5 Ways You Can Advocate for Your Value to the Business as a Course Creator
In an ideal world, leadership would always have a clear view of the impact of your e-learning projects and your unique value to the organization. But that view can be much foggier in real life than we’d like it to be. When our company or leadership doesn’t get what course creators like us do or how it benefits them, we can end up on shaky ground. That lack of understanding makes it hard for us to push back against training cuts. It makes it tricky to get budget increases for tech investments or team expansion. And it can even lead to the mistaken belief that we can easily be replaced by new technology or people without e-learning expertise. Thankfully, many of these issues stem from an easy-to-address source—a lack of awareness. Tipping the balance back in your favor is often as easy as advocating for your work and yourself. Not sure how to do that? Here are a few good places to start. 1. Find your champions It’s possible to do this self-advocacy work on your own. But you’ll probably reach more ears and shift perceptions faster if other people are talking up your work too. Think of it like how you might decide where to eat when traveling to a new city. Intriguing social media posts from a restaurant might get your attention. But chances are a trusted friend telling you about their favorite dining spot in town is more likely to influence your decision. Who might step up to champion your work or team? Consider tapping into people like: Subject matter experts (SMEs) that you have a strong working relationship with. Learners who’ve given your e-learning glowing reviews. Stakeholders who’ve seen the impact your past projects made on the business. Trusted coworkers who know how great your work is—and why it should matter to others. If you’re feeling awkward about asking people to praise your work, just keep your requests small at first. For instance, if an SME emails you a compliment about how easy you’ve been to work with, ask them to forward it to your manager as well. 2. Be loud and proud about your successes We sometimes get siloed off in learning and development. As a result, other teams may have no idea what we’re working on and why it’s so important to the company. If you’re feeling a bit invisible, a good solution is to put on your marketing hat and pursue opportunities to share what you’re doing. This is a great time to tap into your manager and champions to help you find ways to share your work. Large-scale efforts—like presenting at a department meeting, sharing an eye-catching infographic about the impact of a course, or making a year-in-review video highlighting your team’s biggest wins—can all help. But even smaller actions—like asking someone who gave a glowing review of your course to tell their team why they should take it too—can get the word out there. While you’re doing this promo work, don’t just focus on the final project. Also talk up the unique skills and ideas you and your team contributed to make it succeed. That way people don’t just get excited about the finished content—they’ll also get excited about what you and your team bring to the table. 3. Share how what you do connects to broader business goals The people we work with may have a vague sense that e-learning benefits the company in some way. But they may not know precisely how. Or sometimes they understand the surface benefits of our e-learning—like how compliance training checks off a legal requirement—but may not see the deeper, more meaningful impacts it makes in the long run. The best way to turn this situation around is to help these colleagues make those connections. Look for opportunities to call out the specific ways your projects contribute to key company goals. For instance, maybe that compliance course also helped reduce workplace injuries or prevented costly fines. And be sure to be direct about these links so there’s no ambiguity about the impact of your work. 4. Talk to your audience in terms they care about While you’re talking up what you do, also think about how you’re framing that information. When you’re chatting with other learning professionals, eyes will often light up when you share how a project met your learning objectives, used a development tool in a creative way, or tied into learning research. But that likely won’t mean as much—or sometimes anything—to people outside our field. Instead, promote your work in ways that will speak to your audience. For instance, if they’ve complained to you about the boring and useless e-learning at their last job, tell them about all the ways you're making your courses interesting and practical. If your project can help with their team’s goals, tell them how it does that. Or, if you know they’re constantly feeling crunched for time, play up the key ways you’re streamlining your projects. That way, they’ll know you’re making a difference on things that matter to them personally. 