Letter from the President, February 2010

Dr. Allison Rossett presented our first virtual program on February 11, 2010 with over 60 registered attendees.  Allison communicated with the group via two-way audio.  Although we did not have live video of Allison, we did have a real time display of her presentation visuals.  Future virtual presentations will feature two-way video as well as two-way audio.  Many thanks to Allison for blazing the trail for us with the virtual program format.

Most of Allison’s presentation focused on performance analysis.  She highlighted the fact that many learning & development professionals still do not conduct much needed analysis due to lack of time or budget.  A poll of program attendees reinforced this fact.  While some analysis is being done before developing the solution, it is generally far less than what we should be doing.  Allison offered the group strategies for overcoming this problem.

The third installment in our Instructional Systems Design Certificate Series will feature Dr. Diane Gayeski from Ithaca College, New York.  Diane is a pioneer in e-learning and the use of new media in training.  I have had the opportunity to attend national conferences where Diane participated on panel discussions focused on the relevancy and evolution of instructional design.  Diane leverages decades of personal experience in design for media-based learning and leverages the opinions of other industry leaders in this field.  I should also note that Diane has worked for clients in North Carolina and is familiar with our region.  We are very fortunate to have someone of Diane’s caliber come to Charlotte to facilitate a discussion on new design models for new media.

It is also worth noting that with barely six months of operation and only three meetings and one workshop, our membership has reached over 150 members.  This is a terrific milestone for our young but growing organization.  Thank you for your enthusiasm and participation.  And, thank you to all of the Executive Committee members and their sub-committee members for all their hard work and planning, and UNC Charlotte College of Education for their partnership and support.

Look forward to seeing you next month.

Dick Handshaw
President, 2010