Resource Center

Presentations

2010 eLearning Guild Learning Solutions Conference: Mesch, R. (2010, April). Virtually There: Top Ten Best Practices for Implementing Virtual Worlds. Presented at the 2010 eLearning Guild Learning Solutions Conference: Orlando, FL. Handout (2.2mb)
2010 eLearning Guild Learning Solutions Conference: Mesch, R. (2010, April). The Talent Challenge: Can Simulation Drive Effective Performance Management?. Presented at the 2010 eLearning Guild Learning Solutions Conference: Orlando, FL. Handout (2.7mb)
2010 ASTD Philadelphia Chapter: Mesch, R. (2010, May). Secrets of Simulation Design: An Insider’s Look at Creating Effective Performance Simulation. Presented at a meeting of the Philadelphia chapter of the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD). Handout (3.1mb)
2008 ASTD TechKnowledge Conference: Mesch, R. and Moss, S. (2008, May). Using Performance Simulation to Implement a Human Capital Management System. Presented at the 2008 American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) TechKnowledge Conference: Chicago, IL. Handout (1.8mb)
2006 SPBT Conference: Mesch, R. and Block, D. (2006, May). Driving Pharmaceutical Sales Performance through Simulation. Presented at the 2010 Society for Pharmaceutical and BioTech Trainers (SPBT) Conference: Chicago, IL. Handout (1.3mb)
2009 NYDLA: Prestera, G.E. (2009, February). Designing Blended Learning…and Other Great Mysteries of Life. Presented at a meeting of NYDLA, the New York/New York City Metro Chapter of the US Distance Learning Association: Berkeley College: New York, NY. Slides (2.2mb)
2009 PADLA: Prestera, G.E. (2009, January). Designing Blended Learning…and Other Great Mysteries of Life. Presented at a meeting of PADLA, the Pennsylvabia Chapter of the US Distance Learning Association: LaSalle Metroplex Campus: Plymouth Meeting, PA. Slides (1.8mb)
2008 ASTD e-Learning SIG: Prestera, G.E. (2008, May 15). Designing Rapid e-Learning Courses. Presented at a meeting of the e-Learning Special Interest Group of ASTD’s Philadelphia Chapter: Penn State University: Great Valley, PA.
2008 ISPI Conference: Prestera, G.E. (2008, April). Improving Performance Through Online Simulations. Presented at the 2008 Conference of the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI): New York, NY. Handout (118kb)
2007 PADLA Seminar: Prestera, G.E. (2007, May). Elements of Online Simulations. Presented at a seminar sponsored by Penn State University and the Pennsylvania Distance Learning Association (PADLA).
2007 ISPI – Great Valley Chapter Seminar: Prestera, G.E. (2007, March). A Performance-Based Approach to Blended Learning. Presented at a seminar sponsored by Penn State University and the Great Valley Chapter of ISPI.
2006 DVHR Summit: Prestera, G.E. (2006, October). Corporate Universities and Learning Theory: A Panel Discussion. Presented at a SHRM regional conference sponsored by the Delaware Valley Human Resource (DVHR) Partnership.
2006 ISPI Conference: Prestera, G.E. (2006, April ). Curriculum Design: Assessing Curriculum Needs in Today’s Hyperactive Workplace. Presented at the national conference of the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI): Dallas, TX. White Paper (240kb)
2006 ISPI – Great Valley Chapter Seminar: Comolli, S.C. (2006, March ). Managing the Unmanageable SME: Interviewing to Gather Content. Presented at a seminar held at the Great Valley chapter of the International Society for Performance Improvement (GVISPI): Malvern, PA. Additional Handouts (54kb)
2005 ASTD TechKnowledge Conference: Prestera, G.E., & Johnson, T. (2005, February). Putting learning back in e-learning: Performance-based design processes. Presented at the TechKnowledge 2005 Conference, a national conference of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD): Las Vegas, NV. White Paper (228kb)
2004 ISPI ISD Conference: Prestera, G.E. (2004, September). Rapid training needs assessments. Presented at the Instructional Systems Design 2005 Conference, a national conference of the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI): Chicago, IL. White Paper (240kb)
2004 Philly ASTD T-Learning Conference: Prestera, G.E. (2004, April). Are Your e-Learners Learning? How to develop online level 2 evaluations quickly and effectively. Presented at T-Learning, the Philadelphia Conference of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD): Philadelphia, PA. WhitePaper (395kb)
2004 ISPI – Great Valley Chapter Seminar: Prestera, G.E., & Johnson, T. (2004, April). Blinded by content: A case for performance-based design in e-Learning instruction. Presented at a seminar held at the Great Valley chapter of the International Society for Performance Improvement (GVISPI): Malvern, PA. See Instructor Notes (54kb) Role Play Instructions (54kb)

Tools

IRC Worksheet: When conducting a training needs analysis, we use this worksheet to identify skills and tasks associated with a training need; to assign values to each one; and to then use those values to prioritize the list of needs. It’s a simple, highly adaptable tool. irc_tool.xls (65kb)
TNA Survey Tool: Once you’ve identified possible training needs, we find it valuable to validate that list of needs through a survey of the target population. This is a simple Excel tool, which you can use to create a training needs survey that you can email to participants. The spreadsheet also enables you to compile data from the completed surveys and generate a quick report. survey_tool.xls (247kb)
Item Analysis Tool: Have you created an exam but aren’t sure if the test questions are reliable and fair? This tool makes it easy to conduct an item analysis. You take the data points collected through your test engine and paste them into the spreadsheet. The tool tells you which test items are unreliable or are not functioning properly, which tells you what items need to be discarded or re-written. test_tool.xls (2.2mb)

Publications

Mesch, R. “Spinning Yarns: Seven Tips for Using Stories to Enhance Simulations and Learning.” Focus Magazine. Spring 2007, pp. 42-46. Article (4.6mb)
Phased Blended Solutions: A Performance-Based Approach pdg_white_paper_eP2004 WP6_10-0702
Five Approaches to Blended Learning pdg_white_paper_eP2004 WP5_10-0702
Are your e-learners learning?: Tool for Test Development pdg_white_paper_eP2004 WP3_10-0702
Training Needs Assessment: Process and Tools to Help you Identify and Prioritize Training Needs Quickly pdg_white_paper_eP2004 WP2_10-0702
Understanding ADDIE: A foundation for designing instruction pdg_white_paper_eP2004 WP1_10-0702