Instructional Designers In Offices Drinking Coffee

Systems Thinking is the skill or ability to solve problems in complex systems.  Hey! That sounds like a lot of the work done by instructional designers!  Sometimes, yes. But not always.  In many cases we learn about the learners by building personas, and we learn about the content from subject matter experts and the actual tasks of the job.  But what about all the other elements that are a part of that learners complete, and complex environment?Luckily, in this episode of IDIODC, Qian Feng joins us to discuss systems thinking and how it applies, or should apply more heavily, within our systems of instructional design. Qian will share her passion for systems thinking in L&D and why we need to look beyond our immediate circle of influence and understand the wider systems in which employees are working. We should consider other parts of their system like the culture, the norms, the org structure, processes, and more, in order to design impactful learning that sticks.As an added bonus Qian will share some ama

Storyboarding is a basic skillset often overlooked by instructional designers and project managers.  For many developers the storyboarding process is bypassed in favor of building an eLearning "proof of concept".  This is great for developers given the storyboarding task, and for one-person ID teams to optimize their project processes. However, storyboarding is a valuable skill for everyone to learn. Storyboarding can be used to communicate ideas and concepts in more powerful ways with stakeholders and clients to increase understanding and overall chances of project success.  Sketching interaction ideas/concepts can also improve communications between designers and developers.  In this episode, Kevin Thorn joins us for our recurring IDIODC Drink'n'Draw show where Kevin teaches instructional designers different aspects of drawing applied to the work of instructional designers and eLearning developers.Become virtual friends with the IDIODC gang on Twitter. Remember you can always stay in the loop by searching t

Question: IDIODC stands for Instructional Designers in Offices Drinking CoffeePlease select the best answer below.- True- False- None of the above"Multiple-choice questions are hard to write well. Too many multiple-choice questions measure recall of course content rather than achievement of (well-written) learning objectives! Poorly chosen and written multiple-choice questions damage assessment validity." - Patti ShankBecome virtual friends with the IDIODC gang on Twitter. Remember you can always stay in the loop by searching through the #IDIODC tag:Brent: @BSchlenkerChris: @Chris_V_WIDIODC: @TeamIDIODC Brent Schlenker is dominKnow's Community Manager. Chris Van Wingerden is dominKnow's Sr. VP Learning Solutions. Want to join us live? Follow us on Crowdcast: https://www.crowdcast.io/dominknow

Many training teams are already deploying DE&I courses.  Is yours? Are you building your own courses or buying off-the-shelf curricula, or maybe even both?  What if there was more to it than that?It's not an easy decision to make, and in some cases, it's a difficult conversation to have within your team, organization, and/or company.On this episode, Liza Wisner joined us to talk about DE&I and so much more.  She has an amazing background and unique experiences to share with the IDIODC community.  She was a top 3 finalist on the television show, "The Apprentice" and serves her community as the Senior Curator of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives at OpenSesame.  You might also be interested to know that she is part of our community being professionally trained in computer science and educational technology.  Become virtual friends with the IDIODC gang on Twitter. Remember you can always stay in the loop by searching through the #IDIODC tag:Brent: @BSchlenkerChris: @Chris_V_WIDIODC: @TeamIDIODC

Learning is often seen as a solo endeavor. But in reality our learning requires input from others.  Sometimes that input comes from an instructor, and sometimes from your peers.  However, input and engagement from management during training sessions, and as part of the overall learning process, is often overlooked, or viewed as not necessary.Managers want their employees trained but are often under a lot of pressure to "get them back to work".  Their business objectives will always take priority over the training objectives.  By integrating managers into the learning deployment they become involved in the process, understand the learning strategy, and can become strong advocates of your training solutions instead of being barriers.Become virtual friends with the IDIODC gang on Twitter. Remember you can always stay in the loop by searching through the #IDIODC tag:Brent: @BSchlenkerChris: @Chris_V_WIDIODC: @TeamIDIODC Brent Schlenker is dominKnow's Community Manager. Chris Van Wingerden is dominKnow's Sr. VP Le

If there were design principles that significantly improved the accessibility of your eLearning courses would use it?Universal Design for Learning might be new to you, and your instructional designers. But accessibility is something we are all familiar with and should be working towards improving.  With today's authoring tools, like dominKnow, you can easily implement accessible learning content using universal design principles.Judy Tseng helps us all better understand how to create training content that is easily navigable, and understandable for all users so that even if a participant has dyslexia, visual impairments, or is an English language learner, then can still navigate and comprehend the content just as successfully as the rest of their colleagues.You'll be ready to create engaging training content accessible to a wide variety of audiences by simply following some very basic UDL principles.Save your spot and get started learning about Universal Design for Learning.Become virtual friends with the IDI

So you want to be a CLO? Are you sure? Do you really know what it means to be a CLO?According to Wikipedia:"A chief learning officer (CLO) is the highest-ranking corporate officer in charge of learning management. CLOs may be experts in corporate or personal training, with degrees in education, instructional design, business or similar fields.Qualified CLOs should be able to drive the corporate strategy and align the development of people with the business goals of the organization. A full complement of skills, including business analytics, technology, learning theory, performance consulting and scientific inquiry, are important for success.[1]The CLO may report directly to the CEO, but may also report to the Head of HR or Chief Talent Officer."In this episode Frank Nguyen will join us for a special IDIODC Career Chat.  We will discuss his "origin story" and how he discovered a career in Learning and Development. And while not all of his titles were CLO, he has been in several executive roles equal too or eve

