Session Schedule Available

You'll be able to choose from 20 breakout sessions in 4 time slots. See the session descriptions below and this year's session schedule to start planning your day. Please keep in mind that although this schedule is as accurate as possible, it may be subject to change.

Keynote Session

Jonathan Halls, Adjunct Professor, George Washington University & CEO, Trainer Mojo LLC  | Bio

Film School for Learning Pros

Some videos on YouTube have millions of views. But many more millions of videos on YouTube have only one or two views. How about the training videos you make for elearning? Do people watch them? Do they learn from them?

Video is the flip chart of the future, and tomorrow's trainers need not only the skills of design and facilitation, but also the skills of media production. Jonathan Halls will present the case for using video in learning—but add a does of realism and explore when it's a waste of money. He'll share techniques from the world of professional media to make your videos not just look good, but also better engage learners. And he'll share tips from the world of production on how to make video quickly without compromising quality. Video has the power to extend learning beyond the classroom and bring the world into the classroom.

Educational Breakout Sessions

Design

Kris Felstehausen, Principal Consultant, Felste Learning Works, LLC | Bio

Using Story to Deliver Technical eLearning Content

According to experts, the adult brain is wired for story. In this session, we’ll review case studies of using story to deliver technical elearning content and explore a method for creating stories that will enhance the effectiveness of elearning. We will also learn the elements of a good story and apply lessons learned to a sample technical training situation.

At the end of this session, you will be able to

Level: Beginner

Dennis Glenn, President, Dennis Glenn LLC | Bio

Micro-Learning, the Next Great Innovation of Corporate Training

Despite all the new high-tech businesses being created today, the vast majority of new jobs are in workaday service industries, like health care, hospitality, retail, and building services. During this session, you will learn about 5 current solutions to implement micro-learning for these employees. We will access and explore Articulate Rise, Sketchfab 3D models with annotations, virtual bootcamps, virtual patient learning and assessment simulations, augmented reality for mobile devices, and 3D virtual reality. These simulated experiences range in cost from free, to very low, and to high end.

At the end of this session, you will be able to

Level: Intermediate

Bring your own laptop: Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop to get the most out of this session.

Jann Iaco, CPLP, Training Specialist, Crate and Barrel | Bio

The Macro on Micro-eLearning: Journey into the Age of Bite-sized Learning

Micro-elearning is here to stay, and as instructional designers, we must be prepared to quickly design “macro” training topics into effective bite-sized experiences for our learners. In this session, we will examine best practices and tips to increase your design productivity. We will also use an interactive activity to reinforce your design work. In addition, we will share examples from a recent journey into “snackable” learning.

At the end of this session, you will be able to

Level: Beginner

Kassy LaBorie, Virtual Classroom Training Expert & Owner, Kassy LaBorie Consulting, LLC | Bio

Interact & Engage! Activities for SPECTACULAR Live Online Events

With virtual classroom training, engagement is the main question on everyone's mind. Interaction is the answer to successful engagement, and using the features of the training platform is the answer to interaction. However, the features alone do not engage participants. It is what you choose to do with those features, including the design choices and the way you connect with participants, that will make the difference. Learn to be successful in the virtual environment and avoid everyone asking for a recording or a copy of the slides 5 minutes into your next virtual event.

At the end of this session, you will be able to

Level: Beginner

Nancy Munro, CEO, Verbal Transactions | Bio

Designing Bot & AI Conversations for Automated Coaching

Do you have a personal relationship with Siri or Alexa? As digital assistants become more mainstream, have you thought about how you can use one within the work environment? In this session, you’ll learn how to design your own intelligent voice assistant for training applications. By understanding how to develop a voice user interface (VUI) via a decision tree, you’ll see how to leverage this technology and think through how to incorporate these platforms into your company. You’ll also learn the different ways in which you can collect user responses, and how to analyze the data you’ll collect.

