Thursday, March 25, 2010 04:00 PM

Angela Nicholas, Education Northwest
Kate Baldus, Bank Street College

The usability and user testing principles in Steve Krug’s book, Don’t Make Me Think, have been widely referenced and used in Website design, but are often overlooked in e-Learning design and development. In particular, iterative user testing allows for the early discovery of errors, finds areas of improvement, and measures user response in their performance, accuracy, recall, and emotional reaction. Discovering these issues early in the design process eliminates development problems and changes later. However, without the right technical testing set up, the user won’t be able to focus on the task at hand.

In this case-study session, participants will learn how to use usability testing on a limited budget as part of rapid prototyping to create engaging and functional e-Learning courses. You’ll learn the steps taken to get the appropriate technical setup, what was learned from the testing, and how it informed the development process. You’ll learn about hardware/software selection, form templates, finding users, and how to create your own low-budget user testing sessions to create better e-Learning courses.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to set up a low-budget user testing facility in-house, including various software options (Morae, Camtasia, etc)
• What the pitfalls of user testing may be, so that you don’t make them yourself
• The process of iterative user testing as part of rapid prototyping
• How to utilize user testing to create effective e-Learning

Audience: Novice and intermediate designers, developers, and managers.

Thursday, March 25, 2010 04:00 PM

Polly Kornblith, Kudos Concepts

After 9/11, the FAA and the Department of Homeland Security developed a sophisticated radar system called Automatic Detection & Processing Terminal Desktop, or ADAPT, to help air traffic controllers, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel, and others identify, track, and research aircraft that may pose a threat to the United States. Then they had to introduce and provide basic training on ADAPT to users located all over the United States. There were unique challenges. For example, live radar is classified information, so the consultant would need a top-secret government clearance and could only view the system in an FAA facility. Also, the ADAPT system is dynamic and runs on two Linux machines at once. Was any technology available that could capture screens on two monitors simultaneously, and, if so, did it work on Linux? 

In this session, participants will walk through the process of designing, developing, producing, and implementing the ADAPT training program. You’ll learn how they overcame each of the technical challenges, and see the deliverables from outline through storyboard through final product. 

In this session, you will learn:

• How to approach and manage a large-scale e-Learning project involving a geographically dispersed team of individuals
• How to create an effective user interface, develop an outline, craft a storyboard, develop content, and script multimedia
• The advantages and disadvantages of various course development and production tools
• How to identify and utilize external resources and personnel when you are a solo freelancer

Audience: Intermediate designers, developers, and others.

Thursday, March 25, 2010 04:00 PM

Rita Hartman, Sungard Public Sector

Many organizations are being asked to convert their classroom presentations to an online or virtual format, but synchronous online learning presents challenges not found in the traditional classroom environment. These challenges include getting feedback from participants, keeping the audience engaged, interacting with participants, and learning to use the technology. While these challenges are different than what you might face in a traditional classroom environment, with some practice and effort you can be as effective online as in the classroom. 

Session participants will get tips in smooth delivery of content in the virtual world. You’ll learn how to get feedback from your participants, how to engage them in your content or during the event, and how to prepare your presentation materials for effective delivery. You’ll learn how to make the transition from classroom to virtual room without losing the value of face-to-face training.

In this session, you will learn:

• Techniques for engaging your audience during online training
• Tips for preparing your online materials
• Suggestions for smooth delivery of online content
• Tips for getting started with virtual training

Audience: This session is for anyone trying to transition from classroom to online delivery of training and for those who are new to the virtual classroom. To gain the most benefit from this session, participants should understand face-to-face classroom delivery.

Thursday, March 25, 2010 04:00 PM

John Feser and Jeff Idleman, The Iona Group

Many e-Learning projects involve many stakeholders and approval levels. It seems like everyone from marketing to legal, to HR, to operations must weigh in on even the most basic of courses. How do you get your project from concept to completion when there are too many cooks in the kitchen, all with different agendas and various levels of experience creating e-Learning? Establishing the right expectations and processes can be the difference between a project that goes way over budget, takes forever to complete, and is boring, and a project that is on time, on budget, and embodies good learning practices.

In this session, participants will examine a process based on four D's (Define, Design, Develop, and Deliver) that will keep e-Learning development projects focused and on track. You’ll learn the importance of creating a high-quality project plan that includes clearly defined learning objectives, team member roles and responsibilities, project scope, a detailed project schedule, and budget expectations. You’ll explore the design process and how team members and stakeholders can best interact to ensure everyone is on the same page prior to moving on. You’ll learn about the development phase, how to deliver the project, how to keep stakeholders involved after the course is launched, and how to use assessments and feedback to improve the current course and future developments.

In this session, you will learn:

• The importance of a high-quality project plan at the onset of a project
• What elements make up a high-quality project plan
• How to structure your team (roles, responsibilities, and expectations)
• How to set expectations with your team
• Storyboards and the importance of having them approved
• The differences between the Alpha, Beta, and Final versions of a project
• Responsibilities after the course is launched

Audience: Intermediate designers and developers who understand basic instructional design techniques and who have basic project management experience.

Thursday, March 25, 2010 04:00 PM

Joseph Fournier, Rapid e-Learning, LLC 

For organizations to achieve and maintain a competitive advantage, they must produce additional effective learning solutions without increasing costs. Fortunately, a ready resource pool is available to help produce viable content. Gen X and Y employees and net-savvy boomers all know how to produce media and do so in growing numbers. Transitioning your organization’s technically competent producers of media to collaborators in the design and development of instructionally sound learning content is a matter of raising their awareness of some key learning principles and supporting them with both design and development expertise. 

Session participants will learn the steps an organization must take to engage social media producers in designing and developing content through collaboration with learning professionals. You’ll learn the guiding principles that lead to success and some real “deal killers.” You’ll learn a multi-tiered approach to strategically making social learning construction part of your organization’s DNA over time.

In this session, you will learn:

• The steps your organization needs to take to engage and incent social media producers to develop learning content
• How to engage new learning content creators with learning professionals and establish meaningful collaboration
• How to create an infrastructure that supports social construction of viable learning content by competent professionals
• The mechanisms needed to enable tactical success in executing a social collaboration policy for content creation.

Audience: Intermediate and advanced designers, developers, and others who have a basic understanding of social media and instructional design, as well as economic pressures on the learning function and the business units they support.

Thursday, March 25, 2010 04:00 PM

David Metcalf, University of Central Florida

What happens when you combine two of the latest trends – simulations and mobile games – in learning technology? You get innovative mobile learning games! Come explore some of the latest thinking, and see cutting-edge examples of mobile learning games and simulations for K-12, higher education, and corporate training.

In this session, you will learn:

• The types of learning that work in a mobile setting
• How to get started in mobile game design
• What the current limitations of the medium are
• How the best examples in the industry stack up
• What the next generation trends in augmented reality can bring
• Why mobile learning and games/simulations could lead to substantial changes in our industry

Thursday, March 25, 2010 04:00 PM

Mark Oehlert, Defense Acquisition University 

Call it social media or Web 2.0 – no matter what you call it, it is here and it is impacting everything from the development of learning products to the expectations of learners themselves. These tools, technologies, and communities present significant challenges and opportunities for departments charged with learning and training within an enterprise.

In this case-study session, you’ll discover the lessons learned and the best practices discovered in implementing various social media tools for Defense Acquisition University's approximately 150,000 learners.

In this session, you will learn:

• How enterprises move from using subject-matter experts to subject-matter networks
• What the main hurdles for implementing social media for learning are. (Hint – its not technology.)
• Microblogging in the enterprise
• How to get social media projects up and running

Thursday, March 25, 2010 04:00 PM

Chris F. Willis, Media 1

Many early online learning advocates predicted the death of the corporate classroom, but today’s corporations are rediscovering what higher education has known for years. People enjoy learning in groups, and what they learn from each other is an important part of a successful learning experience. Cohort (group) learning programs that take place over multiple sessions build camaraderie among learners and instructors, provide valuable networking opportunities, and promote cultural attachment to a larger organization. But corporate travel budgets have been all but eliminated, and most corporate LMS solutions are ill equipped for delivering an online cohort program.

In this session, you will learn how one large global corporation has successfully implemented online cohort learning programs for onboarding, sales, and high potential (HiPo) programs. You’ll see examples of how to successfully design a reusable cohort-learning framework, get ideas for blending social media elements for both collaborative and self-paced activities, and learn how to appropriately involve mentors and/or SMEs within your program design.

In this session, you will learn:

• The benefits of cohort learning, and examples of use in large corporations
• Some current popular corporate cohort learning programs
• Strategies for designing and building a reusable cohort learning framework using tools you may already have
• Ideas for blending group and self-paced learning activities that can replace expensive online simulations
• How to use your cohort learning framework to promote mentoring opportunities

Thursday, March 25, 2010 04:00 PM

Matthew Lloyd, Omniplex

There is a wide and varied body of theory pertaining to e-Learning and knowledge sharing in general; certainly beyond the usual suspects of Gagné, Bloom, and Keller. Understanding the main conclusions of this vast body of research provides essential insights to the practical application of technologies to support both formal and informal learning in organizations. When most functional areas of an organization select IT systems and business processes, they do so informed by decades of rigorous research. For example, the inventory control and supply chain system automates well-established operational research techniques; and the finance system encapsulates accounting principles and regulatory requirements honed over the centuries. However, successful e-Learning depends on a far wider set of influences, from cultural differences and personal characteristics, through group dynamics, to organization-level strategies.

Session participants will get an executive summary of the leading disciplines relevant to knowledge sharing and e-Learning in organizations, including communications, knowledge management, organizational learning, story-telling, and communities.

In this session, you will learn:

• The practical applications of this research
• How the research can inform the selection of the appropriate technologies for a knowledge sharing project
• Some key implementation decisions that can radically improve the transfer of knowledge within groups and organizations

Audience: Anyone involved in the selection of e-Learning and Web 2.0 technologies, or in developing e-Learning resources.

Thursday, March 25, 2010 04:00 PM

Steven Teal, Steven Teal & Associates

The Learning and Development career field is going through a fundamental transformation that will require learning professionals to take a more comprehensive view of employee development. Session participants will be introduced to Talent Management and why you should care as a learning professional. We will focus how this emerging area is fundamentally impacting what we do including strategy, processes, metrics, technologies, and our career choices.

In this session, you will learn:

• Why companies are moving toward Talent Management
• What the fundamental components of Talent Management are
• How this will personally impact your future career choices

Audience: Novice designers developers and others interested in understanding how to thrive in a period of change.

Thursday, March 25, 2010 04:00 PM

Justin Hearn, GeoMetrix Data Systems, Inc.

We are now aware that most learning takes place outside of formal training activities. It is currently accepted that as much as 70% of enterprise learning takes place on the job, while another 20% draws on the knowledge of others – with as little as 10% coming from formal training. In addition to the advances in managing formal training, learning management systems (LMSs) of the future must provide tools to support informal and non-formal learning, as occurs in communities of practice.

Participants in this session will get a brief history of learning management systems before discussing the challenges and benefits of managing all forms of learning within an organization. You’ll learn the direction LMSs are taking, why the changes are necessarily happening, and what to look for in your future LMS.

In this session, you will learn:

• A brief history of learning management systems
• The direction that learning management systems are now taking
• Why these changes are happening, and why they are necessary
• What to look for in a learning management system that will address these needs

Thursday, March 25, 2010 04:00 PM

Alena Han, TELUS
Pamela Fragomeli, Operitel Corporation

In the world of LMS purchasers, users, and providers it is important to establish and maintain successful partnerships. You can do this through effective planning, communication, and project management. This session offers an in-depth look at a successful partnership, and the lessons learned while developing it.

In this interactive case-study session, participants will learn “how” to achieve effective planning, communication, and project management in a client/vendor partnership. Getting to the “how” requires going back to the basics and defining what a true partnership looks like. Using the TELUS/Operitel experience from contract signing to after-sales support, this working session will help you improve existing or future partnership management.

In this session, you will learn:

• What successful partnerships look like
• How to set the stage that will lead to positive project outcomes
• How to brew “the perfect cup of coffee”
• How finding the balance between two different corporate cultures can achieve successful long-standing partnerships

Audience: Novice, intermediate, or advanced participants with an interest in looking at, building, and perfecting client/vendor partnerships. Although the focus will be on LMS implementations, the session will be useful for many different types of partnerships

Thursday, March 25, 2010 04:00 PM

Stephen Lord, Kaplan IT Learning
Connie Stephens, RBC Bank (USA)

Connie Stephens works for RBC Bank, a subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Canada in Raleigh, NC. She has five years experience in learning design and development, assessment creation and reporting, and LMS Administration. Earlier, she worked for seven years as a facilitator, training in multiple business areas at RBC Bank and its predecessors. Connie is a certified Instructional Designer, and a graduate of the University of Louisville with a B.S. in Occupational Training and Development.

Replacing conventional instructor lead training with one part classroom training and more parts blended learning components can be a unique challenge with potentially unknown outcomes – especially with limited resources, a reduction of training personnel, and a limited development budget. When the learning objectives are numerous, and there is a large number of existing materials, it is imperative to leverage existing content wherever possible within the new blended learning environment.

Participants in this case-study session will learn how RBC Bank cost effectively and successfully migrated from traditional classroom training to a blended e-Learning solution throughout their whole organization.

In this session, you will learn:

• Best practices and tips to transform traditional training into a blended learning approach
• The methods that RBC Bank used to measure employee satisfaction with training
• The assessment techniques used to measure employees’ abilities to perform the skills they learned on the job
• The most effective tools for collaboration during development that facilitate faster delivery of current, targeted, and engaging training content to learners while meeting tight deadlines
• How to maximize the power of templates and re-usable content objects in a blended learning program

Audience: Novice, intermediate, and/or advanced audience knowledge; basic knowledge of solutions for e-Learning development and deployment.