When I began my studies at RU, it was with many years of experience working in the training and development field under my belt. I was a competent training manager—serving as the liaison between the SMEs and developers, offering input on both design and execution. But there was something missing—the foundational knowledge as to why things needed to be done
Read moreBack in the day—and by that, I mean 2012—there were rumblings about “curation” or “content curation” within the T&D world. For example, David Kelly wrote a brilliant blog post about it for ATD (then, ASTD). Some T&D practitioners may have dismissed this topic as simply e-Knowledge Management (KM); that is, more stuff with better tools. After all, even backer
Read moreDigital or open badges are electronic credentials that communicate expertise to employers, educators, clients, and coworkers. Although badges are a topic of interest and discussion, they are not widely recognized or utilized. Most who are familiar with badges agree that they have potential and merit as a way to document, reward, recognize, and communicate learning and expertise. For background on
Read moreThere’s a new badge in town and it’s digital, portable, and displayed in a multitude of locations including your resume, social network sites, and perhaps someday, even your diploma. A grown-up version of merit badges earned by scouts and video game fans, digital badges both motivate and measure learning. Linked to course objectives or competencies, they can document learning and drive
Read moreBY ERIC HAHN Roosevelt Training and Development Graduate assistant As cases of alleged police brutality garner media attention and ignite protests around the country, it is no surprise that some municipalities have been reassessing how they train law enforcement workers. However, a surprise did come via Larry Celona and Bruce Golding’s February 24 New York Post article about the NYPD
Read moreKathleen Iverson, Roosevelt University Training and Development Department Chair If you visit the RU Training job board, you’ll find many opportunities for instructional designers and e-learning specialists. In fact, instructional design was listed as No. 38 in 2012 in Money Magazine’s list of best jobs. Many MATD grads work for major organizations in Chicago and nationally including Allstate, Hewitt &
Read moreIt’s no surprise that obesity and sedentary lifestyles are negative by-products of our plugged-in society, but did you know that working and learning at your computer for long periods of time can lead to an early demise? A large body of research links physical inactivity to higher rates of morbidity and mortality (McCrady & Levine, 2013). Compounding this finding are new
Read moreRubrics show great promise as both a way to communicate expectations and to assess performance. In just a few short years, rubrics have become an essential resource in the race to make higher education more accountable. Can it be long before this unpretentious tool, once confined to k-12 classrooms, finds its way to the workplace? How can we best employ
Read moreMeet Doug Sellers, a 2010 graduate of Roosevelt’s Training and Development program. He lives and works in Texas, and completed all of his coursework online — a setup that also allowed him to work and, most importantly, be near his wife and young children. Congratulations to Doug, who began as Training & Leadership Development Manager for Waste Connections, Inc., in
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By Kathleen Iverson Sky and Water, by M.C. Escher, is a tessellated image of birds changing to fish when they sink below the water line. Depending on whether you see the background or foreground as dominant, you see either fish or birds at the water line. To me, this image represents the relationship between internal and external learning consultants. Like
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