI and blended learning. Her background is in experiential education, curriculum design, teaching, and team development. She is the VP of community impact for the Junior League of Baltimore, a member of the SXSWedu Advisory Board, and a co-founder of EdTechWomen. Margaret received her BA in English and environmental earth science and her MA in teaching from Johns Hopkins University.
613 BYOD: Add Affordable 3-D Content to Your eLearning
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 1
Three-dimensional content is phenomenally cool—from basic polygonal models to full human-like characters, buildings, vehicles, and even complete environments. Because 3-D content has historically taken vast resources (i.e., time or money) to create, 3-D resources are often relegated to video games, simulations, and VR only. However, creating, editing, and obtaining 3-D models for everyday use in eLearning doesn’t have to be cost-prohibitive or take a lot of time.
This session will cover tools, software, and websites that allow you to create, edit, customize, and display 3-D models—all available to use right now. Use this 3-D content in photos, images, animations, vignettes, or even VR demos and full-blown simulations. You’ll explore what’s out there, what each tool does, and possible ways to use the elements within your existing content. These resources are free or “near-free,” requiring little in up-front costs. You’ll examine real-world solutions and possible uses for 3-D: reusable characters with editable facial expressions and poses, customized 3-D objects and backgrounds, and an embedded real-time 3-D object viewer.
In this session, you will learn:
- About available tools, software, and resources for creating 3-D content
- About the basics of 3-D character creation
- What rigging/posing is
- What blendshapes are
- About some open-source 3-D tools
- How to easily add 3-D to eLearning
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
3-D tools and resources such as Mixamo, TurboSquid, Sketchfab, and many others, including Blender, Adobe Fuse CC, and MakeHuman.
Participant technology requirements:
Laptop with mouse (helpful for Blender UI). Participants may download the following solutions prior to the session, though they are not required: Blender, Adobe Fuse CC, and MakeHuman. Participants will need to ensure their machine’s graphics cards and hardware meet the requirements of these tools. A smartphone, tablet (or similar VR-ready device), and/or VR viewer are helpful but not required.
Michael Sheyahshe
Founder and Technologist
aNm
Michael Sheyahshe, a founder and technologist at aNm, has a vast breadth of experience in information technology, eLearning, and innovation spanning two decades and several industries. His extensive career encompasses design and development of various eLearning and training content, specializing in animation, simulations, and interactive content. Michael is an expert in numerous 3-D software tools, game engines, programming languages, mobile devices, platforms, and coding frameworks. He holds two bachelor of arts degrees from the University of Oklahoma in film and Native American studies, and a master of fine arts degree in 3-D modeling from the Academy of Art University.
614 BYOD: Mics, Webcam, Action! Run Your Next Virtual Event Like a Broadway Director
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 11
What do compliance training and the play Wicked have in common? What about onboarding and Hamlet? How about project management and stage management? They have more in common than you think. When you are creating a learning experience, you are producing a performance, and you need to think like a Broadway director.
In this BYOD session, you will participate in an Adobe Connect session and learn what happens “backstage” during a virtual event. You will also walk through the creation and configuration of an Adobe Connect seminar room. You’ll learn that the production components of a well-produced Broadway play are also found in a well-produced virtual session. You’ll learn how to “stage manage” the entire event and discover your inner Harold Prince!
In this session, you will learn:
- What is “backstage” in Adobe Connect and GoToWebinar
- About Broadway practices and how to use them to produce your next session
- How to turn your training sessions into repeatable performances
- Technical “hacks” to make your production stand out
Audience
Novice to intermediate designers and online event producers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Adobe Connect and GoToWebinar.
Participant technology requirements:
A laptop or mobile device to access the GoToWebinar room and the Adobe Connect seminar room during the session. For successful participation, please review the Adobe Connect system requirements and run the Adobe Connect diagnostic test on your Mac or Windows computer. If you wish to create and configure your own Adobe Connect room, you will need a laptop with administrator access to Adobe Connect (trial version is fine).
Karyn Gleeson
Program & Production Manager
The Learning Guild
Karyn Gleeson is the program & production manager for The Learning Guild, where she manages both the tactical needs of producing online events, the strategic needs of programming the online conferences and managing the staff and event deliverables. Karyn is a Digital Event Strategist with certification from the Professional Convention Management Association. Previously, Karyn was an LMS administrator and manager of the technical support staff for an online curriculum provider. Karyn also has years of experience as a business analyst, project manager, and trainer for a custom software development firm. She also provides educational support to parents, educators, and students of the K-12 community through workshops, small group instruction, and online classes.
615 BYOD: Post-Production Techniques for eLearning Narration
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 7
Does the audio in your eLearning presentations sound too hot, too cold, or just right? Does your audio have background hiss or other unwanted sounds no matter how quiet your recording environment? Does your narration have noticeably loud “P” (plosive) or “S” (sibilance) sounds? These factors can distract your learner from the message you wish to present, and a distracted learner learns less.
In this BYOD session, you will learn how you can use audio editing software to automatically set the volume to optimal levels for eLearning narration. You will learn how to alter audio you record (or audio that others record) to remove many sources of background noise. You will also learn editing strategies to minimize strong syllable sounds such as “S” and “P,” especially when re-recording is not a feasible option.
In this session, you will learn:
- Basic multimedia principles that highlight the importance of clean, quality audio narration in eLearning
- Simple steps to minimize noise artifacts during the recording process
- Techniques to minimize or eliminate background noise in your recording
- How to set your audio volume to optimum levels for eLearning using a simple one-step technique
- How to minimize strong consonant sounds such as P, S, F, CH, and SH in recorded narration
Audience:
Intermediate developers and managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Audacity, with some references to Adobe Audition.
Participant technology requirements:
Preload Audacity onto your MacOS or Windows notebook computer before the session. Headphones compatible with your computer are highly advised. Audio samples will be provided for download via Wi-Fi or USB drive, so a microphone is not required.
Kevin Lange
Principal Consultant
Immersion Learning
Kevin Lange is the principal consultant at Immersion Learning. Previously he was a learning governance and technology manager with The Mosaic Company. Since 2005, Kevin has worked as a facilitator, instructional designer, project and program manager, and learning strategist within academic, consulting, and Fortune 500 and Global 500 companies, including Capital One, Citi, Expedia, American Express, Deloitte, and Sony. Kevin holds bachelor's degrees in radio-television and speech communication from Southern Illinois University, an MBA from Indiana State University, and an MEd in educational technology from the University of Florida.
SDD204 Converting Existing Training Materials into Meaningful Learning Programs
1:00 PM - 1:45 PM Wednesday, March 28
Expo Hall: Design & Development Stage
You have instructor-led courses, recorded webinars, product training, onboarding videos, documentation, and more. You believe you can somehow turn all of this into a great learning program, but how? How do you make sense of all of your materials and determine what’s necessary for a great learning experience? Is eLearning the right solution? And if it is, in what format and with what kinds of features?
In this session, you’ll learn how to approach the conversion of your instructor-led training materials—as well as other forms of existing training and documentation—into great learning programs. You’ll learn various tips for conducting a proper needs analysis, you’ll explore different learning formats and features, and you’ll be forced to think about the goals driving the need for your learning program. At the end, you’ll be armed with the proper questions and tools that you can use to evaluate a conversion project of your own.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to organize and prioritize your existing training materials for use with developing a new learning program
- How to conduct a needs analysis for a learning program
- About different types of eLearning formats, such as microlearning, and their pros and cons
- How to ensure your learning solution is in line with your overall business goals
Audience:
Novice to advanced project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
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.
SMM204 A Proven Checklist Tool for Objective Program Evaluation
1:00 PM - 1:45 PM Wednesday, March 28
Expo Hall: Management & Measurement Stage
Consistent program evaluation can be a challenge. Organizations must invest time and manpower wisely in order to generate feedback that will improve training outcomes and produce a positive ROI. Asking a department to judge its own work compromises objectivity, whereas hiring outside consultants generates tension. So what’s a better option? A substantive rubric aligned with a standards-based evaluative tool. This approach can help you achieve results that a mere survey, or departmental self-evaluation, cannot.
In this session, you will learn how to implement a product evaluation checklist to help you more effectively evaluate and critique your own learning programs. You’ll discover how evidence-based best practices are reflected in this evaluation tool’s 12 broad criteria, and how you can best use them to generate an objective score that is readily comparable between departments, units, and businesses as well as across training types. Once you’ve mastered the tool, you’ll then brainstorm ways to leverage evaluation scores within your own businesses to help meet training goals, drive better outcomes, and further department and asset development.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the advantages of employing a proven rubric to evaluate a program’s alignment with learning science
- About the meaning and importance of this rubric’s 12 essential categories
- How to conduct a program review
- How to conduct a post-review session with stakeholders that will minimize friction and facilitate next steps and improvements
- How to leverage the checklist’s findings to drive an organization to positive change
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Kaplan’s Educational Product Evaluation Checklist.
Kristin Murner
Learning Design Lead
CreatorUp
Kristin Murner, the learning design lead at CreatorUp, has worked in traditional, online, and for-profit education for over 20 years. Her favorite projects have been teaching undergraduate marketing on an Army base, working with NYC public school teachers on SHSAT prep-course improvement, and quickly creating and co-hosting free educator-facing webinars to help teachers and faculty pivot to online learning during the COVID-19 shutdown. At CreatorUp, Kristin works cross-functionally to ensure all learning content is measurable, sticky, and awesome. She holds a BS in physics, an MBA in marketing, and an MSEd in instructional design and technology.
Bob Verini
Director, Academic Quality
Kaplan Test Prep
Bob Verini is a director of academic quality in Kaplan Test Prep’s learning science department, with 35 years of experience in creating and delivering instruction in on-site and online classroom environments. For the last decade he has been teaching online courses exclusively, and he created the company’s first training program to help veteran teachers understand and absorb the best practices of the new medium. An accomplished journalist for Daily Variety and other publications, Bob is often recognized for his appearances on Jeopardy! as the winner of 1987’s Tournament of Champions and a veteran of numerous invitational tournaments.
STP204 Getting It Done Yesterday: Rapid Development Processes for Tight Timelines
1:00 PM - 1:45 PM Wednesday, March 28
Expo Hall: Tools & Platforms Stage
What does a development team do when they discover that multiple programs require new courses in order to ensure graduates in every state can receive teaching licenses? This is the challenge Western Governors University faced. State endorsement changes meant creating 17 new courses in less than three months. How did this challenge become a growth opportunity for the team to create a rapid development process?
In this case study session, find out how the WGU team implemented a rapid development process to develop quality courses with an impossible deadline. You will learn how teams comprising instructional designers, curriculum program managers, SMEs, and vendors utilized collaborative tools and strategies to implement an agile design process to develop courses that adhered to quality standards. You’ll explore how three instructional designers applied the agile framework in different ways to deliver quality courses in math, literacy, and science. And you’ll walk away with tips and resources to help your own rapid development.
In this session, you will learn:
- How applying the agile method of development makes eLearning design more efficient and effective
- How to maximize the potential of collaborative tools to effectively work with a variety of stakeholders and minimize the need for long meetings
- How iterative editing and quality assurance practices ensure course quality when developing courses in a short time frame
- How rapid development can be successful in a variety of course management systems or within different third-party platforms.
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Lesley Reilly
Instructional Designer: Teachers College at WGU
Western Governors University
Lesley Reilly is an instructional designer for Teachers College at Western Governors University. For 12 years prior to joining WGU, she worked for EdTech Leaders Online (ETLO) collaborating with teams of instructional designers, SMEs, and media specialists to help clients understand and meet their educational needs through online learning. Lesley draws from her experience as a classroom teacher to design and develop meaningful learning experiences online. She has a master’s degree in educational technology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a bachelor’s in elementary education from the University of Michigan.
Samantha Coen
Instructional Designer
Western Governors University
Samantha Coen is an instructional designer at Western Governors University. She has about 10 years’ experience in online course design and development as an instructional designer in both higher education and corporate settings. Samantha has proven experience in designing online programs, creating interactive learning environments, and implementing adaptive learning solutions. She holds an MS in instructional design and is presently a doctoral student specializing in instructional design for online learning.
SDD205 Creating Virtual Reality Training Using Interactive 360-Degree Videos and Images
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM Wednesday, March 28
Expo Hall: Design & Development Stage
You may have heard that virtual reality (VR) training experiences have a proven higher retention rate, with retention gains reaching 75 percent in comparison to standard video, eLearning, or textbook training. What you need to know is how to create and deploy VR training quickly and cost-effectively, with the systems you have today.
This session will cover the creation, editing, publishing, and tracking of VR training using 360-degree video. It will highlight the potential learning applications for VR, and the ways you can integrate VR into your current learning environment.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the differences between VR, AR, and MR
- About CenarioVR, a new tool for creating VR training
- How to link multiple 360-degree videos together to create a story
- How to add interaction and instruction to your VR project
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
CenarioVR, Trivantis’s new VR development tool.
John Blackmon
CTO and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer
ELB Learning
As CTO/Chief AI Officer for ELB Learning, John Blackmon is responsible for the development and strategy of company products. Prior to ELB Learning, John was co-founder/CEO of Trivantis, where he created the flagship products, Lectora and CenarioVR. John was also co-founder/lead engineer at BocaSoft, which created various software utilities for the OS/2 operating system. His career started at Electronic Data Systems where he designed automatic identification systems for applications at General Motors, followed by time at IBM where he was awarded a patent for seamlessly running Windows applications under OS/2. He also has a patent pending for Responsive Course Design work.
SMM205 Maximize Your Learning Platform Investment
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM Wednesday, March 28
Expo Hall: Management & Measurement Stage
Many organizations purchase an LMS to help with a few challenges, but fail to fully understand and utilize the full functionality of the technology.
This session will explore how you can extend utilization of your existing platform throughout your organization while reducing overall content spend. Topics include: customization vs. configuration; you only need one LMS; knowledge sharing; and overcoming challenges with connectivity in mobile learning.
In this session, you will learn:
- About creating a space for shared knowledge
- About custom attributes and how they can add to the learner experience
- About widgets and the power to create a unique learner page
- Best practices for expanding platform utilization
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Knowledge centers, learning paths, widgets, and attributes.
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.
STP205 Triboo: A Blended Solution to Learning
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM Wednesday, March 28
Room: Expo Hall: Tools & Platforms Stage
Something many organization face when implementing blended learning solutions is the lack of integration between the instructor-led training (ILT) component and the LMS. Integrating ILT or VILT sessions into an eLearning environment can be frustrating for both the trainer and the learner.
During this session, you will learn about the benefits of a blended learning management solution through the use of case studies and practical applications to corporate training. You will explore the components of blended learning and how a BLMS provides for all your instructor and learner needs, and you will examine the front-end and back-end analytics of a BLMS.
In this session, you will learn:
- To clearly identify the advantages of a blended learning management system (BLMS)
- About case studies with practical applications to your business and organization
- Practical applications of social learning and collaboration on a blended environment
- About the possibilities of AI through the use of a virtual tutor on a BLMS environment
Audience:
Novice and intermediate designers, developers, project managers, mangers, directors, and senior leaders (VPs, CLOs, executives, etc.)
Technology discussed in this session:
Triboo, Triboo Mobile, My Academy—corporate university, VR, and 360-degree and interactive video
Dan Gizzi
VP of Business Development
Learning Tribes
Dan Gizzi is the VP of business Development for Learning Tribes. Dan has worked at the forefront of technology and education for more than a decade. He moved from sales representative to become director of retention solutions at Pearsons, where he partnered with private sector institutions to redesign their offerings for students who weren’t ready to begin college-level courses. In his position with Learning Tribes, Dan continues his path of empowering professionals to reach their maximum potential as they work towards their company’s goals.
701 Micro vs. Macro: Which Learning Experience Works Best?
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 9
Is the LMS dead? Can a combination of today’s mobile apps, social interactions, and game-enabled microlearning replace yesterday’s “macrolearning” platforms? Do your training programs need to be so structured and prescriptive when modern adaptive approaches are now a reality? The ever-evolving educational technology landscape presents more choices than ever, but finding the right solution in the deep and wide pool of possibility isn’t always simple.
It is easy to fall in love with today’s “shiny object” solutions that promote an “out with the old, in with the new” strategy to fix your legacy programs. But should these new solutions really be cast as full 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:
Intermediate to advanced designers, developers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (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.
702 Taking a Page from Fiction: Applying Novel-Writing Tricks to Learning Design
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 28
Junior Ballroom F
Fiction writers know that readers expect certain patterns of dramatic tension and resolution, and if those are absent, a work loses its ability to engage readers. These tried-and-true techniques are gaining popularity as more writers bypass traditional publishing channels. Along the way, their applicability to learning design is becoming apparent.
This session explores the rules and patterns that fiction writers use, and how learning designers can use them to improve learner experience and enhance engagement. You’ll go beyond familiar concepts such as metaphor and analogy and dive into plot, protagonist, point of view, character arc, setting, and style. You’ll look at how each of these concepts (and more) can help you create compelling learning that keeps your audience on the edge of their seats.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to map a learning story from beginning to end
- How to identify the protagonist, villain, and supporting characters for your learning
- How to plot a positive-change character arc and use it to drive engagement
- About tools writers use to stay organized and focused that you can add to your own workflow
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers and managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Scrivener and mind-mapping technologies.
Joe Fournier
Learning Infrastructure Designer
Anthem
A long-time learning professional, Joe Fournier has been a hands-on practitioner, manager, director, and consultant to many Fortune 100 companies. He is currently a learning infrastructure designer focusing on the edge and exploring the use of technology in learning and performance contexts. Joe's current projects and interests include mobile learning, AI/machine learning, chatbots, and blockchain. Joe leads the internal Learning Innovation and AI Enthusiasts learning communities at Anthem.
703 Onboarding for the Modern Global Learner
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 5
At Catalina Marketing, new employee onboarding consisted of disparate programs across functions and countries. In some parts of the company, no structured onboarding existed at all. When updating this program, their goals were to provide a consistent experience across the globe; break down silos across different areas of the organization; create an environment for early employee engagement; and socialize Catalina’s culture, values, and behaviors globally. So how did they do it?
In this case study session, you’ll learn how to package eLearning, videos, an online onboarding management system, and feedback mechanisms to execute a global onboarding program. You’ll find out how Catalina, with a small team and minimal budget, designed the new-hire onboarding program to meet the expectations of a youthful global audience. You’ll explore the adjustments they made to the program over time based on feedback, what they considered their big wins, and the tough lessons they learned throughout execution.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to personalize the onboarding experience for every employee
- Ways to engage with employees through highly interactive online learning
- How to influence leadership to take accountability and ownership of the onboarding process
- Ways to maximize existing tools to break down silos in a global organization
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Workday Onboarding, Cornerstone LMS, Articulate Storyline, GoAnimate, Wufoo, and translation services.
Erika Hebert
Director, Learning & Development
PODS
Erika Hebert has been working with learners for 20+ years to provide development focused on operations, service, sales, and leadership. She provides engaging, innovative learning opportunities through a blended approach of eLearning, live facilitation, and on-the-job training. In 2018, she spoke at the Learning Solutions Conference & Expo. In 2017, she accepted the Skillsoft Innovation Award in the Small/Medium Business category for delivering outstanding business results using learning and talent solutions. In 2020, Erika earned the SHRM Certified Professional designation, which recognizes experts in the HR field.
704 Rapid Prototyping Serious Games Using the Business Model Canvas
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 15
When you begin creating serious games, it’s not uncommon to wonder what you need to figure out first. One of the best places to start is with the processes you’ll use. You might think you’d have to learn all-new, game-development-specific methodologies in order to plan, prototype, and build your game—but there are business approaches you might already be familiar with that can work equally well for getting started in game design.
The Business Model Canvas, a common template process for strategic management, can provide you with a plan to visualize new business ideas. This session will show how you can also use this model to design a successful game. By using the Business Model Canvas, you’ll create a starting point for all participants to visualize the project in its initial development process and allow for rapid changes and pivots. In this session, you’ll walk through the steps of using the Business Model Canvas to complete a successful plan that addresses the concerns of your stakeholders and final audience.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to introduce the Business Model Canvas to all project team members
- How to define the value proposition to each customer segment
- How to identify the elements of a minimum value product (MVP) to refine your ideas in the Business Model Canvas
- How to define the customer relationship with your game, create the delivery channels, identify key partners and suppliers, and establish the cost structures
- How to evaluate all of these elements and create a cohesive plan
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, project managers, and managers.
Dennis Glenn
Professor
DePaul University
Dennis Glenn is a professor at DePaul University. His instructional design and eLearning experience was honed when he joined Northwestern University as manager of the advanced media production studio, later being promoted to assistant dean for distributed education at the School of Communication. Dennis has designed interactive virtual patients for the medical industry that assess the cognitive decision-making abilities of surgeons, doctors, and nurses. He has taught at universities including Northwestern, Columbia College, Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, and DePaul’s Graduate School of New Learning, where he teaches in two domains: engaging social media, and mastery learning using serious games.
705 Transforming Your Learning Ecosystem to Drive Business Results
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 28
Junior Ballroom G
Today’s learning ecosystems are evolving. Technology continues to advance, people’s learning needs and preferences are changing, and business needs emerge and expand. In 2016, Choice University embarked on the challenge of evolving the franchisee learning management system and tying it more closely to the business objectives of the company and the hotels it serves. This change required a transformation of the learning ecosystem to maximize business results.
In this session, you’ll discover how Choice Hotels International evolved ChoiceU.com, its franchisee-facing LMS, and transformed it to help drive business results. You will learn the steps the team took to discover the needs of users, hotels, and the company itself. You will find out the characteristics of the new environment and actions they took to change ChoiceU.com into a dynamic environment. You’ll see the actual changes and the impacts they made on business results. But the transformation process isn’t over! You will also take a look at what comes next for this learning ecosystem.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the steps the organization took to evolve and transform an LMS/learning ecosystem that can help drive business results
- About the new skills that learning professionals need to help facilitate learning ecosystem transformation
- Lessons from evolving a learning ecosystem—including mistakes that you can avoid
- How to look into the future to anticipate necessary changes for your learning ecosystem
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers, developers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Learning management systems.
Chris Longstreet
Director of Learning Experiences
Choice Hotels International
Chris Longstreet is a director of learning experiences for Choice University and Choice Hotels International. He oversees the creation, administration, and transformation of the learning ecosystem and learning experiences provided by ChoiceU and through ChoiceU.com, the franchisee-facing learning management system. He also coordinates the educational programs and experiences for the Choice Hotels Annual Convention. Chris leads a team that creates and facilitates the learning programs and resources that develop the skills of those owning and operating hotels. His team oversees the learning experiences for over 50,000 students who participate in the programs of Choice University.
David DuBois
Senior Manager, Learning Analytics and Awards
Choice Hotels International
David DuBois is the senior manager of learning analytics and awards for Choice University, the award-winning franchisee training department within Choice Hotels International. He is a frequent author and speaker around the importance and tactics of learning analytics. David is passionate about leading data analytics for learning organizations.
