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Will Campos joined D2L in 2012 to be a part of the company’s rapid expansion into the global marketplace and specifically Latin America. He has a passion for new technologies and emerging markets and has applied his background in Business Management to help build a strong international business at D2L. William wants to live a world filled with innovative businesses, education for all and winters that are maybe 6 months instead of 8 in Canada.

Will Campos

Here are a few ways employees can take charge of their learning.

Are Your Employees Ready to Take Control of Their Learning?

In today’s increasingly diverse and geographically dispersed federal workforce, creating culturally relevant training videos is more important than ever. According to Gallup, only about two in 10 employees feel culturally connected to their organization.By creating culturally relevant training videos, you can improve engagement and learning outcomes.Understanding Culturally Relevant TrainingCreating training that connects on a cultural level means ensuring that the content is relatable and respectful of the diverse cultural backgrounds of the employees.Cultural differences can be influenced by race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, language, and socioeconomic status, as well as age, religion, family, geographical location, and social networks. When learners and students engage with content that reflects their cultural experiences and values, they feel more included and engaged and have improved learning outcomes.Here are five suggestions to help your training videos successfully connect with your audience in appropriate and meaningful ways.1. Conduct a Cultural AssessmentBefore creating training content, understand the cultural composition of your workforce. Surveys, focus groups, and demographic data offer insights into employee cultures and values, so you understand which practices you can build to make your training more culturally accessible.For example, an organization creating a cybersecurity training video series may send out a survey that finds:Employee core values emphasize ethical behavior and compliance.The workforce consists of a mix of experienced professionals and recent graduates.Some employees indicate limited familiarity with cybersecurity practices.To make cybersecurity videos relevant to this workplace culture, the training team may: Focus on how cybersecurity practices create a more ethical and compliant work environment.Use real-life examples and case studies from employee experiences.Segment the training. Create a basic version for beginners and advanced versions for more experienced learners.Tailoring characters, scenarios, and language to your organization’s data ensures your videos remain relevant, engaging, and inclusive.2. Use Inclusive VisualsUse diverse characters in your training videos to represent different cultural backgrounds that are reflective of your workforce.In addition to including characters with a variety of skin tones, include characters with different ages, religious backgrounds, gender expressions, and body types.Even hair and clothing choices can make visuals more inclusive. For example, afro-textured hair continues to be stigmatized in the workplace. Featuring characters in training videos wearing natural and protective hairstyles could help include Black employees while increasing awareness and mitigating bias.3. Use Inclusive LanguageUse simple and direct language. It may be tempting to include slang or jargon you think might appeal to one of your audiences, but this can cause confusion for those who don’t share the same cultural or linguistic background. You may also find yourself relying on stereotypes. Focus on making the content relevant to your learners’ needs and values.Whenever possible, make copies of your videos available in different languages. All-in-one video creation tools like Vyond offer quick translation features that even account for regional dialect. This will allow you to make your videos more relevant to those with a variety of linguistic backgrounds.4. Consider the Roles of Your CharactersBe cognizant of not only whether you include characters from diverse backgrounds in your video, but what roles those characters play.Watch for any trends or biases in the kinds of roles you give your characters. Are you placing your blind character in the role of a supervisor or a junior employee? Are your characters of color primarily teachers or students?Ensuring diverse representation in leadership roles promotes inclusivity and equality.5. Involve ReviewersTo ensure your videos are relevant and appropriate, involve trusted reviewers from the backgrounds you aim to reach. This can mean:Sharing script and storyboards with your team before you start creating the videoBeta testing your video with small groups of your learnersGathering feedback from subject matter experts who represent the cultural backgrounds you’re targetingIncorporate feedback on language, visuals, content, format, and script, and iterate. Regularly update and refine the training content to ensure it remains relevant and effective.Culture evolves over time. As trainers and colleagues, it’s our ongoing responsibility to make sure learners are represented and their needs are met through our training programs.Enroll in ATD's course on creating training videos and learn to produce polished video content using just your smartphone and free editing software. 