5. Do the math to connect your successes to the bottom line Want a measure of success that’s easy to get people excited about? Focus on money. In some cases, financial numbers are easy to uncover—for instance, if you launched training on upselling a new product and the sales numbers immediately went up. Other times, though, you might need to break out your calculator to convert one kind of win into a financial one. For example, if you shaved ten minutes off of your company’s annual compliance training, that may not initially sound like a big deal. But if you have 60,000 employees that have to take it, that’s 10,000 hours of saved work time. If your company’s average hourly salary is $25, that ten-minute trim saved the company $250,000. And those are numbers that can impress! Have a situation where your training wasn’t the only factor at play? You can still frame the final savings or profits as something your work contributed to. That way, you’re acknowledging the other factors but not downplaying that your work had an important part to play in the mix. Wrap-Up Advocating for yourself and your work may not solve all the challenges you face in your professional life. But it’s a good first step toward boosting your visibility and ensuring your organization knows just how much you have to offer. Not only that, but it can even open doors for your career that you didn’t know were possible. Want more ideas on building buy-in for you and your work? Check out these articles: 2 Ways To Show the Value of Online Training Here’s How To Prove the Value of Training to Your Organization Use KPIs To Demonstrate the Value of E-Learning Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest e-learning inspiration and insights directly in your inbox. You can also find us on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter). And if you have questions, please share them in the comments.Audio Interviews with E-Learning Challenge Heroes #461
Interviews with E-Learning Challengers #461: Challenge | Recap 🏆 Challenge of the Week This week, your challenge is to create an audio podcast or interview on the value of working out loud and showing your work in the E-Learning Challenges. You can share your examples using any app or platform. In the past, designers have used Rise 360, Storyline 360, SoundCloud, and Vimeo to host their examples. OPTIONAL: After sharing your example, summarize your answers on your blog, LinkedIn, or community forums. Podcast Interview Questions The following list of questions should be enough to help you get started. You can choose any number of questions to use in your demo. If you only have time for one question, great! If you want to do more, great! Advice for Others Community Aspect What advice would you give to someone just starting the challenges? How can new designers make the most of the experience? What are some best practices for giving constructive feedback? How can designers balance challenges and client work? Why would you recommend participating to other designers? What has the community support and interaction meant to you? Have you collaborated with other designers or made connections? How has being part of the community impacted your design work? What types of examples or topics would you like to see in the future? How could the challenge experience be improved or evolved? Favorite Challenge Example Design Process Which challenge example are you most proud of and why? What example did you find the most creative or innovative? Which example required the most effort or was the biggest challenge? Is there an example you wish you could redo or improve? What feedback on your favorite example helped you grow as a designer? How do you come up with ideas for the weekly challenges? What is your typical process for creating a challenge example? How do you decide which authoring tools or interactions to use? How much time do you usually spend on creating an example? Do you have a dedicated workspace or tools for e-learning design? Inspiration Learning Experience Which other designers' examples inspire you the most? Are there any examples that made you think, "I wish I had done that!"? How have the challenges exposed you to new techniques or authoring tools? Have you incorporated ideas from the challenges into real client projects? What tips would you give for overcoming creative blocks when working on challenges? What have been the biggest lessons or takeaways from participating? How have the challenges helped you improve as a designer? What skills have you developed further through the challenge process? How has feedback from the community benefited you? What keeps you motivated to participate week after week? Benefits of Showing Your Work Time Spent on Examples Why is it important for designers to share examples publicly? How has sharing your work benefited you professionally? What lessons have you learned from getting feedback on your examples? How do you decide what examples to share publicly or keep private? Have you ever collaborated after connecting over shared work? Which platforms or channels have been most effective for showcasing your work examples? How do you balance sharing enough work to benefit your career while protecting intellectual property? What is the breakdown of time (ideation, building, testing, etc.)? How do you estimate time required for different example types? What strategies do you use to work efficiently with limited time? How have regular challenges helped you get faster at development? Do you set aside dedicated time or fit it in around client work? What has been your most time-consuming example and why? How do you balance depth/quality vs. time invested for portfolio pieces? 🧰 Resources Check out the previous audio challenges to get an idea of ways to present your audio interview: Audio Interviews with E-Learning Designers #364: Challenge | Recap Podcast Interviews with E-Learning Designers #266: Challenge | Recap Instructional Design Podcasts #67: Challenge | Recap ✨ Share Your E-Learning Work Comments: Use the comments section below to link your published example and blog post. Forums: Start a new thread and share a link to your published example. Personal blog: If you have a blog, please consider writing about your challenges. We'll link to your posts so your great work gets even more exposure. Social media: If you share your demos on Twitter or LinkedIn, try using #ELHChallenge so your tweeps can follow your e-learning coolness. 🙌 Last Week’s Challenge: Before you click record on this week’s challenge, check out the creative toggle button examples your fellow challengers shared over the past week: Toggle Buttons in E-Learning RECAP #460: Challenge | Recap 👋 New to the E-Learning Challenges? The weekly e-learning challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challenges anytime you want. I’ll update the recap posts to include your demos. Learn more about the weekly e-learning challenges in this Q&A post. 📆 Upcoming Challenges Challenge #462 (05.17): Click. Hover. Drag. See ELC144 for a general idea of what we're doing. 🚨2024 Articulate User Conference Call for Proposals We’re now accepting proposals for this year’s in-person user day conference co-hosted at DevLearn in Las Vegas. Learn more about the proposal process.30+ Best E-Learning Portfolio Examples for Inspiration in 2024 #451