706 Podcasting for Organizational Learning: A Case Study
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 7
As organizations grow, there is too much change occurring too frequently to rely on traditional forms of communication. Meetings, email, and training are just not sufficient to create organizational alignment at scale. Additionally, leaders in growing organizations consistently strive to become better communicators for their organization, and they crave a more authentic way to connect with large teams.
In this session, you will learn how one organization leveraged podcasting to create a sustainable platform for authentic communication. Leveraging SharePoint, TiER1 developed a secure podcasting platform, called Pulsecast, that enables organizational leaders to record from their phones and publish to the whole company in minutes. They also integrated Pulsecast with Yammer, a social intranet, to foster a broader conversation. This session will examine how this platform increased employee engagement; how it became an informal learning channel; best practices for leadership podcasting; and how clients have used Pulsecast.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the benefits of podcasting in a growing or changing organization
- How to program episodes and programs to drive engagement
- Best practices for authentic leadership podcasting
- How podcasting can improve leadership communication habits
- How to integrate podcasting into SharePoint and Yammer
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, and managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Responsive design, Microsoft SharePoint, and third-party mobile recording apps.
Dustin Shell
Director of Innovation
TiER1
Dustin Shell, a director of innovation at TiER1, is passionate about people, learning, and technology (in that order). He loves combining these to help people do their best work and fulfill their potential. Dustin pushes the limits of technology to help people and organizations grow and connect. He has a strong background in multimedia production, eLearning authoring, instructional design, curriculum design, and learning strategy, and he has experience helping organizations scale their culture through onboarding, leadership development, and social intranets. Dustin is also a published author and speaker on topics such as learning space design, scaffolding and motivation, designing online communities, and gamification.
707 Build Your Own Performance Support and Microlearning Apps
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 2
Many training designers recognize that too much knowledge is lost in the transfer from their courses to the workplace. Performance support and microlearning assets, delivered at the point of need, could solve the problem; but often, the company lacks the tools or infrastructure for delivering just-in-time assets.
In this session, you’ll learn how you can easily assemble dedicated performance support web apps that you can quickly integrate into your current training offerings. These apps require little investment in new technology or new skills and can be delivered in a browser from any device. The session will give you the opportunity to engage in the key design steps for building a web app to support a common instructional design process.
In this session, you will learn:
- A streamlined process for extracting the job workflow that will provide the context for locating your performance support and microlearning assets
- How to use templates to create an initial functioning structure in hours, rather than days or weeks
- About criteria for determining the resources that will have the most impact on workplace performance
- Ways to assemble and deploy your app with minimal need for IT support
- Ideas for integrating your web app into your training, an approach that can cut your training time in half as well as significantly improve on-the-job results
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers, developers, and managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Browser-based web apps capable of running on all devices, and HTML files created from Word docs.
Hal Christensen
President
QuickCompetence
Hal Christensen, President at QuickCompetence, has been providing organizations with strategic guidance and solutions to improve employee performance for three decades. An early pioneer of the performance support movement, he has successfully introduced performance support solutions into many organizations in the financial, healthcare, telecommunications, and energy industries. Hal chairs the ATD NY Performance Support SIG and also teaches an online course, Creating Effective Performance Support Solutions.
708 How to Stop Training Videos from Being Boring
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 3
Many people making training videos are wizzes at the technology, but few are schooled in the editorial skills of crafting pictures to convey meaning. As a result, many training videos are boring and fail to engage learners. One reason is that video messages are picture-led. To truly engage learners, you need to create video with a picture-first mindset. You also need to play to its strengths as a modality.
In this session, you will explore what makes a good training video and how pictures are central to visual engagement. You’ll learn about four key techniques that television and digital video professionals use to make video more engaging. You’ll find out how to avoid video that is boring. And you’ll uncover both the opportunities and limitations of video for learning.
In this session, you will learn:
- About four key techniques to increase visual engagement
- How to sequence shots to tell a strong story or convey learning
- About the dynamics of crafting pictures for different devices
- About the opportunities for, and limitations of, video in learning
Audience:
Novice to intermediate 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.
709 Lean Learning: Cutting the Fat to Demonstrate Sustainable Learning Value
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 16
Business leaders expect learning efforts to deliver impactful results while minimizing disruptions to key processes. They expect performance to improve—not for learning to become more effective—and for learning practitioners to demonstrate results for learning. They also expect L&D to seamlessly integrate learning into business activities while effectively minimizing the use of available resources. Because of this, learning practitioners are entering a brave new eLearning world full of creativity and opportunities to drive integrative business value.
In this session, you’ll explore how L&D is rapidly moving toward Lean learning. Lean is about creating processes that reduce human effort, process time, costs, and defects, compared to traditional systems. This approach offers L&D a leading role and opportunities to drive change and improve operational performance. This session will share strategies you can use yourself and with your team to become Lean, bringing together results, efficiencies, and effectiveness. The strategies you’ll learn will make your business leaders take notice and see you as a valued business partner.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to develop seamless, integrative learning initiatives by leveraging existing learning interactions and technologies
- Ways to reduce learning cycle time by minimizing process disruption, utilizing real-time eLearning approaches
- Strategies for creating valued business relationships through tangible results, and for connecting and partnering with related business activities to deliver targeted learning results
- How to identify and leverage existing learning and business processes to affect precise performance objectives
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers, developers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Ajay Pangarkar
Performance Strategist, Author, Managing Partner
CentralKnowledge
Ajay Pangarkar is a Certified Professional Accountant and Certified Training and Development Professional. He's a published author. His third book is titled The Trainers Balanced Scorecard: A Complete Resource for Linking Learning and Growth to Organizational Strategy. Other books include The Trainers Portable Mentor and Building Business Acumen for Trainers. CentralKnowledge was recognized by TrainingMag in 2008 as Project of the Year for their work with Apple. He's also an award-winning writer winning the 2014 and 2015 prestigious TrainingIndustry.com Readership and Editors' Award. Ajay was recently awarded Elearning Magazine's 2016 Learning Champion. Ajay is a regular on the #1 Montreal Talk Radio morning show.
710 Doing More with Simple Learning Platforms
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 18
Learning happens all around us and in all different forms. You want to reach your target audience in as many ways and as simply as possible. You also face budget limitations, internal IT roadblocks, and enterprises architecture or purchasing challenges.
In this session, you’ll explore real-world scenarios in which organizations solved problems by using one or more non-traditional platforms for delivering accessible learning experiences. You’ll learn the simple ways existing platforms can be used to help people learn and engage, and opportunities to measure effectiveness in these platforms.
- Simple technologies to deliver content
- Ways to combine platforms for effective learning experiences
- Methods for rapid prototyping and testing of these platforms
- Techniques for capturing data from these platforms
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers, developers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Mailchimp, SendGrid, Thinkific, WordPress, learning record stores, Google Analytics, xAPI, Help Desk, Knowledge Base.
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.
711 Web Conferencing for the Low-Tech World
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 17
Producing virtual sessions can be a technical challenge, especially when some participants are located in areas with low or sporadic internet connections—either domestically or around the globe. Learning professionals who use web conferencing tools with such participants require effective, simple, on-time support for seamless training deliveries.
This session will explore lessons learned from delivering over 100 virtual sessions (primarily on Adobe Connect and WebEx) where the majority of participants were connecting from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. These best practices describe how technical producers, curriculum designers, and project managers can work together to mitigate and resolve typical challenges for low-bandwidth users. This session will also invite participants to collaborate and brainstorm solutions to some of their most pressing technical challenges.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to identify typical technical challenges that users in low-bandwidth areas experience
- How to prepare for and mitigate technical disruptions
- Effective questions to ask your client that can contribute to a more user-friendly design
- On-time producing tips to keep users engaged despite technical interruptions
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, and managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Adobe Connect, Cisco WebEx, Zoom, BlueJeans, Skype, and Google Hangouts.
Nina Talley Everflow
Senior Program Manager
EnCompass
Nina Talley Everflow is a senior program manager at EnCompass, where she manages a portfolio of international projects, weaving in her expertise in designing and managing virtual spaces for collaboration and learning. Nina has a dozen years of experience in program management and coordination in the areas of international development, training, and education; she has provided multifaceted program support for United Nations and US government agencies and private universities. At EnCompass, her favorite aspect of the job is managing an international team of producers to support the company’s growing VILT deliveries across various time zones and languages.
712 5 Ways to Create Contextual and Embedded Help
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 14
Employees want help whenever they need it, but most L&D departments create materials that they store in an LMS or knowledge base. Searching for those materials interrupts your learners’ workflow and takes time out of their day. What if, instead, you could provide help to them in the tools that they use so that all they had to do was simply hover or click a button to get answers?
In this session, you’ll learn five contextual and embedded help strategies (first run experiences/site tours, hover help, hints, in-tool help for Excel, and news feeds) and the free frameworks available to create them. You’ll explore examples of live websites and spreadsheets that give users information when they need it. You’ll also see how easy it is to code these solutions and learn a couple strategies to work with your IT department as they build internal tools. Your learners will thank you for not making them search for a job aid or cheat sheet!
In this session, you will learn:
- About the importance of providing contextual and embedded help to your learners
- Five ways to provide contextual and embedded help to your learners in desktop and online applications
- Two free frameworks you can start using to create contextual and embedded help
- How to partner with your IT department to make contextual help a reality
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers, developers, and managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Code (JavaScript, HTML, CSS, VBA), frameworks (Intro.js, qTip2), and devices (desktop, mobile).
Markus McKay-Fleisch
Design Manager
Nordstrom
Markus McKay-Fleisch is a design manager for Nordstrom’s learning and leadership team. He has been in L&D for over 10 years, working in insurance, medicine, and retail, and he spent two years as a teacher in Burkina Faso with the Peace Corps. In addition to figuring out how new technologies can help solve training problems, Markus loves making videos and keeping up with the latest graphic design trends to apply to learning projects.
713 BYOD: Build Interactive Video with Storyline
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 11
Interactive video helps with engagement and retention of key elements; it also helps to focus a person’s attention on specific areas of the video. But these learning experiences can be expensive and time-consuming to produce. Or are they? Using some “quick and dirty” tools such as video from a smartphone and Storyline, you can build an interactive video experience in about an hour.
In this session, you will explore three distinctly different ways to build interactive video. You will start with the simplest way to add interactivity (markers) and move through to the most complex (hotspots). Learners at this hands-on session will walk away with a template to use in future projects, and be able to extend this template into branching scenarios.
In this session, you will learn:
- Best practices for building interactive video
- How to use cue points to mark timing on an interaction
- How to use markers on a base layer and move among layers in an interaction
- How to use quizzing to stop a video
- How to use variables to set states on objects and provide quiz results
- How to use hotspot interactions and change feedback based on hotspot interactions
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers and developers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Articulate Storyline.
Participant technology requirements:
A laptop with internet connection and a copy of Storyline 2, 3, or 360.
Mary Cropp
Senior Director, Employee Effectiveness
Siteimprove
Proudly hailing from the great state of New Jersey, Mary Cropp has made her home in Seattle for the past 20-plus years. Mary has spent her career in adult learning, moving from academia to the corporate training world, and has been fortunate to work on a global level, training people around the world on such diverse topics as organ donation, data literacy, leadership development, how to sew a new cornea onto an eye(!), or how to build a Bluetooth beacon. Mary is a PROSCII-certified change practitioner as well as an ICF-certified coach.
