Top 4 Highlights of Learning Solutions 2016

The Learning Solutions 2016 conference, hosted by the eLearning Guild in Orlando, Florida, provided attendees with a unique opportunity to learn from experts in the industry, meet other learning technology platforms, and understand the universal problems people are encountering in the learning space.

It provided me, personally, with each of those experiences (in addition to my first trip to Disney World—magical is an understatement!), but now, a few days since returning to Inkling, here are the top four highlights that have continued to resonate with me:

Bill Nye the Science Guy

Bill Nye kicked off the conference with a session on “Fostering Constant Paths of Curiosity.” I used to watch Bill Nye in school growing up, so seeing him be his charismatic, interesting, hilarious self was a dream come true. Bill wrapped up his session talking about “the joy of discovery.” He noted that joy is really what learning is all about, which set the stage nicely for the remainder of the conference. It was clear that the conference attendees were passionate about learning and understood the value of investing in learning at their organization, so Bill was a crowd favorite!

Importance of Mobile Performance Support

Time and time again the speakers highlighted the importance of mobile performance support for their employees. I heard phrases such as “we need mobile learning” and “we could put our training on apps!” It was very refreshing to see people embrace the idea that learning can take place on-the-go or in the field. Many people who came up to Inkling’s booth mentioned this pain point, sparking important conversations about Inkling’s core value: knowledge at the point of need.

xAPI and the LRS (Learning Record Store)

One hot topic at this year’s Learning Solutions conference was xAPI and ways to integrate it into your current learning ecosystem (xAPI is a learning technology that outlines communication about user activity and their experiences among various technologies). I learned a lot about how organizations are looking to use xAPI; one session in particular encouraged people to let go of their LMS (could it be?) and instead house data from xAPI in an LRS.

The innovative thinking that’s happening in the learning industry allows for unique combinations of platforms to create the best learning ecosystem possible. For example, why not rely on an LMS for certifications, but deliver other learning programs in a platform that drives better business results? Since Inkling is actively researching an xAPI integration, I was especially interested in this topic, and have some strong action items to tackle in the coming months.

The Inkcredible Inkling Man

Inkling’s theme for Learning Solutions 2016 was “become a learning superhero!” We want to encourage all our customers and prospects to harness the superpowers of great content for employee training. Coincidently, members from the eLearning Guild were walking around asking attendees what their eLearning superhero name would be. We were more than prepared at the booth with an Inkling cape and our very own superhero: the Inkcredible Inkling Man (aka Darren Wong, Interactive Designer).

All in all, the two days we spent in Orlando were jam-packed with invaluable industry knowledge and the opportunity to meet people from all over the country with different learning priorities to tackle. And, of course, sneaking some time to enjoy the weather by the pool.