The LDA Podcast: An Exploration of Evidence-Informed Approaches to Learning and Development

AI in Learning and Defense: A Conversation with Jennifer Solberg

Join us in this insightful episode of the LDA Podcast as we delve into the fascinating world of AI with Jennifer Solberg, CEO of Quantum Improvement Consulting. Discover the cutting-edge intersection of technology and human performance, explore the real-world applications of AI in learning and government sectors, and unravel the hype vs. reality of AI in our daily lives. Jennifer brings her expertise in learning science, defense training, and AI collaboration, offering a unique perspective on the future of AI in enhancing human capabilities. Tune in for a deep dive into the collaborative dynamics of AI and its impact on learning and development.You can find out more about Jennifer here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifersolberg/https://www.quantumimprovements.net/

The ”What the Skills?!?” Episode

In this episode, Matt is joined by the eminent educational psychologist, Paul Kirschner. Paul is truly one of the most qualified humans on the planet to talk about our topic this episode-- skills. The word skills is bandied about all over our industry. And we all agree it is important for people to develop skills. But, what do we mean by skills? Have we perhaps oversimplified this concept? During the episode, Paul and Matt hit several specific areas related to this often used, extremely important, but still ill-defined concept (at least within our industry)- skills:What is a skill? What are complex skills? What are generic skills? Domain-specific skills?What is the cognitive architecture?Can skills be taught? What about leadership? Creativity? Etc.? Of course... you know the answer... it's nuanced!From an instructional design perspective, how should we go about teaching “skills.”What are the mistakes educators and trainers make when it comes to skills?What are the misconceptions we have about skills?How should we test whether a learner can perform a skill and what do those tests tell us?Then there is Cognitive Load Theory..., Oh my!And, more!There are many places you can find Paul. But, the best place is at his blog, 3-Star Learning Experiences.Paul has written several books. Some of our favorites, of which many of the subjects touched upon here, are delved into deeply there. They include, but are not limited to:Ten Steps to Complex LearningHow Learning Happens: Seminal Works in Educational PsychologyEvidence Informed Learning DesignUrban Myths about Learning and EducationMore Urban Myths about Learning and Education We also have a bit of a conversation about John Sweller. John is an Australian educational psychologist best known for formulating the influential theory of cognitive load. A wonderful YouTube video of John talking about cognitive load is here.And if you want to see a quick video of Paul... Here you go... one from a few years ago... https://ldaccelerator.com/giants-in-ld/paul-a-kirschner. 

Empowering Future Generations: AI’s Evolution in Learning and Upskilling with Myra Roldan

In this episode of AI and L&D Insights, Markus and Myra Roldan explore the rapid evolution of AI in learning and development. They discuss the impact of large language models and AI tools on upskilling, emphasizing the importance of ethical AI use and diverse representation in the field. Myra shares insights on integrating augmented and virtual reality with AI for immersive learning experiences and highlights initiatives like Amazon's educator enablement program and youth engagement programs. This episode is a thought-provoking journey into AI's transformative role in education and workforce preparedness.And here are the links referenced and the way to find Myra.Notebook LM https://notebooklm.google/Notion https://www.notion.so/Bloks https://www.bloks.app/manifestoFathom https://fathom.video/AWS Machine Learning University https://aws.amazon.com/machine-learning/educators/Myra RoldanConnect with me on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/myraroldanWebsite: https://www.learnwithmyra.online/

