2017 Pacesetter Award

The STC Instructional Design & Learning SIG has earned the 2017 Pacesetter Award for the 2016 activity year. The citation on our certificate will read:

“For your innovative Article Writing Competition that encourages student participation with a unique two-level award system that benefits both the community and the Society.”

At the Summit in Washington, DC, our community will be recognized and receive the Pacesetter Award certificate during the Leadership Program event on Sunday, May 7.

Congratulations to all members of the STC Instructional Design & Learning SIG on a job well done and for being an example for all STC communities.

February 16, 2017 “Test then Tell in eLearning” webinar with Mary Whalen (Sojoodi)

Join us for the “Test then Tell in eLearning” webinar with Mary Whalen (Sojoodi).

Update: The event recording is available free at Free recordings of IDL SIG webinars for members (requires password. Contact programs@stcidlsig.org if you did not yet receive your password.)

10:30 am Pacific / 11:30 am Mountain / 12:30 pm Central / 1:30 pm Eastern
Thursday, February 16, 2017

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About the webinar

Mary explores Test Then Tell, an approach to structuring asynchronous e-Learning courses. Mary will give an overview of the approach, show course examples where Test Then Tell is used, compare Test Then Tell to the more traditional Tell Then Test approach, and discuss the development process for creating Test Then Tell courses.

The webinar will be recorded so feel free to watch with us online and then rewatch at your leisure. No need to take notes. If you cannot attend, sign up anyway so that you will get a link to the recording. You will receive an email prior to the webinar with instructions about logging in.

Intended Audience

All Audiences. The content will be introductory (e.g., > “101 level”)

About the Speaker: Mary Whalen (Sojoodi)

Mary Whalen (Sojoodi)

For over 20 years, Mary has been helping companies use training and documentation solutions to improve employee performance, increase customer satisfaction, and ensure regulatory compliance. Mary has designed and developed live and online training programs, technical and user manuals, and online help for a wide range of companies in various industries, from start-ups to Fortune 500 clients. Mary has taught through the Society for Technical Communication Institute at Northern Illinois University, and her work has received awards from the Society for Technical Communication.

Mary Whalen
Award Winning Instructional Designer & Technical Writer

Improving employee performance and customer satisfaction through documentation and training solutions.

eLearning | Online Training | Classroom Training | Train-the-Trainer | User Guides | Reference Guides | Policies & Procedures | Online Help

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November 16, 2016 IDL SIG Virtual Open House

Join the IDL SIG online for our Virtual Open House!

5 pm Pacific / 6 pm Mountain / 7:00 pm Central / 8:00 pm Eastern

Wed, November 16, 2016

Watch the recording at http://stc.adobeconnect.com/p70g5iisf77/

See the slides below or download the slides as pdf here or as a PowerPoint here.

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As a virtual community, with all of our members scattered across the globe, we do not have the same opportunities as geographically-based communities to meet up face-to-face. Since 2013, we have hosted the IDL SIG Virtual Open House (VOH) so that new and prospective IDL SIG members could learn more about our community’s mission and goals, learn more about member benefits, and meet some of our leaders and volunteers.

During our VOH, participants have always had the opportunity to ask questions about the SIG and what we offer.

Virtual Party, too!

This year, we’d like to try something new. We’d like to combine our VOH with a virtual party (VP), where we would encourage all attendees to share a photo or story. The VP (not be confused with Vice President!) we hope will add a very human, personal side to our VOH. Hey, it is all about making real, enduring connections!

About the webinar

The webinar will be recorded so feel free to watch with us online and then rewatch at your leisure. No need to take notes. If you cannot attend, sign up anyway so that you will get a link to the recording.

See the 2015 VOH recording and slides on our website.

See the 2014 VOH recording on Adobe Connect.

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November 16, 2016 “Get a Move On! Animation Techniques in PowerPoint” presented by Robert Hershenow

Join the IDL SIG online for “Get a Move On! Animation Techniques in PowerPoint” presented by Robert Hershenow.

10:30 AM Pacific / 11:30 AM Mountain / 12:30 PM Central / 1:30 PM Eastern

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

UPDATE: This webinar was a huge success! See the recording on our Free recordings of IDL SIG webinars for members page. (requires password. Contact programs@stcidlsig.org if you did not yet receive your password.)

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The Society for Technical Communication’s Instructional Design & Learning special interest group (IDL SIG) invites you to an engaging webinar about our old friend PowerPoint, presented in a new way by Robert Hershenow.

The webinar will be recorded so feel free to watch with us online and then rewatch at your leisure. No need to take notes. If you cannot attend, sign up anyway so that you will get a link to the recording. You will receive an email prior to the webinar with instructions about logging in.

About the webinar

Get a Move On!
Animation Techniques in PowerPoint
Presented by Robert Hershenow

Have you ever wished your presentations could be more exciting?

Software like PowerPoint and Keynote just keeps getting better. A big part of that is animation, which can help your presentations stand out (for better or for worse). Research has shown that we learn best through multisensory stimulation – ideally, narration and pictures together. Animating visual components can add interest, depth, and cognitive complexity, increasing audience engagement and long-term recall. On the other hand, when animation is poorly executed or overdone it can have the opposite effect.

In this webinar you’ll learn how and when to use different types of animation and how to fine-tune each one to best advantage. You’ll get plenty of tips on:

  • Optimizing timing
  • Creating cinematic effects
  • Animating text, pictures, and shapes
  • Best practices for slide transitions
  • Using events to trigger animations
  • Building custom animations

Plus, we’ll look at some of PowerPoint’s exciting new features and discuss how to avoid common problems. (Note that while demonstrations will be in PowerPoint, the concepts they illustrate will apply to any presentation software.)

Join this webinar and discover new ways to make your presentations pop!

The webinar will be recorded so feel free to watch with us online and then rewatch at your leisure. No need to take notes. If you cannot attend, sign up anyway so that you will get a link to the recording. You will receive an email prior to the webinar with instructions about logging in.

About the speaker

Robert Hershenow is a technical communications professional with more than twenty years of experience as a writer, trainer, manager, and consultant. Currently Co-Manager of the STC Instructional Design and Learning SIG, Robert lives and works in Berkeley, California.

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September 8 – 29, 2016 (Thursdays) Instructional Design for Technical Communicators

Charged with developing a tutorial or similar instructional program? Or have you developed tutorials but are looking to do so more effectively

This 4-session, online certificate course provides you with the skills needed to successfully produce effective learning programs, including following the ADDIE approach, writing instructional objectives, developing criterion-referenced quizzes and tests, describing the dominant Kirkpatrick model of evaluation, choosing an instructional strategy then applying it, and creating engaging, supportive instructional programs.

Register on  icon-stc-24.