

#IDIODC Instructional Designers In Offices Drinking Coffee
Chris Van Wingerden, Paul Schneider
Grab your favorite brew (ours is coffee ☕) and sit down with Paul Schneider and Chris Van Wingerden from dominKnow.
Together they unpack the real-world headaches L&D pros face — managing learning content production, operations, and proving business value.
Expect lively chats with guest experts and practical tips you can plug straight into your learning strategies or production workflows.
Whether you’re a veteran L&D leader or a brand-new instructional designer, tune in for strategic, technology, and business insights into L&D operational excellence.
Together they unpack the real-world headaches L&D pros face — managing learning content production, operations, and proving business value.
Expect lively chats with guest experts and practical tips you can plug straight into your learning strategies or production workflows.
Whether you’re a veteran L&D leader or a brand-new instructional designer, tune in for strategic, technology, and business insights into L&D operational excellence.
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 26, 2021 • 46min
The Role of the Online Learning Producer with Kassy LaBorie
Very few instructors can successfully teach online...alone. The last year of lockdowns and mandatory zoom training have exposed this weakness to the world. The best online training courses are co-produced with a super hero behind the curtain: The Producer.Having a producer does not guarantee a great instructional experience. However, it does give you a superior advantage. In this episode, Kassy LaBorie returns to share her experiences and strategies in producing online learning events. We'll talk about why having a producer is so valuable, as well as clarifying the role of the producer. Not everyone is cut out to be a good producer. Just like not everyone is cut out to be a good instructor. But the right combination makes a very powerful learning team.Join us and level up your corporate online training sessions so that you can guarantee better learning results and reduce the dreaded zoom fatigue. Greetings from Rochester, NY everyone! I enjoy sharing my geographical location because with the work I get to do each day, and have done since 1999, it actually does not matter all that much since I work almost entirely online.I am a Master Virtual Classroom Trainer on a mission to rid the world of boring slide reading lectures and passive live online participants! I am the principal of my own consulting business, training trainers, designers, producers and leaders to be excellent virtual, well, everything nowadays!In 2020 I introduced the Virtual Training Hero to the world and she represents the heroic efforts we learning and development professionals achieve in the virtual classroom each day. I'm working on an eBook of all of her tips and messages to be released next year! You can learn more about her, and me at my website, as well as download, watch, and listen to a bunch of free resources too. You'll find the hero at my blog.My 2nd book was published in January of 2021 with ATD Press-- Producing Virtual Training, Meetings, and Webinars: Master the Technology to Engage Participants, and I am thrilled to share it with everyone.And for the record, it can be said that Rupaul and WebEx are the reason why I began all this in the first place. Google that and you'll see what I am talking about! Become virtual friends with the IDIODC gang on Twitter. Remember you can always stay in the loop by searching through the #IDIODC tag: Kassy: @KassyConsultingBrent: @BSchlenkerChris: @Chris_V_WIDIODC: @TeamIDIODC Brent Schlenker is dominKnow's Community Manager. Chris Van Wingerden is dominKnow's Sr. VP Learning Solutions. Want to join us live? Follow us on Crowdcast: https://www.crowdcast.io/dominknow
Brought to you by the dominKnow | ONE Platform - Produce, manage, and distribute impactful L&D content – efficiently, at scale.

