Annual conference gives instructional designers an edge

Athens, Ga. – The second annual IDD@UGA Conference sponsored by the University of Georgia College of Education will showcase innovative instructional design and development (IDD) projects and provide meaningful networking opportunities for learning professionals and established leaders across the state.

The two-day event will be held at UGA's Hotel and Conference Center Aug. 21-22 and will begin with pre-conference workshops at 9 a.m. In addition to serving the digital learning community, the conference also acts as an annual orientation and professional networking event for UGA IDD students in the College of Education.

This year's conference will feature two keynote speakers—Tom Kuhlmann, chief learning architect of Articulate Global and author of the popular Rapid eLearning Blog, and Keith Bailey, director of the UGA Office of Online Learning.

Kuhlmann has developed hundreds of hours of eLearning and training for companies such as Capital One, Washington Mutual and Weyerhaeuser and is focused on building a strong community of eLearning developers. He holds a master's degree in educational technology from Pepperdine University, where he conducted research on how to cultivate communities of practice through the development of personal expertise.

Bailey provides leadership for the Office of Online Learning and supports the academic development and delivery of undergraduate and graduate courses and degrees. He previously served as the assistant dean of Online Learning and Educational Technology at Pennsylvania State University where he created the continuous quality improvement process (eLCQ) and established an eLearning Faculty Fellowship program.

The workshops scheduled for Friday morning include:

• "Getting Started with Articulate Storyline:" Kuhlmann will lead a hands-on workshop covering the basic functions of Storyline, an interactive eLearning tool.
• "Presentation and Interviewing Skills:" Robb Bingham, strategist and designer of Converging Solutions, will present a practical session on communication and presentation improvement to boost professional development in the field.
• "Quick Video Development for Learning, with spotlight on iPad:" Ron Braxley, digital media professional associate in the Office of Information Technology, will provide a guided, interactive tour of designing, shooting, editing and uploading video for learning.
• "Instructional Design Essentials:" Rob Branch, professor and department head of the Department of Career and Information Studies, will lead participants through a hands-on workshop covering the effective use of the instructional systems design process.

Full conference registration will include a networking dinner on Friday night and a buffet lunch on Saturday, which will be followed by a series of roundtable demonstrations.

During these demonstrations and concurrent sessions, participants from across the nation will present proposals covering a variety of topics, including instructional systems design approaches, performance support for adult learners and designing for effective learning.

"The process and approach to design and learning that we do in this field is ideal for many people from a great variety of backgrounds," said Greg Clinton, conference chair and senior lecturer in the Department of Career and Information Studies, "We prepare professional instructional designers who can work with subject matter experts to create training or instruction for a lot of different needs."

Registration is currently open and will close on Aug. 10. Full conference registration is $164 (networking dinner and buffet lunch included). Registration for Friday or Saturday only is $109 and registration for just the Friday morning workshop session is $39. UGA faculty, staff and students can attend the workshop session for $49.

To register, see http://t.uga.edu/1BW.