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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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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.
![](/assets/images/speakers/large/439.jpg)
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.
![](/assets/images/speakers/3543.jpg)
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.
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).
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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.
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.
![](/assets/images/speakers/3543.jpg)
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.
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.
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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.