May 19, 2021 • 50min
Wow! I didn't Know xAPI Could DO that! with Duncan Welder
Understanding the basics of xAPI is a hurdle most instructional designers have already crossed over the last few years. We've all been waiting to see xAPI in action. Theory is great but seeing what new innovations can do changes minds and gets projects approved.If you've still been waiting to SEE it before you can believe it then this episode is the day we make that happen for you. Duncan Welder has been building xAPI solutions for a very long time and joins us to share a few examples of "xAPI in the wild".We'll look at a few examples:Tracking the Mastery of ObjectivesMicrolearning/Spaced RepetitionxAPI in Games and SimulationsAdaptive LearningVisualizations for L&DWe hope this conversation will also give you some inspiration to finally jump into the world of xAPI and begin building xAPI-enabled learning solutions.Duncan Welder is a Director of Client Services for RISC. He is an educational technology geek having spent over 20 years designing and implementing learning management systems, domestically and abroad, to manage regulatory compliance. As an xAPI early adopter, Duncan has worked with companies to leverage xAPI and cmi5 within their learning ecosystems. Duncan has provided presentations to professional organizations including The eLearning Guild, and the Association for Talent Development.Become virtual friends with the IDIODC gang on Twitter. Remember you can always stay in the loop by searching through the #IDIODC tag: Duncan: @DuncanWIVBrent: @BSchlenkerChris: @Chris_V_WIDIODC: @TeamIDIODC Brent Schlenker is dominKnow's Community Manager. Chris Van Wingerden is dominKnow's Sr. VP Learning Solutions. Want to join us live? Follow us on Crowdcast: https://www.crowdcast.io/dominknow
Brought to you by the dominKnow | ONE Platform - Produce, manage, and distribute impactful L&D content – efficiently, at scale.

May 12, 2021 • 50min
Learning Game Design Show & Tell with Kevin Thorn, Deb Thomas, and Karl Kapp
Karl Kapp, Deb Thomas, and Kevin Thorn are heavy hitters in our industry and specifically in learning game design. More specifically they are skilled at teaching others how to design games for learning. And that's why they started their event Stepaway.design. The pandemic shutdown of 2020 forced event producers to pivot towards virtual events and so they did the same. At the beginning of 2021 they ran their first virtual event and the attendee created games have been completed and they're ready for show'n'tell. We're excited to have them join us to talk about the game design process as well as show us the results of that process. Go ahead and Stepaway from what you're doing and join us for this fantastic episode of IDIODC. Kevin is an award-winning elearning designer & developer, consultant, and owner of NuggetHead Studioz, LLC., a boutique custom design and development studio specializing in online learning experiences.After retiring from the U.S. Army, Kevin pursued a career in corporate IT and Training & Development. With his combined military and industry experience, Kevin started the Studioz in 2012 working with clients in various industries solving problems in a wide range of creative projects. Based in the North Mississippi Delta, Kevin, harnesses a bench of creative practitioners in instructional design, elearning development, illustration and graphic design, animation, and serious comics to develop innovative solutions. Kevin is a well-known industry speaker and trainer on elearning development, design workflows, and is a certified facilitator in LEGO® Serious Play® methodologiesKevin holds a BS in Information Technology Management from Christian Brothers University, MS in Instructional Design and Technology from the University of Memphis where he also teaches and is in the Instructional and Curriculum Leadership EdD program. He can be found on Twitter as @LearnNuggets, on LinkedIn, or around learning and development communities teaching and facilitating workshops where hewrites articles, reviews and shares tutorials. In 2005 Deborah Thomas founded SillyMonkey, LLC, a game-based learning boutique that works with corporate clients to design difficult concepts in a fun and memorable way through the playful but effective use of board games, video games and virtual worlds that she creates. Her motto: “Learn fast, remember more and have fun doing it.” As a public education teacher at one of the worst performing schools in the country, she drove her students’ SAT scores up 30 % by using innovative techniques. Previous professional board roles: North American Simulation and Gaming Association, Atlanta ATD, and Georgia Game Developers Association. Karl M. Kapp, Ed.D., is an award-winning professor of Instructional Technology at Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, PA. where he teaches instructional game design, gamification classes and online learning design. He is the Director of Bloomsburg’s Institute for Interactive Technologies and is recognized internationally as an expert in the application of games, game-thinking and gamification to learning. Karl earned his doctoral degree from the University of Pittsburgh.He is currently a senior researcher on a grant sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) which