E-Learning Portfolios for 2024 RECAP #451: Challenge | Recap Are you looking for fresh, visually engaging ways to showcase your e-learning projects? Or perhaps you're looking to hire talented e-learning designers to help with your next project. Either way, we've got you covered with 30+ e-learning portfolio examples. From simple portfolios using E-Learning Heroes profile pages to custom-designed websites, this week's roundup features a range of creative ways to present your best e-learning work. Jonathan Hill Portfolio Tip: Share your E-Learning Heroes profile page to showcase examples of your work. Example | Jonathan Hill | Website | @DevByPowerPoint Jeniffer Brubaker Example | Jeniffer Brubaker Christine Vadovszki Portfolio Tip: Networking is so important! I think it's really important to talk to people, build relationships and connections as I often find these one-to-one interactions are what often land jobs rather than sending a resume or portfolio into the oblivion. Example | Christine Vadovszki Anel Albertao Example | Anel Albertao | Website Kari Edmonds Example | Kari Edmonds | Website Ayla Blacklaw Example | Ayla Blacklaw | Website Cherisse Lipps Example | Cherisse Lipps | Website Joanne Chen Example | Joanne Chen | Website Jodi M. Sansone Example | Jodi M. Sansone | Website | @jodimsansone Teo Karageorgakis Example | Teo Karageorgakis | Website Michael Schleicher Example | Michael Schleicher Alexander Salas Example | Alexander Salas | Website | @stylelearn Thaddaeus Smith Portfolio Tip: Portfolios are living documents and grow and change with the person they represent. As existing skills are sharpened, new skills are obtained, new technologies are incorporated, and new practices are implemented, the portfolio should be modified to reflect those changes. Example | Thaddaeus Smith | Website Ilona Winnemore Example | Ilona Winnemore | Website Samuel Apata Portfolio Tip: Before having a dedicated portfolio, I used to share my demos through the community page which is still a free and viable option. Example | ELH Portfolio | Samuel Apata | Website | @afrostem Thierry EMMANUEL Example | Thierry EMMANUEL | Website Michelle Susar Example | Michelle Susar Amar Kulshreshtha Portfolio Tip: I create articles on my LinkedIn profile Example | Amar Kulshreshtha | Website | @AmarShreshtha Julie BIGOT Example | Julie BIGOT | Website Laura Hansen Portfolio Tip: Set achievable and measurable goals for your own development. This year I have created a goal for myself to submit at least one E-Learning Heroes challenge a month and have two virtual networking calls a month. Example | Laura Hansen Silver Echo77 Portfolio Tip: Showcase a variety of projects that highlight different skills and strengths. It's all about demonstrating versatility! Silver Echo77 Missy Hovland Example | Missy Hovland Maria Munoz Portfolio Tip: Every day is a new opportunity to learn something new. Set realistic and achievable goals that will help you grow. Example | Maria Munoz Tracy Carroll Example | Learn more | Tracy Carroll | Website | @1tracycarroll Emma B Portfolio Tip: Curate! Don't put everything in there and ensure your portfolio really is a demonstration of your best work. Try to include a variety of examples and put in some good quality images / screenshots of your work. Focus on how you solved problems or tackled challenges, to achieve your end result. Also take a look at what other people are doing and learn from them. Don't put too much pressure on yourself to get it perfect and remember you can always change things as you, your skills and your style changes. Example | Emma B | Website Logan Monday Portfolio Tip: Keep showing your work and network with people that can support you as well as inspire you. Example | Logan Monday Wrenn Corcoran Example | Wrenn Corcoran Courtney Roberts Portfolio Tip: Have fun building your portfolio. Do what you like and what inspires YOU! Example | Courtney Roberts Kate Golomshtok Portfolio Tip: Learn how to be inspired by the world around you. Inspiration can come from a variety of sources: films, music, advertising, books, and many others. It’s important to see the ideas around you and use them to create interesting and helpful courses. Example | Kate Golomshtok | Website Anne-Marie Fiore Example | Anne-Marie Fiore | Website Jared Speight Portfolio Tip: Have a flagship project where you include design documents, discuss accessibility features, and show the results of your course/job aid if possible. Jared Speight Jayashree Ravi Networking Tip: Be genuine and proactive in building relationships. Connect with fellow professionals through online communities like LinkedIn, engage in meaningful conversations, and offer value. Authentic relationships can lead to collaborations and opportunities. Career Tip: Never stop learning. The digital learning landscape evolves rapidly. Stay curious, invest in continuous learning, and embrace challenges as opportunities for growth. Committing to lifelong learning sets you apart and fuels success in your career journey. Example | Jayashree Ravi | LinkedIn Teammate Learning and Development Example | Teammate Learning and Development | Website New to the E-Learning Challenges? The weekly challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challenges anytime you want. I'll update the recap posts to include your demos. If you have a blog, please write about your challenge example. I'll add links to your blog post so your examples get even more exposure. And for those who share your demos on Twitter or LinkedIn, please include #ELHChallenge so your network (and Articulate!) can track your e-learning coolness. Share Your E-Learning Portfolio Examples! The e-learning portfolio challenge is still open! If you have one or more ideas you'd like to share, please jump over to the original challenge and post your links in the comments section. I'll update this recap page to include your examples.Show Us What's in Your E-Learning Portfolio #451