The ”Holy Podcast, Batman” Episode

This episode’s topics: Is AI cheating? What is the impact on intellectual property? Learner assessment? Heck, even job replacement? These questions are both philosophical and pragmatic. What about the value of critical thinking... and does AI take that application away? We explore ways to use AI more effectively... but recognize we cannot even fathom some of the consequences, yet.In the spirit of Christmas and Santa Claus, is it ok to ever lie to your learners? What is the value of the "white lie?" What is fiction in the context of learning? Is it a lie? How do we use or adapt case studies? We discuss the more nuanced, ethical questions related to the truth in the context of learning.Joining Matt and Clark is Karl Kapp. Karl is a professor of instructional technology and the Director of the Institute for Interactive Technologies at Bloomsburg University. He is also the founder of the Learning and Development Mentor Academy where he offers tons of self-paced workshops and live sessions for seasoned L&D professionals. He also co-founded Enterprise Game Stack, a company that designs, develops and delivers online, digital card activities and games that keep participants focused, engaged, and collaborative, while reinforcing learning both in the moment and over time. You can find Karl on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlkapp/ And on his website here: https://karlkapp.com Episode Notes:Matt refers to the book, Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz. https://www.amazon.com/Everybody-Lies-Internet-About-Really-ebook/dp/B01AFXZ2F4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=32XE7RFU8662&keywords=Everybody+lies&qid=1703693836&sprefix=everybody+lies%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-1 Karl refers to Damned Lies and Statistics by Joel Best. https://www.amazon.com/Damned-Lies-Statistics-Untangling-Politicians/dp/0520274709/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1NIS0ITNOKV1A&keywords=lies%2C+damned+lies%2C+and+statistics&qid=1703693953&sprefix=Lies%2C+damned+li%2Caps%2C92&sr=8-1 Clark refers to Cognitive apprenticeship: Teaching the crafts of reading, writing, and mathematics by Allan Collins, John Seely Brown, and Susan E. Newman. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1989-98135-013Scott Page wrote The Model Thinker: What You Need To Know To Make Data Work For You. https://www.amazon.com/Model-Thinker-What-Need-Know-ebook/dp/B07B8D3V9V/ref=sr_1_1?crid=12ZCGDWY9C3GI&keywords=The+Model+Thinker&qid=1703694035&sprefix=the+model+thinker%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-1And, Scott is from the University of Michigan.

AI and L&D Insights: L&D, AI, and the Skills Based Organization (SBO)

In this episode, Markus and Jeroen van Hautte dive into the world of AI and L&D, but with a specific view towards the future of the Skills Based Organization (SBO). Jeroen shares his views on the future of work, the impact AI is going to have, and how it all fits in with the skills piece - in L&D, in HR, and in the wider organization.Jeroen is the co-founder and CTO of TechWolf, an AI start-up revolutionizing workforce skill management for global clients like Booking.com, GSK and United Airlines. A top graduate of Cambridge University, he's recognized by Forbes '30 Under 30' for his contributions to AI and mentorship in engineering. As an advisor and thought leader, he maintains a strong connection to research while steering TechWolf's product vision and fostering an inclusive, customer-driven engineering culture.You can find Jeroen and TechWolf on LinkedIn here:Jeroen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeroenvanhautte/TechWolf: https://www.linkedin.com/company/techwolf/ TechWolf's website is: https://techwolf.com/Two more links referred to in the show are:A guide to building a resilient ecosystemA guide to building the foundations for your skill-based organisation

The ”Talk to the Elephant” Episode

Clark and Matt are joined by instruction design guru and all around fantastic human, Julie Dirksen. Julie has been in the business for over 15 years creating highly interactive and more importantly, highly effective eLearning experiences for clients all around the world. But, Julie is more than that! She is one of the those go-to people in the industry. She is an expert that many other experts in our industry turn to and call a researcher translator. Meaning she digs into core issues… practical issues, in the work learning practitioners do. She figures out what the research says, and then puts it into succinct, useful bites that are immediately applicable. Her first book, DESIGN FOR HOW PEOPLE LEARN is one of those rare books in L&D that broke out and became a best seller beyond the industry. It is the go-to book for designers and trainers. Today, Clark and I get to talk with her about latest book, TALK TO THE ELEPHANT, DESIGN LEARNING FOR BEHAVIOR CHANGE. We talk about systems thinking and how the system can affect the factors that influence how and why one behaves as one does. We explore the individual factors such as motivation, incentives, and environmental factors. And more! As Clark will say in the episode, TALK TO THE ELEPHANT is a wonderful complement, a companion, to DESIGN FOR HOW PEOPLE LEARN. We originally planned to talk with Julie for just 20 minutes, One hour later… we were still going and felt like we could go on forever. Julie also joins us at the end for Best and Worst. You can find Julie at: https://usablelearning.com.Julie rattles off so many models and tools throughout the show, we recommend you simply buy the book to get more on each, as well as their respective references. For the links she directly references, here they are:The change ladder survey link is on the book page:https://usablelearning.com/elephant/ Julie’s "best" was Casey Fiesler.  Her video on Fair Use is here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2PuntvfN20 Casey has a shorter version here that skips the wolf-themed erotica: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuDEgnxkGDg)  The syllabus for her tech ethics course on tiktok is here:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tWdqYqYBHARbZXFQX4cybe88S-0twqvUu1xLhYnLgU4/edit?usp=sharing 

