eLearning Leadership Blog

Offices, schools, and colleges everywhere are shutting down for days or weeks to slow down the spread of COVID-19, also known as the novel coronavirus. 

For many involved in training and education, work and classes are expected to continue, even in institutions or organizations that have rarely supported distributed learners before. 

“Dear Designer” is a new blog series on orienting novice practitioners to the discipline of instructional design and learning experience design.

Ellen Burns-Johnson - September 17, 2019

There are many recipes for successful employee engagement. Gamification is just one ingredient.

Gamification isn’t just a niche term anymore. Points, badges, achievements, leaderboards and more are being used in more creative and refined ways across multiple industries, with interesting results. 

By Ellen Burns-Johnson, Instructional Designer / @EllenBJohnson 

If we’re not focused on the right problems, we can’t be sure that microlearning is the right solution.

The training industry’s interest in microlearning shows no signs of slowing. We’ve seen an enormous response to the ebook and blog posts we’ve shared on the topic, and an increasing number of clients are asking us to help them create microlearning solutions.

By Ellen Burns-Johnson, Instructional Designer / @ellenbjohnson

I loved the food. Each dish was its own experience, thoughtfully prepared, the flavors balanced so that each bite made an impact.

By Ellen Burns-Johnson, Instructional Designer / @EllenBJohnson 

 So there you are. Your e-learning project is coming along nicely: The content  has been validated by SME reviewers, you've adjusted the interface based on  feedback from user testing with real learners, and the client team is in the  process of reviewing the alpha link.

By Ellen Burns-Johnson, Instructional Designer / @EllenBJohnson 

 The Big Short is a recently released dark comedy that explores the 2008 financial crisis. It’s nominated for several awards in the upcoming Oscars, and has garnered significant attention for its success in communicating tricky financial concepts to a general audience. Steve Carell, who co-starred in the film, offered this assessment:

By Ellen Burns-Johnson, Instructional Designer / @EllenBJohnson 

It was Monday night. All I wanted was something to help me relax after a long day of instructional design and holiday shopping.

By Ellen Burns-Johnson, Instructional Designer / @ellenBjohnson 

I find the mobile game BADLAND really engaging. I've beaten more than 80 of the game's 100 single-player levels, and spent close to ten hours flapping my fuzzy little clone wings through obstacle courses across a dreamy alien landscape.