David Kelly’s Curated L&D Content for the Week of 12/18/17

This week’s curated content includes links exploring the following:

• Questions you should be asking about your LMS
• How to work with Subject Matter Experts
• An example of VR being used for training
• The value of low-fidelity graphics
• How to think like a hacker
• The impact of virtual reality on learning

Here’s the content for this week:

Why Are Companies Ditching Their Old Learning Management Systems? by Herb Tieger
I wish this post had a different title. It made me think the post was going to be another “death of the LMS” discussion that I tend to avoid. But I’m glad I clicked because this is one of the better posts exploring why an organization might look to switch or move on from their current LMS. The post explores five questions every LMS-using organization should be asking to make sure their chosen platform is delivering the value the organization needs.

How To Work With Subject Matter Experts by Andrea May, Fiona Quigley, and Dawn Mahoney
When it comes to elearning, the actual development of the learning programs is often the easy part. It’s not that it’s easy per se, but it’s easier from the standpoint that once you have the information you need, you have more control. It’s the work you need to do away from your keyboard, pulling information from subject matter experts (SMEs) and working with them to ensure the programs you develop are hitting the mark that can often be the biggest challenge. Working with SMEs is a big challenge for many elearning professionals, and this post provides a number of great tips that can help you do it more effectively.

This VR Training Simulation is One of the Best We’ve Ever Seen by Paul James
There’s a lot of buzz about the potential for using virtual reality for training and development. And the buzz makes sense, as there’s huge potential for training applications within VR. What there’s less of right now are actual examples of VR being used for training. This post highlights one great example of VR being used for a training simulation. Also of note – this isn’t coming from a training publication; it’s coming from a VR publication that also makes commentary on the possibilities of VR for training and education.

Realistic Graphics and Learning: What’s most effective? by Connie Malamed
Graphics are an important part of elearning, but have you ever given thought to how realistic your graphics should be? You may have considered using photos versus illustrations, but those are just the extremes. In an environment of detail, we sometimes overlook the value of simpler imagery. This post explains the value of low-fidelity images, and examines the advantages and use cases for them.

Train Your Employees to Think Like Hackers by Marten Mickos
The hacker mindset is something that a lot of organizations are looking to foster. This post explores what that means and what the value of a hacker mindset can be to your workforce. While that is valuable in itself, that’s not the primary reason I share it here. As you read the article, I encourage you to ask yourself a question: If you were going to incorporate the mindset and behaviors described in this article in your L&D practices, what might it look like?

The Impact of Virtual Reality on Learning by Ruth Reynard
This post does a nice job summarizing the landscape of VR for learning. It looks into the past to see what we thought of VR as the technology itself was emerging and looks at it today as it explores how this technology can be used to create new and immersive learning experiences. If you’re not sure what the use cases for VR-based learning may be, this post walks through a number of examples. While the post is geared towards an academic audience, what’s shared is easily transferable to corporate audiences as well.

Returning in 2018… Realities360

Realities360 launched last year as a space for the learning and technology industry to gather and explore the possibilities of AR and VR for learning and development. After selling out last year, the hands-on experience returns in June 2018 in an expanded format.

We’ll be looking at even more examples of AR, VR, and simulations being used for learning, and giving people the opportunity to experience these technologies for themselves to put them into the context of the work we do every day. Early registration is open now, so if you’re interested in being a part of the event that shaping how these technologies are being used by our industry, reserve your spot today!