Use one-question mini-scenarios to make your assessments more relevant and valuable. They're fast, flexible, and work in virtually any tool. The post Mini-Scenarios for Assessment appeared first on Experiencing Elearning ..read more

My top ten tools for learning 2024, both for creating learning and personal development. I added 3 tools: Claude, Midjourney, and Raindrop. The post My Top 10 Tools for Learning 2024 appeared first on Experiencing Elearning ..read more

Using templates for branching scenarios can limit the structure, reduce alignment with content, and waste development time. The post Why I Don’t Use Templates for Branching Scenarios appeared first on Experiencing Elearning ..read more

How do you get experience so you can get your first job in instructional design? Find nonprofits and learn how to build your portfolio. The post Instructional Design Experience Before Your First Job appeared first on Experiencing Elearning ..read more

Because I create lots of scenarios and stories for learning, I create lots of characters. Some of these characters are only mentioned for a sentence or two, while others drive the progress in extended narratives. All of those characters have one thing in common: they need names. Name generators make that process easier. The image above was created in Ideogram. While I like Midjourney for most image generation tasks, Ideogram is the best at including accurate text. Names make scenarios concrete and “sticky” I usually avoid using generic characters in my stories. Part of the value of scenarios ..read more

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Joanie Musser about AI in learning and development for the Mindset to Learn podcast. In season 2 of her podcast, Joanie is highlighting a series of interviews about AI and how it affects our field. My discussion with Joanie was focused on my experiences as a practitioner. We talked about the tools I actually use like Midjourney and Claude. I shared how these tools can be helpful as well as some of the challenges I’ve experienced. Joanie is just a delightful person who I truly enjoy speaking with. We had waaay too much fun chatting together. Neither ..read more

This month marks 20 years since I started at my first instructional design job. It feels like a good time to pause and reflect on that first ID role, how my journey started, and how that shaped my experiences now. I’ll also share a few slides from the first branching scenario I wrote. Searching for a job I had been working as a corporate software trainer for about 2 years when I was laid off in July, 2003. The office I had been working out of closed, and I was suddenly out of a job. I decided I missed the curriculum planning side of teaching, and I was looking for something that didn’t require ..read more

What professional organizations are useful for instructional designers? This post is part of a series about instructional design careers. I’ve been asked by a number of people how to get into this field, and these posts are based on my responses to those questions. A number of job seekers and transitioning teachers have asked about professional organizations to help people gain skills and network. The Learning Guild, ATD, TLDC, Training Magazine Network, and LDA all provide both free and paid resources for instructional designers and other learning and development professionals. The Learning G ..read more

How do you respond when stakeholders ask you to measure how fast learners respond to questions? How do you train for fluency when the speed and accuracy of performance truly matter? During my recent webinar on crafting better feedback for scenario-based learning, I talked about the benefits and drawbacks of using time as feedback. Measuring and assessing users on fast they respond to questions seems like good idea, right? After all, you want people to perform quickly and think fast. But in practice, focusing on the speed of responses to questions can backfire. It creates accessibility barriers ..read more

If you’re hoping to move into a career in instructional design, chances are you need to learn some of the common tools and technology. Most instructional designers need at least some basic technology skills to get their first job. But, there are so many tools available that it can be overwhelming to know where to start. In this post, I’ll help you prioritize what to learn and share resources for learning those important skills in authoring tools and other technology. This is part 4 in a series about how to become an instructional designer. You can find links to the rest of the series at the en ..read more