Blog

Following up on the recent Action Learning session we held, we thought you would be interested to know that there is a public workshop to be held in Seattle next month. This is a perfect opportunity for those that would like a deep dive into the World Institute of Action Learning's (WIAL) tested approach, chosen by many top Fortune 500 companies as well as non-profits.

• Foundations of Action Learning, May 6 & 7: This program provides participants a solid understanding of the power of Action Learning and how and why it works. You will have the opportunity to participate as a team member, coach and problem presenter using Action Learning to tackle real problems and arrive at real solutions.

Space is limited, so please let us know you can make it by registering HERE

Need a way to explain Action Learning to others that may be interested or want to understand more yourself? SageWays created this video to help and you can find it HERE

RFPs Due April 30!

Dear Workplace Learning Professional: Just a quick reminder that you are invited to complete a Request for Proposal (RFP) to become one of our concurrent session speakers at the ASTD-Cascadia Annual Conference being held at the Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel in Portland, Oregon, on October 30, 2014. As we've mentioned in previous emails, Roger Schank, educational reformer, is our keynote speaker. You can read about Roger on his website. Our four concurrent session tracks are: · Practitioner Track: Turning Learning Upside Down · E-Learning Track: Designing Beyond Page-Turners · Connection Track: Breaking Down Walls · Leadership Track: Inspiring New Paths For more information about the conference and to download the RFP information,visit our conference webpage. Note: This URL may change in the near future. We look forward to reviewing your proposed workshop. If you have any questions about the process, please contact our Concurrent Sessions Committee at:conferencesessions@astdcascadia.org. Follow the Conference on Facebook We invite you to follow the conversations and community on our Facebook page. Please "Like" our page and share it with your colleagues. Interested in Sponsoring or Exhibiting? Looking for a unique opportunity to market your company to a dedicated group of workplace learning professionals?Visit our conference webpage to learn more about Sponsor and Exhibitor opportunities at the conference. Our expanded exhibit hall space allows us to provide a number of display opportunities for both Sponsors and Exhibitors that fit a variety of budgets. Looking forward to seeing you at the 2014 Annual Conference!

Public Speaking: Entertaining & Entertaining Audiences in Today's World!

Every member can save money by renewing before April 1^st. Please remind your managers and coordinators to go to: http://www.astd.org/Members/Membership-Renew before April 1st.

National ASTD recently announced it is offering a new online learning program to help WLP practitioners seek public funds for training. Public workforce development grants are an important alternate source of funding to consider in a time when corporate training budgets are tight.

The program, “Essentials of Identifying Public Funding for Training, will provide you with an overview of the public workforce system, how to engage with your local workforce investment board (WIB) and one stop career center, and where to find tax credits and training grant opportunities. You will receive resources and a job aid to help you build an action plan for your own organization to access funding.

The course is 4.5 hours in length conducted over three sessions. It will be offered in March, June and November of this year. The cost is $395 for National ASTD members.

Michael Ferraro is the facilitator of the program. Mr. Ferraro, who has with extensive experience in working with state workforce development systems, serves as the key advisor on public policy to National ASTD. He also heads up his own successful training business.

Find out more information here.

The offering of this course highlights the growing importance of government funding and public policy to the future of the WLP profession. I encourage you to consider enrolling in it.

Dr. William “Bud” Wurtz,
ASTDps Manager of Public Policy

Submissions for the 2014 International E-Learning Awards - Business Division, presented by the International E-Learning Association (IELA), are due soon! The Entry Submission Page is posted on the IELA site and the deadline for submission is March 1, 2014. Submissions for our Academic categories will be accepted beginning in March 2014 with a deadline of June 15, 2014. We are currently accepting only entries in the Business division.

Awards will be given for successful courses, sites, and products, in three categories: e-learning, blended learning, and mobile learning. Each category includes awards in both the Academic and Business divisions. The winners will be announced in June 2014 at the ICELW Conference in New York, though you do not need to come to New York in order to win an award.

The International E-Learning Association is a leading international group that brings together researchers and practitioners in all forms of e-learning. IELA's sponsorship of international conferences and journals, and its strong membership base, continue to advance the state of the art of the e-learning field worldwide in academic and business areas.

Submissions for the 2014 International E-Learning Awards - Business Division are due on March 1, 2014. For more details regarding the submission process, please check the IELA Awards Page. We look forward to your submissions!

  Click here to view the most recent newsletter from ASTD's Learning Technologies Community.

Power Members have the exclusive opportunity to secure 2013 rates until March 31, 2014. Power Members, who renew or join national ASTD before March 31, will be automatically upgraded to Professional Plus membership for $179.

By entering your chapter’s ChIP (8020) code at checkout in the ASTD Store, Power Members will activate instant savings on national membership and bring a portion of this national membership payment back to the chapter! Encourage your chapter members to use this code when joining or renewing, and visit www.astd.org/engage to learn more about the new national ASTD tiered membership experience.

CPLP Study Group, it's time for us to gear up again after our break while the new materials were being finalized! The new materials are almost ready...

Complimentary Live Webinar

Thursday, December 12, 2013

1:00 p.m. (EST)

Register Now

Managers are faced with an increasing array of tools, technologies, and processes--from lean production methods to virtual communication systems--all with documented benefits. In an effort to boost capability, companies often invest significant time and money in efforts to incorporate these innovations in their day-to-day operations. Nonetheless, such efforts often fail to produce significant improvements in performance. Why?

Join MIT Sloan Professor Nelson Repenning for a complimentary webinar on December 12th to learn why useful improvement tools and processes so often go unused.

Through real-world examples and proven research,webinar participants will learn how to:

• Determine the factors that support or inhibit internally-focused change
• Balance capability improvements against performance
• Increase the adoption of these improvement methods in the workplace
• Escape productivity decline--the "capability trap"
• Identify the signs and consequences of dispositional biases in the workplace
  (blaming problems on people rather than the systems)
• Recognize when throughput comes at the expense of learning

Who should attend:

• Executives, senior managers, and leaders from every sector
• Senior leaders focused on improvements for the benefit of the entire organization
• Directors of technology, design, process engineering, and product/service development
• Managers of innovation and engineering

The one hour webinar will be followed immediately by a live Q&A session on social media with Professor Repenning.

Register Now for this Complimentary Webinar >>