Do you know how to create an effective diagram? Can you create a graph that tells a story? Because visualizing abstractions can improve comprehension and facilitate learning, an important skill in L&D is the ability to convey abstract concepts and statistics in a meaningful way. But if you don’t know how to design the best type of graphic to meet your learning goal, how will your explanation be a success?

In this session, you’ll explore how people perceive and process information visualizations. You’ll look at different types of information graphics and match them to the learning they best promote. You’ll also examine what goes into designing an information graphic, how to choose an appealing visual style, and some of the resources that are available for information graphic creation.

In this session, you will learn:

• How visual perception should influence the type of information graphic you choose
• How to match the graphic type with the learning goal
• A design process for creating information graphics
• Where to find resources for designing information graphics

Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers and developers.

Technology discussed in this session:
Information graphic creation and information graphic tools.

Education and training departments work under tight budgets and deadlines. In this environment, the temptation to use images and media from the web increases, especially in light of the plethora of social spaces that are used to share such objects. But what can you use? Under what circumstances? And how do we give credit where credit is due?

In this session you’ll learn more about how you can use content you find online while still respecting copyright. You’ll start by taking a practical look at what copyright means to our industry, including investigating what content you can and can’t legally use in your work and how to give appropriate credit to creators. You’ll then explore a newer licensing option that makes it even easier for people to share and use content legally: Creative Commons. You’ll discover how this content license is particularly helpful when you have little to no budget, where to find Creative Commons-licensed content, and what ways you’re able to use what you find. This session will help you feel more confident that you’re using the media you find online the right way, and will even give you more sources for finding it in the first place.

In this session, you will learn:

• The basics of copyright law, fair use, and the TEACH act
• What Creative Commons (CC) licensing is, and what the different licenses mean
• How to find CC-licensed images and media
• How to easily and appropriately cite CC-licensed images and media

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

Technology discussed in this session:
None

Augmented reality has been around for decades, but it has recently resurfaced and become a hot topic. Every day you are bombarded with new solutions utilizing this idea. However, many of them just multiply the simplistic and common way of thinking. People used to associate AR with mobiles and glasses. Is this field really so limited? Let’s redefine augmented reality to find new ways of designing innovative and disruptive learning solutions.

During the session, you will learn to redefine and expand the meaning of augmented reality. You will see examples of solutions that are far beyond usage of mobile devices and AR-enabled glasses, such as a “day in the life of” (DILO) approach. You will break the connotation of AR with visual sense, which dramatically reduces creativity in this field, and learn how work and training augmentation can support your professional life.

In this session, you will learn:

• How augmented reality can support people development
• How to better classify augmented reality solutions (“on the fly,” “reflective,” “situational”)
• How to adapt AR solutions into the learning design process
• About curated materials for self-reading and reflections on AR

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

Technology discussed in this session:
Various AR-related technologies.

Finding ways to make learning “stick” with technology is always a challenge. Augmented reality (AR) is one of those “make it stick” technology options available for education and training. However, AR can seem overwhelming, expensive, time-consuming, and difficult to use in everyday learning development. These assumptions cause developers to overlook the potential this technology holds for their learners.

This session will explore how easy it is to get started with augmented reality. You will be introduced to free development tools that you can use to create original AR content. You will leave this session with the knowledge to plan, build, and share your project with the community.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to plan out a successful AR element for use in your lesson
• About the necessary components of a successful AR project
• How to design your own AR project with free development tools
• About the possible interactions available with AR
• About multimedia assets that can enhance an AR project
• How to publish your AR design

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

Technology discussed in this session:
Apple devices, Android devices, Aurasma, AR Studio, and Entiti.

Participant technology requirements:
A laptop, an Apple or Android device, the Aurasma app, and the Entiti app.

Searching for new and innovative ways to present content is an ongoing challenge for most instructional designers. If you’re stuggling with this yourself, you may want to consider using an inconventional option—comics and comic-style art. Comics are a great way to share content in an engaging and effective way, and their growing popularity has helped them grow in acceptance within L&D. That said, if you’ve never created comic-style content, it’s hard to know where to begin—particularly if you need assistance acquiring or creating your visuals.

In this session, you’ll find out what you need to know to get started with using comics and comic-like approaches in your projects. You’ll explore what ways the comic format works best for L&D and how to think about creating comics from an instructional design perspective, including specific approaches for leveraging comics in eLearning. You’ll then look at the production side and learn more about writing and planning, including how to storyboard a comic, as well as options for sourcing visuals if you’re not able to draw them yourself.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to apply the comic format to instructional design
• How to understand the differences of various approaches to comics
• How to plan and storyboard a comic to fit instructional design
• How to source comic art or source talent to create the visuals for your comics

Audience:
Novice and intermediate designers and managers. A basic understanding of instructional design principles is assumed; no visual design skills are required.