5 Tips for Creating Culturally Relevant Training Videos 

With the release of its new Talent Development Capability Model, the Association for Talent Development serves TD professionals with the most comprehensive compilation of skills, concepts, and strategies necessary to fulfill their roles. It is important to emphasize that those efforts can achieve maximum impact only when guided by a comprehensive talent management (TM) strategy.ATD’s new model groups capabilities into three domains: building personal capability, developing professional capability, and impacting organizational capability. Talent strategy and management is one of the model’s 23 capabilities and resides in the impacting organizational capability domain.A TD professional with capability in talent strategy and management will need knowledge of:talent management functions (for example, workforce planning, acquisition, employee development, performance management, and compensation and rewards)succession planning and talent review processes (for example, assessment, scenario planning, talent mobility, and critical roles identification)methods to identify the critical requirements of tasks, jobs, and roles (for example, job analysis, competency modeling, and leadership competency development),talent acquisition strategies and concepts (for example, talent mobility, employment branding, sourcing, passive and active recruiting, and onboarding), and approaches for identifying and developing high potential talent.According to Capabilities for Talent Development (ATD Press), to fulfill capability requirements, TD professionals need to be skilled at:creating and aligning the talent development vision and strategy with the organizational and business vision and strategydesigning and implementing strategic plans for talent development projects, programs, or functionsidentifying anticipated constraints or problems affecting talent development initiatives (for example, resource deficiencies or lack of support)establishing and executing a marketing strategy to promote talent developmentcommunicating how talent development strategies and solutions support the achievement of targeted business and organizational resultscommunicating the value of learning and professional developmentdeveloping workforce plans that articulate current and future talent and skill requirements designing and implementing a performance management strategy.Among TD veterans recognized for leadership in this area is Martha Soehren, who transitioned from CTDO to senior vice president of HR at Comcast in November as she prepares for a July 2020 retirement. Throughout her career, Soehren has appreciated the importance of a multifaceted talent management strategy built on fundamentals.“For a TM strategy to work effectively, it must be embraced from the top down,” she insists. “Over time, it evolves from the bottom up, especially in the evaluation of talent and the determination of successors for key roles within the organization.” She adds that it’s important to build a “holistic support system” for such activities rather than conduct them on a piecemeal basis.Those activities must be tightly connected to development, Soehren says. “Regardless of whether that development is formal or informal, internal or external, high potential or broad-based, there must be a way to help build future capabilities so that people can progress and align with both short- and long-term objectives.”But most importantly, she believes, talent management and development must be rigidly aligned with the business.“That’s not easy and people don’t always do it,” Soehren observes. “After all, it’s difficult to build those relationships that get you a ‘seat at the table.’ We have to earn that seat by showing that we’re learning the business, that we’re operationally focused, that we ‘get’ L&D, and that we achieve measurable impact to support our initiatives.”Soehren believes that some TD professionals are often “so tied up with the didactics of L&D that they overlook the connection between learning impact and business impact.” She says some have even abandoned the practice of measuring TD impacts entirely because their companies don’t expect a return-on-investment of training.“That’s sure not my world,” she muses. Comcast’s senior executives expect to know the precise difference that learning makes for employees and hold her accountable. The scenario includes a heightened priority regarding inclusion of women and people of color in the workforce.Sometimes that accountability can surface in ways one can’t envision, such as in 2014 when Comcast announced its intent to acquire Time Warner. Comcast University was ordered to identify top talent within Time Warner for possible reassignment to new roles within the combined company. For six months, Soehren and teammates visited Time Warner markets to meet with key talent and high potentials for the proposed new organization.The merger was ultimately quashed by the U.S. Justice Department but not before Soehren and colleagues learned some valuable lessons. Among them: “When you’re going through that period of analysis, you have to evaluate the best and the weakest of both companies so that you emerge with the best of the best,” she reports.She says that’s not an easy process because “you must accept that your own team isn’t composed of all A players, and that this is an opportunity to up your game for your organization.”Soehren also has strategic thoughts about the future of her profession. “In the world of L&D, we haven’t nailed down what it means to work and lead within a global, digital organization. Learning leaders have a great opportunity to define what that looks like and set the stage for success—not just for the learning organization but for business leaders too,” she says.“Learning leaders, trainers and program managers will all be operating and training differently. They will have to learn a new kind of software set and other technologies. As a result, I believe most L&D professionals will become learning coaches and learning builders.”