AI and L&D Insights: Instructional Design, Utilizing AI - A Practitioner’s Perspective

In this episode, Digital Creator and Instructional Designer Adrienne Thomas takes us on a personal journey through the AI tools landscape, from the front line perspective of an experienced practitioner. Adrienne shares with us her personal journey, how she deploys AI tools in her day to day work and the value she derives from them, as well as her experiences from the courses she delivers where she introduces others to these tools and their applications.You can find Adienne here: https://digitalwisdom.life and on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adwthomas/.Her course, coloring book and AI coaching is included on her linktree.Here are the links referenced in the episode:Gamma App: A new medium for presenting ideas, powered by AI. Create beautiful, engaging content with none of the formatting and design work.- https://gamma.app/Pictory's powerful AI enables you to create and edit professional quality videos using text, no technical skills required or software to download: https://pictory.ai/Animoto: https://animoto.com/Canva is a free-to-use online graphic design tool. Use it to create social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, logos and more: https://www.canva.com/Midjourney: https://www.midjourney.com/Linktree: https://linktr.ee/ourdigitalwisdom

The ”To Pivot or Not to Pivot, That is the Question” Episode

In this episode, we offer up three independent segments. Matt Richter is joined first by Nidhi Sachdeva. Nidhi is both an evidence-based learning designer and a researcher. She just completed her PhD in the spring, and the two talk about the differences between learning and performance. Then, Guy Wallace is in the house. Guy needs no introduction, having been a performance analyst and instructional architect for a few decades now. We talk about his latest book, The L&D Pivot Point, published by LDA Press. Finally, in our third segment, the inimitable Thiagi joins Matt for a new series we will intermittently run called “A Person of Interest.” Thiagi shares his biography… his story with us.You can find Nidhi most easily on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nidhi-sachdeva-toronto/, or her blog with Jim Hewitt here: https://scienceoflearning.substack.com Guy can be found here: https://eppic.biz/guy-w-wallace-2/ And, Thiagi here: https://thiagi.com. Nidhi references the work of Paul Kirscher, John Sweller, and Richard Mayer and their article, Why Minimal Guidance During Instruction Does Not Work: An Analysis of the Failure of Constructivist, Discovery, Problem-Based, Experiential, and Inquiry-Based Teaching. You can find it here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1207/s15326985ep4102_1?needAccess=true Matt & Nidhi refer to the cognitive architecture and instructional design when discussing complex skills. He references the Sweller, van Merrienboer, and Paas article from 1998: Cognitive Architecture and Instructional Design found here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1022193728205 They also deviate and start talking about SDT (Self-Determination Theory), and you can learn more about that here: https://selfdeterminationtheory.orgAnd, Matt wrote an article about SDT in the context of learning found here: https://ldaccelerator.com/lda-blog-1/open-the-motivational-door-and-let-the-learners-in-and-keep-them The 85% Rule for Optimal Learning can be found here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-12552-4 Scott Rigby and Richard Ryan, Glued to Games: How Video Games Draw Us In and Hold Us Spellbound. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2012-01778-000  Guy’s book, The L&D Pivot point can be purchased here: https://ldaccelerator.com/the-ld-pivot-point Thiagi studied with Albert Elsen. Here’s more info about him: https://honorsandawards.iu.edu/awards/honoree/1453.html BEST AND WORST REFERENCES:Daniel Willingham Tik Tok on the fallacy of rereading for studying. Ok… there are a ton of Tim Tok videos by Dan. We aren’t sure exactly which one she referred to, but after going through several to find it, we recommend the whole darn Willingham channel. It’s great. https://www.tiktok.com/@daniel_willingham 