involves the application of microlearning and gamification to help childcare workers identify child abuse. Karl has previously served as a Co-Principle Investigator on two National Science Foundation (NSF) grants related to games and simulations. Karl is an advisor for several EdTech start up companies.Karl has authored or co-authored eight books including “The Gamification of Learning and Instruction,” it’s accompanying fieldbook and the widely popular, “Play to Learn.” His latest co-authored book with Robyn Defelice is “Microlearning: Short and Sweet.” Karl is author of ten LinkedIn Learning courses including “Learning How to Increase Learner Engagement” and has been a TEDx speaker. In 2019, he received the ATD Distinguished Contribution to Talent Development Award. The award is presented in recognition of an exceptional contribution that has had a sustained impact on field of the talent development.Karl’s work explores the research, theoretical foundations and practical application of gamification, game-thinking and activity-based learning to organizational performance issues. His goal is to help organizations create engaging learning experiences through intelligent, research-based application of instructional strategies and techniques. He shares his expertise and knowledge through consulting, workshops and one-on-one mentoring with start-up firms, Fortune 100 companies and various governmental agencies.Become virtual friends with the IDIODC gang on Twitter. Remember you can always stay in the loop by searching through the #IDIODC tag: Kevin: @learnnuggetsDeb: @sillym0nkeyKarl: @kkappBrent: @BSchlenkerChris: @Chris_V_WIDIODC: @TeamIDIODC Brent Schlenker is dominKnow's Community Manager. Chris Van Wingerden is dominKnow's Sr. VP Learning Solutions. Want to join us live? Follow us on Crowdcast: https://www.crowdcast.io/dominknow
Brought to you by the dominKnow | ONE Platform - Produce, manage, and distribute impactful L&D content – efficiently, at scale.

May 5, 2021 • 46min
Successful Strategies for Teleworking Post-pandemic with Tom Spiglanin
As we begin to see a light at the end of the pandemic shutdown tunnel, let's talk about what we learned about working from home. And also what's next. Many companies have made bold moves, like announcing continued teleworking options for employees. But those are general announcements for the entire company. In this episode of IDIODC we wanted to talk with the community specifically about how going back to work effects the work we do and the training departments we work in. Tom Spiglanin, author of "Everyone's Guide to Teleworking", joins us to help us talk through the future ahead. Tom is a friend, and also the only rocket scientist we know working (retired) in training & development. His perspective is unique in many ways, but for our community he has a special connection, and understanding, of the struggles we face as corporate training professionals.Join us. And bring your stories of success and/or failure from the past 12 months and perhaps even share your plans for the future... if you have them. It's a show you don't want to miss. Dr. Thomas Spiglanin has been helping people be more effective in the workplace for more than thirty years. As a teleworker himself, he understands how effective communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills underpin success in a digital workplace.Working predominantly with technical employees for over thirty years in the aerospace industry, and the last few decades in the training field, he saw first hand the value of being able to communicate complex concepts in ways that others can understand. In much the same way digital technologies enabled distanced business communication, Tom saw a steady decline in the very interpersonal skills needed to be effective using those tools. Become virtual friends with the IDIODC gang on Twitter. Remember you can always stay in the loop by searching through the #IDIODC tag: Tom: @tomspiglaninBrent: @BSchlenkerChris: @Chris_V_WIDIODC: @TeamIDIODC Brent Schlenker is dominKnow's Community Manager. Chris Van Wingerden is dominKnow's Sr. VP Learning Solutions. Want to join us live? Follow us on Crowdcast: https://www.crowdcast.io/dominknow
Brought to you by the dominKnow | ONE Platform - Produce, manage, and distribute impactful L&D content – efficiently, at scale.

Apr 28, 2021 • 46min
How to Create Engaging eLearning Through Visual Design with Tim Slade
Everyone needs inspiration for their elearning designs. The best way to find that inspiration is to see what other developers are doing, and learning how they do it. Tim Slade is one of the best and he has the awards to prove it.Join us for an engaging and educational conversation with Tim Slade. Become virtual friends with the IDIODC gang on Twitter. Remember you can always stay in the loop by searching through the #IDIODC tag: Tim: @sladetimBrent: @BSchlenkerChris: @Chris_V_WIDIODC: @TeamIDIODC Brent Schlenker is dominKnow's Community Manager. Chris Van Wingerden is dominKnow's Sr. VP Learning Solutions. Want to join us live? Follow us on Crowdcast: https://www.crowdcast.io/dominknow
Brought to you by the dominKnow | ONE Platform - Produce, manage, and distribute impactful L&D content – efficiently, at scale.