Talent Strategy and Management Is a Vital Capability for TD Professionals

The ATD research report Change Agents: The Role of Organizational Learning in Change Management states that seven in 10 leaders experienced at least one major organizational change in the past two years. Of that group, 60 percent saw three or more transformations, and 25 percent reported six or more. For most organizations, the new normal is constant change. This shift demands leaders take a more holistic approach to performance advancement.How do talent development leaders keep up with ever-changing business environments in ways that support evolving employee performance needs? The best leaders put in place an organization-wide, performance-based ecosystem that includes wide-ranging solutions from formal and informal content strategies. This might include assets ranging from personalized learning paths to just-in-time support for frontline managers, and all are generally supported by technology systems.At the ATD Forum 2018 Fall Lab held September 18-20 at BMO’s Institute for Learning in Toronto, 75 senior learning leaders from 33 companies and representing varied industries connected, collaborated, and shared cases. They focused on using the big-picture performance needs of employees to reimagine system-wide opportunities to support them using a variety of approaches and methods. The overarching aim of the Lab was to create an engaging and interactive environment for Forum members to learn from each other, to experiment with new approaches, and to build professional relationships.The defining attribute of a Lab is immersion in the culture, space, and work of the host member. This was unique at BMO because of its campus facility where all services are onsite: the learning center, meeting rooms, hotel rooms, social center, gym and swimming pool, all-inclusive dining, and even an English tea garden. In addition to the physical amenities, customer service was premier. Gina Jeneroux, CLO and keynote speaker, set the context for the experience by talking about how they are future-proofing the BMO workforce using upskilling, bold reskilling, and building a culture of continuous learning. BMO also provided a deep dive into their human performance continuum concept and model. This was supplemented with intimate discussions and behind-the-scenes insights on using e-books, video stories, and microlearning.A management consultant industry member shared some of their new science of learning research on “learning in the future” to advance more effective self-directed learning and how this builds on their motto of “Time away for learning and learning all of the time.” A manufacturing member provided insights for advancing employee learning using their learner-centric model focusing on experiences, exchanges with colleagues, and formal learning, following the 70-20-10 framework. This practice incorporates the Fuse technology.A member from the healthcare industry incorporates Dr. Clayton Christensen’s “work to be done” theory, and from this perspective the organization uses functional, social, and emotional dimensions to focus designing for the patient-experience, thus advancing the employee performance capability. A member in the retail industry shared their story of employing a three-pronged approach: AGILE, using action-mapping, and deploying a rapid development platform.Supplementing these case studies and practices was a pop-up activity by a government organization where small groups built a helicopter—while wearing blindfolds. From a facilitated processing of the experience, participants were able to understand and “see” how to implement Gottfredson and Mosher’s 5 Moments of Need for learning. The group provided ideas for addressing performance challenges with access to cascading levels of support delivered in a variety of ways.None of these opportunities happen in organizational transformations without technology to enable and support. Because the Forum is vendor-free, the Tech Roadshow provided the opportunity for users to discuss and demonstrate a variety of learning technologies to advance human performance, from LMSs to aggregators and integrators. Rather than a marketing pitch from vendors, this session featured experienced users providing information on why they selected the technology, how they are using it, the pros and cons of the functionality, and their lessons learned.William Duggan’s creative strategy approach via a treasure hunt process was used as the overall approach to tie all of this experience together. Starting with a card sort to crowdsource the most critical elements for advancing employee performance, participants used an Insight Matrix form to individually capture data from “what works scans” research as they heard about the various cases and practices. This approach is very different from many innovation practices. Instead of brainstorming untested ideas, this approach researches proven best practices for each of the specific elements identified. The individual data was analyzed, synthesized, and documented at the table level. The small groups then used creative association to design “big idea” solutions for volunteer clients based on combining examples or precedents from the various elements.At the end of the two-day Lab, participants had the following:Access to 12 workable big ideas for advancing employee performance, including the team that designed the solution.Connections with (and written bios for) 74 other senior talent leaders interested in advancing employee performance.Personal experience using the Duggan creative strategy process.Access to all of the documentation, including the instructions and deliverables from the session.If your organization is one of the 70 percent that have at least one major transformation a year, being able to engage in interactive experiences like Forum Labs might be just the ticket to help you enable your workforce to be future-ready. The ATD Forum’s next Lab, hosted by American Airlines, will focus on culture as a competitive advantage and will be held in Dallas, February 26-28, 2019. Join us for this opportunity to connect, collaborate, and share! Visit www.td.org/forum for more information.