E-Learning Portfolios for 2024 #451: Challenge | Recap Challenge of the Week This week, your challenge is to: Share a link to your e-learning portfolio or personal site Tell us your favorite portfolio, networking, or career tip 🧰 Resources What to Include in an E-Learning Portfolio How to Create an E-Learning Portfolio Here’s What Needs to be in Your E-Learning Portfolio Why You Need a Professional Portfolio ✨ Share Your E-Learning Work Comments: Use the comments section below to link your published example and blog post. Forums: Start a new thread and share a link to your published example. Personal blog: If you have a blog, please consider writing about your challenges. We'll link to your posts so your great work gets even more exposure. Social media: If you share your demos on Twitter or LinkedIn, try using #ELHChallenge so your tweeps can follow your e-learning coolness. 🙌 Last Week’s Challenge: Before you showcase your e-learning portfolio, check out the different ways to use design themes and slide masters to build custom templates: Design Themes in E-Learning RECAP #450: Challenge | Recap 👋 New to the E-Learning Challenges? The weekly e-learning challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challengesanytime you want. I’ll update the recap posts to include your demos. Learn more about the challenges in this Q&A post and why and how to participate in this helpful article. 📅 Next Week’s Challenge Challenge #452 (03.01): Using AI in e-learning. I last hosted a similar challenge nine months ago, but things are evolving quickly in this area. 🚨 Contact Information Just a quick heads up – if you want your blog, website, or LinkedIn included in our recap posts, could you do me a favor and add or update those links onto your ELH profile sometime this week? I found some broken links last week when I pulled the recap together. You spend a lot of time building creative examples, and your work deserves all the attention it can get. If you make changes, please let me know in the comments below. Thanks!What Are 10 Things You Wish You Knew When Starting Your Career? #443
10 Things E-Learning Designers Learned #443: Challenge | Recap Whether you're new to e-learning or have been in the game for a while, you've made mistakes and gained valuable knowledge that's helped you build better courses. While it never helps to dwell on the past, your experience can be a valuable resource for e-learning newbies, helping them avoid common pitfalls as they kickstart their new careers. And learning from our mistakes is what this week's challenge is all about! 🏆 Challenge of the Week This week, your challenge is to share 3-10 things you wish you'd known when you first started in e-learning. Your entry can be a simple list with bulleted items or an interactive example. If you're looking for ways to level up your challenge count, you can combine this week's topic with a previous challenge. Just cross-post your entry in both challenges so I can update the recaps. ⚒️ Tools & Apps You're welcome to use any app you like to create your entry. For those using Articulate 360 apps, here are a few ideas to help you get started: Peek 360: Consider recording a PowerPoint presentation or Rise 360 of your demo. Bullet Point Makeovers in E-Learning #431: Challenge | Recap Rise 360: Short on time this week? Rise 360's microlearning feature is a perfect fit for this week's topic. And for those with some extra time, the Storyline block option in Rise 360 is worth exploring. Microlearning in Rise 360 #407: Challenge | Recap Using Storyline Blocks in Rise 360 #306: Challenge | Recap Storyline 360: We've posted 43 challenges this year. Feel free to combine this week's challenge with one or more previous challenges. E-Learning Challenges: Complete List of Challenges 🧰 Resources 8 E-Learning Tips I Wish I Knew When I First Started to Build Courses 10 Tips That Make It Easy to Shift In-Person Training to a Rise 360 Course The 7 Most Useful Career-Building Tips of 2021 Boost Your E-Learning Career by Building Your Personal Brand Best of 2015: Build Your E-Learning Career with These 10 Strategies ✨ Share Your E-Learning Work Comments: Use the comments section below to link your published example and blog post. Forums: Start a new thread and share a link to your published example. Personal blog: If you have a blog, please consider writing about your challenges. We'll link to your posts so your great work gets even more exposure. Social media: If you share your demos on Twitter or LinkedIn, try using #ELHChallenge so your tweeps can follow your e-learning coolness. 🙌 Last Week’s Challenge: Before you take a career trip down memory lane, explore these practical ways to incorporate background music into your e-learning courses: Background Audio in E-Learning RECAP #442: Challenge | Recap 👋 New to the E-Learning Challenges? The weekly e-learning challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challenges anytime you want. I’ll update the recap posts to include your demos. Learn more about the challenges in this Q&A post and why and how to participate in this helpful article. 