Apr 21, 2021 • 43min
How Artificial Intelligence Changes the Learning Game with Donald Clark
Artificial intelligence is only one of the many topics we'll discuss with world wide learning leader, Donald Clark. The digital area has significantly impacted every industry of modern life. It's been good in many ways and bad in others. Sadly, the lecture is still the primary means of educating humans in our current systems. Even if that lecture is presented online. But is that as far as digital technology can impact education and our learning systems? I don't think so. And neither does Donald.We'll discuss the many changes in pedagogy throughout the years in an effort to better understand where we're going in the future. Artificial intelligence plays a major role in that future. But do we really understand how it impacts the work we do for businesses and higher education? Maybe not completely, but we're getting very close.This timely conversation is a perfect transition into the new world of work. Whether your office stays at home or you move back into the corporate HQ, how you engage with content, create content, and publish content is changing rapidly. And AI is a big part of your future success. Join us for a wide-ranging and entertaining conversation with Donald Clark.Donald Clark is an EdTech Entrepreneur, CEO, Professor, Researcher, Author, Blogger and Speaker. He was CEO and one of the original founders of Epic Group plc, which established itself as the leading company in the UK online learning market, floated on the Stock Market in 1996 and sold in 2005. As well as being the CEO of Wildfire an AI-driven learning company, he also invests in, and advises, EdTech companies.Describing himself as ‘free from the tyranny of employment’, he is a board member of LearningPool. He is also a Visiting Professor and involved in research into AI in learning. He has worked in schools, vocational, higher, corporate and adult learning, delivering real projects to real learners.Donald has over 30 years experience in online learning, games, simulations, semantic, adaptive, chatbot, social media, mobile learning, virtual reality and AI projects. He has designed, delivered and advised on online learning for many global, public and private organisations. He is an evangelist for the use of technology in learning and has won many awards, including the first ‘Outstanding Achievement in E-learning Award’ and ‘Best AIM Stock Market Company’, ‘Most Innovative Online Product’ (for WildFire), ‘Best Online Learning Project (for WildFire)’ and ‘JISC EdTech Award’ (for WildFire).An award winning speaker at national and international conferences, he has delivered keynotes in Europe. US, Africa, Australia, Middle and Far East.…… also a regular blogger (10 years+) on learning technology, His series on learning theorists, as well as 500 researched, online design tips, are valuable open resources. His book on AI for learning is on Amazon and his next book Learning Experie3nce Design will be published this year.Become virtual friends with the IDIODC gang on twitter. Remember you can always stay in the loop by searching through the #IDIODC tag:Donald: @DonaldClarkBrent: @BSchlenkerChris: @Chris_V_WIDIODC: @TeamIDIODC Brent Schlenker is dominKnow's Community Manager. Chris Van Wingerden is dominKnow's Sr. VP Learning Solutions. Want to join us live? Follow us on Crowdcast: https://www.crowdcast.io/dominknow
Brought to you by the dominKnow | ONE Platform - Produce, manage, and distribute impactful L&D content – efficiently, at scale.