Technology discussed in this session:
N/A

You asked your voice-over artist for a natural, conversational recording, but what you got back is stiff and formal. You waste time going back and forth with voice-over talent about pronunciation or rewording. Too often, you need to re-record voice-over due to errors or confusion. You need a process to make your script writing more efficient and effective.

In this session, you will learn one proven technique you can use to avoid many voice-over script pitfalls, regardless of whether you use professional voice-over talent or record it yourself. You’ll also learn how to identify and correct common errors and how to adapt your writing style for more engaging, conversational narration. You’ll practice editing some sample scripts during the session so you can immediately apply what you learn. You will also receive a review checklist you can take with you and share with your team to improve the quality and consistency of your scripts.

In this session, you will learn:

• A proven technique to avoid many voice-over script pitfalls
• How to identify and correct common voice-over script errors
• How to adapt your writing style to create more engaging and conversational voice-over scripts
• How to format your voice-over scripts for easier, more efficient recording
• How to practice editing sample script segments

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, managers, editors, and course writers. Experience working with voice-over scripts is beneficial but not required. Novice and intermediate designers will gain the most, but experienced designers and writers will still pick up a few new tips.

You’ve put hours and hours into analyzing content, spent days painstakingly storyboarding your product and drafting the scripts, carefully thought about the navigation choices—and yet you’re still met with “Great, but can you make it look nicer/better/modern/pretty?” when you show it to your client or stakeholders. What more can you do when you’ve utilized sound learning theory and development strategies, but you’re still expected to be a graphic designer on top of it all?

In this session, you’ll explore how the combination of just a few fundamental principles of design can make what you create look more coherent and fluid, even if you’re not a trained graphic designer yourself. You’ll learn how to analyze existing design, identify areas for improvement, and understand what principles and strategies can help you achieve a more aesthetically appealing design. Whether you consider yourself to have an aesthetic eye or not, these principals will enhance the presentation of your content in a way that will impress your audience and stakeholders.

In this session, you will learn:

• Basic principles of design that can quickly enhance your visual design skills
• How to analyze existing content and identify the weak areas of a design
• How to use design best practices to improve those weaknesses
• How to break down efficient designs into the fundamental design principles

Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers and developers.

Technology discussed in this session:
Microsoft PowerPoint and Apple Pages.

Participant technology requirements:
PC or Mac running PowerPoint or Pages.

In L&D, keeping people engaged and interested in the content you’re sharing with them is one of your primary goals. But in order to ensure what you’re designing feels fresh and current, it’s important to look for inspiration not just within the L&D industry, but in other industries that have similar goals. And one of the most innovative sources you can look to is web design. Like in L&D, web designers need to catch and keep the attention of a busy and easily distracted audience, and the design trends that have sprung up in this industry can help you find new ways to reach the people you’re creating content for.

In this session, you’ll explore how to incorporate some of the latest web design trends into your eLearning to improve learner engagement and user experience. You’ll learn more about web trends such as flat design, full screen backgrounds, simplicity, cinemagraphs, and parallax/vertical scrolling, and how they all increase the opportunity for people to connect with content. Not only that, but you’ll also look at how these trends can be adapted for your own learning and performance support projects.

In this session, you will learn:

• About the advantages of borrowing from web design trends and using them as inspiration
• How to implement web design trends without losing focus on effective learning
• How to use visuals to direct attention to what is important
• How to adapt parallax scrolling and other web navigation trends to eLearning courses
• How to create opportunities to make emotional connections through good visual design

Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers and developers.

Technology discussed in this session:
eLearning authoring tools such as MS PowerPoint, Adobe Captivate, and Articulate (general).

Support for Flash continues to erode. Mobile browsers stopped playing Flash years ago, and reports suggest the end of full support for Flash in Google’s Chrome browser is imminent. More and more, it’s becoming obvious that Flash is not a long-term solution. But if you have Flash content in your online training materials, what can you do about it other than completely rebuild?

In this session, you’ll explore options for displaying your Flash content going forward so you can avoid having to re-create it from scratch. You’ll look at how you can capture your existing Flash content and convert it to a more future-friendly format. You’ll also learn how to provide a video fallback for your Flash presentations. To help you move forward, you’ll then find out how you can use the HTML video player to do much of what Flash does today.

