December 9 & 10 • All Online
Creating effective learning experiences doesn’t always require adding another specialized tool to your technology stack. Sometimes, the tools you already use can become building blocks for creative, practical approaches to learning and performance support.
In this online conference, you’ll discover how learning professionals are combining familiar tools in new ways to address a range of learning and performance challenges. From smartphones, spreadsheets, and QR codes to workplace communications and AI tools, you’ll explore practical possibilities for getting more from the technology and resources already available to you.
You’ll walk away with ideas for:
- Combining smartphones, spreadsheets, QR codes, and online forms to create point-of-learning resources that provide support where and when it’s needed
- Bringing release notes, training recordings, documentation, and other resources together to support learning in the workflow
- Combining familiar tools and AI tools to create effective training when time and resources are limited
- Using everyday workplace artifacts, including Teams chats, voicemails, emails, help desk tickets, and handwritten notes, to make learning experiences more relevant
- Using free and accessible technology to turn dense content into more interactive, engaging experiences
- Extending familiar tools, such as spreadsheets, to create ongoing and gamified learning experiences
Connect and exchange ideas with other attendees! At the end of each day, you’ll gather in small groups to reflect on key ideas from the sessions, share perspectives, and explore how you’ll apply what you’ve learned.
Program
DAY 1: December 9
101: Just Add Content: Create Point-of-Learning Kits with Everyday Tools
Adi Stephan, Regenesys
11:25 AM – 12:30 PM ET / 8:25 AM – 9:30 AM PT
Learners need fast, reliable help at the moment of performance—but full courses and LMS content can be slow and costly to build and inefficient for simple tasks. The result can be longer onboarding, repeated support tickets, and lost productivity.
Learn more.
201: Weave Scattered Content into Connected Workflow Learning
Sarah Hurst, 84.51, LLC
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PT
Learning content is often scattered across documentation, release notes, FAQs, training recordings, support channels, roadmaps, and analytics. Yet learners increasingly need information in the flow of work rather than through formal courses or a traditional learning management system. Using case studies from the Kroger Ad Platform and 84.51 Prism Learning Centers, Sarah Hurst shows how to turn existing content and tools into a connected learning ecosystem organized around user tasks.
Learn more.
301: No Time, No Budget: Build an eLearning Pipeline with the Tools You Have
Allison Halterman, Boys & Girls Clubs of America
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM ET / 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM PT
When a partner organization backed out of sharing promised course content, Allison Halterman had to build a five-module Workforce Readiness course series from scratch—with no budget and only two weeks to build and launch each module.
Learn more.
Think Spaces: Real people discussing real things
3:35 PM – 4:05 PM ET / 12:35 PM – 1:05 PM PT
Join us in the lounge at a Think Spaces table discuss today’s sessions
DAY 2: December 10
401: Found Objects: Turn Everyday Work Artifacts into Engaging Learning
Kirby Crider, The Nature Conservancy
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM ET / 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM PT
“Found Objects.” We all have them. They occur in the communication channels where real work happens: Teams or Slack or text messages, emails, voicemails, help desk tickets, and more. You can use—or create—them to make your training immediately more relevant and recognizable to learners.
Learn more.
501: How I Became an Accidental Game Designer with Free Tools and AI
Laura Marshall, WIDA at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PT
Laura Marshall isn’t a gamer or a programmer, and she had no budget for specialized game-development software. But she needed to transform dense assessment content into a 30-minute, quest-based learning experience that busy educators would want to complete.
Learn more.
601: Excel to Onboardopoly: Extending Storyline to Transform Onboarding
Joseph Vajda, Assurant
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM ET / 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM PT
Assurant’s six-week onboarding process included numerous tasks, dependencies, external resources, and manager-verification steps—all tracked in an Excel spreadsheet. While the process provided structure, it did little to keep learners engaged or make progress visible.
Learn more.
Think Spaces: Real people discussing real things
3:35 PM – 4:05 PM ET / 12:35 PM – 1:05 PM PT
101: Just Add Content: Create Point-of-Learning Kits with Everyday Tools
11:25 AM – 12:30 PM ET / 8:25 AM – 9:30 AM PT Wednesday, December 9
In this end-to-end walkthrough, Adi Stephan introduces the Point-of-Learning Kit: a repeatable, low-cost pattern that delivers a 60-90-second how-to video, a one-page job aid, and a one-question feedback form through a single QR code or short URL—all placed at the point of need.
This session provides a focused, end‑to‑end walkthrough of the build, using everyday tools:
- Smartphone video and CapCut or iMovie
- Google Drive, OneDrive, or SharePoint hosting
- Google Sheets or Excel as the content source
- QR code or short URL generator
- Google or Microsoft Forms for feedback
- Zapier or Power Automate for simple syncs and notifications
We will go beyond the build to look at using Data Studio or Power BI for basic analytics and explore delivery options using Slack or Teams. Adi will share real industry applications—and point out common pitfalls. You’ll leave with templates for content, metadata, and version control; a build plan; printable QR-card copy; and a job-aid layout ready to deploy.
Adi Stephan
Chief Learning and Innovation Officer
Regenesys
Adi Stephan, is a Head of Learning and an XR/AI innovation leader with 15+ years building learning programs that work in the real world. Adi has led digital and VR learning projects across pharma, finance, and mining, rolling out 42+ LMS/LXP platforms and 20+ VR simulators, cutting onboarding time by 45%. The Point-of-Learning Kit comes straight from that experience. It’s a simple idea: a QR code on the equipment opens a short 60-90 second how-to video, a one-page job aid, and a quick feedback form. Workers get help right when they need it, without digging through a course or waiting for support. If the video doesn’t solve it, one tap sends the question to an expert. What makes it great is how cheap and easy it is. There’s no complicated system to install and no special equipment needed — just a QR code and a phone camera. It works just as well outdoors on a factory floor as it does indoors in an office or store. Because it’s this simple, it fits almost any industry, from retail to manufacturing to healthcare. I’d love to share what I’ve learned building the Point-of-Learning Kit and why small, well-placed help beats long training courses.
201: Weave Scattered Content into Connected Workflow Learning
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PT Wednesday, December 9
You’ll learn how to map existing resources, identify learning gaps, improve discoverability and self-service, and connect learning assets across documentation, training, support, and collaboration channels. You’ll also explore how to measure impact through search behavior, engagement data, adoption trends, and support requests.
You’ll leave with a repeatable framework and practical techniques for building a connected learning ecosystem—regardless of your budget, technology stack, or LMS availability—along with a downloadable strategy handout.
Sarah Hurst
Senior Technical Writer
84.51, LLC
Sarah Elizabeth Hurst, Ph.D., is a senior technical writer and documentation strategist with more than seven years of experience creating user-centered content and learning experiences. At 84.51°, she leads content strategy and learning enablement for the Kroger Ad Platform and 84.51° Prism Learning Centers. By connecting product documentation, release communications, training resources, analytics, and everyday workplace tools, Sarah has helped evolve traditional help centers into scalable, self-service learning ecosystems. Her hands-on experience makes her uniquely qualified to share practical strategies that learning and documentation professionals can adapt within their own organizations.
301: No Time, No Budget: Build an eLearning Pipeline with the Tools You Have
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM ET / 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM PT Wednesday, December 9
Allison relied on her existing toolkit to create in a crunch:
- Articulate Rise with Descript for talking-head intros and voiceover
- Animaker for short explainer videos and captioning
- Copilot for custom imagery when stock libraries came up empty
- Canva for custom flip-card visuals
- Mighty to extend Rise’s design and functionality beyond its native limits
In this interactive session, Allison will walk through each stage of the process, share visuals from the build, discuss lessons learning, and share feedback from the learner cohort..
You’ll learn how to:
- Combine learning and non-learning tools to produce eLearning quickly
- Extend the capabilities of familiar platforms
- Make sound decisions under pressure
- Protect quality when time and resources are limited.
