You probably have data on course enrollments and completion and pass rates on course tests, but what about data on how learners are applying their new knowledge? The Experience API (xAPI) can help you collect and track more complete data on your learning programs and their results. An application programming interface (API) is a means for transmitting data across software systems. xAPI allows you to document and track learning experiences. In this issue of TD at Work, “Making Sense of xAPI,” Megan Torrance and Rob Houck offer an overview of xAPI and provide guidance to help you get started making xAPI part of your learning management system. This issue includes: · definitions of essential terms · sample activity statements for xAPI · examples of types of data to collect with xAPI · discussion of how xAPI relates to action mapping, the Kirkpatrick model, and the 70-20-10 model · an xAPI project planning guide.

Formerly published by Chicago Business Press, now published by Sage Effective Training: Systems, Strategies, and Practices is unique in its integration of theory with effective and practical training applications. Authors P. Nick Blanchard and James W. Thacker examine the relationship between change management and training, introduce the ADDIE model as an overarching framework for the training process, and consider perspectives relevant to small businesses. Additionally, this text provides a step-by-step process for developing learning objectives and highlights the importance of integrating both learning and design theories in creating successful training programs. The Sixth Edition adds new material while enhancing the ease of reading and understanding. The end of each relevant chapter (needs analysis, design, development and implementation, and evaluation) features an example of the process of developing an actual training program (Fabrics, Inc.). At the end of each chapter are discussion questions, cases, and exercises to enhance understanding.

Effective Training emphasizes the need to combine learning and design theories for successful training programs and provides a step-by-step process for developing learning objectives. This text considers the small business perspective while introducing the ADDIE model as an overarching framework for the training process and examining the relationship between change management and training.

Design Effective Training Programs Despite Limited Resources Instructional Design on a Shoestring offers talent development professionals a process for developing effective training programs, even with limited resources. Expert instructional designer Brian Washburn applies the ADDIE model of instructional design and the Build-Borrow-Buy approach to provide guidance, quick tips, and shortcuts for designing a range of training modalities, including in-person, virtual and asynchronous, and self-guided e-learning. With this book, you will learn to build the structure of the instructional design process, effective formal and informal learning experiences, and an ecosystem that supports the learning initiatives. This crash-course of a book also guides you on working with subject matter experts, supervisors, and early testers and drawing learning design ideas from unfamiliar places. You’ll learn how and when to make decisions for using tools and technologies, hiring external help, and purchasing off-the-shelf training programs to speed up the work. Even if you don’t have a ton of time or access to a lot of money, you can still produce an effective learning experience based on sound educational theory and adult learning principles. About the On a Shoestring Series The Association for Talent Development’s On a Shoestring series helps professionals successfully execute core topics in training and talent development when facing limitations of time, money, staff, and other resources. Using the Build-Borrow-Buy approach to problem solving, this series is designed for practitioners who work as a department of one, for new or “accidental” trainers, instructional designers, and learning managers who need fast, inexpensive access to practical strategies that work, and for those who work for small organizations or in industries that have limited training and development resources.

Add Data and Analytics to Your TD Toolkit Instructional design pro Megan Torrance addresses the importance of instructional designers accessing and applying learning and performance data—from how to design learning experiences with data collection in mind to how to use the data to improve and evaluate those experiences. With the advance of new learning technologies and data specifications, instructional designers have access to more and richer data sources than ever before. With that comes the question of what to do with the data. While most data and analytics books focus on their application for measurement and evaluation and assume a prior baseline understanding of what learning data and analytics mean, Data and Analytics for Instructional Designers delves into the foundational concepts that will enable instructional designers and L&D professionals to use data in their roles. Split into two parts, the book first defines key data and analytics terms, data specifications, learning metrics, and statistical concepts. It then lays out a framework for using learning data for planning how to gather data and to building scale and maturity in your data operations. Megan reassures readers that basic math skills with some computer assistance is what you’ll need to get going. So set aside any math anxiety! Through a “If I can see it, I can be it” approach to learning data and analytics, the book blends practical what-is and how-to content with real-world examples and longer case studies from practitioners. Chapters conclude with opportunities for you to put these techniques to work right away, whether you are in a data-rich environment already, or whether you are just getting started and working on hypotheticals.

