Instructional Design

Training ROI: Use of Return on Investment for Training Programs

By Sanjay Nasta | April 26, 2012 | |

Return on Investment (ROI) is a metric commonly used in business and financial circles to compare competing investments. The use of Training ROI as a way to measure the return on training investment on training initiatives is growing in the training industry. Recently, the focus on Training ROI has become controversial; industry thought leader, Jane Bozarth recently said ROI is “evaluation by autopsy.” Leading Elearning blogger David Kelly states in[…]

Isn’t It Always about Control?

By Linda Warren | April 17, 2012 | |

Have you ever used an educational website and been blown away by how interesting and engaging it is? I encounter these types of sites when I’m pursuing informal learning. Part of the attractiveness in the learning is that it’s what interests me. Another factor is the site gives me control. These informal learning sites/tools shed insight on how powerful learning can be when we give learners control over what they[…]

Elements of Effective Elearning

By Linda Warren | March 21, 2012 | |

Effective elearning leverages instructional strategies and technology to make new ideas understandable. E-learning can be especially effective for complex and abstract topics. Effective elearning does not take a face-to-face lecture and put it in a rapid elearning development tool with the expectation of delivering effective training at the other end. Giving the learner control, offering opportunities for practice, and integrating multiple media formats are a few methods for creating a rich[…]

Why You Can’t Ignore Mobile Learning

By Sanjay Nasta | March 14, 2012 | |

The number of all mobile devices accessing the Internet worldwide will surpass 1 billion by 2013. In addition, the number of users of mobile devices will double by the end of the year! The mobile Internet is ramping up exponentially faster than the desktop Internet did or will ever realize. This dramatic increase in adoption of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets has crystallized a collective focus on mobile[…]

The Note-Taking Myth

By Linda Warren | February 15, 2012 | |

While preparing a training session on conducting effective webinars, I read The New Virtual Classroom by Ruth Colvin Clark and Ann Kwinn. When I give presentations, I always have handouts for note-taking ― in part, because I always take notes when I’m in a learning environment. I was really surprised by what the authors had to say about note-taking in webinars and other learning events. Estimated reading time: 3 minutes[…]

Interview with Instructional Designer Debby Kalk

By Sanjay Nasta | October 18, 2010 | |

Debby Kalk is an instructional designer and elearning project developer with over 20 years of experience producing interactive, video, and classroom-based learning programs. She has developed training and customer education programs for companies such as USAA Insurance, Dell Computer, and Verizon Wireless. She has also worked with publishers such as Prentice Hall, McGraw-Hill, and Addison Wesley to develop online educational products. At, Microassist, Debby has developed training for a statewide[…]