Author: Irene Stern Frielich
The Course Pilot and a Wedding? More Alike than You Think.
The bridesmaids donned light green dresses with intricate lace overlays. Before the ceremony, the ketubah (marriage contract) was signed by the groom. The groomsmen and bridal party enjoyed sushi and potato pancakes with smoked salmon in separate rooms before the wedding. At the appointed time, both groups entered the ballroom, awaiting the arrival of the […]
When Learning Becomes Too Much: Seven Ways to Reduce Cognitive Overload
Have you ever been in a class where everyone’s eyes are glazed over? By the end of the first half-day, participants stop, well, participating? Perhaps the course just isn’t engaging them. Or, perhaps (cue music: dut, dut, dut) they are experiencing cognitive overload. So, what is cognitive overload? Cognitive overload is an inundation of short-term […]
Blended Learning: Look Before You Leap
Blended learning tools provide an instructional designer with many options, but more choices can also be confusing. How do you determine if the blended solution meets your learning objectives? How do you know which modalities to pick? And finally, how do you know that your mix will work within the culture of your organization? To […]
Can the Myers-Briggs Help You Achieve a Happy Medium?
Colleen and Stella both work at a medical device company and develop a catalog to market the products. Though they often complement each other well, recently they have reached a stalemate on this year’s catalog drop. Colleen, a product manager, wants to make sure the catalog hits the printer well in advance of her conservative […]
Create Learner Value with the Virtual Classroom
Independent elearning offers convenience for the learner and ease of delivery for the client. Yet, sometimes there is no substitute for discussion with one’s peers, feedback from the instructor, and hands-on activities to cement learning. Can the advantages of elearning and interaction of classroom learning both be addressed in a different modality? Meet the virtual […]
Creating Your Own Sweet Adventure
“When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.” – Regina Brett Like many people, I have a weakness for chocolate. For a while, I had wanted to take a chocolate walking tour in Boston, enjoying the city while sampling delicacies from various specialty shops. This would be a tasty way to be a tourist in […]
Ingenious Ways to Improve Learner Retention
As instructional designers, we focus on improving employee performance through knowledge and an increased skill set. We strive for learners to retain what they learn and implement it in their jobs. Yet, with so many competing demands at work and home, retaining what we learn can be easier said than done. For the instructional designer, […]
Forging a Path in the Snow
While many New Englanders bemoan this harsh winter, I find I embrace most of it; well, maybe not the snow removal part. Since one of my favorite pastimes is snowshoeing, winter – especially snowy winters like this one—enables me to indulge in it. What keeps me attaching these cumbersome apparatuses to my feet, and trudging […]
Get to the Head of the Class in Writing Learning Assessments
A college midterm for Introduction to Psychology. The Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam. The MCAS (the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System – if you’re a parent to a school-aged child, you know it!) What do these three items have in common? Yes, we commonly refer to them as “tests” or “exams,” but like the MCAS acronym […]
Making New Discoveries Next Door
Recently, I was privileged to enjoy a stroll with Free Tours by Foot (www.freetoursbyfoot.com/boston-tours). I really love walking tours, and decided to visit Harvard Square, a place I had been many times before. I soon gained a new perspective of this historic area favored by out-of-towners. I got a good view of the Widener Library, […]
Don’t Forget the Roadmap Before You Start Your Trip – the Value of the Needs Assessment
Before starting to design a learning solution, which tool can help guide your work? Just like embarking upon an unfamiliar road trip, starting a learning project requires a blueprint, a guide. To ensure you don’t get lost along the way, a map is essential (assuming this scenario takes place in the pre-GPS era). The map […]
A Shoreline Ride in New York City
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Whether creating a learning solution or completing a challenging athletic endeavor, a plan provides the necessary blueprint. Though in my work life I am very much a planner, I was recently reminded of how crucial preparation is in all aspects of life…when […]
Educating Boston about Emergencies: the DelValle Institute Teams Up with EnVision
April 15, 2013. 2:49 p.m. Boylston Street in Boston. For the citizens and guests of Boston, the events that occurred on this date will forever be memorialized. Since that day, we are only too aware of the need to prepare for and respond to emergencies, an understanding most of us didn’t have before. The professionals […]
Lessons from a Cozy Igloo
Now that we are deep in the midst of a sweltering summer, it may be the perfect time to reminisce about my vacation last March to chilly Quebec, and more specifically, to a night spent in its world-famous Hôtel de Glace, or Ice Hotel. This was a unique experience, and I appreciated both the hotel’s […]
When the Project Isn’t Perfect: How to Prevent Client Misunderstandings
As an instructional designer at Big Corporation, Jessica enjoys her work and interacts successfully with many internal clients. However, she recently experienced a disagreement with Joe, Director of Quality Assurance at Big Corporation. While Jessica originally hoped to rectify the misunderstanding, it has continued. Because of this, Joe has become frustrated with the training team, […]
To Teach, Learn: How Instructional Design Professionals Take Time for Their Own Learning
Though instructional designers create courses that facilitate learning, we also must prioritize our own education, like everyone else. So, which learning methods work best for us? How do we make time for learning when confronted with looming work deadlines? And what tips do we have for fitting in learning time? To answer these questions, we […]
How is Your Organization Implementing Blended Learning?
Not all that long ago, employees received nearly all of their training in a classroom, listening to lectures delivered by an experienced manager or subject matter expert. While some companies still rely exclusively on this traditional model, most organizations have implemented blended learning. (Skillsoft, March 2010). A blended learning environment includes multiple learning methods, such […]
Every Entrepreneur Needs a Big Onion
Achieving an ambitious goal takes an exceptional focus. Becoming a doctor, or a university professor, for example, requires years of schooling, sacrifice, and commitment. When someone follows such a dream, she may relinquish other potential opportunities that are attractive. She hopes that professional and even financial success will be the reward for her choice. Sometimes, […]
Revitalize Your Training With a Course Audit
Suppose you want to make home improvements, but are not sure exactly where to start. You could hire a contractor and interior decorator to completely overhaul a family room or great room, with new room structure, colors, wall coverings, and furniture. Yet, is a completely new room more than what you need? Maybe the room […]
For Whom Are You Grateful in Your Work?
A successful training program propels a company forward, engaging its employees and positively impacting its bottom line. It is the role of the learning and development (L&D) specialist or consultant to successfully design and deliver the learning material. In the process of determining a company’s training needs, creating the curriculum, and launching the course, the […]