The Learner Experience Boost: Quick Wins to Use Today w/Tiffany Vojnovski

With demand for eLearning programs at an all-time high, we’re busier than ever. L&D professionals are proving their value, right?  

If we measure value by sheer volume, sure. But we shouldn’t be measuring our own value at all: that’s our learners’ job.

If we were listening, they’d tell us that too many of our programs fail to account for their competing priorities, stress, and fatigue. They’d tell us that they can’t pay attention to new information, much less recall or apply it, when they’re exhausted. The more outspoken might even tell us that our learning tasks are so tedious that they’re not motivated to try.

How can we make the process of acquiring skills and knowledge less draining--maybe even enjoyable--for them?

We don’t need shiny objects. We don’t even need to be decision makers. We just need a few simple tools to improve our learner experience (LX).

The basics can make a big difference: presenting information accessibly, intuitively, even attractively, can make the learning process more pleasant. On the flip side, a few common design flaws can frustrate learners and detract from otherwise valuable content. Tiffany will share some strategies to deliver more of the resources learners want, with fewer barriers and frustrations. This session culminates in a live workshop: bring a current project and receive feedback from the group on how to enhance the LX of your deliverable or curriculum.

Learning Objectives/Session Takeaways:

• How to recognize design flaws contributing to extraneous cognitive load
• How to leverage germane cognitive load to boost learner engagement and interest
• Strategies to boost the LX of any deliverable, from a single performance support to a full curriculum

ATD Talent Capability Model

Building Personal Capability: Communication, Collaboration & Leadership, Lifelong Learning

Developing Professional Capability: Learning Sciences,  Instructional Design, Training Delivery & Facilitation, Evaluating Impact

Impacting Organizational Capability: Business Insight, Organization Development & Culture, Performance Improvement, Change Management, Future Readiness

Tiffany has worked since 2006 as an educator, LX designer, and writer. In her current role as message design lead at GP Strategies, she works with L&D teams to build stories about programs and resources that help learners excel professionally. Her interests include customer, employee, and learner experience; educational justice; information literacy; language instruction; microlearning; and workforce upskilling.