The Collective Advantage: How Collaborative Learning Creates Lasting Results
I used to dread the words “team-building exercise” during professional development sessions. The moment our facilitator announced we’d be doing role play or building the tallest structure using only spaghetti, tape, and marshmallows, I’d have to stifle a groan. It felt like a waste of time that could be better spent learning “real” skills. Yet […]
The 10 Biggest Lies in Learning & Development: A Contrarian’s Guide
A Brief Foreword from Cathy Thornhill: We’re delighted to welcome Josh LeFebvre as our guest contributor. While never officially a member of our team, Josh has been an invaluable part of the Smartfirm ecosystem for years—first as a client, then as a trusted advisor. His unique perspective bridges both sides of our business relationship, offering […]
The Emotional Side of Learning: Designing for Empathy
This blog post was inspired by a recent project I worked on for a large consulting company, where I did the instructional design work. The project focused on creating meaningful messages that resonate with clients, with a key emphasis on empathy—understanding clients’ challenges and emotions by stepping into their shoes. Throughout this work, I couldn’t […]
Embracing AI in Instructional Design: The Super-ID Era
If you feel like everyone’s talking about AI these days, you’re not alone. It’s everywhere—at work, in the news, and in our household, in our conversations at the dinner table. In the Learning and Development community, you’d be hard-pressed to find a conversation that doesn’t somehow circle back to AI. And when this all started, […]
Emotion and Memory: Creating Training That Sticks
As an accountant, I’ve endured countless hours of continuing professional education to maintain my credentials. Most of these courses consisted of slide after slide of dry regulations and technical updates. I’d dutifully click through, earn my credits, and promptly forget most of what I’d “learned.” The information simply didn’t stick. When I changed careers to […]
AI-Powered Personalized Learning: The Future of Cost-Effective E-Learning
Picture this: Two ambitious professionals are each taking an online project management course. Two Design Approaches Which of these two learners will be more likely to achieve—and retain—the promised learning objectives and outcomes? Mitchel is taking a course designed using a generalized learning approach. Long the norm for eLearning development, it is a one-size-fits-all solution […]
The Science of Adult Learning: Leveraging Self-Direction, Life Experience, and AI Technologies
I love learning! It’s no surprise that I transitioned from a career in accounting and auditing to instructional design, because I also love helping people learn. Recently, I took an online course on prompt engineering. But, my goodness… the course was dense… …and obviously not designed for a busy professional. It was lecture-focused and provided […]
Beyond the Explosions: How Kate the Chemist Captivates with more than Chemistry
Recently, I attended a DEVLEARN conference in Las Vegas. I made the trip with a few of my favourite colleagues and for this reason alone, it was a memorable trip. I saw a lot of cool stuff and learned many things at this conference, however, there is one presenter I will never forget… Kate the […]
Combatting the Forgetting Curve
In my past professional life, I often felt frustrated spending valuable time learning a new skill, only to struggle with recalling the information when I needed it. For instance, after attending an advanced Excel seminar and being captivated by pivot tables, I couldn’t recall how to use them six months later when the perfect opportunity […]
Build Knowledge, Not Fear
My youngest son was a daredevil. I lost count of all the times that he wanted to launch himself off the stairs into my arms when he was a toddler, or I caught him climbing something that he shouldn’t. Thankfully, we were able to avoid any significant injuries. Wondering where he got this from, my […]