Collectively Discovering Impact: Key Takeaways from the Chicago eLearning & Technology Showcase

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By Beth Buchanan and Jenny Fedullo

After a year of continuous discussions about AI and how it can help the L&D professional become more efficient and creative, this year’s Chicago eLearning & Technology Showcase delivered a powerful message: it is human performance that matters most. Afterall, it is people who are at the center of our collective goal as L&D professionals to improve workplace outcomes. There were still several sessions that highlighted AI’s role in shaping our future in this field, but equally powerful were the sessions that focused on best practices for the learner, honing our skills as content creators, and most importantly, always driving toward the challenging yet crucial goal of measuring impact.

Learning in Community

One of the best parts about attending a conference is being a learner. Sitting in on sessions and focusing on ways to improve and stretch our abilities is both invigorating and essential for our individual goals as learners. But equally important is the communities we find at such conferences. Jazmin Webster in her session, “Applying Communities of Practice in eLearning,” discussed the value of support and how it supplements a learning experience. Too often we are in our silos of individual writing or developing that we forget that communities of practice can provide sources of innovation and connection that can take our L&D mastery to the next level. The conference also offered sessions on team coaching and collaboration, accessibility and inclusivity, and engagement—a topic that never gets old in the L&D world.

We here at d’Vinci were excited to offer our own session for the first time at this conference. Sharing a platform with our partners at Interpro Translation, we discussed the localization process for linguistically diverse audiences and how to design your eLearning with translation in mind.  

New Hacks for Creators

In line with the conference’s emphasis on human performance, the session "Design Hacks: Five Tips to Do More in Articulate Rise" reinforced the idea that it's not just the tools we use but how we use them that truly drives impact. This session went beyond the basics, demonstrating how to stretch the capabilities of Articulate Rise to create visually compelling, on-brand learning experiences. For each example shared, the presenters offered a practical design hack and then followed it up with a real-time demo using their Mighty plug-in, showcasing how these enhancements could be seamlessly integrated into any course. 

At d'Vinci, we’ve already recognized the value of the Mighty plug-in, utilizing it to elevate our own course designs and drive greater learner engagement. This session reaffirmed the impact of these innovative customizations, underscoring that our expertise and creativity as content creators are central to achieving our collective goal of improving workplace outcomes.

Investigating Impact

Last but not least, one of the standouts of the day-long event was the keynote address on impact, delivered by Kevin Yates, an L&D professional who calls himself the L&D Detective. Mr. Yates' method of learning and development investigation focuses on asking the right questions that are appropriately focused on business goals and measurable outcomes. The truth is that L&D is part of a collective effort that involves human performance, business performance, and finally, the combination of the two: workplace performance. We know we have impact, but according to Yates, the following pitfalls can make measuring impact difficult:

• A performance needs analysis was not conducted.
• Impact was not defined before trying to measure it.
• You are trying to isolate impact.

Throughout his talk, Mr. Yates masterfully demonstrated for his audience the all-too-familiar scenarios that often play out in L&D worlds, where conversations focus first on training, and impact later, if ever.  To avoid, this, take the time to ask the right questions and conduct what Mr. Yates calls “The Impact Opportunity Interview,” which identifies the business goal, problem to solve, who is contributing to the goal, whose performance is needed, what the requirements are for performance, what the performance difference should be, what  the performance drivers and measures (KPIs) are, and what the risks are.

In our own discovery sessions at d’Vinci, we ask many of the same questions in a different form, but we were struck by the ideas of risk and contribution. Asking what is at stake is an important question, or put another way, what do you risk losing if you don’t address underlying behaviors, skills, or environmental problems? Because, as Mr. Yates so poignantly stated, we work as a collective, where L&D is a contributor to the story of impact. Once you understand what you are driving towards, you can effectively manage expectations and feel confident that the right learning solution can successfully support your business goals.

As we reflect on the Chicago eLearning & Technology Showcase, it's clear that the conference emphasized the powerful role human performance plays in shaping impactful learning experiences. The sessions, discussions, and insights shared reminded us that while technology and tools like AI and innovative design hacks are important, it is ultimately our expertise and intentionality as L&D professionals that drive meaningful outcomes. At d’Vinci, we are more committed than ever to harnessing these insights to continue delivering effective, impactful learning solutions that contribute to our collective goal of improving workplace performance.