Here’s an excellent case study that features a simulation Designing Digitally created for Susan Manos and Procter & Gamble (P&G). P&G conduct self-assessments of the Quality Programs at all of their production, research, distribution, and warehousing facilities to ensure all are meeting the organization’s performance standards. These assessments are called QPHA’s and they provide a framework for evaluation and understanding of the quality level output by the teams that participate. There is a related elearning module that is shared to employees, but Susan Manos and P&G decided to add a life-like assessment to accelerate the transfer and adoption of this program.

Cue Designing Digitally and Andrew Hughes, with a solution requiring building a simulation.

Designing Digitally worked with SMEs from P&D to write a fictional story about a plant that is releasing a new product. DDINC then worked with SMEs to create a 3D model of the plant for the learners to explore as if they were conducting an assessment at the site. Learners visit different sections of the plant, such as the research labs, production lines, and loading docks, to discover how the site is handling the new product release.

Andrew and Susan have an excellent discussion about the process from beginning to end, and you can clearly see why the results were so positive. The project wasn’t without its challenges, but the overall success was worth the hurdles they overcame.

Is a formal L&D degree worth it? Is it a requirement if you want to have a career as an instructional designer or a corporate trainer?

There are so many factors that go into answering questions like these and this episode answers quite a few of them. Join Cara North, Chackras Smith, and Richard Harrell for a busy discussion on whether or not having a formal degree in L&D is a requirement in today’s job market for instructional designers. This panel also discusses the types of degrees that are available out there, as well as why having a degree might be necessary for you to be successful.

You’ll also hear about recommended programs and universities, as well as realistic expectations of what the journey to an M.A. or Ph.D. in Education is like.

It’s a Labor Day weekend Friday, so why not start the three-day weekend with some timesavers,  shortcuts, and productivity tips? Host Luis Malbas talked with Jonathan Rock, Quetzalcoatl Cortes, and Alan Natachu about some of their favorite ways to be more productive L&D professionals.

The discussion covered:

• Procrastination
• Taking action
• Creating productivity rituals
• Removing distractions
• Saying “NO”
• Outsourcing the small stuff
• Creating schedules and blocking off time
• Ideal workspaces
• Stop answering your phone
• Setting expectations 
• …and lots more

Here are a few links to useful tools from the chat:

• Quick Text Paste
• Post Haste
• Incompetech
• Kenney (game assets)
• Production Crate
• Themeforest

Karl Richter is a Chef. But instead of menu prep and food mastery as his medium for cooking up delicious offerings, he concocts “eLearning Blends” — a mixture of design, facilitation, consultation, and coaching — to delight learning appetites.

In this TLDCast, we learn more about Karl’s journey as a trainer – going from college, to teaching abroad in Taiwan and Korea, then his time teaching in the Educational Technology Department at San Diego State University, and eventually landing where he is now: Louisville, KY (the best state in the country, according to Kentucky native, Cara North).

Most of the TLDCast is accompanied by slides, so to get the most out of the discussion, make sure you check out the video recording.