SCORM Watch
Tool for troubleshooting SCORM files that lets you actually analyze the errors. It's not cheap, but if you're spending lots of hours with trial and error guessing at what might fix a problem, it's probably worth it.
Blog posts
Will at Work Learning: Triggered Action Planning
Easy tip for improving follow up actions after training
Guest Posts
This summarizes some of my own discomfort with guest posts but articulates it more clearly than I could.
Quandary
Freeware application for creating "action mazes" or branching scenarios
Build a Better Online Training Team | Talance Blog
Overview of what roles need to be filled to develop e-learning. Some of these roles can overlap and be filled by the same person.
The Institute for Performance Improvement - IDBadges
Badges for instructional designers in various areas. Not sure if employers would actually care about this or recognize the organization, but it's an interesting idea for peer-reviewed credentials.
Top Tips for Producing Better eLearning Audio by Jennifer De Vries & Stephen Haskin : Learning Solutions Magazine
Tips for writing scripts and recording audio. Tip #3 on "Conditional logic" is an odd name for it, but the tip is good.
A common instance of this is that your
screen directions should be, “When you’ve completed the exercise, click the
Next button.” If you write, “Click the Next button when you’ve completed the
exercise,” at least some participants will click Next before they listen to the
rest of the sentence.
eLearning Wiki
Wiki by Kevin Wilcoxon with lengthy articles on learning and training. Categories are foundations, teaching online, course development, and the future (including references to the Serious e-Learning Manifesto). Currently everything is written by Kevin but you can sign up to contribute.
The Ultimate Directory Of Free Image Sources - The Edublogger
Extensive list of sources for free images, many of which are Creative Commons or public domain
Summertime Tips for Parents Who Work From Home - E-Learning Uncovered
Practical tips for juggling a work schedule and kids when working from home. My 1-year-old isn't independent enough for most of this to work for me now, but in a few years this will be more relevant to my situation.
Five Steps to Evaluate and Select an LMS: Proven Practices by Steve Foreman : Learning Solutions Magazine
Series of articles on LMSs. Selection, implementation, operation and governance, and the future of LMSs with xAPI.
The best way to help learners see the big picture? Start small - Rapid Learning Institute
Research comparing teaching the big picture as an integrated whole versus a series of short lessons on single topics. Breaking the content into smaller chunks and focusing on each one separately worked better.
ARTICUSEARCH.COM
Search the Articulate forums and resources
RANDOM.ORG - True Random Number Service
Random number generator. Enter a min and max. Good for making sure your correct answers in multiple choice questions actually are randomly distributed (not always C) and for generating random distractors for numeric questions
Updated E-Learning Authoring Tools Comparison - E-Learning Uncovered
Diane Elkins (E-Learning Uncovered/Artisan E-Learning) ranks tools based on price, ease of use, graphics, animation, interactivity, quizzing, power/flexibility, ADA, mobile, and software simulations.
Report Card: Gamification in Learning (What Works?) by Carol Leaman : Learning Solutions Magazine
Lessons learned on what works for gamification: multiple levels, fun, variety, leaderboards, tangible rewards, virtual coaches, progress tracking, social connectivity.
8 Books To Read Before Your Next eLearning Project
A different reading list than many I've seen, with several selections outside of the main learning field. I've only read one of these eight books.
Advances in Physiology Education
Open access journal with a number of articles on active learning, blended learning, problem based learning, etc. (My sister-in-law is the copy editor.)
Lectures Aren't Just Boring, They're Ineffective, Too, Study Finds | Science/AAAS | News
Break up lectures every 10 minutes with active teaching techniques to improve student outcomes.
Flipping the conversation at ElNet Workplace Learning Congress | Explorations in learning
Tanya Lau's detailed explanation of her presentation on "Flipping the conversation" to performance and performance support rather than focusing only on formal training content. Includes notes on how she recorded and edited video on her smartphone for the presentation. She gives credit to my post on "Selling Storytelling" as part of the inspiration for her presentation because of how I scripted conversation around business objectives and measurement.
How storytelling in training changes people. 5 elements of an effective story. | Training x Design
5 elements of a story structure: a beginning, middle, and end; a main character; the main character faces a challenge, the main character struggles, and the main character changes.
My review of Adobe Captivate 8 - dbr-Training EN
Review of Cp8, focusing on the interface changes and new features for mobile learning
The ALL NEW Adobe Captivate 8 Blends Authoring Ease with Game-Changing Mobile Support « Rapid eLearning | Adobe Captivate Blog
Adobe's summary of new features in Captivate 8, including responsive design for mobile learning and a major user interface change
13 Questions to Ask When Scoping a Learning Development Engagement
A solid list of questions for prospective clients to help develop a proposal and determine the scope.
Online Course Development: What Does It Cost? -- Campus Technology
Time and cost estimates for online higher ed. The article and research are from 2004, and I expect these ratios have gone down in the last 10 years. The estimates here say it's a 10:1 ratio for faculty time and about $25K per credit hour.
Given the current campus infrastructure, personal knowledge tools, and the availability of digital content such as course cartridges, online cyber problems, and test banks, a recommended planning number today for experienced faculty is 10 hours per hour of instruction.
Simulation Tools for Every Budget
Tools for branching scenarios, from free and simple to expensive and complex. PDF, PowerPoint, BranchTrack, Inklewriter, Twine, Storyline, and SimWriter.
Totara vs Moodle - Moodle For BusinesseseLearning Experts | Paradiso Solutions
Screenshots and overview of Totara's features that can make it a better fit for businesses than default Moodle.
Storyline Templates – WorkBright eLearning
Free Articulate Storyline templates including games and a scrolling timline
Timid Instructional Designers Deserve What They Get
When clients ask for crappy e-learning or provide unreasonable deadlines that don't allow for quality development, we need to push back. Being timid doesn't makes us team players, just pushovers. This is one of the benefits of freelance work for me--I can set boundaries and turn down the crappy jobs to focus on more rewarding work.
Understanding the Many Different Roles of an Instructional Designer
Description of instructional design roles: engineer, manufacturer, craftsperson, architect, artist. One person may fill multiple roles.