714 BYOD: DIY Motion Graphic Animation Using Camtasia
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 1
Motion graphic animation is a great way to compress information into a compelling encapsulated video. You could pay an agency to create it for you, but if you don’t have a big budget—or ANY budget—you’ll probably have to do it yourself. Where do you start? Do you need to learn complicated software? And what happens if you, like most people, aren’t blessed with “design sense”?
Good news: You can create some pretty nifty animations in as little as an hour, with no experience or design sense required! And nobody will even know you didn’t use expensive software—or an agency—to create them. In this session, you’ll learn how to use Camtasia’s animation tools to make attention-grabbing animations. You’ll walk through the entire process from storyboard to finished product, exploring different scriptwriting styles and how to select the right music to capture the mood of your animation. You will even learn how you can turn the animations into standalone course content.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to use Camtasia’s animation features
- How to choose the mood for your animation
- How to storyboard your idea
- How to write a good script
- How to choose the right music
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers and developers.
Technology discussed in this session:
TechSmith Camtasia.
Participant technology requirements:
A laptop running Camtasia (latest version).
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.
715 BYOD: Making Mobile Magic with Responsive Fluid Boxes
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 13
Creating interactive training content that adapts automatically from desktop to mobile screens—and everything in between—can drag down your development times. By using fluid boxes, a new responsive layout tool in Adobe Captivate, you can accelerate your development timelines and mystify your learners with flexibility so enchanting it feels like magic.
In this hands-on session, you will learn the fundamental concepts of fluid boxes as part of the mobile content development toolbox. You’ll get demonstrations and step-by-step guidance through the magic of creating and manipulating fluid boxes. You will feel like you’re waving a magic wand when you design and deliver content that dynamically redesigns itself to fit beautifully on virtually any screen.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to create and edit responsive mobile eLearning
- How to develop content that automatically adapts to different screen sizes
- How to optimize your text for mobile responsive content
- How to combine traditional responsive positioning with fluid boxes
- How to control the flow and wrap of content and fluid boxes
- How to create margins, padding, and other spacing solutions
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers and developers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Adobe Captivate 2017.
Participant technology requirements:
A laptop (Mac or Windows) running Adobe Captivate 2017.
Allen Partridge
Head, Digital Learning Evangelism
Adobe Systems
Dr. Allen Partridge is a learning addict with a rebellious spirit and a passion for evidence-based reasoning. Allen served on the doctoral faculties of The University of Georgia and Indiana University of Pennsylvania before joining Adobe in 2007. As Adobe's Head of Evangelism, Digital Learning Solutions, he provides guidance by relating customer experiences and challenges to the product and engineering teams that create Captivate, Presenter Video Express (PVX), and Adobe's extraordinary new learning management system, Adobe Captivate Prime. Allen is well recognized for his videos and presentations to audiences around the world. He has published a host of articles and a handful of books on topics ranging from critical thinking for business training to 3D online game development.
801 Using Prototyping to Revolutionize Your Development Process
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Junior Ballroom G
How many times have you had to redo a project after you thought you understood the challenge, the goals, or the requirements? As you start to build more complex interactions and applications, you need a process that will allow you to test a concept, measure its results, and iterate over and over until it meets the needs of your audience.
In this session, you will explore how prototyping can improve your process, lead to better results, and reduce your time in development. You will learn how to adopt and utilize this software development concept as you start your next project.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to use prototyping as soon as you get back to your office
- How to use tools you already have and PDF for quick testing and gathering feedback
- How to pick the best tool for your prototype techniques for sharing and gathering feedback
- How to effectively gather feedback from users before, during, and after each iteration
- Dozens of tips and resources to get you started
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, project managers, managers, and directors.
Technology discussed in this session:
Prototyping, the Paper app, Microsoft PowerPoint, and the Marvel app.
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.
802 Instructional Design Basics
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Junior Ballroom F
People get into eLearning from a variety of professions. Some were subject matter experts or trainers; others had focused their careers on media or web development. At some point, though, someone asked or encouraged them to develop eLearning. So, they bought and learned to use an authoring tool, but they likely weren’t given much background on instructional design techniques and how these can help them build better eLearning.
During this session, you’ll get a solid introduction to the core basics of instructional design. Participants will define what quality eLearning experiences are like by reviewing self-paced courses and discussing likes and dislikes. Then, you’ll look at how using instructional design principles and processes improves quality, ROI, user satisfaction, and success rates. You’ll explore how needs assessments can help you know what your audience needs, and you’ll plan your own needs assessment approach. You’ll also build your skills by learning to write measurable behavioral objectives based on your needs assessments; see examples of course design documents and storyboards; and receive a list of resources that can help you continue to grow your eLearning skills after the session.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the differences between high- and low-quality eLearning
- Why following instructional design processes and principles improves success
- What ADDIE is, and what the stages of this common instructional design process are
- How to develop a needs assessment approach that helps you avoid common eLearning pitfalls
- How to write behavioral objectives that lead to measurable results
- What the process of designing, storyboarding, and producing eLearning looks like
- How to implement and evaluate eLearning
- About skill sets needed for developing high-quality eLearning, and how to obtain them
Audience:
Novice designers and developers, as well as subject matter experts, media specialists, and trainers.
Technology discussed in this session:
This tool-agnostic session will show courses that have been developed in Articulate Studio, Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, Trivantis Lectora, and Udutu.
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.
803 Designing Virtual Training for a Global Audience
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 7
Are your live online training programs designed for a global audience? Do your global participants feel comfortable in your virtual classes? Have you planned activities that resonate with cross-cultural learners? Since virtual training allows you to easily reach your global workforce, it’s easy to include everyone on the invitation. But if your program design doesn’t account for international and cultural differences, then your learning outcomes and results will fall short.
This interactive session will go beyond the obvious and get into the practical details of how to design, develop, and facilitate virtual training programs that cross cultural boundaries. You will learn five design techniques to create interactive sessions when learners virtually converge from geographically dispersed locations. In addition, you will learn three virtual facilitation tips for engaging culturally diverse learners, and you’ll explore how to create comfortable and inclusive virtual learning environments. You will leave this session with a design checklist and facilitation action plan that you can immediately apply to your next virtual training class.
In this session, you will learn:
- Five techniques to design virtual sessions with a global mindset
- How to apply cultural adaptations to virtual training designs
- How to create a comfortable learning environment for all participants, including international attendees
- Three tips on virtual facilitation for engaging diverse learners
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Adobe Connect, Cisco WebEx, GoToTraining, Lenovo AirClass, Zoom, etc.
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.
804 Rapid Learning Game Development: How to Create a Board Game Fast
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 14
Save That Sale! is an award-winning multiplayer board game that engages the players in resolving the business challenges around revenue capture, profitability, and customer engagement in order life-cycle management in an omni-channel world. This game was designed, developed, and printed in six weeks. You will walk through the steps from idea to completion, and you’ll leave with a process you can follow when designing board games.
This session will explore how to collaborate to build a game—from idea to print and play in six weeks. In supply chain commerce, consumers expect one fulfilling experience online, in store, across channels. The challenge is to act in concert across all channels to achieve the best customer experience and profitability for the company. The best and fastest way to win is to work together across the channels to “save that sale!” You will see a real-world design process: from ideation to rapid prototyping and playtesting.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to identify course ideas that would make good games
- How to take a course into the game ideation phase
- Rapid prototyping techniques for game design
- Why you must playtest and iterate many times
- What to include in the final published game
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, project managers, and managers.
Deborah Thomas
President
Silly Monkey
Deborah Thomas, the president of Silly Monkey, consults on game-based and traditional learning, mLearning, and eLearning. Among her many honors, Deborah received the 2011 Fun and Serious Games Award for Europe, the 2009 Dugan Laird Award, and the 2009 ASTD Atlanta E-Learning Excellence Award. She has contributed to several books, and has served in leadership roles for the Atlanta Chapter of the Georgia Game Developers Association, ASTD Atlanta, the Technology Association of Georgia Workplace Learning Society, and the North American Simulation and Gaming Association. Deborah earned a BA degree in journalism and education from the University of South Florida and holds numerous training certificates.
805 Cultivating Social Learning in Your Ecosystem
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 5
People who are working to strengthen and diversify their learning and performance ecosystem are often interested in figuring out how to amplify social learning in the organization. L&D professionals may find, however, that promoting social learning is not as easy as enabling communication technologies and assigning roles. Learning leaders are sometimes surprised by inactive enterprise social networks and weak peer-to-peer support for learning.
This interactive session will explore specific strategies for cultivating social learning, including when and how to leverage technology and other community supports to enable and amplify interaction. Drawing from research and case studies on successful learning communities and other social learning strategies, the session will provide specific recommendations for promoting social learning among employees who may need support to effectively engage peers as learning partners and resources. It will help you understand the dynamics of social learning so that you can effectively enable, encourage, amplify, and troubleshoot it.
In this session, you will learn:
- About key factors that influence the formation and strength of a peer learning community
- Specific strategies for cultivating a social community to promote learning
- About the responsibilities of community managers and sponsors in successful social learning efforts
- About potential barriers to peer-to-peer learning and strategies to mitigate them
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Catherine Lombardozzi
Learning Strategy Consultant/Founder
Learning 4 Learning Professionals
Catherine Lombardozzi is a lifelong learning and development practitioner and founder of Learning 4 Learning Professionals. Her work focuses on supporting the professional development of designers, facilitators, faculty, consultants, and learning leaders through coaching, consulting, workshops, and development programs. As an active workplace learning professional with nearly 35 years' experience, Catherine often contributes to professional conferences and journals, and she teaches graduate-level courses in adult learning, instructional design, e-collaboration and consulting. She is author of Learning Environments by Design (2015). Catherine holds a doctoral degree in human and organizational learning from George Washington University.
806 Using Mobile Devices for Continuous Learning
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 9
Continuous learning is a widely accepted goal, but how do you make this work? How do you keep learners coming back, and how do you structure content over time to keep learners engaged?
Starting from the assertion that active eLearning is the key to effective continuous learning, this session will describe how a blend of mobile notifications, spaced learning, and periodic engagement builders can combine with gamification and other tactics to ensure employees remain engaged and learning continuously.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the importance of “interruption” in continuous learning
- Practical ideas for how to schedule mobile engagement
- About the importance of salience to ongoing learning
- About new approaches to context relevance that only mobile can provide
- About months-long engagement cycles and how to “goose” engagement
Audience:
Intermediate designers, developers, project managers, and managers with eLearning experience.
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.
807 Inspiring Competence and Confidence Using Video: A Case Study
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 16
Opportunities for practice, reflection, and receiving feedback are essential for improved job performance. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) found that medical resident training did not yield an increase in the number of autopsies completed. Further, the residents felt unprepared for conversations with grieving family members when seeking approval to conduct an autopsy. The learning team was enlisted to develop a new approach to resident training to boost autopsy rates.
In this session, you’ll learn how DHMC enhanced the traditional medical resident’s training experience by threading video, simulation, and live role-playing into a learning path targeting two areas for improvement: knowledge of the autopsy process, and effective and empathetic communication skills. You’ll explore how video offered opportunity for knowledge acquisition, reflection, and feedback. You’ll find out how residents demonstrated their autopsy knowledge and communication skills through branching simulations where the clinician-family interactions don’t always go according to plan. You’ll see how role-playing at the DHMC Simulation Center provided opportunity for practice and for giving and receiving feedback on performance.
In this session, you will learn:
- Why practice and feedback are essential for improved job performance
- How video can be transformed from a passive experience to an interactive event
- The importance of a needs assessment when starting a new project
- How to bring big training ideas to fruition with a small team
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, project managers, managers, and directors.
