Keynote Session
How to Stay Relevant, Valuable, & In Demand in the Age of AI
Myra Roldan, UnDesto AI®, Founder & CEO | Bio
Level: Beginner
Room: 101A/B/C
Many learning and development professionals are carrying silent questions into every room: Do my skills still matter? Is this field leaving me behind? Where do I even start?
In this keynote session, Dr. Myra Roldan will create space for those questions and answer them with truth, clarity, and practical direction. Instead of offering recycled advice or abstract encouragement, Myra will give you a way to think about this moment differently. AI may be changing parts of the work, but that does not erase the need for people who know how to guide learning, support performance, and design with real humans in mind.
With the feel of group coaching and the energy of a keynote, this session will help you stop spiraling and start moving. You will leave with language for your value, practical ideas for upskilling, and a 30-60-90 day action plan for what comes next.
You are not obsolete. You are in transition.
Concurrent Sessions
10:15am–11:15am
Why Your eLearning Doesn’t Stick—And How to Fix It in 5 Brain-Based Moves
Brian Richardson, Richardson Consulting Group, Inc., Founder & CEO | Bio
Track: Design
Level: Intermediate
Room: 260
Bring your own device: Bring your laptop or mobile device to get the most out of this session.
Most elearning courses look polished and interactive, yet learners forget them quickly and struggle to apply them on the job. This session explores why many courses fail to improve performance and introduces a practical redesign method built on five brain-based learning mechanisms: attention, prior knowledge activation, active engagement, reinforcement, and contextual application.
You will examine a failure case and identify why certain screens and interactions are easily forgotten. Using real examples, the session demonstrates how cognitive science principles translate into concrete design decisions inside tools such as Articulate Storyline 360, Articulate Rise 360, and Adobe Captivate.
Through live redesign activities, you will see how to replace passive interactions with decision-making, integrate spaced retrieval throughout lessons, and embed application opportunities directly into learning experiences.
You will leave with a practical evaluation checklist and a repeatable process for improving retention and performance without increasing seat time or development complexity.
By the end of this session, you will be able to
- Diagnose why an elearning module fails to produce retention or behavior change.
- Apply five brain-based design moves to redesign an existing elearning lesson.
- Evaluate an elearning course using a predictive checklist for attention, memory, and transfer.
Give Your Course a Glow-Up: A Storyline 360 Makeover
Elizabeth Kuhlmann, Yukon Learning, Training Team Lead | Bio
Track: Development
Level: Beginner
Room: 261
Is your elearning course due for a refresh? This session explores how to transform outdated, text-heavy content into visually engaging and interactive learning experiences using Articulate Storyline 360. You will learn modern design principles that improve layout, typography, color use, and white space to create cleaner, more effective courses.
The session also focuses on building meaningful interactivity that encourages learner engagement and exploration. Learn how to use layers, states, triggers, and variables to create user-driven navigation, scenario-based learning, and responsive feedback.
Through real-world makeover examples, you will discover how small design changes can significantly improve the learner experience. The session includes practical tips, creative techniques, and reusable templates that can be applied immediately to current projects.
Ideal for instructional designers, elearning developers, and training professionals, this session provides tools and inspiration for creating modern Storyline 360 courses that look better, engage learners more effectively, and improve overall learning performance.
By the end of this session, you will be able to
- Redesign an elearning course by applying modern visual design principles.
- Develop interactive course elements to support learner-driven navigation.
- Transform text-heavy content into visually engaging slides by incorporating appropriate multimedia and interactive components.
- Evaluate real-world examples of a course makeover.
From Vanity Metrics to Performance Intelligence
Vanessa Milara Alzate, Kirkpatrick Partners, Owner & CEO | Bio
Track: Analysis & Strategy
Level: Intermediate
Room: 265
Learning and development teams have more data than ever before, from completion rates and satisfaction scores to engagement dashboards and learning analytics. Yet many organizations still struggle to answer one critical question: Did learning actually improve performance?
In this interactive session, Vanessa Milara Alzate explores how to move beyond vanity metrics such as attendance, satisfaction, and course completion toward meaningful performance intelligence. Using the modernized Kirkpatrick Four Levels®, you will learn how to design elearning programs with evaluation built into the process from the start.
Through real-world examples, the session demonstrates how LMS analytics, digital learning platforms, and data dashboards can be used to measure behavior change and business outcomes rather than simple activity tracking. Participants will also explore how instructional design decisions, learning technology data, and organizational goals can work together within a unified evaluation strategy.
By the end of this session, you will be able to
- Differentiate between vanity learning metrics and performance-based evaluation indicators.
- Design elearning programs that integrate the Kirkpatrick Four Levels® evaluation framework from the start.
- Apply learning technology data (LMS analytics, digital learning tools, and performance metrics) to demonstrate measurable business impact.
