114 Preparing for the Future of Instructional Design: A Guild Master Panel
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Wednesday, April 12
Tracks: Instructional Design
Series: Instructional Design Summit
The world of instructional design continues to grow year after year. IDs increasingly need to know how to design (and often build) learning experiences consisting of different types of content consumed in various forms and platforms. The skillset of the ID continues to evolve, and it can be difficult to stay ahead of the changing requirements.
Our opening session of The Instructional Design Summit welcomes many of the Learning Guild’s Masters exploring the state of the instructional designer role, and how it is evolving. We’ll discuss how the role has expanded, and what additional changes we might expect in the future. Most importantly, we’ll share tips on how you can stay ahead of trends and keep your ID skillset sharp. Whether you’re someone new to instructional design or an experienced ID that needs to expand your skillset, this is a session you won’t want to miss.

David Kelly (Host)
CEO
The Learning Guild
David Kelly is the CEO of The Learning Guild. David has been a learning and performance consultant and training director for over 20 years. He is a leading voice exploring how technology can be used to enhance training, education, learning, and organizational performance. David is an active member of the learning community, and can frequently be found speaking at industry events. He has previously contributed to organizations including ATD, eLearn Magazine, LINGOs, and more. He can be found online at his website, davidkelly.me, or on Twitter @LnDDave.

Jane Bozarth
Director of Research
The Learning Guild
Jane Bozarth, the director of research for the Learning Guild, is a veteran classroom trainer who transitioned to eLearning in the late 1990s and has never looked back. In her previous job as leader of the State of North Carolina’s award-winning eLearning program, Jane specialized in finding low-cost ways of providing online training solutions. She is the author of several books, including eLearning Solutions on a Shoestring, Social Media for Trainers, and Show Your Work: The Payoffs and How-To’s of Working Out Loud. Jane holds a doctorate in training and development and was awarded the Guild Master Award in 2013 for her accomplishments and contributions to the eLearning community.

Julie Dirksen
Learning Strategist
Usable Learning
Julie Dirksen, a learning strategist with Usable Learning, is a consultant and instructional designer with more than 15 years’ experience creating highly interactive eLearning experiences for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to technology startups to grant-funded research initiatives. She’s interested in using neuroscience, change management, and persuasive technology to promote sustainable long-term learning and behavior change. Her MS degree in instructional systems technology is from Indiana University, and she’s been an adjunct faculty member at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She is the author of Design For How People Learn.

Nick Floro
Learning Architect/Imagineer
Sealworks Interactive Studios
Nick Floro, a co-founder and learning architect at Sealworks Interactive Studios, has over 25 years of experience developing learning solutions, applications, and web platforms. Nick is passionate about how design and technology can enhance learning and loves to share his knowledge and experience to teach, inspire and motivate. As a learning architect, Nick gets to sketch, imagine, and prototype for each challenge. He has worked with start-ups to Fortune 500 companies to help them understand the technology and develop innovative solutions to support their audiences. Nick has won numerous awards from Apple and organizations for productions and services, and has been able to reach over a million users with his latest project, which helps students in grades 2-12 learn how to think and write an essay critically.

Mark Lassoff
CEO
The Tech Learning Network
Over two million people have learned coding and design from Mark Lassoff. Mark and his company, the Tech Learning Network, are pioneers in new media learning, having created the first streaming media network dedicated to learning workforce and career skills. The Tech Learning Network produces broadcast-quality learning content that focuses on digital skills such as design, coding, and digital productivity. Mark is an in-demand speaker and has traveled the world to teach. He was named to the 40 under 40 in both Austin, Texas, and Hartford, CT. In 2017, Mark was awarded the prestigious Learning Guild Guild Master Award.

Jean Marrapodi
Executive Director of Innovation
Ana G. Mendez University
Jean Marrapodi, PhD, CPTD, has been designing and developing eLearning for over 20 years in a variety of industries and higher education. Named a Guild Master in 2016 by the eLearning Guild, she is considered an industry thought leader. Over the last 10 years, Marrapodi has presented more than 75 workshops and webinars for industry organizations and has taught over 40 graduate and undergraduate courses at New England College of Business, where she served as director of eLearning. Her expertise lies in her ability to make the complex simple, and pinpoint client needs to drive to business outcomes. She is a soup-to-nuts eLearning designer, with the ability to single-handedly build a project from idea to rollout, as well as work in a specific role on a project team. She is the chief learning architect at Applestar Productions, providing targeted eLearning and custom workshops for her clients.

Ron Price
Chief Learning Officer
Yukon Learning
Ron Price has over 35 years of experience in organizational effectiveness, leadership coaching, instructional design, spiritual development, and experiential learning. His unique background has allowed him to support a wide range of customers, from schools like Duke University and Harvard Business School to multinational corporations like Sanofi, Amazon, BP, and Pepsico. In 2002, Ron founded a consulting firm and challenge course devoted to increasing organizational performance while developing authenticity and integrity. After joining Yukon, Ron worked closely with the Articulate team to design the certified training programs for the Articulate tools. He is a Guild Master.

Debbie Richards
President
Creative Interactive Ideas
Debbie Richards is a learning architect, self-proclaimed geek, and early adopter of learning technologies. A learning architect ensures a clear vision with a clearly defined roadmap, bringing together tools, platforms, and content into a form that is easy to use, scales, and delivers a great user experience. Passionate about working with and mentoring other talent development professionals, Debbie is the past president of the ATD Houston chapter and a past national advisor for chapters. She is the author of Seeing the Possibilities With Augmented Reality, an ATD TD at Work publication, and is a Guild Master.

Megan Torrance
CEO
TorranceLearning
Megan Torrance is CEO and founder of TorranceLearning, which helps organizations connect learning strategy to design, development, data, and ultimately performance. She has more than 25 years of experience in learning design, deployment, and consulting . Megan and the TorranceLearning team are passionate about sharing what works in learning, so they devote considerable time to teaching and sharing about Agile project management for learning experience design and the xAPI. She is the author of Agile for Instructional Designers, The Quick Guide to LLAMA, and Making Sense of xAPI. Megan is also an eCornell Facilitator in the Women’s Executive Leadership curriculum.