Technology discussed in this session:
Video, Articulate Storyline 360, BranchTrack, LMS, SurveyMonkey, and Adobe Premiere.
Logan Stahler
Instructional Technologist
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Logan Stahler is an instructional technologist for CLPD at Dartmouth- Hitchcock Medical Center, where he designs and develops online learning. With an eye for learner-centric design and a technical capacity for video production, he has contributed to the breadth of capabilities that the learning technology team lends to the organization. Before joining D-H, Logan helped establish the online RN degree program at Vermont Technical College. A former high school English teacher, he holds a bachelor of science in education from the University of Vermont and a master of education from Southern New Hampshire University.
James McCarthy
Instructional Technologist
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
James McCarthy is an instructional technologist for CLPD at Dartmouth- Hitchcock Medical Center. He designs and develops online learning opportunities for healthcare professionals. With a background in both social work and health information technology, he brings a unique methodology to instructional design that focuses on learner-needs analysis, authentic practice, and strategies for knowledge retention. James has a bachelor of arts in psychology from the University of Massachusetts, a master of education in instructional design from the University of Massachusetts, and a certificate in gamification from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
808 Using Game Mechanics to Design Serious Games
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 2
Feeling like you can’t get past gamification? Tired of matching, memory, or Jeopardy-style games? Everyone hits creative road blocks. Maybe you see a great example of a learning game online but feel held back creatively by learning objectives. How do you create a serious game while ensuring you meet your learning objectives?
In this session, you’ll learn about common game mechanics and how to apply them to serious games in learning. You’ll walk away with real gameplay and game-based learning examples that can achieve almost any learning objective.
In this session, you will learn:
- Why serious games perform better than gamification
- What components make quality game design
- How to interpret game mechanics in gameplay
- How to apply game mechanics in your design
Audience:
Intermediate designers, developers, managers, and directors with general knowledge of gamification, game-based learning, and serious games.
Tara Aiken
Senior Manager, L&D Strategy and Operations
Target
Tara Aiken is the senior manager of L&D strategy and operations for Target. Tara, who was previously in charge of instructional design and media at Life Time Fitness and instructional design for C.H. Robinson, has developed and implemented strategies for instructional technologies and design for experienced design teams and teams of subject matter expert instructional designers.
809 The Quest for a New LMS
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 15
The organization’s LMS contract was coming to an end. After thoroughly reviewing its effectiveness, the team concluded it was no longer meeting their needs for the following reasons: End users were unable to access content on mobile devices. The system lacked eCommerce capabilities and wasn’t inviting or engaging. They had a limited licensing model. There were limited reporting capabilities and no dashboards. The cost was high. There was limited integration with internal systems.
This session will explore technologies, available in a number of platforms, that solved each of the challenges mentioned above. You will learn about the team’s process of narrowing down their selection of platforms by not only creating a list of requirements they wanted in an LMS, but also identifying use cases for each of the requirements. They also looked at several content providers to determine whether the content met their needs and to ensure a deep integration with their LMS of choice.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to turn an LMS into an engaging and interactive platform
- Strategies for turning an LMS into a knowledge sharing library
- How to use your LMS to create and track instructor-led sessions
- About available analytical capabilities and interactive dashboards that your executive team will have at their fingertips
Audience:
Novice to advanced project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.) with basic knowledge of learning management systems.
Technology discussed in this session:
Adobe Captivate Prime, Docebo, Totara, Absorb, Bridge, OpenSesame, Lynda.com, and Harvard ManageMentor.
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.
810 BYOD: Getting Started with Augmented Reality
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 11
Finding ways to make learning “stick” with technology is always a challenge. Augmented reality (AR) is one of those “make it stick” technology options available for education and training. Knowing where to get started with AR is a little challenging, but with the right foundation to start from, AR can be an exciting and engaging tool to use in learning development.
This session will demonstrate how easy it is to get started using augmented reality. You will be introduced to free and low-cost tools that will make developing an AR project a simple, effective, and fun experience. During this session, you will be working hands-on with tools to create an AR experience. You will leave this session with a working AR project and the knowledge of how to plan, build, and share this project, and future AR projects, with the world.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the difference between AR and virtual reality
- About free and low-cost tools that are available to create an AR project
- About the different types of media you can use in AR development
- How to use multimedia to enhance your project
- Where AR fits as a solution to your learning and development needs
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, project managers, and managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
iOS, Android, Zappar, and Aurasma.
Participant technology requirements:
A laptop and the Zappar and Aurasma apps.
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.
811 BYOD: 10+ CSS Tricks You Can Use for Articulate Rise Published Courses
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 1
Articulate Rise is awesome! It makes it easy to create responsive eLearning by simply filling out a form, and it looks great on every device. But sometimes with simplicity you don’t get as much flexibility as you want. What if you want to hide the page titles or adjust the style of the buttons? Luckily, there are some simple CSS tricks you can do to Articulate Rise courses that give you greater ability to visually adjust the output of your courses.
In this session, we will cover 10+ tricks you can do with CSS to get a specific look/feel with your Articulate Rise courses. You can hide sections you don’t want, adjust the margins and paddings of default sections, and even change what the default UI elements look like with nothing more than simple CSS tweaks.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to hide the page title section
- How to adjust the style of the default UI elements
- How to adjust spacing and margins for default pages
- How to create breakpoints for responsive code adjustments
Audience:
Intermediate and advanced designers and developers; some CSS helpful, but not required.
Technology discussed in this session:
Articulate Rise, CSS, Sublime Text.
Participant technology requirements:
Articulate Rise, CSS.
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.
F04 Panel Discussion: The Evolution of Instructional Design
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Wednesday, March 28
Salon 3
Instructional design remains at the core of all formal learning solutions. However, as the nature of work changes and technology advances rapidly, how is the science and practice of instructional design evolving to answer the bell?
In this session, our panel of experts will explore the future of instructional design. They will examine the workplace changes that are driving the need for ID to evolve, and the technologies being employed to address these evolving needs. They will explore the impact that new research is having on traditional beliefs about instruction. Additionally, the panel will draw upon their personal observations about where they see instructional design headed, and how they are adapting their practices to meet these changes.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the latest ideas and advances in instructional design strategy
- About common misconceptions and myths in ID
- About the changing nature of work and its impact on instructional design
- How technological change is influencing the design of formal learning
- How scientific research is creating new ideas for how to approach ID
- About the latest tools to aid in the ID process
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
David Kelly (Host)
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.
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.
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. ?
Diane Elkins
Owner/Founder
E-Learning Uncovered
Diane Elkins is owner of Artisan E-Learning, a custom eLearning development company, and E-Learning Uncovered, where she helps people build courses they're proud of. She has built a reputation as a national eLearning expert by being a frequent speaker at major industry events for ATD, The Learning Guild, and Training Magazine. Her favorite topics include accessibility, instructional design, and Articulate Storyline. She is co-author of the popular E-Learning Uncovered book series, as well as E-Learning Fundamentals: A Practical Guide, from ATD Press. She is a past board member of the Northeast Florida and Metro DC chapters of ATD.
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.
MB22 Daily Docent Kickoff
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 1
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
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.
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. ?
Melissa Chambers
Online Instructional Specialist
MSC Consulting
Melissa Chambers is an online instructional specialist at MSC Consulting and a contract speaker coach/host for The Learning Guild's Online Forums and Guild Academy. Melissa has over 20 years' experience in creative media production, project and change management, online instructional design, and eLearning strategy development, and has been designing, producing, and coaching for synchronous online programs since 2002. She holds a master's degree in instructional design for online learning, and has spearheaded award-winning programs in eLearning, process improvement, and strategic development. Melissa has a passion for lifelong learning, technology, cultivating creativity, and having fun while working.
MB23 Building a Good AR Learner Experience
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 2
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
Myra Roldan
Program Manager, Technical Curriculum
Amazon Web Services
Myra is an L&D thought leader who brings a unique mix of technical, business, and adult education expertise to the game. She is a TEDx speaker, author, and technical designer who has won awards for her learning designs. Her superpower is her natural ability to make complex technical subjects easy to understand by breaking them down in a way that makes it easy to consume and move forward with action. She strives to evoke transformation by doing her part to decolonize technology. Myra works at Amazon and she has earned a Bachelor of Computer Science, MSEd, and an MBA.
MB24 Data, Data, Data! What Do We Actually Need?
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 3
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
Glenn Bull
CEO & Founder
Skilitics
Glenn Bull is the founder and CEO of Skilitics, which is the creator of an enterprise training development platform designed for integrated learning measurement. The Skilitics platform is fast gaining attention globally for its disruptive and innovative approach to training design and measurement. Glenn is the visionary behind this cloud-based solution and spearheads the company’s global strategy. He is also the editor of TheNewID.com training comic, contributed to by many of the industry’s key thought leaders. Glenn is one of six members of The eLearning Guild Academy’s Advisory Council.
MB25 Multimedia Production on a Budget
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 7
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
Mark Jenkins
Technical Instructor
Hologic
Mark Jenkins is an e-Learning Developer with over ten years of experience in creating training multimedia for support organizations. He does all the work, from initial content creation (text, photos, videos, computer graphics), narration, editing, and implementation. He has received various company awards for work in knowledge management and training development.
MB26 Getting Started with xAPI
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 13
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
Nick Washburn
Chief Product Officer
5th Logic
Nick Washburn, Chief Product Officer at 5th Logic, has over 15 years of experience working with high-tech entrepreneurs, in distance learning, and for some of the world’s top brands. Nick is a member of the workgroup that created the Experience API (xAPI), and he continues to work in and be involved in research and development for xAPI/LRS strategies for today’s learning enterprise. Since 2005, Nick has led the development of award- winning distance learning solutions used by the Fortune 50/500 and US Department of Defense.
MB27 Personalized Learning
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 14
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
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.
MB28 Supporting Learning Beyond the Learning Event
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 15
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
Mark Nilles
Director, Learning and Impact
Humentum
Mark Nilles, a director of learning and impact at Humentum, is a learning professional with a nontraditional L&D background. His work has focused on introducing new teaching and learning approaches to the Humentum portfolio. Expanding the reach and impact of learning through eLearning is an important aspect of Mark’s work. His perspective is informed through years of training and capacity building for international development and humanitarian relief professionals around the world. Mark has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin¬¬–Madison and a master’s degree in international education from Florida State University.
MB29 The Role of Visual Design in Learning
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 16
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
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.
MB30 How to Write a Winning Conference Speaking Proposal
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 17
Kick-start your day with Morning Buzz, the ever-popular “Early Bird” discussions. This is your chance to grab a cup of coffee and meet other conference attendees in a relaxed, casual environment, so you can share your best practices, insights, and tips while learning from one another’s experiences.
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.
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.
901 5 Steps to Successful Customer Onboarding
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 9
Businesses understand that the faster customers see value from a product or service, the more satisfied they’ll be, and the more likely they are to renew a subscription or return to buy more. Despite this, many don’t understand how to properly train their customers at the start and ensure that they are giving them the right information at the right time. Furthermore, they struggle to implement processes that scale to support growth.
This session will provide a framework for developing a customer onboarding training program. This includes advice on creating an onboarding program strategy, tips on content strategy and creation, and discussion of distribution channels. You’ll also learn about key components of the customer training technology stack and the different investments that can help enhance the customer experience and accelerate time to value.
In this session, you will learn:
- The key components of a winning customer onboarding strategy
- How to prioritize content for onboarding customers
- Tips for managing and updating content over time
- What technology can help drive your strategy forward
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Webinar platforms, in-app notifications and messaging technology, walk-through wizards, and LMS technology.