Navigating the AI Revolution: Individual Initiative and Organizational Strategy

In this episode, Markus and Josh delve into the transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence on both organizations and individual professionals. They emphasize the urgency for individuals to proactively engage with AI technologies, particularly in the fields of education and corporate training. The discussion also navigates through the ethical and strategic complexities that accompany this technological shift. Tune in to gain insights into how individual initiative in AI adoption could be a decisive factor in career and organizational success.Links referred to or promised in the episode: Classes https://go.joshcavalier.com/masterclass Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/JoshCavalier 150+ Prompts for Educationhttps://www.joshcavalier.com/150Prompts YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@joshcavLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshcavalier/ 

The ”Follow the Leader” Episode

In this episode, podcast host, Matt Richter is joined by Nigel Paine, organizational learning and leadership expert. Together, they spend the whole episode exploring that nebulous and vague concept of leadership. They fail to definitively lock in a definition for leadership— thus demonstrating one of the inherent challenges organizations face when leveraging LD programs. But, more importantly, they look at what we can do, when we effectively develop leaders within organizational contexts. Leaders are all about managing… managing the context. No one style, approach, model, theory, or consultant prescription will work in all scenarios… of at all. So, what is one to do? Focus on flexibly adapting and managing that aforementioned context. Recognize that that there are so many different perspectives— the leaders, the followers, other players, etc. And then find ways to accept and leverage those different perspectives.In other words, leadership is utterly founded on adaptation and change. It is about systems thinking. To paraphrase Keith Grint, leadership is all about working to solve those wicked problems we face.Nigel answers the question about how we can predict or forecast whether someone will be a good leader. Which then leads to a discussion of how we conceive of leadership in our culture and how we describe leadership success.Below are some references and notes from the show:We referenced both Barbara Kellerman and Jeffrey Pfeffer:Kellerman, B. (2012). The End of Leadership. New York: Harper Collins. Kellerman, B. (2015). Hard Times: Leadership in America. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Pfeffer, J. (2015). Leadership BS: Fixing Workplaces and Careers One Truth at a Time. New York, Harper Business. Matt mentioned some of the Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus management comparisons reference: Young, M., & Dulewicz, V. (2007). Similarities and Differences between Leadership and Management: High-Performance Competencies in the British Royal Navy. British Journal of Management, 19(1), 17-32. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8551.2007.00534.xAnd the book from them is LEADERS: Strategies for Taking Charge.Nigel mentioned John Kotter. Here are two references that sum up his work nicely.Kotter, J.P. (2001) What Leaders Really Do. Harvard Business Review. December 2001.Adapted from A Force for Change: How Leadership Differs From Management (pp. 3–8), by J. P. Kotter, 1990, New York, NY: Free Press. General Electric’s Crotonville Leadership Institute was actually opened in 1956, not in 1947, as Nigel stated. We referred to Keith Grint and his article:Grint, K. (2005). Problems, problems, problems: The social construction of ‘leadership.’ Human Relations. 58 (11), 1467-1494.The originators of wicked and tame problems: Rittel and Webber.Rittel, H.W.J. and Webber, M.M.. (1973) Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning. Policy Sciences. 4, pp. 155-169.Peter Senge and The Fifth Discipline. You can find the book anywhere books are sold.Winston Churchill. There are a ton of biographies about Churchill. Matt’s favorite’s are the William Manchester volumes. Neville Chamberlain reference: Self, R. (2013, September 30). Was Neville Chamberlain Really a Weak and Terrible Leader? Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-24300094.Tina Kiefer— and others—  on the drawing a Leader exercise: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/16/health/women-leadership-workplace.html?smid=url-share Joseph Devlin: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joseph-t-devlin_learningstyles-brainmyth-activity-7113156889688854528-RFWZ?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop