How much does a car cost? How long does it take to build a house? How long is a piece of string? The answer in all cases—it depends. You can run into the same uncertainty with an eLearning project if it is not properly defined up front. If you don’t know what you are trying to accomplish, what stakeholders expect, what your technology constraints are, and what business drivers will affect your project, how can you create and follow a plan to a successful conclusion?

In this session, you’ll learn key questions to ask to help properly define your eLearning projects. You’ll learn how to: set goals and objectives, understand drivers, identify constraints and risks, identify key design criteria that can affect project cost and schedule, and create a scope of work. You’ll walk away with checklists that you can customize and use to help ensure your projects all start off in the right direction.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to set goals and objectives
• How to identify project drivers
• How to identify project risks and constraints
• How to identify key design criteria that affect cost and schedule
• How to create a scope of work

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

Technology discussed in this session:
NA

We’re all hooked to our devices and our technology. Most of our work can’t be done without it, let alone the scheduling, management, and communications of our personal lives. Likewise, technology is an essential part of today’s training toolbox. So what does the eLearning landscape look like today? Where have we been, and where are we going?

In this session we will take a look back to better understand the current trends in eLearning in order to help us project what the future will bring. We’ll explore the changing nature of courseware; what mobile technology brings; simulations; and social tools. We’ll define some key terms being used and you will gain both ideas and inspiration for how you can incorporate eLearning into your training plans. You will leave this session better informed and motivated to try something new in your next learning initiative.

In this session, you will learn:

• The path of eLearning from the mid-’90s to today
• Key trends that are making waves in eLearning today
• Learn things to try in your own learning initiatives

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, and directors.

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Onboarding is arguably one of the most important learning events in the career of a new employee. Many organizations, however, fail to set up a true learning-focused onboarding program. Instead of inspiring new members of the team, they kill motivation by using boring presentations and eReading instead of eLearning. In today’s workplace, there are many tools and technology that can add value and that will greatly improve this critical learning moment.

In this session, you will design a new onboarding program built upon technology. You will discover uses for augmented and virtual reality, explore iBeacons and how you can use them, and discuss how to flip your onboarding to make it much more social. You will also examine how you can use cutting-edge mobile technologies to enhance the onboarding experience. You will leave this session with a ideas on how to make onboarding a motivational learning experience for your organization.

In this session, you will learn:

• What makes a good onboarding program
• How to flip onboarding
• How to use augmented and virtual reality and iBeacons in onboarding
• How to use wearable technology during onboarding
• Good social media practices in onboarding

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

Technology discussed in this session:
Augmented and virtual reality, iBeacons, wearable technology, and Drones LeapMotion.

Many client training models are geared to an onsite visit that compacts training into a deluge of information and often does not allow for the interaction of the client to effectively make the change they need to make. Many learning professionals are confronted with the problem of delivering instruction to clients or others who have a hard time understanding the process, the system implications, and the specifics of the content that is being delivered.

In this session, you will learn about the issues that plague organizations and their mindset, and how delivery of information affects that mindset. Examples and applications—both successful and unsuccessful—will be shown and explored. You will learn about a variety of methodologies, tools, structures, and timing that were used to deliver a varied implementation and training process.

In this session, you will learn:

• Key considerations in redesigning a training process
• The types of tools that can be used to assist delivery of instruction over time
• How to assist clients and trainees, who may be technologically weak, to be able to accomplish new tasks
• The kinds of questions to ask clients and attendees about their world and processes

Audience:
Novice to advanced project managers, managers, and directors.

Technology discussed in this session:
Skyprep, Basecamp, Trello, Asana, Google Drive, Google Forms, Google Sheets, WebEx, and GoToMeeting.

The learning and talent development consulting field has been growing and evolving over the last 15-plus years. With more professionals deciding to become consultants, there are underlying issues that arise and interfere with the day-to-day life of the consultant. Issues can include: finding opportunities to consult, knowing how to price one’s services, invoicing and getting paid, managing client expectations, negotiating changes to the work while it’s in progress, and protecting one’s own intellectual property when licensing it to clients.

In this session, you will learn how to address these key issues through examples of these situations, ideas, and processes. This session will encourage discussion and sharing of ideas from your peers. You will gain perspectives from both the consultant view and the view of those who hire consultants. This session will help you understand the myriad considerations involved in consulting and provide you with tools for thinking through and planning your approach to building a consulting practice.

In this session, you will learn:

• Strategies for finding potential clients and partners
• Developing relationships while marketing
• Methods for determining how to price your services
• What legal documents you may need to define your working relationships
• What it’s like, day-to-day, to work as a consultant
• Financial considerations of consulting

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, directors, and executives.

