Judy Unrein has worked in various training and instructional design roles since 1997. She now designs electronic and blending learning experiences for Nike and regularly shares ideas about learning and technology for conferences and publications from The eLearning Guild and ASTD, as well as eLearn Magazine, the E-Learning Uncovered blog, and her own blog. She holds an MBA and and M.Ed. in instructional design.
Articles by Judy Unrein
Well Read: 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People
(4/26/12)Designers really need to know a lot about how people think and interact, yet so much of what we “know” turns out to be urban myth when researchers investigate. Fortunately, Susan Weinschenk has provided a handy, accessible, and affordable reference that fills in gaps and debunks the myths. Read the review here!
Well Read: Drive
(3/29/12)What motivates humans? How well do the systems that companies typically use to motivate humans work? Will money and praise inspire better performance, or will autonomy, mastery, and purpose give better results? You might be surprised – see the article to learn more.
Well Read: A Theory of Fun for Game Design
(2/23/12)Why are there so many games in eLearning? Why do so few of those games actually contribute to or support learning? Ralph Koster has some definite ideas about those questions, and others as well. This month’s review introduces you to what game designers understand about learning.
Well Read: Prototyping by Todd Zaki Warfel
(1/26/12)The typical objection to prototyping in eLearning is that there is neither time nor money for it. Yet, in other fields, prototyping is not only accepted, but expected. There are compelling arguments for prototyping, including dramatically shortened development cycles and improved product quality. Here is a review that may help you find what you need to overcome objections to prototyping.
Well Read: The Creative Habit
(12/29/11)We welcome Judy Unrein's column, Well Read, to Learning Solutions Magazine! To be a successful instructional designer takes broad knowledge of design principles and business concepts that go beyond our narrow field of practice. Each month, Judy will review a book that should be on your shelf or in your eReader. She starts this month with an exploration of creativity!
Overcoming Objections to eLearning
(9/12/11)Overcoming objections is an important part of making any eLearning initiative successful. However, eLearning’s long history provides plenty of lessons learned that you can use to make the case. Here are some successful tactics you can use to deal with these objections.
Thinking Outside the Toolbox
(4/4/11)Does your choice of authoring software forever determine the quality of the e-Learning you create? Must rapid tools produce only cookie-cutter content? What makes the real difference in quality? The answer is — you, the designer. Here is the way to change your design habits.
Beyond the Hype: Understanding HTML5 and its Potential for e-Learning and mLearning
(5/31/10)As mLearning adoption grows, and as the stalemate between Adobe and Apple remains in place, the critical question for many e-Learning developers is: Flash or HTML5? This is not as simple a question as it may seem. This article explains the issues that you must consider in making decisions over the next few months, and provides links to resources you can use.
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