Linda Schwaber-Cohen
Head of Training
Skilljar
Linda Schwaber is head of training at Skilljar. Her expertise lies in building and growing onboarding and training programs at software startups. After teaching for several years in K-12 and university settings, she shifted gears and began to develop programs to help customers adopt and see the value in B2B software purchases. Prior to joining Skilljar, a Seattle-based customer onboarding and training platform, Linda managed customer onboarding and enablement at Simply Measured, a social media analytics SaaS company.
902 Learner-Generated Content and the Future of Practical Social Learning
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Thursday, March 29
Junior Ballroom F
Social media has changed the way learning professionals manage knowledge on a fundamental level, and shared content—created and curated through collaborative applications and social media—is the future of instructional design. As the sheer volume of learning content continues to grow in this environment of curation, many learning organizations will feel obligated to pore over the information piece by piece, day by day. There’s a better way.
In this session, you will explore social learning within the context of meta-moderation. Meta-moderation invites learners to rank content according to quality, reliability, and usefulness, and these rankings determine which content should be consumed by learners and adapted by IDs. This leads to a targeted, scalable body of knowledge that learners maintain themselves and feel ownership over, as well as more time for instructional designers to focus on custom training needs. Throughout the session, you’ll experience this firsthand as you create learner-generated content and curate other relevant content. Then, using meta-moderation, you will design your own micro curriculum. In other words, you will attempt to create “learner-generated content” within the presentation itself.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to seamlessly incorporate libraries of curated and learner-generated content into learning programs
- How to identify quality examples of learner-generated content
- How to implement meta-moderation to improve the quality of available learning content
- How to apply content curation strategies to current and future training programs
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers and managers.
Joe McCahill
Senior Instructional Designer
Caveo Learning
Joe McCahill is a senior instructional designer with Caveo Learning and founder of the Social Learning Design Group. Over the last 15 years, he has designed, developed, and managed educational content and programs for a variety of notable organizations, including America Online, FedEx, George Mason University, NASA, Nike, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. His recent professional efforts focus on the fields of social learning, content design, and management methodology. He holds a master’s in education from George Mason University and a bachelor’s in sociology from George Washington University.
903 Practical Considerations When Planning for Virtual and Augmented Reality
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 5
AR and VR present unique challenges in the eLearning space, and because these technologies are so new, many people (both instructors and learners) do not have extensive experience with them. From spatial planning to emotional needs, there is a wide range of factors to consider.
This session will cover what makes AR and VR unique from laptop-based eLearning, and what you’ll need as you plan out your first AR and VR trials. You’ll explore topics including which learning needs are well suited to both AR and VR; understanding how people emotionally perceive virtual worlds and environments; considerations for planning your AR and VR spaces; and how to guide people new to these technologies through them effectively, with live demonstrations during the session.
In this session, you will learn:
- Where AR and VR shine in learning contexts
- How to effectively teach someone new to AR and VR how to use them
- How to think “learner-first” in your planning and execution
- What to consider when planning your first AR and VR trials
Audience:
Novice designers, developers, and managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Microsoft HoloLens (for AR) and HTC Vive (for VR).
Duncan Larkin
Digital Learning Innovation Manager
McKinsey & Company
Duncan Larkin is the head of the digital learning innovation team at McKinsey & Company. He is a passionate advocate for simple, elegant, and transformative solutions that push the boundaries of innovation and put the learner first. Duncan is a graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point and the author of two books.
John Sangimino
Senior Learning Solutions Expert
McKinsey & Company
John Sangimino is a senior learning solutions expert with McKinsey’s Learning Design and Development Center of Excellence. He has more than 20 years of experience designing and developing immersive learning solutions for clients, including responsive model-based simulations. John works with McKinsey practices to develop learning strategies and implement learning solutions, including virtual and augmented reality.
904 Faster Training Development with Agile Project Management
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Thursday, March 29
Junior Ballroom G
Many training teams end up spinning their wheels because of too many subject matter experts, too much feedback from stakeholders, or too much time trying to figure out the “perfect” solution; all these can lead to drawn-out development that doesn’t create a better product in the end. Spectrum Health University suffered from all of these issues. They needed a way to get training developed more quickly and efficiently.
In this session, you will learn how to speed up your training development processes without compromising quality. Whether you create eLearning, instructor-led training, or performance support, you’ll come away with effective project management techniques that will work for you. You’ll explore how to break a large project down into deliverable chunks and how to track progress throughout the project. You’ll also learn how to gain buy-in from your team, managers, and clients. You’ll take techniques from agile project management and see how they work (or don’t) with learning design and development.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to use visual task management to track deliverables
- How to plan and run daily check-in huddles
- How to break down a big project into small, manageable chunks
- How to avoid the biggest momentum-killing traps in training development
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, project managers, and managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Discussion (not demonstration) of Jira.
Michael Long
Lead Talent Development Specialist
Spectrum Health
Michael Long is a lead talent development specialist at Spectrum Health, a not-for-profit healthcare system, where he specializes in learning technologies and instructional design. He began his career in education in K-12 public schools, where he worked as both a classroom teacher and in administration, primarily training teachers on instructional best practices. Michael has expertise in language learning, curriculum design, and instructional technique.
905 Have Smartphone, Will Livestream Video
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 7
Live video streaming is everywhere. It’s being used for news events, conferences, birthday parties, and even training—basically, anywhere there is a smartphone and an internet connection. Streaming video is relatively easy, as your phone and social media tools make it simple to get started. Making that streamed video look and sound good, though, is the hard part—as is knowing what to do with it after the video stream finishes.
In this session, find out how to leverage the technology that fits in your pocket to become a live video streaming producer. You’ll explore how simple it is to stream live video, how to enhance the production value of your video, and how to incorporate the video into your social media and training needs. You’ll learn how to set up your smartphone or tablet for optimal live streaming video experiences, decide which streaming video platforms will work for your purposes, and leverage the video for current and future social media and training projects.
In this session, you will learn:
- Why you should include video streaming in your social media and training projects
- What makes a good streaming video, and how to make it even better
- How to leverage and promote your live video streaming event
- How to extend the shelf life of your video by incorporating it into social media and training projects
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, and managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Smartphones, tablets, social media platforms, LMSs, video hosting options, and microphones.
Alan Natachu
Learning Experience Designer
Exact Sciences
Alan Natachu is a learning experience designer at Exact Sciences. He shifted from an artist career, working with the likes of ABC/Disney and the Smithsonian, to a learning and development career when he was hired as a creative (aka technology trainer) at Apple. He then spent a decade helping Madison College faculty enhance their classroom (face- to-face, distance, and virtual) experiences using systems like Telepresence, Webex Teams, and virtual reality. He now is creating new learning and development experiences for Exact Sciences, an international biomedical company at the forefront of life-changing innovations in cancer diagnostics and precision oncology.
906 Building a Multi-Device Learning Organization: A Case Study
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 2
When you add the increased use of personal devices for work to the increased variety of company-provided devices, as a learning professional, you can no longer work the way you always have. As bring-your-own-device policies and company app stores become more a part of the everyday work environment, you must be able to provide solutions that multiple devices can access.
By comparing their existing capabilities against what they needed for true multi-device support, Micron Technology was able to build a roadmap for how to fill the identified gaps. In this case study session, you’ll find out how they did this—including identifying their gaps around both content creation and content consumption capabilities, and creating a governance model to help ensure the correct items were used with the correct systems in order to provide a consistent end-to-end experience for their learners. You’ll also discover how they identified the new design and development skills required for this roadmap, and the technological gaps they needed to collaborate with IT to fill.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to build a multi-device roadmap in your organization and fill identified gaps
- About the successes and failures that drove Micron Technology’s roadmap modifications
- Tips for successfully collaborating with IT on supporting multi-device learning
- How to keep up with ever-changing technologies and devices
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers, developers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Mobile device management (MDM), two-factor authentication, device emulators, and development tools.
Andy DeCuir
IT Training Analyst
Micron Technology
Andy DeCuir, an information-technology (IT) training analyst with Micron Technology, has been in the learning and development profession for 22 years, with nearly 20 years' experience working within corporate IT departments. He has a broad range of experience in providing instructional design, online course development, instruction, and training for information systems, customer support, and human resource environments. Andy has been involved in multiple implementations of systems, including eLearning implementations at two different companies. He is an active member of The eLearning Guild, was on the team awarded Best Training Design in 2000 from the New Orleans Chapter of ASTD, was a judge for the 2006 Brandon Hall Excellence in Learning Awards, and has presented at multiple industry conferences.
907 LMS Success: Implement and Administer Your Learning Management System
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 15
This session is a step-by-step guide to learning management systems for trainers and administrators. Technical knowledge is optional! Basic concepts and easy-to-use tips are presented to help you develop your LMS, eLearning courses, and corporate training program.
During this session, you will learn how to select the best LMS vendor by setting goals for eLearning, asking the right questions, and considering your company’s budget and needs. You will determine a basic plan for system implementation, and think through how to market your plan to leadership and employees. You’ll get strategies for building enthusiasm for your learning management system, and also discover how to build an administrator team that has excellent communication and project management skills.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to select and implement a learning management system
- Tips for assembling and managing a system administrator team
- How to handle technical issues, support, and system maintenance
- Strategies for using your learning management system to its fullest extent
- Basic terms and concepts associated with learning management system administration
Audience:
Novice and intermediate developers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VPs, CLOs, executives, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Learning management systems, SCORM, AICC, xAPI.
Katrina Baker
Firmwide IS Learning & Development Manager
Cooley LLP
Katrina Baker is the firmwide IS learning and development manager for Cooley LLP. Her publications include LMS Success!, The LMS Selection Checklist, and her newest book, Corporate Training Tips & Tricks. Katrina previously worked in global training capacities for Latham & Watkins and Whole Foods Market, whose L&D program was recognized by Fortune. Past clients include Verizon, Xerox, and the US government. Katrina is a former vice president of finance and director of technology with the Los Angeles chapter of the Association for Talent Development, where she served as the organizer of the L.A. Learn Tech Conference and as an assigned mentor to members in a variety of industries.
908 Using Games to Develop Cross-Functional Teams in Distributed Workforces
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 14
Many companies depend on geographically dispersed workforces to succeed. Yet managers who lead global teams are up against stiff challenges. Forming successful work groups is difficult enough when people share the same office, but when team members come from different cultural, linguistic, and functional backgrounds, misunderstandings can arise more easily. Without a plan to help distributed teams work well together, accountability can become problematic and cooperation can deteriorate into distrust.
In this case study session, you will discover how Autodesk is improving the performance of global teams by giving them coaching and coordination practice inside a game. You will learn how vicarious learning, coaching, and reflective practice inside an MMORPG can be used to cultivate skills and sensibilities for building trust and accountability across time zones and cultures. You’ll explore how immersive simulations parallel the essential communication and coordination challenges of real-world situations, enabling your team members to learn from mistakes in psychological safety. You’ll learn how to craft the reflective practice and action learning experiments that develop world-class team skills.
In this session, you will learn:
- What makes a good program design for developing competency in team skills, and what matters most for developing these skills across different geographies, cultures, and functions
- How games can be effective in building team skills, and which game platform characteristics are most effective for role-based coordination practice
- What outcomes this game-based method is producing in clinical care, EPC, and public sector operational environments
- What evidence is most relevant to demonstrate the success of this approach to stakeholders
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers, developers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).
Technology discussed in this session:
Videoconferencing (Zoom), MMORPGs (WoW), VoIP communications, instant messaging collaboration and social media (Discord), mobile integrated LMS, VoIP data capture, and sentiment analysis.
Phillip Crockford
CEO
V-Teamwork
Phillip Crockford is the CEO of V-Teamwork. He has more than 30 years’ experience in management, and in coaching people in building trust and accountability, boosting productivity, and improving performance. His interventions have produced millions of dollars in annual savings for clients. Phillip has coached management teams to accelerate delivery of infrastructure projects worth more than $2 billion, realigned executive teams on successful strategies, and reduced critical cycle times by up to 50 percent. His clients have included Autodesk, Rio Tinto, Queensland Health, the US Army, and the Canadian men’s ski team. Phillip has served on the board of the International Coach Federation (Australasia).
Danny Ryan
Director, Technical Training
Autodesk
Danny Ryan is a director of technical training and development at Autodesk, focusing on both the horizontal development of engineers as they add new technical skills and vertical development where learners grow their technical leadership skills. Danny is an electronic engineer who has worked at Philips (NL), DEC, and Cypress Semiconductor before coming to Autodesk. He made the transition from engineering and engineering management to learning and development about 10 years ago. Danny has implemented several major programs, including a six-week engineering boot camp and a virtual leadership development pilot.
909 BYOD: Tips and Tricks to Make the Most of Multi-State Objects in Captivate
8:30 AM - 11:00 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 13
Extended BYOD (2 Hours)
Multi-state objects in Adobe Captivate offer a powerhouse of possibilities to create interactions with absolute ease. If you have not yet begun using multi-state objects to build interactions, now is the time. You will be delighted to discover this magic mantra to reduce the number of steps to create an interaction, making your timeline look clutter-free.
During this two-hour hands-on session, you will learn how to create simple interactions using multi-state objects and simple actions. Then you’ll find out how to take your interactions to the next level by using multi-state objects alongside advanced actions, variables, effects, drag-and-drop interactions, and other features and functionalities of Captivate. Along the way, you’ll learn tips and tricks for making the most of multi-state objects in Captivate.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to add states to interactive and non-interactive objects
- How to trigger state change using actions and advanced actions
- How to trigger state change in drag-and-drop interactions
- Best practices for using multi-state objects
Audience:
Intermediate designers and developers with basic Captivate and instructional design skills.
Technology discussed in this session:
Adobe Captivate.
Participant technology requirements:
A laptop running the latest version of 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
8:30 AM - 11:00 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 11
Extended BYOD (2 Hours)
One of the greatest strengths of Articulate Storyline is its ease of use. Its simplicity does not mean that Storyline lacks a wide variety of features; however, many users never tap into or take advantage of all the cool development features it provides. Also, since Articulate 360 is a subscription-based tool, new updates and enhancements to the software are happening frequently—therefore, many users have not had the time to explore what’s new and different.
In this two-hour BYOD session, you’ll have an opportunity to dive deep into some of the most overlooked and underused features of Storyline. During this extended-length session, you’ll get hands-on practice implementing these features, and you’ll discover many of the new features and changes in Storyline 360 that may have slipped by unnoticed.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to design simple interactions with Zoom Picture
- How to use button sets
- How to use the translation feature for course edits
- How keyboard shortcuts can simplify development processes
- How to use the default settings, themes, and masters to build templates
- How to simplify the timeline with grouping
- How to use groups and states to help design unique animations
- How to use built-in drag-and-drop features and states
- How to easily create and edit closed captioning text
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers and developers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Articulate Storyline 360.
Participant technology requirements:
A laptop running Windows and Storyline 360.
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.
911 BYOD: Creating Microvideo for Learning
8:30 AM - 11:00 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 1
Extended BYOD (2 Hours)
Within the last two years, the use of video in corporate education has soared from 77 percent to 92 percent. A cohesive strategy for creating optimal video content must be in place to take advantage of the new contexts in which employees want to learn. Using microvideo for learning as part of this strategy will raise engagement among learners and reduce the amount of time to acquire knowledge. There’s a wide range of other benefits to this approach, including the ease of viewing microvideos on mobile devices. But just because a video is short doesn’t mean it’s effective. What skills do you need to build to produce microvideos that actually work?
In this two-hour hands-on session, you’ll take a deep dive into how to best use video lengths between 6 and 60 seconds. You’ll also look at how the length of your video can change how you approach storyboarding and production. You’ll then explore the design and delivery of your microvideos, including how to adopt simple visual cues that make your content clear right from the start. You will walk away with proven processes and practices, as well as sound implementation strategies, for making microvideos that work.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the advantages and disadvantages of using video lengths between 6 and 60 seconds
- How the brain processes video and audio
- How to design and develop your own effective microvideos
- How to use video analytics to guide your microvideo creation process
- About the proper usage of marketing videos
- How to create a video action plan
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers and developers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Video editing software (Adobe Premiere, TechSmith Camtasia, etc.) and video content management systems.
Participant technology requirements:
A laptop with video editing software and the ability to use a USB drive to transfer workshop exercise assets.
Josh Cavalier
Founder
JoshCavalier.ai
Josh Cavalier has been creating learning solutions for corporations, government agencies, and secondary education institutions for nearly 30 years. He is an expert in the field of learning & development and has applied his industry experience to the application of ChatGPT and other Generative AI frameworks for business and life skills. Josh is passionate about sharing his knowledge and has a popular YouTube channel that shares tips and tricks on Generative AI. He is a seasoned speaker, presenting at conferences like DevLearn, Learning Solutions, ATD ICE, TechKnowledge, NAB, and Adobe MAX.
912 Tools, Apps, and Online Resources: Community Favorites—PART 1
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 17
This is part one of a two-part session. It will continue with session 1002 from 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
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 different 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 for Session 912
- Comic Life: Dan’elle Watkins
- Poll Everywhere: Sarah Lewandowski
- Techsmith Camtasia: Renee Durrance
- Ishikawa Diagram: Cory Loria
- Online-convert.com: Kelley Miller
- Creating an Avatar in Articulate Storyline 360: Justin McDougall
- HP Reveal: JD Gonzales
- Google Cardboard Camera App: Shereene Harford Twum-Barimah
- Microsoft Sway: Bill Fisher
- Using xAPI Dashboard to Display Results of Retention Boosters: Phillip Littleton
- Pixeur: Laura Lowden
- Screencast-O-Matic: Barb Lesniak
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.
F05 Shifting from Microlearning to Micromoments
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 3
Buzzwords drive the trends that in many ways shape our world, but buzzwords are also problematic by their very nature. What drives a term to buzzword status is when its usage spreads at a much higher rate than understanding of the term. That can lead to misinformation being shared that shifts and often dilutes the perceived meaning of the term. In the L&D industry, there’s one term that fits right into this scenario: microlearning.
This session will examine the shortcomings of how microlearning is being defined by the L&D industry, and explore an alternative view that can reshape how you see your role in L&D. You will start by examining some of the common misconceptions about microlearning, and discovering how those misconceptions hold back your practice. You’ll then learn about an alternative to microlearning that is already gaining traction in the worlds of marketing and technology: micromoments. By developing an understanding of micromoments within the context of learning and training, you will discover the true value that microlearning was supposed to bring to L&D in the first place.
In this session, you will learn:
- Why you need to look past the buzz of microlearning
- Why some of the most popular assumptions around microlearning are not true
- What’s different about micromoments
- How you can adapt micromoments into your L&D practice
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, project managers, managers, and directors.
Technology discussed in this session:
Mobile, learning platforms, and Google.
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.
1001 Next-Generation Learning Methodologies: A Case Study in Healthcare
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 9
Emerging technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), big data, machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), and advanced learning and organizational analytics are exciting the L&D field. Yet these powerful tools won’t necessarily translate into powerful learning unless they are carefully utilized. The key to this is adaptive learning, a sophisticated methodology that intelligently adapts the learning experience to each individual learner and enables this new generation of technologies.
This session will demonstrate, within the context of a radiology training case study, how these emerging technologies were seamlessly blended into one complete adaptive learning experience. It will also demonstrate the advanced analytics and reporting to stakeholders, including the necessity of reliable indicators such as process deviation, guessing, understanding, behaviors and alignment to competency frameworks, ROI, and residual risks to the organization.
In this session, you will learn:
- What can be achieved through a detailed demonstration utilizing the latest thinking, best practice methodologies, and the latest emerging technologies in one complete solution
- About true adaptive learning, including why it is a crucial component in the next generation of training, to enable truly meaningful learning analytics and the integration of emerging technologies
- How to intelligently integrate emerging technologies into training, and how to overcome key technical challenges
- How to achieve deep learning data, and about the shortcomings in shallow measurement techniques to ensure common pitfalls are avoided
- How to communicate the abilities of better training design to stakeholders
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.) with an interest in emerging technologies and how to implement them.
Technology discussed in this session:
HTC Vive, big data, AI, and machine learning.
Glenn Bull
CEO & Founder
Skilitics
Glenn Bull is the founder and CEO of Skilitics, which is the creator of an enterprise training development platform designed for integrated learning measurement. The Skilitics platform is fast gaining attention globally for its disruptive and innovative approach to training design and measurement. Glenn is the visionary behind this cloud-based solution and spearheads the company’s global strategy. He is also the editor of TheNewID.com training comic, contributed to by many of the industry’s key thought leaders. Glenn is one of six members of The eLearning Guild Academy’s Advisory Council.
1002 Tools, Apps, and Online Resources: Community Favorites—PART 2
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Thursday, March 29
Junior Ballroom F
This is part two of a two-part session. It starts with session 912 from 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM.
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 different 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 for Session 1002
- Google Analytics and Google Data Studio: Julia Oak
- Presenter Media: Kathie Howard
- Using PowerPoint to Create Videos: Nadine Monn
- Poll Everywhere: Rachelle Butts
- ScreenPresso: Michelle Hammond
- Zotero: Heather Pundt
- xAPI Inspector: David Keezel
- Canva: Justin Thurman
- The Articulate E-Learning Heroes Community: Hiba Ismeail
- TurningPoint Interactive Polling: Cindy-Ann Alexander
- Twitter: Tricia Ransom
- Creating a CMS Demo in Articulate Storyline 360: Luke Benfield
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.
1003 Better Instructional Design Through Mind Mapping
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Thursday, March 29
Junior Ballroom G
Uncovering the need is one thing, but organizing the mountain of content from an SME is an ID’s nightmare. You have to keep the goal in mind. Mind mapping helps you define the goal and align content to the intended outcome.
In this session, you will learn how to leverage mind mapping for (1) needs analysis brainstorming; (2) laying out the goals, outcomes, and objectives of the course; and (3) aligning the assessment, content, and activities you want to use in the course. In the end, you’ll leave with an easy system for a course blueprint.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to lead and map a needs analysis brainstorming session
- How to define the course goal, and how to map outcomes and objectives to it
- How to map content to the goal, outcomes, and objectives
- How to create collaborative online mind maps
- How mind mapping can define the course architecture for an eLearning course
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers. Basic ID skills are helpful but not required.
Technology discussed in this session:
MindManager, XMind, and MindMeister.
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.
1004 Measuring Learners’ Confidence in Their Abilities
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 3
After the blood, sweat, and tears you put into designing a learning experience, how do you know it made a difference? Ideally, you can measure Kirkpatrick Levels 1 – 4 following your education and be confident of your impact. More often, measuring changing behaviors in the real world is trickier due to issues like cost, or access, inherent in many performance environments (e.g., healthcare). What tools can bridge that gap?
