Published: August 12, 2020

Episode: 21

Zsolt Olah, Author of Engage the WORL&D! 

In this episode, I’ll be chatting with Zsolt Olah about his journey and advice for becoming a learning designer.  Zsolt just wrote a comprehensive guide on becoming a learning designer and we dig into his research and findings. Listen to Zsolt share some great tips for those looking to enter the learning and development world.

Zsolt Olah is a creative learning consultant at Kineo with over 15 years of L&D experience. Zsolt is a frequent speaker at learning conferences on the subject of engagement and game thinking for L&D. He is also the author of the book, Engage the WORL&D!, exploring six essential traits of instructional design. 

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When you want to land your first corporate instructional design and online learning developer job, there are several options for programs that want to help you get there. To help you research the options available and make a decision based on the requirements you need, I’ve created a table. Before I share the table, I want to share the job application assets and skills you need before you even start to apply. This way, you’ll know what you should look for in a program before you enroll.

1. EXPERIENCE. You’ll need experience in instructional design. I know this gets really frustrating for many who want to transition into this career field because they ask, “how can I get experience if they won’t hire someone without experience?” And while there are several workaround answers to this question, the fact remains that you can’t get around the requirement for experience. Does the program add to the experience section on your resume?
2. Job...

 I was a middle school teacher for almost 10 years and loved almost every second of it. My favorite parts about teaching were building fun and engaging lessons (ones that I just knew the kids were going to love), bringing the lessons to life and connecting with my students. My classroom was fun. My reputation and my team's reputation preceded me within the school district. I was asked many times over to help with one initiative after another, especially when it came to technology in the classroom. I would also present to my colleagues at workshops and district conferences. I used to think to myself, I found my calling. I was quite content and had no plans to be anything else except a teacher until I couldn't do it anymore. It wasn't until year eight of my career that I began to notice it; the tightness in my chest, rapid heartbeat, and frequent headaches. The symptoms came on more frequently this particular year as the group of students was more difficult to manage than...

Show notes for Podcast UX and UI design with Melanie Sexton

Published: December 11, 2019

Episode: 16

UX and UI with Melanie Sexton

Guest: Melanie Sexton, Learning and Experience Designer

In this episode of Become an IDOL, I’ll be chatting with Melanie Sexton, Learning and Experience Designer, about her experience in creating graphic interfaces for online courses and E-Learning development.  Melanie Sexton is a jack of all trades learning design professional living in Central Texas. She graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design earning a BFA and MA in Sequential Art and is now back in school at Austin Community College taking several courses in UX Design. Melanie has a history of making comics and illustrations and sharing her passion for digital media with students in higher ed and libraries. As an instructional design professional, Melanie has worked with clients in the US Military, EdTech, and Cyber Security spaces to create internal, external, and...

Published: October 7, 2019

Episode: 14

Instructional Design Freelancing with Kim Tuohy from Belvista Studios

Guest: Kim Tuohy

In this episode, I’ll be chatting with Kim Tuohy about making the transition to a freelance instructional designer. Kim shares a wealth of knowledge from her own transition from full-time employee to a self-employed business owner. Belvista Studios is an instructional design and eLearning company located in Australia and as the founder, she has a lot of experience working with clients to share.

If you are a new listener to Become an IDOL, we would love to hear from you.  Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today!

In this episode we discuss:

• How to make the transition to freelancing
• Considerations when becoming your own boss
• Getting corporate instructional design experience before making the switch
• How to price your services
• How to manage your life and work balance
• Goal setting
• Mindset work
...

Published: July 30, 2019

Episode: 10

Instructional Design Jargon Defined with Rachel Hudish

Guest: Rachel Hudish

In this episode, I’ll be chatting with Rachel Hudish about the jargon and industry terms that are used in instructional design. We’ll be sharing stories, analogies, and definitions to illuminate the meaning of each word.

If you are a new listener to Become an IDOL, we would love to hear from you.  Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today!

In this episode we discuss:

WBT, CBT, eLearning, Online Learning, mobile learning

Authoring tools: Software used to package multimedia for delivery online. Adobe Captivate and Articulate Storyline are examples of authoring tools

508-compliance: An amendment to the US Workforce Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which is a federal law that requires all electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by the federal government be accessible...

Published: July 15, 2019

Episode: 09

eLearning Community Project with Dana Kocalis

Guest: Dana Kocalis

In this episode, I’ll be chatting with the LinkedIn famous Dana Kocalis about her journey to become an IDOL and the eLearning community project she led and learned from last year. Dana is the owner of eLearning by Dana and a regular LinkedIn conversation starter. Last year we met when she started the eLearning Community project by posting on LinkedIn.

If you are a new listener to Become an IDOL, we would love to hear from you.  Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today!

In this episode we discuss:

• How Dana and I met on LinkedIn
• How Dana landed her first ID job before she had an ID degree
• The eLCP (eLearning Community Project) vision and outcome
• Lessons learned by Dana after attempting to get 80 newbie and expert instructional designers together to build one eLearning course together.

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Published: July 1, 2019

Episode: 08

From Valet to a Six-Figure Instructional Designer

Guest: Cameron Brown

In this episode, I’ll be chatting with Cameron Brown who is an instructional designer for Cox Enterprise. I am Cameron’s mentor and I helped him become an IDOL. You won’t believe his story.  It’s amazing to see how far he has come and where he came from.

If you are a new listener to Become an IDOL, we would love to hear from you.  Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today!

In this episode we discuss:

• How Cameron and I met at Shorter University
• How Cameron went from a valet who parks cars to a six-figure instructional designer
• Cameron's advice for anyone who wants to become an IDOL
• Mentorship and how it was crucial in Cameron's development and successful career

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Published: June 11, 2019

Episode: 07

Scenario Design with Anna Sabramowicz

Guest: Anna Sabramowicz, eLearner Engaged

In this episode of Become an IDOL, I’ll be chatting with Anna Sabramowicz about scenario design. Scenario design is the secret to creating powerful messages in your learning experience design. Learning this technique early in your career will give you a huge advantage and an excellent tool for engaging your learners. You'll also learn how Anna became an IDOL without a degree or experience.

If you are a new listener to Become an IDOL, we would love to hear from you.  Please...

Published: May 28, 2019

Episode: 06

How Christy Tucker Became an IDOL

Guest: Christy Tucker, Syniad Learning

In this episode of Become an IDOL, I’ll be chatting with Christy Tucker about her experience transitioning from secondary education to instructional design and eLearning development. We’ll be sharing tips for switching careers and landing your first job even if you don’t have a degree or experience. You’ll also learn how Christy Tucker became a name brand in the field of instructional design.

Christy Tucker is a learning design consultant at Syniad Learning with over 15 years of experience helping people learn. She specializes in using scenario-based learning to engage audiences and promote the transfer of skills to real-world environments. She has created courses for clients including the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity, Cisco, and the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. Christy has been blogging about instructional design and eLearning for...