Apr 14, 2021 • 47min
How to Create Better MicroLearning Videos with LaTarshia Wooten
Microlearning has been a popular topic in the eLearning industry for many years now. Many people still don't agree on the same definition, but I think it's safe to say that most definition involve 2 elements: Shorter media of any kind, and mostly short videos. Instead of forcing learners to sit through a training video that is an hour long, target your message and create individually focused, shorter videos instead. LaTarshia Wooten gave an amazing virtual session at last years online version of DevLearn. We're very happy to bring her to IDIODC so the community can get to know her as well. She's a motivated practitioner of Learning Experience Design and quickly embracing a growing career. We'll discuss 5 different methods for creating microlearning videos and the pros and cons of each. We'll also talk about why microlearning is a trend and what the value is to your business. Who knows, you may already be creating microlearning and didn't even know it. Join the conversation and find out.LaTashia is a Learning Experience Designer with a background in communication and educational media. She has four years of experience with programming eLearning courses in Articulate Storyline 360. She also has experience implementing and serving as an administrator on a learning management system as well as programming videos using Vyond and Camtasia. Also, in the last few years, she's had the opportunity to speak at various conferences such as DevLearn and Learning Solutions. She believes that learning should be fun, interactive, and provides value to the learner.Become virtual friends with the IDIODC gang on twitter. Remember you can always stay in the loop by searching through the #IDIODC tag: LaTarshia: @LaTarshiaLynchBrent: @BSchlenkerChris: @Chris_V_WIDIODC: @TeamIDIODC Brent Schlenker is dominKnow's Community Manager. Chris Van Wingerden is dominKnow's Sr. VP Learning Solutions. Want to join us live? Follow us on Crowdcast: https://www.crowdcast.io/dominknow
Brought to you by the dominKnow | ONE Platform - Produce, manage, and distribute impactful L&D content – efficiently, at scale.

Apr 7, 2021 • 51min
Drink'n'Draw - Creating eLearning Scenario Characters from 3D Apps with Kevin Thorn
Welcome to another Drink'n'Draw with Kevin Thorn on IDIODC. In past episodes we've kept the concepts very basic to help our instructional design colleagues begin to realize their own creative talents. But in this episode we're going to move into the digital world.Kevin is going to teach us how to create our own eLearning scenario characters from digital versions of the classic figure model. He'll share some of the tools that currently exist, but then we'll dive in and create our own character using a couple different methods.These are tips and tricks for quickly creating your own characters for your eLearning courses. Of course you can still simply settle for buying the same character libraries that everyone else buys. But what fun is that? These methods will help you create the perfect character for that perfect branching learning scenario. The next time you're building a scenario or simulation and can't find that perfect character/avatar, you'll be armed with the knowledge to create your own.Join us and let's Drink'n'Draw together!Kevin is an award-winning eLearning designer & developer, consultant, and owner of NuggetHead Studioz, LLC., a boutique custom design and development studio specializing in online learning experiences.After retiring from the US Army, Kevin pursued a career in corporate IT and Training & Development. With his combined military and industry experience, Kevin started the Studioz in 2012 working with clients in various industries solving problems in a wide-range of creative projects.Based in the North Mississippi Delta, Kevin, the Chief NuggetHead harnesses a bench a creative practitioners in instructional design, elearning development, illustration and graphic design, animation, and serious comics. Kevin is a well-known industry speaker and trainer on elearning development, design workflows, and is also a certified facilitator in LEGO®Serious Play® methodologies.Academic stuff: BS in Information Technology Management from Christian Brothers University (2003) and MS in Instructional Design and Technology from the University of Memphis (2018).Become virtual friends with the IDIODC gang on twitter. Remember you can always stay in the loop by searching through the #IDIODC tag:Kevin: @LearnNuggetsBrent: @BSchlenkerChris: @Chris_V_WIDIODC: @TeamIDIODC Brent Schlenker is dominKnow's Community Manager. Chris Van Wingerden is dominKnow's Sr. VP Learning Solutions. Want to join us live? Follow us on Crowdcast: https://www.crowdcast.io/dominknow
Brought to you by the dominKnow | ONE Platform - Produce, manage, and distribute impactful L&D content – efficiently, at scale.