In this session, you will learn:

• How tools can capture the output from your Flash presentations and convert it to video
• How to provide a video fallback for browsers that do not support Flash
• What some of the alternatives to Flash are in modern HTML
• How to control video playback with “track” files

Audience:
Intermediate to advanced designers and developers. Attendees should have an understanding of the basic syntax of HTML; further understanding of the HTML tag, and its option, will be helpful.

tag, and its option, will be helpful.

Technology discussed in this session:
HTML.

Great design and intriguing media can do a lot to add clarity and interest to your content. Unfortunately, these things aren’t the easiest to include when you don’t have a design background or the budget to hire someone who does. But does this challenging situation mean that professional-looking design and media is completely out of reach? No. It just means you need to find inexpensive options to help you out.

In this session you’ll explore the wide range of cheap (and even free) tools and resources that you can use to create polished projects. You’ll look at inexpensive options for acquiring pre-created design assets and media, including a few completely free sources. You’ll then look at what budget-friendly tools are available help you create your own well-designed content on your computer or mobile devices. This session will concentrate on tools that aren’t just cheap, but also easy to use regardless of your design experience. You’ll then finish with a selection of resources that can help you further build your design skills.

In this session, you will learn:

• Why cheap doesn’t always equal poor quality when it comes to design tools and resources
• Which free and cheap web-based tools can assist you with design
• Which budget-friendly apps can be used with your smartphone or tablet to create your own media
• Where to find inexpensive images and media for your projects

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

Technology discussed in this session:
A wide selection of web-based tools (such as Infogr.am, Adobe Spark Video, and Canva) as well as apps (including Retype, Composition Cam, and Quik).

Is it possible to use virtual reality and augmented reality for your organization’s training on a budget? In this session, you’ll explore some amazing virtual and augmented reality training examples, bust some common myths about the hot new platform taking the consumer technology world by storm, and learn how you can integrate virtual and augmented realities into your training in a practical, powerful, and cost-effective manner.

You need images for your eLessons, and you can’t find exactly what you want. Or if you do find the right one, it costs money that you don’t have in the budget. Or you want to create the images yourself but don’t think you have the artistic talent to do so.

You don’t need to be a graphic designer with fancy software to make professional-looking images. In this session, you’ll learn how to use PowerPoint to create slick images. You’ll use effects like 3-D format, shadows, 3-D rotations, merge shapes, and animations to create a peeled sticker, rotating gears, glass balls, puzzle pieces, a winding road, silhouettes, infographic icons, and more. You’ll also learn how to export PowerPoint animations to MP4 videos and single slides as an image.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to use PowerPoint effects to make professional-looking images
• How to create MP4 videos from PowerPoint animations
• How to create puzzle pieces, peeled stickers, glass balls, winding roads, infographic icons, and more

Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers with basic PowerPoint knowledge.

Technology discussed in this session:
Microsoft PowerPoint.

Participant technology requirements:
Laptop with PowerPoint installed.

For years Flash was the dominant tool for creating slick, professional-looking animations. But with Flash now on its way out and HTML5 becoming the new standard, what should you be using to create your custom animation projects? Have you heard about Adobe Animate? This tool is Adobe’s replacement for Flash Professional; it will allow you to create the same kinds of detailed animations, but now with new features as well as an output that’s compatible with the technology and devices your audience is using to view your content.

In this session you’ll explore the basics of Adobe Animate. You’ll look at how exactly you can use it in your projects and what kind of work it can best enhance. To get acquainted with the tool, you’ll get a quick tour of the interface, view samples of content created with it, and discuss best practices for using Animate effectively. You’ll even see a real-world demonstration of how to create an interactive element that you can easily incorporate into existing eLearning projects.

In this session, you will learn:

• The basics of creating animated content with Animate
• Best practices for working with Animate
• How you can use one piece of Animate content in many products and environments
• How to add Animate content to Captivate projects

Audience:
Novice designers and developers.

Technology discussed in this session:
Adobe Animate and Adobe Captivate.

It is every company’s goal to have an onboarding experience that gets new employees up to speed quickly and helps them truly understand the company’s brand. When a team at Coca-Cola Beverages Florida looked at what they could do to innovate their onboarding and make it more effective, one new technology came to mind: augmented reality (AR). AR can create immersive experiences and let people add new layers of content to the world around them. Could it also work to help new hires become contributing team members as quickly as possible?

In this session, you’ll learn more about Coca-Cola’s experience with AR technology in its onboarding while also building strategies for leveraging this technology in your own training and performance support projects. Using apps available on your phone, you’ll be able to experience a portion of the Coca-Cola onboarding experience firsthand. You’ll then explore the lessons learned from the development of this project, get tips for how AR could enhance training at your own organization, and find out what tools you might want to start developing with.