Have you ever done an Escape Room?  There are real world versions as well as virtual versions.  They started as a fun group activity and now instructional designers are learning about eLearning engagement from Escape Rooms. Alexander Salas is back to guide us through his Escape Room design process.  In this session you'll create a short backstory where learners are trapped and the only way to escape is through applying what they need to learn. Bring a topic and let’s have fun transforming it into an awesome game.Become virtual friends with the IDIODC gang on Twitter. Remember you can always stay in the loop by searching through the #IDIODC tag:Brent: @BSchlenkerChris: @Chris_V_WIDIODC: @TeamIDIODC Brent Schlenker is dominKnow's Community Manager. Chris Van Wingerden is dominKnow's Sr. VP Learning Solutions. Want to join us live? Follow us on Crowdcast: https://www.crowdcast.io/dominknow

Meeting your learners where they're at means delivering learning content outside of the traditional learning management system. And giving your users just the right information at just the right time in just the right amount is also a challenge. This challenge only increases as your audience grows to hundreds or thousands spread across the globe. Enter the chatbot.Now that the world of work has been disrupted, with no sign of turning back, collaborative apps like Slack and Teams become a central point of collaboration and getting work done.  Chatbots give instructional designers and developers a powerful tool for creating "sticky" training programs increasing your learner engagement.  In this episode, we'll talk with Vince Han about how these collaboration platforms incorporate chatbots. The chatbots are always "on" as reminders, a little nudge, a challenge, or even answering questions.  The technology has come a long way in the last 10 years which means you can use API integrations to track progress and othe

I think it's safe to say that over the last 18 months the #1 concern for training professionals has been moving live face-to-face classroom courses to online virtual classrooms. Many of us are still redesigning those courses, improving and adapting them to the new world of work. DEI initiatives are at an all time high with L&D departments challenged to re-train employee populations. And with disruption comes opportunities like moving into management roles.In this episode, we'll talk with Sravani Tammiraju, Product Manager at VISA.  She's worn many hats over the last few years and one of those hats was in Learning & Development.  She's going to share with us how she successfully transitioned a highly interactive 5-day face-to-face onboarding program and redesigned it for as a 100% virtual online experience. She'll share the project constraints, challenges, and roadblocks, and explore the solutions her team put in place.We'll also ask Sravani about how she went from being a software engineer to a L&

We do a lot of drawing with Kevin.  In this episode we're looking at taking those drawing skills and adding them to instructional videos. There are a lot of methods for adding graphical elements to videos and we'll talk about a few techniques and concepts that can be very useful for instructional videos. Kevin will be sharing some advanced video methods like converting your videos to animated gifs and rotoscoping.  Gifs may not be viewed as possible instructional media, but we'll help you see them in a different way.  We'll also be discussing why an instructional designer needs to understand video production terms like rotoscoping and others.Advanced video concepts will level up your instructional videos by adding that element of pizazz that so many internal stakeholders and clients request. Summer is the perfect time to level up your production skills. We'll introduce these concepts and show you some examples. Then we'll give you a challenge to learn one of these skills and create an example during the month

The term Gamification is often used, and over-used, in our industry.  But any time I hear about measurable results I am immediately interested.  In this episode we're talking with Jeanne Bakker, founder of Brain Bakery.  You may have seen her YouTube videos or attended one of her many keynotes around the world.  She also hosts the podcast No More Boring Learning, but it's not in English so I haven't heard it yet.We'll discuss how one of her client companies used gamification, storytelling, rewards, and manager commitment to redesign an onboarding program with real measurable results at Kirkpatrick Level 4. And we'll also make sure you leave with ideas about gamifying your own onboarding or other training programs as well as inspiration to measure your performance results.Jeanne Bakker (1972), founder of Brain Bakery, studied Psychology, English Literature and the Science of Education. Jeanne has released several books including the bestseller 'Dealing with Dragons'. She develops and leads international traini

Classroom training is still the most common method of delivering courses. Even after 2 decades of internet disruption and new technologies. It's not only time to change but we're way past it being the right time to change.It's important to remember that training is an event while learning is a long-term process.  Simple enough, right?  Once you understand this simple truth you begin to realize how traditional classroom events are inadequate in supporting the entire learning process.  We need to design more, or something totally different.In this episode we're talking with Ann Rollins about her experiences moving event-based training to learning journeys.  We'll talk about active learning experiences that inspire learners, creating high-level learner personas and learning journeys that are integrated into other corporate initiatives. Ann will also share with us how existing tech infrastructure can be used to create a better learner experience.In a post-pandemic world there are many new corporate initiatives th

Making learning and development (L&D) content inclusive and accessible for everyone is not only a good thing to do, it's the right thing to do. Designing Accessible Learning Content provides evidence-based advice on designing digital learning content that ensures all learners are included and are therefore able to perform to their full potential.Join us for a conversation with Susi Miller, author of Designing Accessible Learning Content.We'll cover the wide ranging topic of accessibility and how ID's and eLearning developers can do more to improve access for all.We'll also talk about the basics of accessibility and how you can level up your career by being more sensitive to designing and developing more accessible learning solutions.Susi Miller is an industry leading expert on accessible learning design and the founder and director of eLaHub (www.elahub.net). She is the author of Designing Accessible Learning Content - A practical guide to applying best-practice accessibility standards to L&D resource

Why do I need to know digital design if I'm already an instructional designer?Opinions vary on the answer to this question but the average instructional design is often also responsible for creating the final eLearning product that is loaded into the LMS.  So while ID is critical for the training organization you can level up your career quickly by upskilling with some digital design skills.Mark Lassoff will be joining us to discuss some of the things you'll need to learn in order to effectively supplement your ID knowledge with some DD skills.Mark's course on Digital Design describes it this way:"Digital designers create the user interface, design, and images for online products. Online products include (of course) web sites, mobile applications, social and marketing content, digital branding, signage, and more. The digital revolution continues, and the need for digital designers has increased exponentially."Some of that increased demand is also in eLearning. So you won't want to miss this episode and prepar

Just because you have an instructional design degree doesn't mean you're limited to only working in training teams.  The growing number of Software as a Service companies in recent years has placed Customer Experience teams above the standard training department. You might ask, but how could any department be more important than the training department? It's a long story, but here's the short version: Customer Experience directly impacts the company's bottom line. Internal training is important, but without customers there is no need for employees to be trained. But do not despair. Your ID knowledge and skills are useful and, as it happens, necessary.  Onboarding new customers is the new "onboarding".  It's different than onboarding new employees however both require learning. In this episode, we have the unique opportunity to talk with one of our own, Mel Milloway, who has decided to make the leap out of training into the world of CX.  Mel is a former guest on IDIODC and you all have certainly come to know h

There was once a day that instructional designers only selected ONE method of content delivery.  Those days are long gone.  With today's technology there are many, many, more options. As new technologies came along the industry began to call it blended learning solutions. But how do we decide which elements to choose? This is where The Periodic Table of eLearning Elements can help."Brian Washburn offers a simple yet elegant periodic table of learning elements modeled on the original periodic table of chemical properties. Washburn's elements which are organized into solids, liquids, gases, radioactive, and interactive categories similar to their chemical cousins are metaphors for the tools and strategies of the field of learning design; when they're combined, and under certain conditions, they have the potential to create amazing learning experiences for participants. They are that impactful."Join us for a fun and informative conversation around the elements and how we can all apply them to our eLearning desig

Just when I thought TikTok was ONLY for teenagers and the shuffle dance, I see one of our own corporate L&D colleagues, Mike Tholfsen, CRUSHING IT on TikTok with microlearning tutorials. Who knew?So, of course, I had to invite him on the show to talk about how he does it.  And why!Check out this "microtip" for excel: https://www.tiktok.com/@mtholfsen/video/6966327280356379909?lang=en&is_copy_url=0&is_from_webapp=v1&sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6966263930818627078If you're anything like me, you've probably downloaded TikTok, tried it, then deleted it, and just watched your kids "play" with it.  Maybe you've joined them in a dance or 2... ya know, because they asked. But how in the heck could we ever incorporate this crazy little app into our professional, corporate, world of Learning and Development? The pandemic helped answer that question with medical professionals launching accounts and using the platform to explain COVID-19 and all the issues caused by the lockdowns. It's not all just

Kevin Thorn joins us for another "drink'n'draw" episode to help you find your creative inner voice. Everyone can be creative. Like everything else you do as an instructional designer, it just takes practice. Kevin helps ID professionals all over the globe learn simple step by step processes for being a better instructional designer, storyboard creator, sketcher, and learning game designer. Kevin is an award-winning eLearning designer & developer, consultant, and owner of NuggetHead Studioz, LLC., a boutique custom design and development studio specializing in online learning experiences.After retiring from the US Army, Kevin pursued a career in corporate IT and Training & Development. With his combined military and industry experience, Kevin started the Studioz in 2012 working with clients in various industries solving problems in a wide-range of creative projects.Based in the North Mississippi Delta, Kevin, the Chief NuggetHead harnesses a bench a creative practitioners in instructional design, elear

Very few instructors can successfully teach online...alone. The last year of lockdowns and mandatory zoom training have exposed this weakness to the world.  The best online training courses are co-produced with a super hero behind the curtain: The Producer.Having a producer does not guarantee a great instructional experience. However, it does give you a superior advantage.  In this episode, Kassy LaBorie returns to share her experiences and strategies in producing online learning events. We'll talk about why having a producer is so valuable, as well as clarifying the role of the producer. Not everyone is cut out to be a good producer. Just like not everyone is cut out to be a good instructor. But the right combination makes a very powerful learning team.Join us and level up your corporate online training sessions so that you can guarantee better learning results and reduce the dreaded zoom fatigue. Greetings from Rochester, NY everyone! I enjoy sharing my geographical location because with the work I get to d