Mar 31, 2021 • 45min
Evidence-Based Design That Leads to Learning Transfer with Fergal Connolly
What can learning designers, instructional designers, and content developers do to maximize the chance that learning transfer will happen? The design of the learning experience falls squarely on the shoulders of the learning designer. And providing learners with access to training does not guarantee post-training behavior change. Even the most engaging piece of learning content won't inspire a change in the thoughts or actions of learners.There are many elements that influence learning transfer, and each element must work in harmony for the training to be a success. As a designer of learning, you play an important role in promoting learning transfer. Through the medium of learning design, you can bridge the gap between learning and performance by making it easier for learners to see the connections between training and the work environment. We'll review these evidence-based learning design methods and help you maximize the chances of your learning designs leading to learning transfer.Fergal is a learning transfer expert who freely shares his evidence-based learning transfer approaches with the learning community. Fergal has worked across the spectrum of L&D in training delivery, learning design, and learning consultancy, and holds an MSc in Education and Training, and a BSc in Psychology. Fergal also hosts Learning Transfer Radio - the only podcast fully focused on turning learning into improved performance. Contact Fergal for speaking engagements, writing opportunities, or learning transfer consultancy by visiting www.fergalconnolly.com. Become virtual friends with the IDIODC gang on twitter. Remember you can always stay in the loop by searching through the #IDIODC tag: Brent: @BSchlenkerChris: @Chris_V_WIDIODC: @TeamIDIODC Brent Schlenker is dominKnow's Community Manager. Chris Van Wingerden is dominKnow's Sr. VP Learning Solutions. Want to join us live? Follow us on Crowdcast: https://www.crowdcast.io/dominknow
Brought to you by the dominKnow | ONE Platform - Produce, manage, and distribute impactful L&D content – efficiently, at scale.

Mar 24, 2021 • 53min
Visual Design Principles in eLearning When You're Not a Graphic Designer with Rachel Dillon
I don't know how to explain "art". But I know what I like when I see it. I'll bet most of us have felt this way at one point of another. Some practitioners in our field come with a background in graphic design, video production, or general design, but not many. The rest of us have learned how important visual messaging is by studying neuroscience or simply experiencing great instructional design with strong visuals. The bottom line is that visual design is critical to the success of all eLearning projects.Our guest, Rachel Dillon, reminds us that we often have to take the reins as designers without years of graphic design training. And that professional graphic designers build their design vocab by critiquing each other's work, and as a result they become better designers. So, in this episode, we'll bring this practice of critiquing visual designs and defining design theory together to instructional design.Rachel Allen Dillon graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1994, with a Bachelor of Science in Art, emphasizing in Graphic Design. She spent over a decade using her design skills in marketing and web design.In 2009, her non-fiction children’s book, “Through Endangered Eyes – a poetic journey into the wild,” was published by Windward Publishing, an imprint of Finney Company. She both wrote and illustrated it. Her book received an Eric Hoffer Honorable Mention award in 2010. Rachel has been a featured artist in “Wildscape Magazine,” a contributing artist in gallery and museum exhibitions, and a speaker at Art Educator conventions and conferences. The Nature Conservancy commissioned Rachel to produce two paintings for them in 2015.Rachel taught art and developed the art curriculum at a private elementary school for three years before going back to the corporate world. Her focus shifted to combine her skillset of design and teaching. Since 2017, Rachel works as a full-time senior instructional designer for a global asset manager. She is also an instructor at CSUS-CCE, teaching eLearning Visual Design and Architecture, and Instructional Design 101.In 2019, Rachel earned her graduate certificate in Instructional Design from the University of California, Irvine. Currently, she is working toward her Masters in Instructional Design & Technology at CSU-Fullerton with a projected graduation date of May 2022. She is working on her thesis to go deeper into the science behind visual design and learning retention and how instructional designers with graphic design foundations create more engaging learning. Become virtual friends with the IDIODC gang on twitter. Remember you can always stay in the loop by searching through the #IDIODC tag:Rachel: @RachelADillonBrent: @BSchlenkerChris: @Chris_V_WIDIODC: @TeamIDIODC Brent Schlenker is dominKnow's Community Manager. Chris Van Wingerden is dominKnow's Sr. VP Learning Solutions. Want to join us live? Follow us on Crowdcast: https://www.crowdcast.io/dominknow
Brought to you by the dominKnow | ONE Platform - Produce, manage, and distribute impactful L&D content – efficiently, at scale.