Blog posts

If you need a longer policy than this, you probably have larger problems in your organization. This really does cover it for most knowledge work.

White paper from the eLearning Guild with research and ideas on how we can reduce gender bias in eLearning

How to estimate the time to develop training if you don't have your own past data to draw from. Use industry benchmarks and adjust based on factors. I especially like the breakdown of adding percentages for different factors such as multitasking and content expertise.

Avoid passive voice, use parallel structure, vary sentences, and remove unnecessary words

Examples of portfolios and what this author likes about each one, along with general tips for creating a good portfolio. If you want some inspiration, check this out. (Yes, my portfolio is on the list.)

Matt Guyan's list of 10 blogs that are "making a positive contribution to the wider eLearning field." Flattered to be included with this list of great blogs.

Some basics of color theory and how to create color palettes

A clear example of what is deductible and what isn't for US self-employed people, including what counts in each category

I'm a supporter of the serial comma, especially for voice over, but there's a good point here. Weak sentence construction can't be fixed by simply adding a comma.

Karl Kapp, author of several books, shares tips for the writing process. Think about your energy levels during the day and what's the best time to write versus doing all the "assembly" and other tasks needed.

Backchannel, resources, and wrap ups from LSCon

From the Common Craft Explainer Academy, a 7 minute video on the "Light Bulb Model" for explaining concepts. This would work for short videos and microlearning. It's not a technical explanation, so you could share this with SMEs and have them understand it.

Estimate your quarterly estimated taxes (for US freelancers and 1099 workers)

This was created in 2007 as a quick course in designing e-learning for SMEs. While the fully developed versions of the course seem to no longer be available, the scripts are here so you could create your own version. New instructional designers may benefit from reading the scripts and envisioning how they could create a course.

Free tool to assign tasks via email even if people don't have an account.

Install the free version of Visual Studio to add Storyboarding tools to PowerPoint. These are intended for web and app development, but you could use these tools for elearning storyboards by following the first part of the instructions (ignoring the parts about linking to backlog items with a team).

How do you measure productivity in your work? Is it by how many hours you spend working? Is it by the volume of your output? Do you measure the quality of your work? Productivity falls with long work weeks, but too many organizations value 60 hour weeks over better quality and innovative work.

How you measure productivity and help less productive workers become more effective? This is especially relevant for people who work from home who are often perceived as not being as productive as those in the office.

Working long hours can decrease your total output, not just your hourly productivity rates. Overwork leads to stress, mistakes, and other problems that have real consequences for businesses.

Lawrence Laganelli interviewed me for his Inside Medical Assisting podcast. We discussed what makes elearning effective, the benefits of scenario-based learning, and trends for the future of e-learning.

Yes, you can, but training alone isn't enough

Spreadsheet for analyzing LMS needs from different vendors. Add your criteria on the Evaluation Sheet. Criteria are in categories (usability, management, reporting, technical, administration), but you could customize the categories. Rate vendors on their own tab on how well they meet the criteria. The top 5 of 10 vendors are highlighted.

Instructional Design and Technology "MicroMasters" through edX and UMUC. 4 courses, 8 weeks each, 4-6 hours per week. Around Free to try, $800 for verified credits. While I'm not sure how much hands on experience this program gives, it might be a good option for formal education for people looking for something less than a full masters program.

Questions to ask about how you will use sites so you can pick the right plugin. All 5 mentioned are about $100-300.

I use this merge function regularly, but I'm surprised how many people don't know this feature exists.

Calculate the pixel width and height for different ratios

Marc Rosenberg revisits the question of whether instructional design is dying by asking more questions about our context. Are we talking about instructional design as a profession, specific ID models, particular tasks, or something else?

Stephen Downes comments in response to my post on managing the complexity of scenarios that merging paths makes it "more like a narration and less like a game." Is it bad for stories for learning and with specific learning objectives to be a bit more like a narration? Perhaps that's a feature, not a bug. Also, most video games do this to some extent. Mass Effect does not have 27 different endings, for example.

If you're a consultant, freelancer, or agency interested in working on US government contracts, this site helps people find opportunities and work through the RFP and contract process.