Discover Agile for Better Instructional Design To serve business needs amid greater volatility and uncertainty in the workplace, learning and development professionals need project management methods that can keep up. Enter Agile. Popular in the software development space as an approach to project management, Agile when applied to instructional design provides a framework for adapting to change as it happens and for delivering the content most needed by learners. Agile for Instructional Designers proposes using Agile methodology to manage training projects and highlights where traditional linear processes have failed the business and the end users. Recognizing that software development and instructional design have different needs and outcomes, author Megan Torrance developed the LLAMATM methodology. Her approach adapts the common phases of ADDIE to incorporate the incremental, iterative nature of Agile projects. It allows learners to test and evaluate which features or design functions work before they’re finalized. It also offers a way to accommodate inevitable mid-project modifications pushed by stakeholders, subject matter experts, or organizational leaders. With templates for goal alignment, learner personas, scope definition, estimating, planning, and iterative development, Agile for Instructional Designers is the resource you need to embrace change in learning and development.

This book focuses on the topic of competency-based scenario design as it relates to Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITSs). The current book is the ninth in a series of books that examine key topics in ITSs. The chapters in this book specifically relate the work presented to applications for the Generalized Intelligent Framework for Tutoring (GIFT) (Sottilare, Brawner, Goldberg, & Holden, 2012; Sottilare, Brawner, Sinatra, & Johnston, 2017). GIFT is an open-source, domain independent, service-oriented, modular architecture for ITSs. GIFT has specifically been designed to allow for reusability of the GIFT architecture, GIFT tools, and instructional content materials. Further, GIFT has been designed with the goals of reducing the amount of time necessary to author ITSs, and reducing the skill level required for the authoring process. GIFT can be used to create ITSs that can be distributed both locally on a computer and virtually in the Cloud. In addition to creating ITSs, GIFT can be used to examine instructional outcomes, and conduct research. The topic of this book, Competency-Based Scenario Design is highly relevant to the development of ITSs. Scenarios are information-rich task/problem contexts that are closely aligned with real-world situations that professionals face in their jobs. The tasks/problems exhibit ecological validity rather than stripped-down abstract simplifications. Developers of ITSs and other adaptive instructional systems need to have principled guidance on how to design these scenarios. An example scenario may be a close match to a particular situation in the past, but not be representative of a large range of situations that professionals experience in their job. An example scenario may be very realistic, but not provide reliable and valid assessments of the learners' performance to guide assessments (summative, formative, or stealth). Research teams that build high quality scenarios need to include expertise in the targeted profession, assessment, learning science, and computer science. The current book brings together experts on ITSs to discuss their work as it applies to Competency-Based Scenario Design. We believe that this book can be used as a resource for those who have an interest in developing Scenarios for ITSs, and who want to learn more about how to do so.

This book constitutes the proceedings of the 17th European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning, EC-TEL 2022, held in Toulouse, France, in September 2022. The 30 research papers and 31 demo and poster papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 109 submissions. Chapter “Learners’ Strategies in Interactive Sorting Tasks” is available open access under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Modernizing Learning: Building the Future Learning Ecosystem is an implementation blueprint for connecting learning experiences across time and space. This co-created plan represents an advancement of how and where learning will occur in the future. Extensive learning and technological research has been conducted across the myriad disciplines and communities needed to develop this holistic maturation of the learning continuum. These advancements have created the opportunity for formal and informal learning experiences to be accessible anywhere, anytime, and to be personalized to individual needs. However, for full implementation and maximal benefits for learners of all ages and within all communities to be achieved, it is necessary to centralize and coordinate the required connections across technology, learning science, and the greater supporting structures. Accordingly, the ADL Initiative has taken the lead in this coordination process, connecting Government, Military, Academia, Industry, and K-12 teachers, instructors, technologists, researchers, and implementers to create and execute a coordinated transition process. Input was included from stakeholders, communities, and supporting entities which will be involved in this advancement of the life-long learning ecosystem.

Today, All Learning Is Blended Learning Modern learning audiences want flexibility and personalization—development on their terms. They need a blended approach to learning that lets them grow their skills and knowledge where they actually perform their work. When designed and implemented effectively, blended learning can breathe life back into your talent development offerings. Blended Learning is packed with easy-to-apply techniques to ensure your blended learning program is a success. Learning expert Jennifer Hofmann combines the latest findings in adult learning with her time-tested best practices to deliver powerful results. Pro tips, resources, and tools included throughout help you quickly locate concepts and ideas to plan, design, implement, and evaluate a blended campaign. This book delivers. When it comes to blended learning, discover what works. Blended Learning is part of an ATD series, What Works in Talent Development, which addresses the most critical topics facing today’s talent development practitioners. Each book in the series is written for trainers, by trainers, and offers an examination of core subject matter and a defined way to solve real issues.