In this session, you will learn:

• How you can use AR apps to enhance training experiences
• How Coca-Cola Beverages Florida has used AR apps in its own new-hire training
• What the challenges and opportunities are for incorporating AR into L&D projects
• What tools are available for people new to developing AR content

Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, managers, directors, and senior leaders (VP, CLO, executive, etc.).

Technology discussed in this session:
Augmented reality apps such as Aurasma, Layar, and Blippar.

Are you looking for ways to improve your visuals but lacking the resources to splurge on expensive software? Have you tried Snagit? While many people have heard of this budget-friendly tool and know its basic functions for capturing screenshots, they often don’t know that Snagit also has powerful editing features that can allow you to easily create eye-catching visuals.

In this session, you’ll learn more about how Snagit’s editing tools can give you more options for creating and tweaking your graphics. You’ll explore how to use the tool’s image effects; take basic and advanced screen captures; get tips for editing screen shots and photographs; and find out ways to streamline your workflow by customizing capture profiles, the tool menu, and output. Getting to know a few advanced features of this tool will have you creating professional-looking visuals in no time.

In this session, you will learn:

• About Snagit’s editing tools, image effects, and capture profiles
• How to take basic and advanced screen captures
• Tips for editing screenshots and photographs
• How to streamline your workflow

Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers and developers.

Technology discussed in this session:
The most recent version of TechSmith Snagit.

Participant technology requirements:
Laptop running TechSmith Snagit (can use the free trial).

Virtual reality (VR) is a hot topic in technology that offers potential for increased immersion, interactivity, and engagement for your learners.

In this session, you will learn what VR is (and what it isn’t), how it can enhance learning for your audience, and how you can develop and implement VR on a limited (or no) budget. In addition to a deeper dive into the world of VR for learning and development, you will take a look at one of the most popular solutions, Google Cardboard.

In this session, you will learn:

• What VR is
• How to develop and implement VR on the cheap
• How VR can enhance learning
• About VR options on little to no budget
• About Google Cardboard

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, and project managers. Attendees should: be aware of social media, such as Facebook and YouTube; know how to install apps on their mobile devices from Google Play or the iOS App Store; and be able to discuss VR, AR, 360-degree video, and how they compare and contrast.

Technology discussed in this session:
Virtual reality (VR), HTML5, Unity3D, iOS, Android, Android SDK/Studio (IDE), 360-degree video, Facebook 360, YouTube 360, and Google Cardboard SDK.

While human narration can add warmth and help connect the learner to your eLearning course, hiring a professional can be costly and time-consuming. Recording yourself can be a more budget-friendly option; but have you tried to record yourself only to find that you sound more robotic than the text-to-speech software? Great voice-over work takes strong delivery and assistance from recording software—and thankfully, it’s actually quite easy to learn the basics of both.

In this session, you’ll explore simple ways to improve your voice-over recordings. You’ll learn breathing techniques to make you a more effective speaker, scriptwriting tips to make a better product for reading, how to mark a script to help you read it more accurately in the recording session, and the secrets of delivering your text in a professional and impactful way. You’ll also discover the basics of the Audacity recording software, a free and powerful tool that’s perfect for low-cost recording.

In this session, you will learn:

• How to write a script that works for narration
• The confidence to be your own voice-over actor
• How to use effects in Audacity to improve your recordings
• How to deliver text to an audience in an impactful way

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

Technology discussed in this session:
Audacity.

It’s a common problem: You’ve been handed the same old content, but you just can’t bear the idea of creating the same old learning experience with it. But even if you’re limited in the changes you can make to the content, you do have two great tools for enhancing it: storytelling and visuals. By applying powerful storytelling and graphic design techniques, you can transform that tired content into engaging eLearning and leave your audience amazed at how much more entertaining and useful their learning experience has become.

In this session, you’ll learn key storytelling and graphic design techniques and explore how this pairing can be used to transform stale content into an engaging eLearning experience. Easy to grasp even for people without a design or writing background, the tips you discuss in this session will be immediately transferable to your own work.

In this session, you will learn:

• Key foundational graphic design principles and how to implement them effectively
• A simple method of creating stories for your learning projects that is engaging and cohesive
• How to craft visuals for your story based on graphic design principles
• Tips for bringing your story to life using eLearning authoring tools

Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers.

Technology discussed in this session:
eLearning authoring tool (Articulate), mind mapping software (SmartDraw), and image editors (Adobe Photoshop, TechSmith Snagit, MS PowerPoint).