Is your virtual training accessible? Many of us, by now, have mastered the art of virtual in-person training (sometimes known as “Zoomversity.”) But now we need to consider—is our virtual training accessible? Can it be used by people who have disabilities, such as those related to vision, hearing, mobility, or cognition? I recently presented on the idea that online training needs to be accessible—whether “live” virtual in-person training or training[…]
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Six Questions with Clark Quinn
Editor’s Note – Introducing Six Questions: Earlier this year, I interviewed several leaders in the field of learning and development to get their perspectives on, among other things, what they foresaw for 2020. This was before COVID-19 fundamentally affected the way that we live our lives, including how we train and the modalities by which we learn. Still, there is a lot here that continues to be relevant, even in[…]
READ MORE about Six Questions with Clark QuinnOnline Training in the Time of COVID-19
This seems to be a boom time for elearning. With stay-at-home orders, social distancing, and the explosion of work-from-home, online training has experienced tremendous growth in popularity these last several weeks. Online training, of course, isn’t new—it’s been around for over a decade. Examples include the one-hour self-paced, self-study course and the instructor-led, video-based, take-it-on-your-own-time courses from universities, LinkedIn Learning, Skillshare, and numerous other providers. Is the sudden popularity (by[…]
READ MORE about Online Training in the Time of COVID-19Takeaways from the 2020 CSUN Assistive Technology Conference
Last week I was at the CSUN Assistive Technology Conference, presenting a workshop (with Jennifer Chadwick of SiteImprove) on accessible elearning (the resources are available on Microassist’s website.) This year’s CSUN was somewhat lightly attended, due to cautions regarding COVID-19 (and I found I needed to leave earlier than expected). Still, even with the reduced number of sessions and the lighter attendance, the dedication that people have for ensuring that all experiences[…]
READ MORE about Takeaways from the 2020 CSUN Assistive Technology ConferenceMoving Elearning Beyond Interactive to Accessible
I recently talked with a colleague about a recent workshop on accessible elearning that a few colleagues and I held at the CSUN Assistive Technology Conference. He said that it was rare that people think about accessibility (that is, ensuring that content is usable by those with disabilities) when creating online training. Sadly, he’s right, and that’s just wrong. Instructional designers are often focused on things other than accessibility when creating[…]
READ MORE about Moving Elearning Beyond Interactive to AccessibleA Look Back (and Forward) at Ed-Tech Trends in L&D
This year starts a new decade (or ends one, but let’s not restart that argument). It is a great time to look ahead and see where the influence of ed-tech trends on learning and development might take us (or where we might take learning and development). Before looking forward, looking back offers some caution. Audrey Watters has an article on the 100 Worst Ed-Tech Debacles of the Decade. It is[…]
READ MORE about A Look Back (and Forward) at Ed-Tech Trends in L&DThe Year in Learning: 2019 Edition
“What’s past is prologue.” -William Shakespeare, The Tempest Learning and development is a constantly evolving field, and every month Microassist’s Senior Learning Architect, Kevin Gumienny, highlights a few articles that provide insight into the field. If you missed (or would like to revisit) stories from his Learning Dispatch newsletters in 2019, here’s a chance to review. The stories are grouped in several categories: Accessibility Instructional Design Learning Experience Evaluation Inspiration[…]
READ MORE about The Year in Learning: 2019 EditionTechnology Drivers & Elearning|Takeaways from DevLearn 2019
Last month I was at DevLearn in Las Vegas. As usual for a really good conference, I left with a stretched mind and new perspectives (and, as is regrettably common in a conference, there was little about documentation, or templates, or any of the other themes that I’ve recently been discussing). One thing that caught my eye was what seemed to be a recurring theme of technological determinism. That is,[…]
READ MORE about Technology Drivers & Elearning|Takeaways from DevLearn 2019The Positives of a ‘Foolish Consistency’
“A foolish consistency,” Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.” I have, it seems, a very little mind. I adore consistency. And documentation, especially documentation surrounding expectations, enables a consistent approach, not only in training design, but also in working with training teams. If team members know the expectations, they also know what they need to achieve. We use[…]
READ MORE about The Positives of a ‘Foolish Consistency’Should My Training Team Use a Style Guide?
Yes. Until next time, Kevin Okay, perhaps a bit more explanation. A style guide is just one form of documentation that I talked about last month. And I’ve mentioned style guides here and there in the past. I’m a big believer in style guides. This admiration isn’t universal. Several people I’ve met think they’re too restrictive. Shouldn’t the designer have the ability to use whichever font, whichever color, whichever layout,[…]
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