At the end of this session, you will be able to

Level: Intermediate

Jonathan Peters, Ph.D., Chief Motivation Officer, Sententia Gamification | Bio

Mechanics & the Motivators: A Deliberate Approach to Gamifying Learning Experiences

When it comes to creating gamified learning experiences, most practitioners throw game mechanics at a program without a methodology or rational strategy. The result is hit-or-miss. When budgets and time are in short supply, organizations cannot afford such an approach. This session outlines a practical approach to determining which game mechanics will motivate a targeted audience. You will learn how an empirically based taxonomy of core human desires predicts what will be “fun” for specific participants. Now, instead of trying to force everyone to play, you create experiences they want to engage with.

At the end of this session, you will be able to

Level: Intermediate

Develop

Tim Buteyn, President & Chief e-Learning Strategist, ThinkingKap Learning Solutions, Inc. | Bio

Simulating Real-World Activities in eLearning

The world is complex and three-dimensional, so how do we translate this into two-dimensional keyboard and mouse activities in elearning? Too often, we use multiple choice and other limiting interactions. In this session, we will look at how to distill real-world activities down into their core cognitive components (the most important parts needed to learn the activity) and then translate them into activities suitable for elearning. We'll look at workplace activities, like group brainstorming and physical inspection,and see how those were replicated in Articulate Storyline. Then you will have an opportunity to work through other examples in small groups.

At the end of this session, you will be able to

Level: Intermediate

David Charney, Owner, Illumen Group | Bio

Steve Harker, Senior eLearning Strategy Consultant, Illumen Group | Bio

Unleashing the Power of eLearning Through Infographics

Infographics continue to grow in popularity each year, and it isn't just because people like pretty pictures. It’s because good infographics can simplify abstract ideas, show relationships between information, and bridge knowledge to performance. Infographics often make information understandable, relatable, engaging, and memorable. In this session, we will take a look at the theory behind why infographics are popular, when and why to use infographics, the process of creating infographics, and 5 examples that show how to unleash the power of elearning through infographics.

At the end of this session, you will be able to

Level: Beginner

Stephanie Daul, Learning Consultant | Bio

Build It Once, Use It Again: Developing Reusable Interactions in Articulate Storyline

In this session, we will create a spinner, dice roll, and game board interaction that can be used in Articulate Storyline 360 modules. We will discuss the importance of how the triggers and variables work when creating reusable interactions and how to change out the elements on the slide. You will see how to illustrate and change the background and a few objects to give the interaction a whole new look and feel. You will also learn tips to create these reusable interactions, import them into different projects, and organize them so you can easily find them.

At the end of this session, you will be able to

Level: Intermediate

Bring your own laptop: Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop to get the most out of this session.

Ken Phillips, CEO, Phillips Associates | Bio

Create eLearning Quizzes & Tests That Actually Measure Something

Authoring tools make it easy to build a quiz or test. However, according to a 2015 ATD research report, only 57% of organizations that use quizzes and tests view the data they collect to be of high value. Test items are often perceived as either too easy or too tricky and don't accurately measure participant learning. Test items also focus on measuring the mere recall of facts and not the application of information learned. In this session, you'll learn how to properly construct quizzes and tests so that they can provide useful information regarding participant learning mastery.

At the end of this session, you will be able to

Level: Beginner

Walter Schirmacher, Programmer, Innovative Learning Group | Bio

Getting Started with AR & VR Learning Solutions

If you investigate applications of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) for learning and performance support, you’ll quickly realize there’s a lot to learn. Hardware and development tools are changing rapidly. There are many options to choose from, and it can be difficult to develop accurate cost estimates for AR or VR solutions. In this session, I will put you on the fast track to getting started with AR and VR, from the practical point of view of a long-time elearning developer. I will also share AR and VR examples.

At the end of this session, you will be able to

Level: Beginner

Josh Williamson, Technical Analyst, Astellas Pharma US, Inc. | Bio

Grab Your Headphones! Podcasting Successfully in Corporate L&D

Do your learners crave on-demand, personalized content? Do you think podcasting would be the way to deliver but are stuck on how to bridge the gap between public and private podcasting? Good news…it can be done! During this session, you’ll explore podcasting in a corporate environment and how that differs from public podcasting. You’ll then discuss how to find the right solution for hosting/distribution while delivering a top-notch experience to your listeners. Finally, you’ll identify what success looks like and go step-by-step through launching a podcast app, so you can confidently do the same.

At the end of this session, you will be able to

Level: Intermediate

Bring your own device: Participants are encouraged to bring a mobile device to get the most out of this session.

Manage

Jennifer De Vries, Owner, BlueStreak Learning, LLC | Bio

Writing an eLearning RFP That Generates Accurate Quotes

To hire a vendor to assist with an elearning project, your organization may require a request for proposals (RFP) to obtain multiple quotes. When you receive the quotes, they may vary significantly. How do you know which one to choose? The better question starts at the beginning of the process. How do you obtain accurate, apples-to-apples quotes from quality elearning vendors? To receive good quotes, the RFP must provide appropriate and clear information for the vendor to accurately price and schedule your project. Once you have accurate quotes, you can decide which vendor to choose with a criteria-based, methodical approach.

At the end of this session, you will be able to

Level: Advanced

Judith Hale, Principal, Hale Associates | Bio

Trends in Training: Are You on Target or Off the Mark?

Find out what the latest research says about best practices in training and whether your current practices are relevant for today’s world. In this session, you'll hear descriptions of the best training management practices and how they are the result of changes in how work is done. However, these practives don’t address the changing profile of the workforce. Therefore, you'll receive tips on how to hone your skills and stay relevant in today’s marketplace.

At the end of this session, you will be able to

Level: Advanced

Daniel Keckan, CEO, Cinecraft Productions | Bio

Instructional Designers: Stop Being an Order Taker & Win Over Stakeholders

Have you ever asked yourself, “How do I win over my stakeholders and convince them that it is in the organization’s best interest to produce learning that is performance-focused?” Attend this session and you will receive a scorecard specifically designed for instructional designers. The scorecard is based on 7 Better Learning Principles that have specific performance-focused attributes and a rating scale. Count up the points, and the higher the score, the more effective your training. The beauty of the scorecard is that you can use it to demonstrate the merits of a performance-focused solution with your stakeholders.

At the end of this session, you will be able to

Level: Intermediate

Dave Lee, Director for Membership Engagement and Retention, Association for Talent Development, Chicagoland Chapter (ATDChi) | Bio

Tools & Techniques to Increase Online Engagement

ATDChi has undertaken a broad-reaching initiative to improve membership engagement online and face-to-face. In this session, we'll review findings from research that the chapter has conducted with the full range of our stakeholders regarding the role of online tools in increasing engagement with the organization. We'll benchmark the findings with feedback from you and other session participants, and we'll discuss the types of tools and techniques that can enhance online engagement. This session is for you if you are trying to increase engagement in your organization and/or if you are interested in how ATDChi is working to improve engagement with its members.

At the end of this session, you will be able to

Level: Beginner

Bring your own device: Participants are encouraged to bring a mobile device to get the most out of this session.

Scott McCormick, CEO, Emergent Enterprise  | Bio

Immersive Immediate Information: Enterprise Training in the 2020s

In this session, we will explore innovative ways that companies are adopting emergent technologies to deliver effective training and employee support. I will share how learning professionals are producing deliverables using augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI), and internet of things (IoT), and how they are meeting the needs of a demanding, tech-savvy workforce. You will learn how to strategically use an effective and responsible process to deploy new technologies with a positive user experience (UX). You will also participate in a group activity using design thinking that will result in new concepts for existing training challenges.

At the end of this session, you will be able to

Level: Beginner

Bring your own device: Participants are encouraged to bring a mobile device to get the most out of this session.

Ajay Pangarkar, Performance Strategist, Author | Bio

Building Strategic Learning Linkages: Leveraging xAPI to Map Learning Performance

Leading organizations align strategic and performance objectives with employee knowledge and learning needs. Within a performance framework, employees address and achieve core operational activities and key performance metrics. These metrics focus on employee developmental needs, provide feedback, and drive continuous improvement. xAPI offers learning practitioners an opportunity to precisely identify employee knowledge needs and align them with specific performance expectations. Based on the performance work by Kaplan and Norton and the presenter's book The Trainer's Balanced Scorecard, participants will develop a learning strategy that fully aligns with existing key performance expectations (KPIs) and apply xAPI to deliver tangible value.

At the end of this session, you will be able to

Level: Beginner

Chad Udell, Managing Partner, Float | Bio

Understanding the Challenge & Promise of Emerging Technology

Planning our response to disruption seems impossible. Most new and emerging technologies have been in development for decades, but as soon as they land on our doorstep, they inspire “the shock of the new.” How do you, as a learning professional, prepare for what you don’t know is coming? How do you judge what is important and what is just a fad? Join me as we outline a reusable framework that you can use for evaluating new and emerging technologies for your learning programs.

At the end of this session, you will be able to

Level: Intermediate

Bring your own device: Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop or a mobile device to get the most out of this session.

Learning Spark

A Learning Spark is a 5-minute presentation using 20 automated slides that will show for 15 seconds each. There will be 1 session, with 8 speakers. Get ready to be inspired by these fast and fresh perspectives on learning and development.

Session Presentations

Ed Duffy, Assistant Director of Design and Communications Strategy, NIIT | Bio

What Marketing & Change Management Taught Me About Learning

This presentation will shed light on how the disciplines of marketing and change management can inform the work we do in learning and development and can help us motivate our audiences to come to view learning interventions as more than one-and-done events.

Dan Balzer, Global Capabilities Manager, BP | Bio

Applying Design Thinking in Indonesia: What Is a Champion?

This session will unpack how design thinking shaped the process used to create a customer service training program for gas station pump attendants and supervisors in Indonesia. The project included formal focus group sessions in Bahasa Indonesian to test a key concept of “champions”, with surprising results.

Mike Kritzman, Founder & CEO, SkillNet Technology | Bio

Creating Actionable & Personalized Learning Plans

Individual development plans (IDPs) are like a compass for personalized learning, but very few firms have been able to get IDPs to actually work. This presentation will highlight an approach that works to get this important job done.

Wendi Barlow, Owner, Barlow Consulting, LLC | Bio

DiSC, Social Styles, MBTI…Oh, My!

DiSC®, Social Styles, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI)—psychometric tools are frequently used for talent development purposes. Some describe personality traits; others describe behaviors in work-related situations. Knowing which tool to select can be confusing. This session will clear away some of the clutter to help decision makers.

Annette Wisniewski, CPT, Learning Strategist, Judge Learning Solutions | Bio

Measuring Up

Why should you care about measuring outcomes? What’s in it for you? This session will quickly provide an overview of why it is important to assess learning and provide a few guidelines for measurement.

Suzanne Couture, Senior Instructional Designer, Judge Learning Solutions | Bio

Games, Gaming, Gamification—Oh, My!

The goal of this presentation is 3-fold: define gamification; explore similarities and differences among games, gaming, and gamification; and describe ways to incorporate gamification into learning design, such as creating player personas, selecting game mechanics, and writing narratives.

Rahul Singh, Senior General Manager, Harbinger Interactive Learning | Bio

Spaced Learning as a Reinforcement Tool

In today’s rapidly evolving learning landscape, learning and development leaders are tasked with a huge transformation—the transformation from a culture of training to a culture of learning. In this presentation, I will talk about using spaced learning as a potential tool to bring about this transformation.

James Chesterfield, Manager, Learning Content & Design, CompTIA | Bio

Bringing the Products to the People: Universal & Accessible Design in eLearning

Often, we build ramps to help those in wheelchairs, but a ramp can also help senior citizens or parents with strollers. Creating products and designs that are accessible allows more and diverse users to interact with and gain power from your products.