Stop Taking Training Orders: How AI Turns L&D Into a Performance Intelligence Team
Josh Cavalier, JoshCavalier.ai, CEO | Bio
Track: Analysis & Strategy
Subtrack: AI
Level: Beginner
Room: 266
Most L&D teams still respond to stakeholder requests by building courses. The real problem is never “we need training”—it’s an undiagnosed performance gap hiding in workflow breakdowns, missing tools, or management blind spots. This session introduces the Human-Machine Performance Analyst framework—a practical model for shifting from content order-taker to AI-augmented diagnostician.
Through live demonstrations with real workforce data, you’ll watch AI separate genuine training needs from systemic issues, map tasks across a 7-level human-AI collaboration scale, and generate executive-ready attribution narratives in real time. You will leave understanding how a small L&D team can diagnose at enterprise scale.
By the end of this session, you will be able to
- Distinguish between genuine training needs and systemic performance issues using an AI-augmented diagnostic process.
- Map current L&D tasks to the 7-Level Human-AI Task Scale to identify where AI should lead, support, or stay out of the way.
- Structure a 90-second executive data narrative that uses attribution modeling to connect learning interventions to business outcomes.
11:30am–12:30pm
The Story Factor: Mind-blowing eLearning Activities
Rance Greene, School of Story Design, Story Designer | Bio
Track: Design
Level: Intermediate
Room: 260
You’ve taken the course a million times...maybe even developed it: Title slide. Click next. Stock photo with text. Click next. AI-generated video. Click next. Tabs. Click next. Drag and drop. Click next. The clicking and dragging and dropping quickly become rote. The course feels like a content dump chunked into clever, but mindless, activities. Your brain turns off. You pass the test with flying colors because the answers are obvious even without viewing the previous few dozen slides.
But what if the activities in the course weren’t technology-driven? What if they were carefully designed to give you practice?
Join this hands-on session to design activities that give learners opportunities to discover, critically think, solve problems, and practice. To fuel these activities, you will use an instructional story in ways you may not expect.
You will also see some great story-based courses produced by instructional designers from around the globe, and some mind-blowing elearning activities.
By the end of this session, you will be able to
- Construct a list of observable actions.
- Flex the power of an instructional story to self-discover and solve problems.
- Design activities that give learners opportunities to practice, using the Instructional Story Design framework.
Leveraging Your Existing Course Development Resources to Create an eBook-Style Learning Experience
Chris Zahn, Emergency Nurses Association, Senior Developmental Editor | Bio
Lauren Hamm, Emergency Nurses Association, Senior Instructional Designer | Bio
Track: Development
Level: Beginner
Room: 261
Bring your own device: Bring your laptop to get the most out of this session.
In this session, learn how to leverage Articulate 360’s Rise to create an ebook accessible from a learning management system. In the context of a case study, Chris Zahn and Lauren Hamm will discuss the pros and cons of various document formats. They will also describe how they arrived at the decision to use Rise to solve a particular publishing problem for their organization. They will demonstrate the ebook they created and explain how to design and implement an ebook in Rise.
By the end of this session, you will be able to
- State the pros and cons of various publishing formats.
- Decide on the correct format to address a particular problem.
- Use Rise to implement an ebook.
From 15% to 90%+: How We Achieved Global AI Adoption in 18 Months
Joe Leslie, Golin, Global AI L&D Lead | Bio
Track: Analysis & Strategy
Subtrack: AI
Level: Intermediate
Room: 265
Most AI training programs are built the wrong way. They teach people about AI through static elearning and then expect them to use AI effectively in dynamic workflows. The result is low adoption, surface-level usage, and learning investments that fail to improve performance.
Using Golin’s global AI transformation as a live case study, this session explores how a 1,700-person communications agency increased AI adoption from 15% to more than 90% in 18 months by rethinking its instructional design approach. You will examine the learning architecture behind those results, including role-specific pathways, expert-led microlearning, a globally scaled AI mentoring program, and adoption metrics tied to business outcomes.
Drawing on additional lessons from AI upskilling efforts across 115,000 employees at Publicis Groupe, Joe Leslie will share the strategic frameworks and instructional models that supported these initiatives, including a problem-first methodology centered on real workplace challenges.
By the end of this session, you will be able to
- Apply a problem-first framework to AI training design.
- Build role-specific AI learning pathways.
- Evaluate AI training using adoption and performance metrics.
Low-Friction Learning: Using Your Instructional Technology Stack to Reach Busy Learners
Dustin Herlich, American Academy of Dermatology, Senior Manager, Learning Experience | Bio
Track: Design
Level: Intermediate
Room: 266
Bring your own device: Bring your laptop or mobile device to get the most out of this session.