Technology discussed in this session:
LinkedIn, customer relationship management systems

Technology continues to advance rapidly, changing how we live and interact with the world around us. Today’s learning professionals face the challenge of staying ahead of this curve and tracking the technologies that are shaping the future of organizational learning, while at the same time recognizing technologies that may be more of a passing fad.

In this session, you will explore the changing face of the learning technology landscape. You will discuss the various technologies that have shifted the landscape of organizational learning. You will examine the common characteristics of these shifts so that you are better equipped to recognize which emerging technologies have the potential to disrupt organizational learning, as opposed to those that are just hype. You will leave this session better prepared to stay ahead of the evolving technology curve.

In this session, you will learn:

• How technology can disrupt organizational learning
• Which technologies are shaping the future
• The common characteristics shared by disruptive technologies
• Tips for staying ahead of the technology curve

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, senior developers, and managers.

Technology discussed in this session:
Various emerging technologies.

According to Forbes, 61 percent of companies that have LMS systems plan to replace them in the next two years. However, nearly a third of smaller companies still do not have a LMS to deploy training. Many companies are well advanced in terms of online training and development for their employees, but many are late adopters. How do you get from behind the curve? Should you? And if so, how do you go from not much, to state-of-the art?

In this case study session, you will examine a LMS implementation from the perspective of late adoption as a project model and its associated benefits. You will learn how adopting a LMS in 2016 is very different than doing so in 2000. Learn the considerations, planning, and actualizing that must take place for successful implementation. This case study will exemplify what can be expected in smaller companies and corporations that have not yet begun an eLearning journey.

In this session, you will learn:

• What to do when you are starting corporate eLearning from scratch
• The benefits of being a late adopter of learning technologies
• The pitfalls of being technologically challenged late in the game
• How a LMS can transform content and generate new curriculum
• How to overcome obstacles in corporate culture

Audience:
Novice to advanced project managers, managers, and directors.

Technology discussed in this session:
A highly customized Totara LMS platform.

As futurist Ray Kurzweil noted, “We are destroying jobs at the bottom of the skill ladder, we are adding new jobs at the top of the skill ladder. To keep up with that rising skill ladder, we need to make people more skilled. One methodology to do that is education.” To be enablers of the skill sets of the future, jobs in the learning profession will change.

In this session, you will learn about seven major trends that are likely to have a significant impact on shaping the world over the next decade, specifically: quantum computing, synthetic biology, the Internet of Everything, sensors/robotics/AI, big data, 3-D printing, and neurobiological advances. You will learn how each of these trends will influence developments and create new opportunities in the learning profession. You will also discuss some of the new roles in the learning profession that may be created in the future, such as: cloud scrubber, expression coach, learnbot programmer, and sensor coordinator. Will you be ready for this brave new world of learning?

In this session, you will learn:

• Seven key trends causing rapid and profound change in the world
• How those changes are impacting the learning profession
• New learning roles emerging to exploit the changing world
• The current level of acceptance and preparedness for these new roles
• Paths to expedite preparedness for the new roles

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

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Is your organization employing a workforce of motivated and vibrant human beings? Or is the office full of lumbering zombies barely able to pillage snacks from the kitchen and groan in meetings? Many organizations have employees that are so disengaged that it’s like they are becoming the working dead. But there’s hope, and you can save them!

In this session you will learn how to keep your organization from being overrun by an army of unthinking, unmotivated, undead employees. You will explore a number of specific tips, insights, and strategies for invigorating your workforce using a 21^st-century development strategy.

In this session, you will learn:

• Why employee disengagement is killing your company
• A five-step plan for how L&D can enliven and engage employees
• What the future of work and engagement looks like—and why L&D plays a critical role

Audience:
Novice and intermediate  managers and directors.

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Learning and development managers are faced with an ever-changing technical environment and a marketplace requiring cost-effective, competitive solutions. Questions most managers face include: how to ensure that an appropriate mix of training professionals are hired to meet customers’ educational and technical needs, while keeping prices competitive; determining the correct toolset needed to reach a training audience; considering if there is a one-size-fits-all solution appropriate for a team; and how to maintain an eLearning team’s relevance in a fast-moving training world. Staying ahead of new technology while keeping price in check is a challenge.

In this session, you will look at these questions and more. You will explore how the correct mix of learning professionals and experience levels are key in achieving success in today’s eLearning environment. The session will provide insight on criteria to consider when selecting software and hardware for your eLearning team. You will also learn key ways to keep your team relevant and on the forefront of new, eLearning technology.

In this session, you will learn:

• The benefits of composing an appropriate mix of learning professionals to meet a specific performance need
• Ways to maintain the appropriate mix of eLearning professionals over time
• Which training tools (software/hardware) best meet specific training development needs
• Methods for maintaining technical skills within an eLearning team

Audience:
Novice to advanced project managers, managers, and directors.

Technology discussed in this session:
Authoring software solutions, learning management systems, HTML5, Adobe Flash, Adobe Creative Suite, and mobile.

Your company is growing fast. Your team has expanded way beyond the small, intimate group it once was. Demands are increasing. Development tools are changing. The new people have to be brought up to speed, now. And your industry is heavily regulated, so it has to be right. How do you maintain the independent spirit that made your company successful and still get all the work done?

In this session, you will learn the strategies and tools WestJet’s learning and development team developed to solve this problem. You will learn specific strategies you can take home and implement right away, such as breaking the silos, making time for collaboration, getting it right the first time, strategies to speed up development, leveraging talent, and making the most of all team members.

In this session, you will learn:

• To identify key ways to increase collaboration with colleagues and clients on eLearning projects
• To develop key strategies to assist your team in developing high quality eLearning quickly and consistently
• To identify ways to expand the skillsets of your team members and utilize each member to their fullest capacity
• How to break down the barriers and silos that have been built up for years

Audience:
Novice designers, project managers, managers, and directors.

Technology discussed in this session:
PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and Articulate Storyline.

Your employees live in a world where the assumption is that new knowledge and information are always instantly accessible. Employees increasingly turn to readily available online and mobile resources, which offer seemingly unlimited sources of reliable information. As a result, many are growing wary of traditional, mandatory corporate learning programs. How should the L&D function continue to grow to ensure learning programs enable employees to thrive in the 21^st-century workplace?

In this session, you will learn how the learning and development function should continue to evolve to serve both chronically distracted and overwhelmed employees, and growth-oriented yet budget-constrained organizations. You will see how to design holistic learning programs which can match and surpass the expectations of your learners today. The challenges attendees are likely facing will be addressed, and ideas will be offered for implementing learning and communications programs which have succeeded in connecting with both learner and business audiences.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to deliver holistic programs that go beyond just courses
• How to spread awareness and create buy-in around existing and new programs
• How to effectively and sustainably earn the mindshare of your audience
• How to use creative storytelling to communicate value and authenticity

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, and directors.

Technology discussed in this session:
Desktop, mobile, and tablet devices.

Performance orientation and discovery efforts should be a priority before making any decisions about what kind of training should be developed, if any, and how to design, develop, and deliver training using embedded performance support assets.

In this session, you will learn how to help your organization understand what the journey toward adoption of the performance support discipline will require. You will learn how the shift entails moving beyond the traditional training paradigm and adopting an intentional focus on performance. You will learn what it means to treat your organization/enterprise like a dynamic learning and performance ecosystem, and how looking through a performance lens changes the rules of engagement when it comes down to an ultimate goal of sustaining workforce performance solutions.

In this session, you will learn:

• To change the conversation with your stakeholders requesting training
• The significance of Gottfredson’s Five Moments of Need
• To explain the value of using “extended blend” in an intentional, agile design methodology
• To expand your discovery efforts to include attributes of the “point of work”
• To identify the advantages of using single-source documentation

Audience:
Intermediate designers and project managers, managers, and directors.

Subject matter experts (SMEs) are the lifeline of work for instructional designers, trainers, and facilitators of learning. SMEs bring the content to life and provide both relevance and context. However, it can often seem like you and your SME are speaking two different languages, causing the instructional design process and, more importantly, communication to break down. How can you work better with and coach SMEs through your design and development processes to better ensure a positive working relationship and, most importantly, a successful learning initiative?

In this session, you will learn methods for improving communication between you and your SMEs and ways to change up the questions you ask to improve the responses you receive. You will explore how to employ a coaching framework with SMEs and the importance of speaking their language—losing the instructional design lingo and jargon you’ve become accustomed to. You will find this session interesting and entertaining as you explore the various types of SMEs you’ll encounter.

In this session, you will learn:

• Methods for improving communication between you and your SMEs
• Possible ways to change up the questions you ask the SMEs to respond to
• A coaching language and framework
• How to replace instructional design lingo and jargon for improved clarity

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, project managers, managers, and directors.

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Conventional learning methods were quite simply not working for Bloomingdale’s. The learning tactics at Bloomingdale’s were not driving the correct behavior with their 15,000 associates, and as a result the company turned to microlearning as a way to change behavior and drive bottom line results.

In this session, you will learn why Bloomingdale’s decided to break away from conventional practices and try microlearning in 2012—before microlearning was a known term. You will explore the issues the company faced when it was decided to take the organization down the microlearning path and what the dramatic results have been. You will learn from the pitfalls and successes that were encountered along the way. For some, this session will provide a wake-up call for how learning professionals need to adapt their approaches to better meet the needs of a business and its employees. For others, it will help them gain a better perspective on the true benefits of taking a microlearning approach.

In this session, you will learn:

• Why traditional learning practices were not working at Bloomingdale’s
• Why Bloomingdale’s took a microlearning approach
• What Bloomingdale’s learned during their three-plus year journey with microlearning
• The ingredients of an effective microlearning strategy
• The results that Bloomingdale’s has achieved: a $2.2 million a year impact

Audience:
Designers, developers, project managers, and directors.

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Learners prefer modern learning solutions and companies want increased organizational effectiveness. Learning leaders want to provide the best learning solutions possible, but often face the problem of lacking executive support, funding, IT support, etc. Getting executives to invest money requires changing the status quo, having tough conversations, and making trade-offs.

In this session, you’ll learn how to use the learning model canvas to create the story for changing the mindset and help gain support for new learning solutions. You’ll start by identifying the top two patterns and top five learning organization models. You will learn to identify a successful model, key dependencies for new learning solutions, and take actionable next steps: selecting the most effective organizational learning model; highlighting the dependencies for new learning solutions; determining actionable steps to secure resources for desired learning solutions; and facilitating consultant-like conversations at the executive level. You will walk away with your own Learning Model Canvas story framework for having consulting-like conversations.

In this session, you will learn:

• The two key patterns and five top learning organization models in use today
• How to create a story to have consulting-like conversations with executive leadership to gain buy-in and resources for a new learning solution
• How to have tough consulting-like conversations with executives
• How to use learning model interdependencies to negotiate trade-offs
• The actionable next steps to sell the new learning solution internally
• How to measure the effectiveness of the new learning solution

Audience:
Novice to advanced project managers, managers, and directors.

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Participant technology requirements:
A laptop with Wi-Fi for accessing an interactive PDF.

While there are webinars that talk about what you should consider before becoming a freelance consultant, there remains the challenge of what to do once you make the choice to become a freelancer. In other words, what do you need to put in place to protect yourself and your new business, and how do you thrive in a competitive landscape?

In this session, you’ll learn about the pros and cons of direct and subcontract-type work, as well as the basics of selecting the type of business to form, why you should create a webpage and portfolio, and the types of business insurance you should consider, and why you should create a webpage and portfolio.

In this session, you will learn:

• About the two types of freelance work and the pros and cons of each type
• About the three types of insurance you should consider having as a freelancer and describe what each type covers
• The different types of businesses you may register as and why you should register as a business
• The benefits of creating your business webpage and portfolio

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, and project managers.

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

Many L&D professionals look inward toward their own field for professional development. While this approach certainly has its merits, it also has its downsides, such as: the likelihood of groupthink, reduced exposure to other disciplines, and minimized opportunities for thinking and acting differently. None of the downsides are sound ingredients for ensuring that you, as a professional, are as well-informed as you should be.

In this session, you will gain insights into looking outside of the L&D industry for inspiration; the latest thinking on a range of subjects, including content marketing, user experience design, mobile, social learning, and neuroscience; early exposure to trends; and differing perspectives. You will learn to look outward from your own industry and improve your professional practice as a result. This session will reassure you that breaking out of your bubble is the right thing to do.

In this session, you will learn:

• What the advantages are of breaking out of the L&D bubble
• Where to start looking for external opportunities
• How to maintain focus and momentum for a subject that may not be your day job
• Some of the key takeaways gained from professional experiences

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

Technology discussed in this session:
MOOCs, and mobile (general).

OER (open education resources) have gained ground in quality and access over the last decade. How did this movement start? Where is it going? How can OER benefit your learning programs? Answers to these questions will be provided by looking at examples of quality OER options for integration to online learning experiences. The bottom line: OER saves money, provides quality materials to the learning environment, and opens doors to education for students who in the past would not be able to afford higher-level learning programs.

In this session, you will learn about implementing OER to drive creative learning solutions. You will explore this process and examine several outstanding examples of OER currently being experienced by students around the world. You will learn principles of OER history/development and take away ideas on how to add engaging interaction to your design process. You will also learn about a variety of OER tools, development, and processes to assist in producing effective eLearning courses.

In this session, you will learn:

• OER history
• OER materials available to you right now
• How to navigate CC licensing
• The locations of several OER repositories to find open learning materials

Audience:
Novice designers and developers.

Technology discussed in this session:
OER resources online, CC site, and licensing options.