Designing Virtual Learning for Application and Impact

Cindy is a pioneer in the field of virtual training. She’s been providing virtual training solutions for more than 19 years (since the early 2000s), and is a recognized industry expert in teaching training professionals how to design and deliver interactive online classes.

Cindy is the author of four books on virtual training: Virtual Training Tools and Templates: An Action Guide to Live Online Learning (2017), The Virtual Training Guidebook: How to Design, Deliver, and Implement Live Online Learning (2014), Virtual Training Basics (1st edition 2010 and 2nd edition 2018). She’s coauthored two ASTD Press Infolines, “Simple, Effective Online Learning” and “Designing for the Virtual Classroom”, has contributed to many compilations, including the ASTD Handbook: The Definitive Reference for Training & Development and 101 Ways to Make Learning Active Beyond the Classroom, and written several articles for T+D magazine.

Cindy partners with her clients to help them transition from the face-to-face to the virtual classroom, and works with them to design online and blended learning solutions. Her clients include global organizations of all sizes, including several in the Fortune 100 list.

With over thirty years of overall professional experience, Cindy has worked in various industries including technology, construction, higher education, retail and the public sector. Her management and global experience includes serving as the regional Director of Training and Operations for an international software training company, and the Learning and Development manager for a global mechanical contractor.

Cindy is a sought-after conference speaker, and has presented multiple times at the ATD (formerly ASTD) International Conference and Expo, TechKnowledge, Training, Learning Solutions, DevLearn, as well as the Online Learning Conference, Masie’s Learning, and the Annual SHRM Conference. Her online webcasts have been attended by thousands of people around the globe. And she’s one of only a handful of worldwide trainers who has been chosen to deliver ATD’s Master Trainer and Master Instructional Designer Programs.

Cindy holds a Master’s degree in Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Bachelor’s degree from James Madison University. Cindy was also one of the first to earn the prestigious Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD), formerly CPLP, designation.

As Chair of ASTD’s National Advisors for Chapters, Cindy served on the global ATD (formerly ASTD) Board of Directors in 2009-2010. She was recognized by the Triangle Business Journal as a “40-Under-40” Award recipient in 2003. She also co-founded a non-profit organization to promote volunteering and community service in her local area. She’s passionate about helping others succeed and brings that dedication and commitment to every project she undertakes.

Jack J. Phillips, PhD, is chairman of the ROI Institute and a world-renowned expert on measurement and evaluation. Phillips provides consulting services for Fortune 500 companies and workshops for major conference providers worldwide. Phillips is also the author or editor of more than 100 articles and more than 75 books, including Measuring the Success of Leadership Development: A Step-by-Step Guide for Measuring Impact and Calculating ROI (ATD Press). His work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Businessweek, Fortune, and on CNN.

Patti Phillips is president and CEO of the ROI Institute and is the ATD Certification Institute's 2015 CPLP Fellow. Since 1997, she has worked with organizations in more than 60 countries as they demonstrate the value of a variety of programs and projects. Patti serves on the board of the Center for Talent Reporting, as Distinguished Principal Research Fellow for The Conference Board, and as faculty on the UN System Staff College in Turin, Italy.

Patti has written and edited numerous books and articles on the topics of measurement, evaluation, and ROI. Recent publications include Measuring the Success of Leadership Development, Making Human Capital Analytics Work, Measuring the Success of Learning Through Technology, Measuring the Success of Organization Development, and Measuring Leadership Development: Quantify Your Program's Impact and ROI on Organizational Performance.

Emma Weber is CEO and founder of Lever – Transfer of Learning and author of Turning Learning into Action: A Proven Methodology for Effective Transfer of Learning (2014, Kogan Page).  Emma's firm belief, and the platform on which she has built her successful global business, is that the key aim of learning in the workplace is to create tangible business benefits. She established Lever – Transfer of Learning and the Turning Learning into Action™ (TLA) methodology to help organizations and their employees convert learning to effective action back on the job. Users of the new TLA methodology include Coca-Cola Amatil, Google, BMW, Apple, Jaguar Landrover, Colgate, Cisco, Nokia, and Subaru. A recognized authority on the transfer of learning, Emma has been a guest speaker on learning effectiveness at conferences in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and the USA. Emma’s second book, Making Change Work: How to Create Behavioural Change in Organizations to Drive Impact and ROI, co-authored with Jack and Patti Phillips of the ROI Institute, was published on May 2016 by Kogan Page.