📆 Next Week’s Challenge Next week's challenge #444 (December 8, 2023): Pantone Color of the Year 2024. It's our annual color challenge. Pantone hasn't announced next year's color, but I'd like your best guess on what it will be. Include your guess in the comments when you post your example. Bonus challenges: For those of you looking for challenge-related activities, I've got some informal challenges for you in late December. I'll share more next week, but you can start thinking of ways to showcase and highlight your favorite challenge entries for 2023. 👋 New to the E-Learning Challenges? The weekly e-learning challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challenges anytime you want. I’ll update the recap posts to include your demos. Learn more about the challenges in this Q&A post and why and how to participate in this helpful article.20+ E-Learning Portfolio Tips & Examples from Course Designers #438
E-Learning Portfolio Examples RECAP #438: Challenge | Recap Discover more than 20 e-learning portfolio tips and examples from professional course designers. Richard Watson Include examples in your portfolio to attract your target audience. For example, my Client Shap Shots portfolio includes healthcare-related topics. Example 1 | Example 2 | Richard Watson | Website | @rwatsonID Bryana Bohl Find a hosting platform that is not too complicated and allows you to scale. Example | Bryana Bohl | Website Niyeda Suliveres-McDougal Using Rise 360 to host samples is so helpful with allowing me to avoid hosting a separate website. Example | Niyeda Suliveres-McDougal Arthur Korous Example 1 | Example 2 | Arthur Korous Allison Goldthorpe Tell the story behind the sample! At the end of the day, ok you've built a cool elearning interaction. But why? What problem does it solve? Example | Allison Goldthorpe | Website | @AGoldthorpeID Jodi M. Sansone Your resume is not your life story, it's a marketing document. Tailor your resume to the role you are pursuing. only put things on your resume that you like to do, otherwise you'll get considered for jobs you hate. So if you don't like to do elearning for systems implementations, don't put those accomplishments on your resume. Example | Jodi M. Sansone | Website | @jodimsansone Jonathan Hill I think there's definitely a place for some RADICAL CANDOR in our portfolios. Example | Jonathan Hill | Website | @DevByPowerPoint Leah Heinrich Example | Leah Heinrich Anita Kumar Just like we always consider our target audience when designing our learning solutions, we must consider our target audience when crafting our portfolio. The target audience comprises busy hiring managers. So don't drown them with details of your process. Make it succinct and visually appealing, so they quickly understand your process even if they're skimming through it. Example | Approach | Anita Kumar | Website Samuel Apata Sharing about yourself gives reference points that make you more accessible to others and my self-titled demo reflects that. While it might contain more personal information than I might share with an employer, I'm curious to discover if we have any identities in common. Example | Samuel Apata | Website | @afrostem Yvonne Leklou Update when you are between contracts or want to try something new. I hadn't been going to update my portfolio in quite a while. And when I finally did, I realized I needed to remove some very basic examples and a very long one. Short examples are great because most people looking at them don't have a lot of time. Also, add a brief explanation to each piece highlighting what you want the viewer to know. While it might be obvious to you, it might not be to the viewer. Example | Yvonne Leklou Wendy Mcmillian Example | Wendy Mcmillian Timothy Crowe & Kelly Fischer Example | Download | Kelly Fischer | Timothy Crowe Bonne Nagle Example 1 | Example 2 | Bonne Nagle | Website Aman Vohra Example | Aman Vohra | Website Laura Hansen Focus on results and tell the story, just like you would on a resume! Example | Laura Hansen Tom Haarman Example | Tom Haarman Sarah Scott Don't wait until you're looking for work to update your portfolio samples! When you come up with something you think deserves a showcase, add it. Example | Sarah Scott mat king Example | Learn more | mat king Kate Golomshtok Example | Kate Golomshtok | Website Ashi (Neha) Tandon Example | Ashi (Neha) Tandon | Website | @ashi_tandon New to the E-Learning Challenges? The weekly challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challenges anytime you want. I'll update the recap posts to include your demos. If you have a blog, please write about your challenge example. I'll add links to your blog post so your examples get even more exposure. And for those who share your demos on Twitter or LinkedIn, please include #ELHChallenge so your network (and Articulate!) can track your e-learning coolness. Share Your Interactive Resume and E-Learning Portfolio Examples! The portfolio challenge is still open! If you have one or more ideas you'd like to share, please jump over to the original challenge and post your links in the comments section. I'll update this recap page to include your examples.Share Your E-Learning Portfolios and Interactive Resumes #438
