Upcoming DSA Events

Darryl Sink Speaks at Indiana University Summer Colloquium, coming July 10-11, at the main campus in Bloomington Indiana.
Darryl's Alma Mater brings students, alumni, faculty and friends of Instructional Systems Technology together for two days of sharing recent scholarship, updates on the program, the facilities and Bloomington, and social and professional networking. If you're thinking about furthering your education in IST—This is your chance for a taste test. Your future is worth it!
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN
July 10, 2009
Darryl Sink presents: Writing Performance-Based Lessons - Faster, Easier, and Better
Connect your writing to desired performance by providing models, and practical techniques including a robust technique for writing performance based presentations called "Writing to The Question."
Registration information...

Meet Us in St. Louis for The E-Learning Design Workshop: Results Focused Pre-conference workshop
International Society for Performance Improvement Tuesday, September 22 to Wednesday,
September 23, 8:30am to 5:00pm.
Location and registration information.

Live and Online—The Instructional Developer Workshop
Begins: September 22, 2009
Darryl presents 4 (two hour) sessions starting on 11/22/2009, sponsored by Training Magazine. Registration and more information.

Online anytime: DSA's The Course Developer Workshop Online
Here's your chance to get work done while you learn. You'll get expert feedback from your facilitator, Dr. Paul Swan, a very experienced DSA instructional designer. Many of you have seen Dr. Swan speaking at conferences or presenting one of DSA's workshops.

"I LOVE this course and am having fun putting language and frames to the work I've been doing for 30 plus years. I'm recommending the course to other trainers, many of whom are in the same boat I was, i.e., have done training but was never given or never took formal training on how to do it!"
Kathy
Santa Fe, NM

In Company Workshops
Have a group? Let us come to you!
We offer a program of co-hosting and co-marketing our workshops if you have a very small group. The advantage: you will get your people trained at your site, and others benefit. Call Jane today at 800-650-7465 for details.

DSA's Award Winnning Custom Design—We can teach you (see above )or we can do it for you
DSA has extensive experience in managing and developing complex projects from conceptualization through analysis, design/development, evaluation, production, and implementation. Dr. Sink takes a great deal of pride in his ability, and the ability of his handpicked project teams, to take complex instructional development projects and to make them operationally simple. In fact, the company motto is, "Simple, well executed strategies yield significant results."

Top Ten Tips

	Really Fast Storyboarding for E-Learning Projects
	Useful Instructional Methods
	What's The Meaning Of That Idea? Analyzing and Teaching Concepts
	Teaching Concepts: Combining Science and Creativity
	Criterion-Referenced Checklists: The Workhorse of Evaluation
	The Job Aid: A Reliable, CHEAPER Alternative
	Interview Analysis: Faster, Easier, More Accurate
	Authentic Activities to Enhance Transfer of Skills, Part 2
	Writing Worthwhile Objectives
	Objective-Based Tests: Better and Faster!

Today's Tip
Uncovering Hidden Talent in Your Organization

Who else in our organizations could become a really good instructional designer? Know someone who is a good writer/editor? Someone who figures things out fast? That's right—someone who is really smart. They just might make a great instructional designer!

Maybe there is a content expert that would like a new challenge. Or maybe there is an administrative assistant that hasn't yet been recognized for their real talent and skills.

For instance, Program Manager (Content Expert) Gary Barranti at HP worked with DSA to design and develop a comprehensive curriculum for Financial Analysts. Gary enjoyed the instructional design and development process and working with our team so much that he requested to attend DSA's Instructional Developer Workshop with the goal of learning how to maintain the curriculum. Gary's level of engagement in the project was so high that he was further asked to join the DSA team to co-lead a workshop presenting an overview of the project at the Annual International Society for Performance Improvement Conference and then again at Silicon Valley local chapter. Here's the great part of this story: The curriculum, with Gary maintaining it and writing any new modules as needed, has lasted 8 years. That must be a record of some sort! So with a high degree of interest, a desire to further others performance, an array of adaptable skills, and the right opportunity, a suitable candidate like Gary may be within your own backyard.

In another case, I once needed an editor and hired a person that had an undergraduate degree in English and had also gone through an editing certificate program at San Jose State University. She came highly recommended by my administrative assistant. I found her to be such a good writer and editor I asked her if she wanted a job with our firm to become an instructional designer. She had many other outstanding skill sets, too, such as her interpersonal skills, great attention to detail, and her intelligence. She was awarded a Masters and Doctorate degree in the field of Instructional Technology.

In these times we often need instructional designers, but may not be able to hire anyone from the outside. So look around...they maybe right under your nose and would love the opportunity.

I suggest you start by making a list of people in your organization that can write, are good problem solvers, like a challenge, and like to learn. Don't worry that they haven't any formal training as an instructional designer. That can be pursued later. Iin the meantime, you have some great help and have given someone a wonderful opportunity.

You'll be surprised how far they can go with a little training and some mentoring, perhaps from you.

Until next time,

Darryl
darryl@dsink.com

Article © 2009 Darryl L. Sink & Associates, Inc.