Connecting, Collaborating, and Sharing at the ATD Forum Fall Lab

This job aid will help you outline some of the basic elements of the training course. Use this job aid to write down specific answers to the following questions then you can use what you have written in preparation for composing your audit report.

Audit Questions

 _“Some people worry that artificial intelligence will make us feel inferior, but then, anybody in his right mind should have an inferiority complex every time he looks at a flower.”—_Alan Kay Raymond Kurzweil, the director of engineering at Google and a renowned futurist predicted in The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology that by 2029 computers will be cleverer than humans. While such a mindboggling prediction can be a matter of debate, there is little doubt that in the future machines will be much more sophisticated than what they are today. Indeed, these smart machines will be able to learn on their own—without human intervention—using technology!   Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee, co-authors of The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies say, “Technologies that used to seem like science fiction are becoming everyday reality.” Machines that can use such technologies to learn and autonomously adapt to the changes will cause serious disruption to well-established business models. Likewise, Gartner predicts that “by 2017, a significant and disruptive digital business will be launched that was conceived by a computer algorithm.” All of these predictions are based on one common observation: Machines can learn exceptionally fast, and it is possible to build machines that can learn without any active human supervision. In fact, several of the top 10 emerging technology trends of 2015, as predicted in a recent report by World Economic Forum (WEF), are technologies for learnable machines. Neuromorphic Technology With advances in machine learning and rapid processing of high volumes of data, the next generation of powerful computing will be built on chips that will process information by mirroring the brain's architecture. As explained in the WEF report, such computers will be energy efficient and will have much more computing power than a conventional CPU (central processing unit). Moreover, these computers will be able to “anticipate and learn”—instead of just responding in a pre-programmed fashion. IBM has already demonstrated this technology in a prototype form through their million-neuron TrueNorth chip in August 2014. Gartner has predicted that by 2017, 10 percent of computers will be learning rather than processing. The report also mentions, that, “The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) and Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne are funding the SyNAPSE and The Human Brain projects, respectively, fostering neuromorphic computing techniques intended for pattern recognition applications, including facial recognition, object recognition, drug discovery and medical diagnostics.” Emergent Artificial Intelligence We are already seeing significant advancements in artificial intelligence through self-driving cars and automated flying drones. Emergent artificial intelligence takes this step further with machines that can learn automatically by using large volumes of data. Carnegie Mellon University's NELL (the Never-Ending Language Learning) computer system "not only reads facts by crawling through hundreds of millions of web pages, but attempts to improve its reading and understanding competence in the process in order to perform better in the future." Machines with emergent artificial intelligence are not only capable of processing huge amount of information in a short time frame and arrive at an optimal solution, they also can avoid human errors and emotional biases. However, many experts are raising early warnings for potential pitfalls associated with such super-intelligent machines, which will not only replace the jobs of many human workers, but also may eventually “overcome and enslave humans.”    