Allison Halterman
Director, Digital Learning,
Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Allison Halterman is the Director of Digital Learning at Boys & Girls Clubs of America, where she leads the development of eLearning and mobile learning experiences for staff and leaders across the BGC Movement, from frontline Club staff to CEOs and board members. With over a decade in training and development, she brings a deep grounding in adult learning science and instructional design, paired with a curiosity and appreciation for new tools and approaches. Whether she’s redesigning a legacy content strategy or building a full course series from scratch under a tight deadline, Allison’s focus stays the same: creating training that’s relevant, memorable, and drives real performance change for the people who rely on it.
401: Found Objects: Turn Everyday Work Artifacts into Engaging Learning
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM ET / 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM PT Thursday, December 10
In this session, Kirby Crider introduces a practical process for identifying, creating, and adapting these objects to enhance learning experiences. You’ll see examples including a simulated voicemail that launches a disaster-responder simulation, a Teams chat that explores skepticism during a gender analysis, and handwritten Post-it notes used in a course about HIPAA violations.
You’ll learn how to select everyday artifacts that support the learning goal and transform them into engaging learning experiences without starting from scratch. The session includes frequent opportunities for participation and Q&A.
Kirby Crider
eLearning Designer/Developer
The Nature Conservancy
Kirby Crider is an eLearning developer at The Nature Conservancy who has spent 15+ years designing learning experiences for organizations including the World Bank, U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Forest Service, and more. His work focuses on practical, creative approaches to learning design, from scenario-based learning to finding useful applications for AI that go beyond the hype. He is a two-time DevLearn speaker, presenting “Creating Learning Animations with… PowerPoint?” in 2015, and “Learning Podcasts on a Shoestring” in 2018, which received 100% 5-star feedback from participants. He holds an M.S. in Instructional Systems from Florida State University.
501: How I Became an Accidental Game Designer with Free Tools and AI
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PT Thursday, December 10
In this hands-on session, Laura will show how a familiar course map revealed the concept for a gamified experience, a simple concept document built stakeholder support, and Twine, Aseprite, browser-based pixel-art tools, along with AI coding assistants, brought the idea to life.
You’ll experience a live Twine walkthrough, create simple pixel art, and explore how to build branching interactions with minimal coding. You’ll also learn how to use instructional design tools to uncover game concepts, create accessible visual assets, and communicate unconventional ideas to skeptical stakeholders.
You’ll leave with a quick-reference guide to beginner-friendly gamification tools and a concept document template.
Laura Marshall
Learning Experience Designer
WIDA at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Laura Marshall is a Learning Experience Designer at WIDA, an educational services organization focused on advancing the academic success of multilingual learners. Before transitioning to instructional design, Laura spent nearly a decade in international education, where she developed a knack for translating complex information into engaging, digestible content for diverse audiences. At WIDA, she is responsible for high-stakes assessment training completed by over 100,000 educators annually. A self-described non-gamer, Laura recently built a quest-based course that transformed how educators engage with dense assessment content. She is passionate about making creative, innovative learning design a reality for every instructional designer.
601: Excel to Onboardopoly: Extending Storyline to Transform Onboarding
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM ET / 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM PT Thursday, December 10
In this session, Joseph Vajda will show how his team transformed the spreadsheet-based process into Onboardopoly, a persistent, Monopoly-inspired onboarding experience. Using Articulate Storyline, JavaScript, a custom API, and a database, the team created an experience that allows participants to return daily, complete tasks, earn points, track progress across multiple weeks, and redeem rewards upon completion.
You’ll explore the design decisions, technical architecture, and lessons learned behind the project, with a focus on extending familiar learning tools beyond their out-of-the-box functionality. You’ll also consider how these principles could apply to onboarding and other long-term learning programs in your own work.
You’ll learn how to:
- Identify opportunities for tool extensions
- Apply gamification to ongoing learning
- Combine Storyline with targeted integrations to create more engaging experiences
Joseph Vajda
Lead Performance Enablement Specialist
Assurant
Joseph Vajda has worked in the industry for over 23 years, designing and developing learning experiences and technology solutions for employees and clients. Joseph is always looking for ways to extend everyday tools and platforms to build engaging, impactful learning experiences and solve learning challenges.
