Okay. Not really. Leading a global training project takes more than being an instructional designer or a trainer or even a project manager. I've identified three critical steps to leading a successful global training project:  

1. Evolving your role into a learning experience architect. 
2. Mastering how to connect people and content in a way that meets the needs of the business and the learners.  
3. Creating a plan that addresses the complexity of a global rollout. 

Should you add “content strategist” to your modern learning repertoire? Learning and Development practitioners hear about emerging trends and “mission-critical” professional development regularly.

New design methodologies, exciting EdTech options, cutting edge learner engagement approaches pop up on a daily basis, all claiming to cure common training challenges.

However the idea of including one more responsibility to an already full roster of responsibility likely won’t wind up on the top of your to-do list.

Virtually There Session Recap

Job aids can make or break a blend. They provide support for learners in their informal moments of need on the job. Job aids provide key information when things go wrong, when launching new internal systems or processes, when employees want to learn more, or when it’s time to complete an especially complex or uncommon process.

Like all training resources or instructional elements, creating job aids requires a thoughtful approach. But how do you get started designing easily understood, usable, reliable, supportive job aids? Experts Russ Powell and Joe Halpin, co-founders of Peregrine Performance Group helpfully put together an easy-to-follow seven step design process for exemplary job aids.

A global training implementation is much more complex than a blended learning solution designed for one country or for one region. Managing learner schedules, understanding the impact of regionalization, and getting content out in the most appropriate way are just some of the considerations the learning architect needs to consider.

A global program will probably be a blend. However, the old metaphor of a blended learning solution being a recipe, where you need to combine the right ingredients to get the right results, is not powerful enough to support the needs of modern organizations. Modern blended learning is more accurately described as a formula: combining the right elements in different ways to achieve a balance that meets the needs of all the stakeholders within the organization.

It’s really about chemistry.

How do we engage the modern learner? This loaded question generates answers ranging from design, delivery, implementation, learning environment consideration. Those are all legitimate answers! Each aspect of the modern learning experience deserve consideration, if we want to get modern learners excited about the prospect of professional development.

Obviously, we want to incorporate the most impactful elements into our training programs. In thinking about the evolution of learning, and how humans generally learn, two factors stand out: collaboration and community.

A new year presents new opportunities for modern learning advancements. Undoubtedly, exciting technologies will emerge, and practitioners will identify creative and innovative ways to engage learners while working to reach organizational goals.

What does the next year hold? We don’t have a learning & development crystal ball, but based on some trusted sources, a few predictions give us hope for a productive and successful year.

And it may surprise you to learn that none of them relate directly to technology!

The training landscape constantly changes. For example, you could spend an hour a day researching emerging learning technologies and by the end of the week, you’d still be coming across new options. Keeping up with the evolution can feel like a full-time job.

How do instructional designers and decision makers sort through the noise and generate the best possible results? By going back to basics, especially communication.

Another year has come and gone. This time of year encourages reflection, both personal and professional, causing the InSync Team to ask questions such as:

• What did I learn this year?
• How did training evolve?
• Which developments resonated with modern learners?
• Where did learning provide innovative value to our companies?

For us, 2018 marked a widespread shift towards truly blended learning. Organizations, learners, and practitioners alike began to embrace the possibility of building skills outside of formal events. Complex, purposeful, and at times frustrating, the evolution to the new blended reality required us all to consider a handful of key elements: modern learners, engaging facilitation, comprehensive instructional design, and planning for the unexpected.

Virtually There session recap

As training adapts to innovative, ever-changing workplaces, our approaches to designing learning and supporting employees evolve, too. We know blended learning gives us flexibility, but it can overwhelm us, too.

Recently, Russ Powell and Joe Halpin, the founders of Peregrine Performance Group, believe, “One of the most effective ways to build training is to focus on performance, build a job aid, and build the training around it.” Sounds like a great plan. But what counts as a job aid? Why does this blended method work so well?

This blog will cover the basics of job aids, as Russ and Joe shared during their recent Virtually There event How to Recognize and Create Damn Good Job Aids. Click here to watch the entire session for a helpful 7-step process you can use to create your own exemplary job aids.