In this session, you’ll learn how measuring learners’ confidence in their abilities, called self-efficacy, can give you insight into eventual changes in their behavior and performance. Learn about the underlying theory and evidence in support of self-efficacy measures. Learn tips and best practices for creating the individual assessment items and an overall self-efficacy tool tailored to the learning experiences you want to evaluate. You’ll leave the session with a new tool in your measurement toolbox that will get you one step closer to assessing the impact of your education on your learners.
In this session, you will learn:
- Why you can use self-efficacy measures as an index of potential changes in behavior and performance resulting from your education
- What makes a good self-efficacy measure
- How to identify the behaviors or abilities that you should assess with a self-efficacy measure
- How to create a self-efficacy measurement tool that is tailored to the specific learning experience you want to evaluate
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, and managers.
Alexander Walker
Senior Director, Learning Research and Design
MedStar Health Simulation Training and Education Lab
Alexander Walker is a senior director of learning research and design at MedStar Health Simulation Training and Education Lab, which is the educational development organization of one of the largest healthcare systems in the mid-Atlantic. He holds a PhD in human factors psychology from Clemson University. Early in his career, Alex engaged in research examining the effects of learning in different simulation environments on the impacts of performance and the development of motion sickness. His other research experience includes the investigation of team performance, the psychophysiological assessment of the workload and performance of individuals and teams.
1006 Transforming eLearning into ePerformance
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 7
You’re sold on the benefits of performance support, but your internal customers don’t “get” it. With an LMS full of eLearning courses, your learning organization isn’t ready to jump full bore into a performance support approach to learning, and your IT department won’t be investing in performance support delivery technology anytime soon. How can you use your existing assets to create working solutions that prove the worth of this approach?
This session will show you how you can repurpose conventional eLearning content so that it’s accessible and targeted to each of Gottfredson and Mosher’s five moments of learning need, using technology you likely already have. Using a systems training case study, you’ll explore the transformation of an existing eLearning course into a blended solution that provides initial training, learning reinforcement, performance support, and reference, all within the confines of the original authoring tool (in this case, Storyline 360). In doing so, you’ll look at redesigning content, user interface, and navigation to optimize usability for each purpose.
In this session, you will learn:
- Why a typical eLearning course does not effectively support performance
- How to map content from an eLearning course to the moments of learning need
- Guidelines for transforming training content to serve reinforcement, support, and reference purposes
- How to leverage the capabilities of your authoring tool to make the content usable at each moment of need
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers, developers, and managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
Articulate Storyline 360.
Susan Fisher
Lead Instructional Designer & Learning Consultant
Innovative Learning Group
Susan Fisher is a lead instructional designer and learning consultant at Innovative Learning Group. She has over 30 years’ experience designing and developing workplace learning and performance solutions, including instructor-led training, eLearning, mobile learning, reference, and performance support. She is also skilled in information architecture and learning portal design. Susan is a senior member of the Society for Technical Communication (STC) and a member of the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI). She is also an STC certified professional technical communicator, expert level. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in fine arts from the University of Michigan.
1007 Debunking the Mobile Myth: A South African Perspective
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 2
Mobile learning is attractive to learning designers because it offers the convenience of a bring-your-own-device approach and lends itself to trendy microlearning program structures. The popularity of learning apps such as Duolingo has inspired many to adapt or retrofit their content and learning programs for mobile delivery. This session will explore the challenges presented by the South African context (including socioeconomic differences, technology, and staff competency) for the adoption of mobile learning.
In this session, you will learn about the possibilities for learning on a device that conditions people to have short attention spans. You will explore access issues with mobile learning (assumed to be very accessible). Companies often need to track learning; you will see qualitative research using analytics to demonstrate some difficulties they face. You will hear about some of the challenges faced by South African learning designers who want to create mobile courses. The session will make use of an example mobile learning course, and will help you decide which authoring tools are best for your training needs.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to evaluate authoring tools for mobile learning
- How to onboard learning facilitators to ensure better training processes
- How to track mobile learning effectively
- How to argue for or against an app as part of your training process
- About different kinds of learning events, and the values of each
- About a “best bet” approach for integrating mobile learning into training programs
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.). This session is pitched at a wide audience, and while some aspects (such as discussion of authoring tools) would be better suited to learning designers, the majority of the content does not require prior knowledge.
Technology discussed in this session:
Mobile learning platforms and mobile learning authoring tools.
Hannes Geldenhuys
CEO and Founder
Hubble Studios
Hannes Geldenhuys is the founder and CEO of Hubble Studios, an eLearning company based in Cape Town. Hannes’s core skills are in eLearning consulting, organizational development, and IT service delivery, and he counts his experience across the education, financial, and telecommunications sectors. Hannes founded Hubble Studios in 2012 in partnership with Sam and Rob Paddock, founders themselves of a premier online education company, GetSmarter (recently acquired by 2U). Today, Hubble Studios is a full-service partner for eLearning solutions. Hannes focuses on initiatives that contribute to South Africa’s economy; he actively participates in small-business mentoring through the Shanduka Black Umbrellas incubator program.
1008 AT&T University Performance Support Solutions
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 14
Research demonstrates that when learning is embedded in the everyday flow of work, it has more impact on both the business and learners. You should be wary of designing and investing in solutions that increase the barriers between working and learning. Learning must be available at the point of need. Delivering a true holistic learning experience requires modern tools—tools that enable just-in-time content delivery, streamlined curation of critical information, and comprehensive data analytics.
In this session, you will explore how AT&T University used WordPress to develop a performance support platform that strategically combines the right mix of learning and performance components. You will learn how the platform serves as a central dashboard for quick access to critical knowledge in HTML5 format within a holistic and contextual digital experience. You will also learn how the platform incorporates a skills-building program by enabling peers to submit and review one another’s solutions to real-world design challenges.
In this session, you will learn:
- About the features of AT&T University’s performance support platform, such as instant search, mega menu, highest rated pages, content toggles, user roles, and much more
- About AT&T’s performance support design principles and strategic integration with knowledge management, social collaboration, access to experts, and formal training components
- How AT&T analyzed actionable data points to identify patterns, adjust, and enhance the user experience
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.) with a basic understanding of the performance support discipline.
Technology discussed in this session:
WordPress CMS, HTML5, CSS, JavaScript libraries, and the Piwik data analytics platform.Saif Altalib
Sr. Instructional Designer
Amazon Web Services
Saif Altalib, MEd and MBA, has 17+ years of experience in designing innovative performance improvement and instructional solutions. Saif won an Atlanta ATD Award for best software learning program in 2010 and has presented multiple times at Learning Guild conferences.
1009 Everything You Wanted to Know About APIs but Were Afraid to Ask
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 5
As learning systems mature, there is an even stronger need to personalize and integrate them. This is possible thanks, in part, to APIs (application programming interfaces). Many learning professionals hear about APIs in their daily workflows but don’t know much about them, which prevents them from being able to comprehend the true potential of these important features.
In this session, you will learn what APIs are and what they are not. The session will explore the technical background of APIs and make them understandable to a general audience by using easy-to-grasp metaphors. You will learn of several use cases for APIs that you can take back to your team. You’ll then see a live demo of how to configure APIs to integrate various search elements of multiple content repositories, in order to give a much more contextualized experience to the learner.
In this session, you will learn:
- What makes up APIs
- How to use APIs to integrate systems
- How APIs are evolving to XAPIs
- How to navigate IT to leverage APIs
- About the security challenges of APIs
- How to do enhanced reporting using APIs
- How to integrate workflows using APIs
- How to personalize content using APIs
Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, and managers.
Technology discussed in this session:
APIs, XAPIs, REST, SOAP calls, Cornerstone OnDemand custom page and CSOD (cloud-based) back end, development servers, JSON, and knowledge repositories.
Duncan Larkin
Digital Learning Innovation Manager
McKinsey & Company
Duncan Larkin is the head of the digital learning innovation team at McKinsey & Company. He is a passionate advocate for simple, elegant, and transformative solutions that push the boundaries of innovation and put the learner first. Duncan is a graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point and the author of two books.
1010 Shattering Preconceived Notions: cMOOCs Can Be Effective!
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Thursday, March 29
Salon 15
MOOCs, cMOOCs, SPOCs... To the L&D community, these are incredible tools to have in the toolbox, but there are challenges. Clients usually don’t understand what they really are or the partnerships required to create them. The approach and process is quite different from what is required for most other learning solutions, and as a result, most mainstream L&D practitioners lack the skills needed to create an effective cMOOC experience.
The ideal cMOOC program includes curated, spaced, and guided materials surrounded by heavy context, and includes activities that inspire collaboration and insight. The experience respects the modern learner. As a result, participants stay engaged and programs meet business objectives. This session will explore the shifts that instructional designers need to make in order to design an effective MOOC experience. These shifts will enable learning professionals to guide clients through the change management process to see learning as an experience while designing and developing programs in an agile way.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to set client expectations for developing a cMOOC experience that modern learners will love
- How to create a targeted information architecture for a successful cMOOC that increases adoption and reduces dropout rates
- How to plan persistent and spaced interactions to increase learner traction and engagement
- About the skills that are essential for cMOOC moderators
Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers, developers, managers, and directors interested in instructional design, information architecture, agile development, or user experience design.
Technology discussed in this session:
Intrepid’s platform.
Bethany Vogel
Instructional Designer
GP Strategies
Bethany Vogel is an instructional designer with GP Strategies, where she engineers high-value, online learning experiences. She is a thought leader inside and outside the company, employing learner empathy and neuroscience to fuel insights and designs. Bethany guides businesses like Cigna, the Biosecurity Research Institute, and Titleist through collaborative and agile development processes to create learning programs with bottom-line business impacts. Her programs often include elements of spaced, micro, and social learning.
Cara Halter
Instructional Designer
GP Strategies
Cara Halter is an instructional designer at GP Strategies with nearly 20 years of experience creating innovative learning solutions as a design and development leader, business analyst, and project manager. She has split her professional experience between an internal L&D team at a financial services company and with top learning consulting companies (most recently GP Strategies). Her current passion is finding creative ways to address the needs of the modern leaner. Cara has a master’s degree in instructional technology from the University of Georgia.
GS03 KEYNOTE: Learning and the Future of Work
11:15 AM - 12:30 PM Thursday, March 29
Executive Ballroom
Technology isn’t only shaping how we learn; it’s also shaping how we live and work. And the changes are just getting started. Artificial intelligence, robotics, virtual and augmented reality, drones, and other technologies are increasingly making certain job functions obsolete. Behaviors and attitudes are changing what we want to do for work, and how we want to learn to do our jobs. In this thought-provoking closing keynote, Nancy Giordano will examine how technology is changing the nature of work, how companies will need to adapt for this future, and what this means for learning and development professionals. You will explore both the advancing technologies and the critical shifts that organizations (and the training departments that support them) must confront to stay relevant in the future.
Nancy Giordano
Strategic Futurist and Corporate Strategist
Nancy Giordano is a strategic futurist and corporate strategist who helps enterprise organizations and leaders meet the escalating expectations ahead. With her deep knowledge of the drivers shaping the future, she illuminates the ideas and strategies required for leaders to actively architect their future. Ms. Giordano has spent nine years as founder/CEO of Play Big, a strategic inspiration company, and has been described as one of the world’s top female futurists. Her extensive client list includes Safeway, Nestlé, Sprint, and many other Fortune 500 companies. Currently, she is collaborating on a project to bring a game-changing artificial intelligence platform to the world. She also leads a team to produce one of the globe’s largest TEDx Youth events, hosting over 1,000 attendees annually. Ms. Giordano and her team share bold ideas at CulturalAcupuncture.com, a regular feature of The Huffington Post.