Every month, Microassist’s Learning Dispatch newsletter features commentary by our own Senior Learning Architect Kevin Gumienny. Each edition also features learning and development articles and blogs curated across the web. We have gathered his This Month in Learning (TMIL) June, July and August articles to add to your “must read” list. TMIL August Is it finally the time when augmented reality will enter the world of training? According to the[…]
READ MORE about This Month in Learning – Summer EditionLearning Dispatch Newsletter
The Case for Documentation
Do you hate documentation? You have to create it, keep it up-to-date, use it, make sure that other people use it. And there’s always the risk that you spend more time maintaining it than you spend working on the actual project. And yet… I adore and (attempt to) follow the Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition—we’re a bit behind the times). I know it’s 1026 pages on topics like when[…]
READ MORE about The Case for DocumentationBe Alert for Unexpected Risk Points on the Training Development Journey
What are the unexpected points of risk in the training development process? When you’re managing a training team, it seems that any point in a process can present a risk. But the risks involved in these three areas are often under-appreciated. Transition Points Our instructional designers work with subject matter experts to develop storyboards; those storyboards are then handed off to course developers, who program the courses. We find that[…]
READ MORE about Be Alert for Unexpected Risk Points on the Training Development JourneyAccessibility Lessons from CSUN
Three Key Accessibility Lessons This was my third year at CSUN, the premier conference on assistive technology. If you’re interested in accessibility, it’s the place to be. I presented (or was part of presenting) three sessions. (You can see more at my conference resource page.) This year there wasn’t a single big theme that I took away (like I did when I was thinking about making elearning accessible in 2017 and using pattern libraries[…]
READ MORE about Accessibility Lessons from CSUNThe Year in Learning—Top Learning and Development Articles from 2018
Top Learning and Development Articles from 2018’s “This Month in Learning” Feature In each issue of our Learning Dispatch newsletter, we list learning-related articles from other authors that we find instructive, compelling, or noteworthy. With a look back at 2018, here are our favorite articles from the “This Month in Learning” segment of our monthly newsletter: TL:DR: Read this book: Mirjam Neelen at 3-Star Learning Experiences gives us a review of Patti Shank’s[…]
READ MORE about The Year in Learning—Top Learning and Development Articles from 20183 Tips for Raising the Quality of Your Training
Quick Tips to Improve Training Quality Creating elearning can be both time-consuming and intense. To help make it a little easier, here are three tips that can have an outsized effect. Link objectives to content. If you use an objective-driven process (and you should), include a text reference to each objective when you write the content related to the objective’s topic. How does this help? It ensures that the screen[…]
READ MORE about 3 Tips for Raising the Quality of Your TrainingDoes Your Elearning Team *Always* Need an Interaction Catalog?
When Informal Communication Succeeds: A Tale from the Trenches An interaction catalog: one way to efficiently build great elearning How do you design successful elearning while operating within constraints like budget, time, and resources? As recently discussed on our Learning Dispatch blog, one way is to have a formal template interaction catalog, and consciously ensure that designers and developers operate only within those limits (it can be more creative than it sounds!).[…]
READ MORE about Does Your Elearning Team *Always* Need an Interaction Catalog?3 Keys to Creating Effective Training
Last month, I discussed choosing a training method. In that commentary, I suggested that you choose a method that would be effective. This month, we take a quick look at what “effective” means, and one approach to creating training that gets the job done. To Develop Effective Training, Start at the Beginning What does it mean for training to be effective? I’ve recently finished Cathy Moore’s Map It: The Hands-On[…]
READ MORE about 3 Keys to Creating Effective TrainingChoosing a Training Method: 3 Things to Consider
Sure, you’ve got a training need—but the format? When you’re faced with choosing a training method, here are tips on deciding direction. Picking the Right Method for Your Next Training Project Matching Training Format to Training Need How do you fit the training format to the training need? Does a topic work better as in-person, instructor-led training; as an instructor-led webinar; as online, self-directed elearning? When choosing a training method,[…]
READ MORE about Choosing a Training Method: 3 Things to ConsiderDesigning Elearning without Audio
Of course elearning needs sound! Or does it? Here are some ways to build elearning without audio. Need creative help in developing your elearning course? Contact us to learn more about our elearning development services. Creating Engaging—but Silent—Learning Courses Who doesn’t love audio narration in elearning? Yet audio can be difficult, for both the learner and the training program. Learners need to have an environment where they can play the[…]
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