Mobile technologies and web platforms are advancing faster than training methodologies so keeping up with the trends is getting more and more difficult. There is a growing need to develop training initiatives for a technology landscape that is evolving at a remarkable pace without having to redevelop content for each device or platform.

In this session you will learn how to leverage (or repurpose) real-time-content API delivery systems in an eLearning environment. You will discover how this allows for single-sourced (cloud) content authoring, editing, and storage while being able to have mobile apps, websites, and applications access that content in real-time. You will explore how this eliminates the the need to redevelop content for each app or program that needs it as the landscape evolves. You will leave this session with an understanding of how to design a strategy that will allow for consumption of content from any device on a network.

In this session, you will learn:

• A definition of “content API,” and where you have already used one
• Why the future of eLearning technology will require API-accessible content
• Five reasons you would use a content API over a traditional LMS or LCMS to manage content
• How to chose an API for your content
• About content API and tracking results

Audience:

Intermediate designers, developers, project managers, and managers knowledgeable about existing technology-based learning-content management solutions in the industry, e.g., LMS, LCMS, CMS.

Technology discussed in this session:

Content APIs, social networking tools, tracking standards, mobile devices (phones, tablets, and consoles), computers (Windows, Mac, Linux), cloud storage, and cloud computing.

Making the move to mobile can be overwhelming. There are many obstacles organizations fear that give them pause about making the shift. Some organizations doubt they have the budget, design, and delivery skills, or even the devices required to support multi-device delivery. The good news is that most of the perceived obstacles to making the move to multi-device learning can actually be easily overcome.

In this session you will learn the ten simple steps you can follow to get started with multi-device learning and explore the how and the why of each step along the way. You will learn what many mobile technology terms mean in the context of learning, and you will leave this session with an outline for taking action on each step along with case examples that show what success looks like.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to plan a successful move to mobile
• The difference between mobile web and native apps
• How to distribute mobile learning and what to do about bring your own device (BYOD)
• How to choose a mobile-authoring tool
• What you need to know and do to be a responsive designer

Audience:

Novice and intermediate designers, project managers, managers, and executives with an understanding of instructional design.

Technology discussed in this session:

Smartphones, tablets, and mobile authoring tools.

A number of different documents are distributed to learners during an instructor-led course. In many cases these documents exist as PDF documents, which creates a number of challenges. Distributing the documents securely may eliminate external resources like USB drives. When the documents are stored locally, there is no central way to update them and keep them up-to-date. Most critically, it is extremely challenging for workers to take notes on PDF documents.

In this session you will learn about a cloud-based solution that addresses all of these problems and better supports learning. You will explore how iPads were used to access documents and take notes during instructor-led training, and how those documents and the annotations were accessible after training. You will discover how the combination of a learning management system (LMS), a learning resource store (LRS), and the Experience API (xAPI) enables learners to access these annotated documents via their LMS. You will also learn how the expanded reporting enables tracking of access and annotations.

In this session, you will learn:

• The benefits of storing learner-annotation data in a LRS
• The project management process for developing an xAPI solution
• Metrics that you can retrieve from a LRS system
• Uses for LRS-based applications

Audience:

Novice and intermediate designers, developers, and managers. A general understanding of the xAPI and the concept of a LRS would be helpful.

Technology discussed in this session:

Cloud-based PDF annotation tool, LRS, iPad, and LMS.

There is an overemphasis on mobile technologies in the mobile learning conversation. That may sounds strange, but it’s true. Mobile strategy isn’t really about mobile devices; it’s about taking your existing learning strategy and extending it so it can be supported optimally on whatever device the leaners have in front of them, wherever they are. Organizations should not have to reinvent their learning strategy to go mobile.

In this session participants will explore the broader concept of learning on the cloud as opposed to mobile-specific concepts. Learning on the cloud encompasses a broader strategy for how we learn as adults—continuously. You will learn that the support of mobile devices is essential to a ubiquitous learning strategy, but the strategy is not mobile-specific. You will discuss how mobile is an integrated and key component of the entire enterprise learning strategy—a native (and expected) capability within your entire learning strategy.

In this session, you will learn:

• Why a mobile strategy doesn’t necessarily require a mobile-specific set of skills
• How a learning-on-the-cloud solution will support your overall learning strategy and extend that to mobile devices
• How all learning activity across all devices can be tracked within the learning cloud, creating a unified learning record
• How learning content can be single source and granular to support both traditional learning models and performance support models

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, and directors with a general understanding of learning technologies, including LCMS and LMS.

Technology discussed in this session:
None.

mLearning is about much more than just mobile technology. mLearning is a different experience than desktop-based eLearning, coming with its own unique set of design considerations and challenges. Organizations considering making the move to mobile need to understand the challenges of creating content for mobile devices if they want their mobile learning strategy to be successful.

In this case-study session you will explore the continuing journey PricewaterhouseCoopers is taking as they continue to learn from their experiences with content authoring for mLearning. You will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of a number of different mLearning authoring tools, and learn from actual examples and demonstrations of content. Through this discussion you will develop a list of key questions you should be asking as you develop your own mobile-learning content strategy.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to match a mobile platform to an available authoring tool
• What content looks like and capabilities for learner interactivity
• Restrictions to consider depending on the target audience’s mobile devices
• The value of templates for quick content authoring

Audience:
Novice and intermediate designers, developers, project managers, and managers with a basic understanding of how mobile learning can be delivered to a learner via apps, websites, or mobile learning platforms.

Technology discussed in this session:
mLearning authoring tools (CreateExpress, Lectora, iSpring, Storyline, audio/video content, and custom-developed HTML), and Intuition mobile learning, Blackberry, Android, and iOS platforms.

In a fast-paced environment with lots of information flying at learners, it’s difficult to retain information. Forgetting often begins as soon as learning ends, leaving you hoping that the learner retains as much as they can. Learning professionals need to find ways to bridge this gap, and mobile technology provides us with an opportunity to do so.

In this session participants will discuss how mobile technology and spaced learning can be used together to break the forgetting curve and help to increase knowledge retention. You’ll explore the spacing effect, and what types of mobile deliverables will best support knowledge retention. You will discover when learning modules should be delivered, and more importantly, how they should be delivered. You will leave this session with an understanding of the spacing effect and be able to develop a strategy for knowledge retention for your audience.

In this session, you will learn:

• How the spacing effect can break the cycle of forgetting after a learning event
• What types of deliverables will work best to keep learners from forgetting
• What types of deliverables will engage your learners to keep them interested in learning
• How to develop short, interactive deliverables that can win client buy-in for additional training time
• When to deliver short training modules to support knowledge retention
• How to deliver short training modules to ensure that they are consumed by learners

Audience:
Novice and intermediate designers, project managers, managers, and directors. Participants should have a strong knowledge of web-based training design, as the focus of this session will be more on strategy than technology.

Technology discussed in this session:
Apple iOS, Google, Android, Microsoft Windows, phones, tablets, and Lectora.

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

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

In this session, you will learn:

• What platforms and tools are available to use for digital publications
• The different audiences for each publishing platform, and which best fits your audience
• Real-world strategies from companies that use digital book platforms as part of their mobile strategy
• The do’s and do not’s of digital book publishing

Audience:

Novice to advanced designers, developers, and managers with a basic knowledge of instructional design principles.

Technology discussed in this session: