Adib Masumian from our elearning group got Kevin Gumienny, Senior Learning Architect at Microassist, to sit down for an interview on his job. In this segment, Kevin gives us the rundown of what being an instructional designer is all about. This segment is the first in a series of interviews we are conducting with Kevin. Stay tuned for more! Q: What does an Instructional Designer Do? Kevin Gumienny: Well I think the[…]
READ MORE about Kevin Gumienny: What Does An Instructional Designer Do? [Video]Instructional Design
Quicker Development: Use a Storyboard
It might seem like a good idea to cut development time by eliminating the storyboard. After all, once you have your content down, it would be quicker to just jump into your development tool and start programming the course. Don’t. A storyboard is a graphical representation of what the learner will see once they enter the learning environment. There are many different methods to create storyboards–I’ll link to some examples[…]
READ MORE about Quicker Development: Use a StoryboardHow Comic Books Can Cut Elearning Development Time
Voice-over takes a long time to record and adds cost to any elearning project. For a professional effect, you often have to hire talent. You have to record, listen, re-record any errors, synchronize with the presentation, publish, correct any errors. Outside of the cost of hiring talent (which you can get around by using in-house), there is still the cost in time and money. A quick way to get around[…]
READ MORE about How Comic Books Can Cut Elearning Development TimeEngage Your Learner with Stories
Stories give meaning to data. Stories stick. And using stories in your training can product impact that increases retention—and changes behavior. The Impact of Storytelling in Training—A Powerful Example Sixty-five percent of deaths in confined spaces occur due to air quality problems. Let’s say that your company sells toxic gas monitors, the kind that can detect carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, and oxygen levels. Too much carbon monoxide, people pass out[…]
READ MORE about Engage Your Learner with StoriesWhy Should Instructional Designers Use Visuals in Their Training?
As John Medina states in Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School; vision trumps all other senses. If you want learners to recall your message, use images any time they are appropriate. According to Dr. Medina, when information is presented orally, people remember about 10 percent when tested 72 hours after exposure. That figure goes up to 65 percent if you add a meaningful[…]
READ MORE about Why Should Instructional Designers Use Visuals in Their Training?Connect the Dots in Training
When a mobile game has over a million downloads in the week it launches, it deserves attention. I admit to being in the multitude of people who are hooked on Dots. A recent conversation with colleagues stimulated ideas about how this addictive little game could be used in training. Estimated reading time: 3 minutes For the uninitiated, Dots is a pattern recognition game. Points are awarded for the number of dots you connect[…]
READ MORE about Connect the Dots in TrainingFirst Impressions: Books Are Judged by the Cover
Why do people say, “You can’t judge a book by its cover?” We make snap decisions all the time and those decisions are based on the first impression, which metaphorically speaking, is the book cover. Books by Chip Heath and Dan Heath got me thinking about their high impact book covers and how important first impressions are to online training. Estimated reading time: 3 minutes For the uninitiated, Chip Heath[…]
READ MORE about First Impressions: Books Are Judged by the CoverControversy over Objectives – How to Communicate Objectives to your Learners
We all know that objectives provide the foundation for training design and performance improvement. A challenge in the training industry is how to communicate this information to our target audience without creating a mind-numbingly dull introduction. Novices in the training world frequently think the only legitimate way to start a lesson is with the list of learning or performance objectives we used as the framework to design the training. My[…]
READ MORE about Controversy over Objectives – How to Communicate Objectives to your LearnersmLearnCon 2012 – BJ Fogg A Methodology for Designing Behavior Change
Dr. BJ Fogg, director of Stanford’s Persuasive Tech Lab, presented a compelling keynote at mLearnCon 2012 centered around a fascinating question: Can computers be designed to change people’s beliefs and behaviors? The Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab creates insight into how computing products—from websites to mobile phone software—can be designed to change what people believe and what they do. Unlike a lot of pop culture behavior gurus, Dr. Fogg takes a[…]
READ MORE about mLearnCon 2012 – BJ Fogg A Methodology for Designing Behavior ChangeElearning Book Review – The New Virtual Classroom by Ruth Colvin Clark and Ann Kwinn
The New Virtual Classroom is a terrific resource for designing and delivering effective webinar training. One of the biggest differences between this book and others is that it focuses primarily on strong instructional design strategy while many other resources tend to focus on more superficial “gimmicky” interactions. The authors remind us there is no need to start from scratch when designing training for the virtual classroom. Best practices are offered[…]
READ MORE about Elearning Book Review – The New Virtual Classroom by Ruth Colvin Clark and Ann Kwinn