Programmable Material In case of 3D printing, computer readable designs are fed to a machine that can process the design and produce a finished object using additive manufacturing technology. Medical applications of 3D printing have reached such an advanced stage that even a living tissue or a cell can be printed in this process. Other fields of application of 3D printing include automotive, aerospace, electronics as well as housing and construction. Researchers at MIT have pioneered a technology in which the finished objects will be made from “smart materials” that can be pre-programmed. This new technology is called 4D printing, because it incorporates the additional dimension of “time.”   “While 3D printing is purposed around building static items, 4D printing employs dynamic materials that evolve or adapt to their external environment in real-time and in direct response to changing conditions. This ability to transform is embedded within the material itself. Objects created through 4D printing are assemble and alter their structure when the material of which they are composed comes in contact with different conditions, such as moisture or humidity. The ultimate goal is to create stimuli-responsive components, materials that modify their own form or self-assemble new patterns automatically and in predictive ways,” explains a September 2014 Georgetown Journal of International Affairs article. Advanced Robotics Next-generation robots will learn to collaborate with humans to become their co-workers. They will no longer be used only in factory assembly lines and separated from humans by safety cages. The WEF report talks about an example: “In Japan, robots are being trialed in nursing roles: they help patients out of bed and support stroke victims in regaining control of their limbs.” Boston Dynamics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Google, builds “advanced robots with remarkable behavior: mobility, agility, dexterity and speed.” These robots can walk, run, and climb in a variety of terrains and surfaces by learning to deal with environmental variations. An interesting Tech  Times article discusses how researchers at University of Maryland are looking at whether robots can learn a skill, like cooking, by watching YouTube videos.  Apart from the five technologies mentioned above, technologies that are going to impact our lives in a profound manner are Big Data, Analytics and Internet of Things (IoT). Among these, analytics will be a de-facto technology for a learning machines. Embedded Analytics According to Gartner’s “Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2015,” analytics will be embedded in every app so that it will continue to learn and develop insights on a continuous basis. Such technology-based learning will lead to “advanced, pervasive, and invisible analytics,” through which the apps will be able to intelligently monitor events, gather data, and learn about the context to take better decisions. By continuously analyzing data and by developing insights, these apps will create deep understanding of the business domains. Chris Argyris, in his seminal HBR article on organizational learning, “Teaching Smart People How to Learn,” coined the terms single loop and double loop learning. Argyris explained single loop learning with an analogy of a thermostat that automatically turns on the moment the temperature of the room drops below 68 degrees. “A thermostat that could ask, ‘Why am I set at 68 degrees?’ and then explore whether or not some other temperature might more economically achieve the goal of heating the room would be engaging in double-loop learning.” The article raised the issue of how highly skilled professionals can be very good at single loop learning but miserably fail at double loop learning. With the advancement of technology, we can now have thermostats that are intelligent enough to use double loop learning. Nest Labs, a Google company, specializes in making sensor driven self-learning thermostats and smoke detectors.   Bottom line: Machines will no longer remain dependent on their masters for learning. More importantly, like humans, learning machines will be able to use technology to enhance their skills. B. F. Skinner once said, “The real problem is not whether machines think but whether men do.” The time has come to seriously ponder over the implications of this remark.