Share Your E-Learning Portfolios & Resumes #438: Challenge | Recap 🏆 Challenge of the Week This week, your challenge is to share a link to your e-learning portfolio or create an interactive resume example. 🎁 Bonus: Share Your Favorite Portfolio Tip! Share your favorite portfolio tip or recommendation. What portfolio advice would you give to someone who is just getting started? What's your biggest lesson learned crafting your portfolios? Interactive Resume Example Here’s a creative resume example that Tim built with Storyline 360. The example features looping background audio and custom motion path animations and transitions. View the example | Tim Crowe Related E-Learning Challenges Build and Promote Your E-Learning Voice Over Portfolios #104: Challenge | Recap Audio Tips for E-Learning Portfolios #138: Challenge | Recap E-Learning Portfolios with Rise 360 #254: Challenge | Recap E-Learning Heroes Profiles #108: Challenge | Recap 🧰 Resources How to Build an E-Learning Portfolio One Challenge at a Time What to Include in an E-Learning Portfolio Why You Need an E-Learning Portfolio Here’s a Free Tool to Build an E-Learning Portfolio How to Create an E-Learning Portfolio Here’s What Needs to be in Your E-Learning Portfolio Why You Need a Professional Portfolio ✨ Share Your E-Learning Work Comments: Use the comments section below to link your published example and blog post. Forums: Start a new thread and share a link to your published example. Personal blog: If you have a blog, please consider writing about your challenges. We'll link to your posts so your great work gets even more exposure. Social media: If you share your demos on Twitter or LinkedIn, try using #ELHChallenge so your tweeps can follow your e-learning coolness. 📆 Last Week’s Challenge: Before you showcase your e-learning work, check out the examples course designers shared in last week’s e-learning challenge: E-Learning Challenge Examples RECAP #437: Challenge | Recap 👋 New to the E-Learning Challenges? The weekly e-learning challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challengesanytime you want. I’ll update the recap posts to include your demos. Learn more about the challenges in this Q&A post and why and how to participate in this helpful article. 📅 Next Week’s Challenge Next week's challenge #439 (11/03): Keep It or Trash It: Drag-and-Drop Sorting Activities. I try to include at least one drag-drop interaction each year. For this challenge, we'll focus on using drag-drops to sort items into two or more categories. Got an idea for a challenge? Are you interested in doing a webinar showcasing how you made one or more challenge demos? Or do you have some comments for your humble challenge host? Use this anonymous form to share your feedback: https://bit.ly/ElearningChallengeForm.6 Ways the E-Learning Heroes Community Makes Your Job Easier
Working in e-learning can sometimes feel like taking on a lot. You need to stay on top of a broad and evolving field, juggle the needs of stakeholders and learners, and create experiences that shift knowledge and behavior—often all while managing time and budget challenges as well. But you’re not alone! The E-Learning Heroes community can support every aspect of your work and career. So take a peek at some of the exciting ways this community—and its one million plus members—can ease your load. 1. Get help fast If something isn’t working as expected or you feel stumped on a challenge, the community has your back. You can get speedy access to Articulate staff and other e-learning professionals through our discussion boards. There’s one for questions about the Articulate apps and another for general e-learning design and development questions. No matter what work challenges you’re facing, there’s a place to ask for advice. And that’s not your only option. The E-Learning Heroes website has a wealth of articles that can help you troubleshoot tricky situations. So whether you’re trying to figure out how Storyline 360’s slide layer properties work or looking for tricks for making collaborating with subject matter experts easier, the community has articles that can help! 2. Speed up your workflow with free resources Thankfully, you don’t have to start from scratch every time you create a new project. With hundreds of free interaction templates, images, buttons, and more available in the Downloads section on E-Learning Heroes, it’s easy to find resources to make course development faster. Not only that, but you’ll also find course design resources like storyboard templates and project management tools. 3. Get ideas for projects Whether you’re looking for something specific to a topic, industry, or approach or are just curious to see what kinds of interesting e-learning experiences are out there, the community has a lot to offer. The E-Learning Examples page curates innovative projects created by Articulate staff as well as members of the community. And the submissions to the weekly E-Learning Challenges are a goldmine for design inspiration. Plus, participating in these challenges yourself can do a lot to spark your imagination. 4. Learn more about crafting great e-learning Our general e-learning articles are a handy way to fit professional development into a packed schedule. With content written by e-learning creators, for e-learning creators, you’ll get tons of practical advice that’s easy to apply in the real world. Find the most recent ones on the E-Learning Heroes homepage or use the search function to look up specific topics. 5. Stay up-to-date on the latest Articulate 360 features If you use Storyline 360, Rise 360, or any of the other Articulate apps, the E-Learning Heroes site is a hub for getting tons of value from them. You’ll find articles detailing the latest app updates, share step-by-step tutorials on specific development techniques, and get behind-the-scenes looks at how specific projects were created. The Quick Tips & Tricks series collects short app tutorial videos, and you can find deeper dives on the Articulate Tutorials and User Guides page. And if you want to browse upcoming Articulate 360 Training webinars or live events, E-Learning Heroes has all the details. 6. Connect to other e-learning creators Are you part of a small team of e-learning creators—or just a team of one—and sometimes feel isolated? Or maybe you’re part of a larger learning and development team but value connection with people outside your organization. With the E-Learning Heroes community, you can connect with an international group of learning professionals who are happy to talk shop and bounce around ideas. They can give you feedback on projects, ideas for tackling tricky challenges, resources that can speed up your work, and a reassuring feeling that you’re never in this alone. Wrap-Up The e-learning field is broad, with a wide range of challenges and goals. But no matter what kinds of content you work with or digital experiences you create, the E-Learning Heroes community has so much that can make you work easier, faster, and more innovative. If you want to explore even more ways to use this site, this series of articles has all the tips you’ll need: Getting the Most Out of the Awesome E-Learning Heroes Community. Want to keep on top of all the newest additions to it? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest e-learning inspiration and insights directly in your inbox. And if you have questions, please share them in the comments.7 Tricks for Writing Strong Conference Speaking Proposals
If you want to stay on top of what’s happening in e-learning, industry conferences like DevLearn, Learning Technologies, ATD ICE, Learning Solutions are well worth checking out. They showcase sessions, discussions, and examples that can help you push the envelope of what’s possible now and prepare for how learning technology will evolve in the future. So these are exciting events to attend. But have you ever considered doing a speaking session at one yourself? Since most speakers are people in learning development just like you—people with practical, real-world experience who can assist others—that goal isn’t far out of reach if you’re interested. If you’re considering submitting ideas or even wondering if you have anything suitable to share, we’re here to help you along with a few tips. 1. Identify a topic to share—and remember it doesn’t have to be earth-shattering People sometimes opt out of submitting speaking proposals because they don’t have a substantial online following or cutting-edge projects to talk about. But you don’t have to have industry fame to get a speaking slot. And you’d be amazed at how often what can seem mundane and everyday to you can spark ideas and insights in others. Not sure what you have to share that would stand out to others? Try these tricks to uncover ideas: Talk with someone else in our field about your projects and industry interests. Do you see them light up about something you shared? That’s a good clue for a possible topic! List out aspects of your work you’re passionate about. Maybe you love checking out new multimedia creation tools. Or perhaps you geek out about project techniques that speed up e-learning projects. If you’re earnestly excited about a topic, that’ll come across to conference organizers and attendees. Take a look at old conference programs. That can help you spot content gaps you could fill. And it can give you ideas for topics that tend to make the program that you have a unique spin on. 2. When in doubt, consider a case study Telling the story of a project or initiative is one of the easiest topics to craft a proposal around. You worked on it, so you’re already an expert on the topic. And conference attendees love getting a behind-the-scenes look at how something got from idea to launch. And don’t think you have to pick a situation where everything went perfectly. Stories about times a project didn’t go as planned are great learning experiences and can help others avoid the same pitfalls. Nervous about sharing project missteps with your peers? You’ll be glad to know the audiences at these events are supportive and appreciative of speakers willing to share the realities of how our field works. 3. Frame your topic in a way that appeals to a wide audience Event organizers don’t want to include sessions that only appeal to a few attendees. So if your initial idea seems niche, consider how you can take the insights you’re excited to share and expand them so they can apply to more situations. Sometimes this means broadening your original idea—like shifting from how to build surgical simulations to the related but wider topic of high-stakes simulations. But other times all you need to do is tweak your wording so it’s more obvious to attendees how your session connects to their challenges. 4. Make it clear what your session will cover If you were reviewing session proposals, which would you pick: one that vaguely mentions it’ll share content writing tips or one that states it’ll cover eight ways to write more engaging content—and then outlines each one? That second one is the better bet, because conference organizers and attendees know exactly what they’re getting. So make sure your proposal isn’t too hazy and don’t be afraid to share spoilers! 5. Take a look at past session descriptions What exactly does a strong speaking proposal look like? A quick source for examples is the concurrent session descriptions for past events! Those descriptions are typically just edited versions of the submitted proposals. So what you see there can give you ideas for what to write. 6. Take advantage of the resources conferences offer prospective speakers Event organizers want you to submit the best proposals possible. That’s because the more solid proposals they get, the easier it is for them to build a great event. So, many conference organizers offer resources to help you out. For instance, The Learning Guild shares proposal examples, holds live Q&As about the process, and will even chat with you about your ideas or drafts before you submit them. Can’t find the resources you need? The people who organize conferences in our field are a kind bunch. So don’t hesitate to reach out to them for assistance. 7. Ask us for help too! Several of the Articulate community team members have spoken at industry conferences. And we’re happy to help you navigate the process or brainstorm ideas! Just comment on this post, and we’ll be there to assist! Wrap-Up With these tips, you should have a good start on writing a session proposal that stands out from the crowd. For an even deeper dive into the topic, check out this interview between our own Trina Rimmer and David Kelly from The Learning Guild. And if you end up getting your proposal accepted, be sure to come by the expo hall and say hi to us!6 Things to Consider Before Choosing a Company Name
