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Apply the AGES Model

In this Digital Age, we have experienced a paradigm shift in the way we learn as well as consume, and process knowledge. Even if we re-wind a decade from now and look back at how the Learning and Development sector has transformed, we can see a monumental change in the way how learning is designed and delivered and how learners learn and process information. We often come across the new age learning jargon like digital learning, e-learning, asynchronous learning, problem-based learning, gamified learning, blended learning, accessibility in learning, microlearning, mobile learning, adaptive learning, etc. These are not just the jargon; they are today’s reality and need of an hour when it comes to workplace learning or even academic learning. With the advent of advanced technologies like Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, which are currently in their nascent stage in this field of L & D, it is even beyond one’s imagination how...
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ID Meets UX and Has a Baby: LXD


Hi! I’m Learning Experience Design, but you can call me LxD for short. A lot of people ask me where I’m from because I’m kind of the new kid on the block. Some people even have the nerve to ask if I’m just a teacher dressed in sheep’s clothing. To which I say: yes! I’m a teacher, a graphic designer, an information architect, a data analyst, an interface ninja, and more! That’s just the upper fold of my Tinder profile.

 

But anyway, I get it. There are so many acronyms floating around LinkedIn nowadays that it’s starting to look a lot like alphabet soup. So, I guess the best way to tell you about who I am - or in other words, “what LxD is” - is to tell you the story of how my parents met.

 

My mom (ID) grew up in a family of proud third-generation instructional designers. All were summa cum laude graduates of the IDOL courses Academy. My mom was raised on a steady diet of educational pedagogy, neuroscience, and...

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Job Titles: It's Not Only Instructional Design

When I first came across the title “Instructional Designer” while looking for alternative career options, I was just as confused as anybody would be hearing about our job for the first time. I remember asking questions like: What does an Instructional Designer do? Why is it called Instructional Design? Wouldn’t a title such as Learning Experience Designer or Training Content Developer suit them better? How are their skill sets different from curriculum developers like teachers’? etc.

 

Then, the more I learnt about the different roles of Instructional Designers, and the more job interviews I had, ironically, the less clarity I had over the companies’ expectations of us. 

 

The truth is that the role of an Instructional Designer varies from company to company. What a person hired with the title “Instructional Designer” ends up doing depends on a range of factors such as the company’s training portfolio, the profile...

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How to Use Any Technology

 Here’s something funny: 6 months ago, when I enrolled with the IDOL courses Academy, I didn’t know what HTML was. It’s funny, because, looking back, I still can’t believe how little I knew about technology. 

Two months later, I didn’t only fill that gaping hole about HTML, but I was copying CSS and Javascript codes to modify things on my website and add special functions to my Storyboard course. 

In two short, but very busy months, I built two websites with Google Sites, created videos with Powtoon, Camtasia, Biteable, and Vyond and I developed interactive courses with Genial.ly, Rise, and Storyline. None of which I had known much about before. I had not even heard of Canva, Visme, or Snagit either, yet I was now effortlessly designing images for my assets.

I am not here to boast. My point is that if I could do that, anyone can and I am happy to share some tips.

 

FIND SOME TIME

I think the best way to learn any tech is to find...

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Overcoming the New ID Overwhelm and Maintaining Focus

 Are you making a career change? Do you feel like there’s just so much to learn, and you don’t know where to start? Do you wonder if you’ll ever reach your goal?

This was me. And this could be you. But you’ll get there!

Making a career change can be overwhelming. Thinking about all the new things you will need to learn in order to get a job can produce a lot of anxiety and imposter syndrome

When I first decided to change careers from a special education teacher to an Instructional Designer, I was excited to learn more. Then it hit me. The more I learned, the more I got overwhelmed with all of the tools, theories, and practices I needed to know to be successful and confident. I learned several things along the way to help calm down that overwhelm to focus on my goals and learning. Here are my tips:

  1. Analyze job descriptions - There are so many tools out there, and when I first joined the IDOL courses Academy and...
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Virtual ILT and Staying Connected

I have been living in the Middle East for the last two years.  Although I am far away from my home in the United States, I have been able to connect with learning and development professionals from home and around the world.  Covid-19 has changed the world, but my face-to-face connections have been limited this year; my digital ones have been plentiful. I have my days where I can get Zoomed out or tired of all the screen time like anyone else. I make sure to choose encounters that I need to attend for work or ones I find interesting and will help me grow as a professional and network.
 

Virtual Instructor-led Training

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend a Digital Encounter from the Central Florida ATD Chapter with special guest Jo Cook and Mike Cook.  Jo and Mike are a brother and sister team from the United Kingdom who are experts in the virtual classroom and webinar facilitation.

 Jo was a dynamic speaker who showed in practice how to facilitate...

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What I Learned From The Show: Learning Competition

 If you haven’t had the chance to check out The Show from The Learning Conference, I have to say you are missing out. The Show has been an incredible learning competition where designers worldwide have been showcasing their solutions for designated client briefs. The creativity and designs have been inspiring. Cath Ellis and Kim  Tuohy, the hosts and creators of The Show, have worked to develop a fun and engaging contest where designers have gotten out of their comfort zones.  There were a ton of cameos, including IDOL courses Academy’s own Dr. Robin Sargent, who was a guest host and provided feedback on the LexCorp Engineering Resource Challenge where competitors had to create a universal storyboard per their client request. 

 

The Show is the preceding event to The Learning Conference, which is happening online from August 3rd to 5th 2020.  They have got a fantastic lineup of speakers. If you have the time, you should join in the...

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Bringing Learning Design Theory Down to Earth

 Professional learning designers are skilled at informing their practice with current research and theory, but building this skill can be challenging – especially for beginners. With so much information out there, how can you ground your design decisions without wasting time or getting lost in tangents that are irrelevant or overly complex? 
  1. Get familiar with the major theories of how people learn.

Before you can apply a theory, you need to understand it. In most learning design graduate programs you’ll get to deep dive into learning theories like behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism and others, but you don’t have to join a graduate program to do this. IDOL courses Academy includes bite-sized modules on the major theories you’ll need to know as a learning designer. A good test for whether you’re familiar with a learning theory is whether you can describe it simply, with the kind of language you might use when chatting with a...

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