Learning Technologies for Machines

 Learning leaders are optimistic about the health of learning in organizations in the first half of 2015, according to ATD Research’s latest Learning Executive Confidence Index (LXCI). Below, we highlight some of the findings from the recently released Q4 2014 LXCI. Optimistic Outlook for Learning The LXCI assesses the expectations of learning executives for the learning function in organizations for the next six months; the Q4 2014 LXCI reflects expectations for the first half of 2015. The LXCI score is 68.2, more than a point higher than last quarter’s score of 66.9 and more than two points higher than the score of 65.7 two quarters ago. The upward trend in the LXCI reflects the healthy growth of the United States economy in the second half of 2014.  Of particular interest to the learning function, new job creation has been high; the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 321,000 new jobs were created in November, a number that both exceeded projections and job creation in the previous month. The LXCI is a composite score that takes into account four key indicators of how learning executives feel the learning function will change during the next six months. Of the four key indicators, performance improved from last quarter to this quarter for all four: Ability to Meet Learning Needs, Impact on Corporate Performance, Perception of the Value of Learning, and Availability of Resources. Strong Expectations for Corporate Performance ATD’s survey also asked additional questions to determine learning executives’ outlooks for other measures, providing valuable context for the LXCI. Learning executives were asked about their overall expectations for their organization in six months. About three-quarters of learning executives have positive six-month expectations, which is not surprising given the increased business investments and job creation seen during late 2014. Potential to Create New Content but Hesitate to Increase Learning Staff Changes in the economy can impact the quantity and types of learning activities that happen in organizations. Learning strategies and spending on learning may be adjusted in response to the economy. Learning executives were asked if they expect the current economic situation to lead to an increase or decrease in various learning activities during the next six months. More than half of learning executives think that the current economic situation will lead to an increase in the creation of new learning content, coaching/mentoring, emphasis on learning, and learning services provided. However, less than a third of learning executives believe that they will see an increase in staffing levels for training or travel for training purposes, despite the fact that the majority expect to be providing more learning services. The LXCI relies on survey responses submitted by learning executives, and ATD Research is extremely grateful for the continued participation of many individuals. If you are a learning executive interested in participating in the future by completing brief online surveys, please email research@td.org.  ATD publishes the full report online each year in January (for Q4 of the previous year), April (Q1 of the current year), July (Q2 of the current year), and October (Q3 of the current year). The full report is free to everyone.

LXCI Reveals Optimism for 2015

Curtis L. Odom, EdD, is president of Stuck On Start Coaching, a boutique career coaching firm working with organizations to onboard recent college graduates, and also retain Millennial top talent in their culture. Prior to Stuck on Start, Odom worked in the field of talent management, supporting Fortune 500 companies around the globe with their hiring needs and challenges.Odom is also a professor at the Northeastern University D’Amore McKim School of Business, as well as the author of four books, including Mind The Gap: Getting Business Results in Multigenerational Organizations, Generation X Approved: Top 20 Keys to Effective Leadership, and Stuck in the Middle: A Generation X View of Talent Management, as well as his newest release, From Campus to Corner Office: How Co-Ops and Internship Will Help You Win in the Workplace! Learn more at www.stuckonstartcoaching.com.

Curtis L. Odom

Manuel London is Associate Dean of the College of Business and Director of the College’s Center for Human Resources Management, which conducts research and offers a graduate program in personnel administration and employee relations. He holds a joint appointment in the Department of Psychology. He received his Ph.D. from the Ohio State University in industrial and organizational psychology. He then taught at the University of Illinois at Champaign before moving to AT&T as a researcher and human resource manager. He joined Stony Brook 17 years ago. His research and writing are in the areas of leadership and career development, performance management, and organization change. His recent books include Leadership Development: Paths to Self‐Insight and Professional Growth (2002) and Continuous Learning in Organizations (2006). He is currently writing a book on leading small groups. Manny's dedication to service is illustrated on campus through such events as chairing Stony Brook's Year of Community Service and the Student/Faculty/Staff Retreat on Giving . As Faculty Director of the Leadership and Service Undergraduate College, he hopes to involve students in a host of leadership development and community service areas. Leaders envision what can be, generate commitment, and make things happen, and students learn about leadership through community service. Strong leadership skills will increase students' opportunities no matter what career they choose.

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