Many learning teams struggle to support audiences who value education but lack time for long courses or crowded LMS environments. These audiences need fast access to credible, practical learning that fits demanding schedules. This session explores how the American Academy of Dermatology uses instructional technology to make digital learning more accessible and easier to consume.
You will examine a real-world case study of using a customized LMS interface and a focused mobile app experience to surface high-value learning resources. The session will explore learner behavior, content prioritization, discoverability, and low-friction engagement strategies for busy professionals. You will also see how podcasts, quick-hit questions, and chunked learning experiences can work together within a connected learning ecosystem rather than as isolated resources.
Designed for instructional designers, LMS administrators, content managers, and learning leaders, this session provides a practical framework for improving content visibility and using existing resources more effectively to create learner-centered digital experiences.
By the end of this session, you will be able to
- Identify barriers that prevent busy professionals from engaging with digital learning, especially on mobile devices.
- Evaluate ways to organize and surface high-value content so learners can quickly find the most relevant resources.
- Apply a more intentional digital learning experience, especially if you have the benefits of AI curation.
1:45pm–2:45pm
Fixing the Forgettable Webinar: How to Turn eLearning Presentations Into Experiences That Stick
Bridgett McGowen, BMH Companies, Owner & The Presentation Fixer™ | Bio
Track: Design
Level: Intermediate
Room: 260
Bring your own device: Bring your laptop or mobile device to get the most out of this session.
Even the most well-designed elearning program can fail if the delivery falls flat. Too many virtual trainings, webinars, and digital learning experiences suffer from disengaged audiences, information overload, and presenters who struggle to translate instructional design into compelling delivery.
In this highly interactive session, Bridgett McGowen will diagnose the most common problems that derail virtual learning experiences and show you how to fix them.
You will learn how to transform typical slide-based training into dynamic learning experiences that increase engagement, retention, and application. Through real-world examples, live demonstrations, and audience participation, you will discover practical strategies to strengthen delivery, leverage technology intentionally, and design presentations that actually support learning outcomes.
You will leave with actionable techniques that you can immediately apply to webinars, virtual classrooms, and digital training environments.
By the end of this session, you will be able to
- Identify the most common presentation mistakes that undermine virtual learning.
- Transform static slide decks into an engaging instructional experience.
- Use interactive features in common elearning platforms to drive participation and retention.
- Apply delivery techniques that reinforce instructional design goals.
- Fix common webinar and virtual training breakdowns in real time.
From Prompt to Prototype: Vibe Coding in L&D
Destery Hildenbrand, Destery1Kenobi LLC, Learning Technology Consultant | Bio
Track: Development
Subtrack: AI
Level: Beginner
Room: 261
Bring your own device: Bring your laptop to get the most out of this session.
Learning teams want better elearning experiences, but many instructional designers get stuck between rigid authoring tools and full custom development. In this session, Destery Hildenbrand will show you how to build lightweight interactive experiences faster using a practical prompt-and-revise workflow.
You will move from problem to prototype and explore where AI helps most with repetitive build work, basic layout, and rough first drafts. Destery will also demonstrate where the learning designer brings the most value, through structure, setup, organization, flow, and final design decisions. You will leave with a practical process that you can use right away.
By the end of this session, you will be able to
- Define a practical workflow for building interactive experiences.
- Evaluate which parts of the work are best supported by AI.
- Refine prototypes using strong instructional design decisions.
The AI Implementation Canvas: Get the Big Picture
Megan Torrance, TorranceLearning, CEO | Bio
Track: Analysis & Strategy
Subtrack: AI
Level: Intermediate
Room: 265
AI isn’t a one-and-done transformation. It’s a series of evolving projects layered across teams, systems, and strategies. In this session, you will explore the AI Implementation Canvas: a practical tool for navigating the complexity of AI adoption with clarity, care, and confidence.
The Canvas helps you ask the right questions, include the right people, and plan for both business value and ethical impact across a variety of AI initiative types. Megan Torrance will lead you in discussion of the role that L&D can play in leading the initiative. Then, you will walk away with a clear model to bring back to your organization and use immediately.
By the end of this session, you will be able to
- Lead AI implementation conversations across 14 planning dimensions.
- Apply L&D’s unique skillset to support the organization’s collaboration around AI implementations.
- Support your organization with the AI literacy and business change frameworks needed for success.
Reducing Cognitive Friction: A Practical Framework for Better eLearning Design
Ramona Meyer, Wheels, Senior Instructional Designer; NeuroInclusive Learning Lab, Founder | Bio
Track: Design
Level: Intermediate
Room: 266
Bring your own device: Bring your laptop to get the most out of this session.
Ever built a course where the content was solid—but learners still struggled to get through it?
Digital learning often fails not because content is wrong, but because design creates friction. In this session, you will explore a practical, 3-part framework for reducing cognitive friction across working memory, attention, and task initiation. Through real-world examples, you will identify common issues like split attention, unnecessary complexity, and unclear navigation.
Using your own device (no software required), you will complete short, guided activities to analyze screens and make design decisions. You will also review before-and-after redesigns and leave with practical UX strategies that you can immediately apply to improve learner performance.
By the end of this session, you will be able to
- Identify sources of cognitive friction related to working memory, attention, and task initiation in elearning design.
- Evaluate how visual hierarchy, interaction design, and navigation impact learner usability and performance.
- Apply practical UX and instructional design patterns to reduce cognitive friction in your own courses.
3:15pm–4:15pm
Maximize Your Microlearning Designs Using These Seven Principles
Robyn A. Defelice, RADLearning, Learning Systems Strategist | Bio
Track: Design
Level: Beginner
Room: 260
Bring your own device: Bring your mobile device to get the most out of this session.
Your design toolkit is about to get a microlearning upgrade. You already apply design principles to your elearning, so what happens when you add principles built specifically for microlearning? Microlearning-specific design principles are a valuable complement to the elearning design knowledge you already have.
This session unpacks the seven microlearning design principles and the learning science behind them. You will see each principle come to life through a microlearning development tool, examining designs in real time and discerning the application and need for each element.
Whether brand new to microlearning or looking to sharpen an existing practice, you will challenge and validate your design thinking through guided discussion and collaborative activities. A practical takeaway handout will support continued application long after the session ends.
By the end of this session, you will be able to
- Define the role of cognitive load theory in microlearning design.
- Identify the seven microlearning design principles.
- Evaluate the application of microlearning design principles using a microlearning development tool.
Animating With Impact
Ron Price, Yukon Learning, Chief Learning Officer | Bio
Track: Development
Level: Intermediate
Room: 261
Bring your own device: Bring your laptop to get the most out of this session.
In this workshop, Ron Price will lead you in exploring several simple yet creative ways to bring your slides to life through animation. Animation remains a challenge for many elearning developers. Some overuse it or apply it in ways that distract learners, while others avoid it altogether. In this session, you will examine creative techniques for using animation with purpose, clarity, and impact.
By the end of this session, you will be able to
- Use cue points and syncing.
- Create consistency with an animation painter tool.
- Design motion paths and emphasis animations.
- Create more complex effects by combining animations.
Diagnose Smarter, Build Faster: AI Workflows for L&D
Shannon Tipton, Learning Rebels LLC, Owner & Founder | Bio
Track: Analysis & Strategy
Subtrack: AI
Level: Intermediate
Room: 265
Bring your own device: Bring your laptop to get the most out of this session.
It’s Monday morning, and you check your email to see, “There’s something wrong with the onboarding process. People don’t know what they need to know after it’s done. The training needs to be revised.” But here’s the issue: you’re working with one person’s assumptions and no time to figure out what’s actually broken.
This session shows you how to stop guessing. Using a real-world example, Shannon Tipton will show you how to work with AI to pinpoint the root cause of the perceived issue and then simplify the development process. You will leave with practical workflows that you can use right away to build training that actually solves the problem.
By the end of this session, you will be able to
- Diagnose training requests using AI tools to find the real cause of business problems, so you can build solutions that fix actual issues instead of incorrectly perceived ones.
- Apply AI-powered content audits to evaluate existing training materials, helping you keep what works and cut what doesn't, save time, and improve quality.
- Implement AI workflows that link training to business problems, so you can build solutions faster and show stakeholders the real impact.
Best Practices for Performance Support Content Strategy & Creation During the Age of AI
Chad Udell, SparkLearn, CEO | Bio
Track: Analysis & Strategy
Subtrack: AI
Level: Intermediate
Room: 266
AI can generate content in seconds. That’s the good news.
The bad news is that organizations are drowning in auto-generated articles, chat responses, SOP summaries, and micro-courses that are technically correct but unusable at the moment of need. Frontline workers need the right answer instantly, in context, and without friction.
The challenge is building performance support systems that are searchable, trustworthy, AI-enhanced, and structured without creating duplication, hallucinations, or compliance risk.
In this session, Chad Udell will show you how performance support must evolve in the age of AI. You will explore how to
- Design a performance support strategy before using AI.
- Structure source materials so AI can safely augment them.
- Improve search, retrieval, and categorization.
- Blend learning with real-time AI retrieval.
- Create governance guardrails that protect data integrity.
This session offers a practical, experience-driven approach to making AI useful while maintaining control of your content ecosystem.
By the end of this session, you will be able to
- Design a structured performance support content architecture that enables safe and effective AI augmentation.
- Apply practical criteria to determine when to use AI for content creation versus when to use human-led curation.
- Develop governance and retrieval strategies that improve search accuracy, reduce hallucinations, and increase frontline usability.