Are you looking to venture off on your own—either as a consultant, freelancer, or something else? If you’ve been working in the corporate training world, then you likely already know that a great company name is a critical step toward success. Choosing the right name can jumpstart your side hustle or new career. Alternatively, picking the wrong name can pose tricky challenges you didn’t expect. So, before you make a final decision, ask yourself the following questions: 1. Should you use your own name or a business name? First, do you want to use your own name or a business name? Either option can work—the correct answer just depends on your particular goals. If you’ve already made a name for yourself in the industry, using your own name might make it easier to gain business. Plus, it’ll give customers the sense of a personal touch. Still, it can also impose limitations, such as making your company seem too small for larger jobs—even if you hire staff later down the road. Conversely, using a unique company name clearly communicates what you’re all about and leaves room to grow. The downside is that you’ll also have to build a positive reputation from the ground up. The right option requires getting familiar with the advantages and disadvantages on both sides of the coin. So, keep exploring, and don’t hesitate to use others for inspiration. Check out this article to read how others in the industry chose their company names. 2. Does the name sound too similar to competitors? Ready yourself for success by choosing a name that sets you apart. You never want potential customers to confuse your name with that of another business in the same or even a different industry. Just imagine the headache of getting a bunch of messages or calls intended for another similar-sounding organization! So, search for your desired business name on the internet. Are you in the clear, or is another company already using it? Make adjustments as needed until your name is one-of-a-kind. With your own unique company name, your business can thrive as its own brand and identity. 3. Can you spell and say the name easily? If you’re having trouble finding a name that isn’t already taken, you might feel tempted to use a creative misspelling—like the rideshare company Lyft. But that’s probably not a good idea unless you have tons of money to spend on building brand awareness. Besides, you’ll likely grow tired of having to constantly correct people if the misspelling makes the name harder to say. So, choose a name you can spell and pronounce easily. That way, people are more likely to remember it, recommend it, and quickly find it when they type your company name into a search field. 4. Can you register the URL? Establishing a URL/domain (.com preferably) gives the impression that you’re a professional, and it provides a place for potential customers to learn what you’re all about. Even if you don't plan to create a website right away, reserving a URL ensures that no one else takes it down the line. So, confirm whether you can get a domain that matches your desired company name. As your company grows, you’ll be grateful to have it. 5. Is the name available on social media? You can also grow your business with social media—sharing engaging content that attracts new customers to your door. So, make sure your desired company name is available on those platforms as well. Sound like a lot of work? Don’t stress! Your business doesn’t need to be on every social media platform. You can focus your efforts. Consider your target audience and where they’re most likely to spend their time. Or speed things up even more by recruiting the help of websites like namecheckr—which allows you to check a potential brand name’s availability on multiple social media sites at once. 6. Do you like the name? A company name is something that will be with you for a long time, so make sure you’re happy with it. While it’s great to get feedback from others—especially for bringing potential drawbacks to light—this is ultimately your decision. You get to decide whether it’s a name you’d be proud to call your business. Choose something you’ll be thrilled to say over and over again to all your future clients. In Summary As you can tell, there are a few things to consider before deciding on a company name. I hope this article makes it easier for you to confidently choose one that best suits your goals, stands out from the pack, and is easy for customers to remember and find online. And—most of all—I hope it’s a name you love! Looking for more ways to grow your future company? Check out the following resources for more ideas: No-Fail Strategies to Succeed as an E-Learning Freelancer (Part 1/2) No-Fail Strategies to Succeed as an E-Learning Freelancer (Part 2/2) 19 Tips for Succeeding as Freelance E-Learning Designers #348 Follow us on Twitter and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning. If you have any questions, please share them in the comments.
