Designing Virtual Learning for Application and Impact: 50 Techniques to Ensure Results

Show the value of virtual learning to demonstrate business impact.

In Designing Virtual Learning for Application and Impact, virtual learning expert Cindy Huggett teams with evaluation experts Jack and Patti Phillips and learning transfer authority Emma Weber to create a guidebook for TD practitioners to ensure that their online programs achieve measurable results beyond the virtual classroom.

This practical book outlines a design process focused on how to deliver on-the-job application of learning and a positive impact on business results. It gives 50 techniques you can immediately use to effectively design an engaging virtual learning program that helps learners apply the knowledge they’ve gained back on the job.

Virtual learning is here to stay. And it must add value to an organization, otherwise it’s a waste of time and resources. As budgets are slashed, the ability to show that a program is an investment, rather than an expense is vital. Thus, we need a renewed sense of urgency to make sure virtual learning delivers results for those who support it, expect it, and even demand it.

Step up to the challenge and get serious about delivering business impact with your virtual learning programs. This book will show you how.

Jack J. Phillips, PhD, is a world-renowned expert on accountability, measurement, and evaluation and chairman of ROI Institute, through which he provides consulting services for Fortune 500 companies and workshops for major conference providers around the world. With more than 27 years of corporate experience in the aerospace, textiles, metals, construction materials, and banking industries, Jack has served as a training and development manager at two Fortune 500 firms, senior HR officer at two firms, president of a regional federal savings bank, and management professor at a major state university. He is also the author or editor of more than 100 books and more than 300 articles. His work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, and Fortune, among other outlets. He is the recipient of many awards, including ATD’s Distinguished Contribution to Workplace Learning and Development award, the Brand Personality Award from Asia Pacific Brands Foundation for his work as an international consultant, author, teacher, and speaker. The International Society for Performance Improvement gave him the prestigious Thomas F. Gilbert Award in 2018.

Patti P. Phillips, PhD, CEO of ROI Institute, is a renowned leader in measurement and evaluation. Patti helps organizations implement the ROI Methodology in more than 70 countries around the world. Since 1997, she has been a driving force in the global adoption of the ROI Methodology and the use of measurement and evaluation to drive organizational change. Her work spans private, public, nonprofit, and nongovernmental organizations. Patti is a member of the board of trustees of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research and the International Federation of Training and Development Organizations. She is the chair of the Institute for Corporate Productivity People Analytics Board; principal research fellow for The Conference Board; board chair of the Center for Talent Reporting (CTR); and is an Association for Talent Development (ATD) Certification Institute CPTD fellow. Patti also serves on the faculty of the UN System Staff College in Turin, Italy. The Thinkers50 organization has recognized Patti and Jack Phillips as two of the Top 50 World Leaders in Coaching.

Cindy Huggett is a pioneer in the field of online learning with more than 20 years of experience in providing virtual training solutions and more than 30 years in the world of talent development. She’s a leading industry expert known for teaching thousands of training professionals how to design and deliver practical, engaging interactive online classes to today’s global workforce through workshops, speaking, coaching, and consulting. Cindy partners with organizations to upskill facilitators, maximize online learning design, and facilitate actionable learning solutions that meet today’s needs and leverage tomorrow’s technologies.

Cindy has written several acclaimed books on virtual training, including Virtual Training Tools and Templates: An Action Guide to Live Online Learning; The Virtual Training Guidebook: How to Design, Deliver, and Implement Live Online Learning; and Virtual Training Basics. She’s the co-author of two Infoline issues and a contributor to many other industry publications, including TD magazine and the third edition of ATD’s Handbook for Training and Talent Development.

Emma Weber is CEO and founder of Lever–Transfer of Learning. Emma’s firm belief is that the key aim of learning in the workplace is to create tangible business benefits. This is also the platform on which she has built her successful global business. Emma established Lever–Transfer of Learning to help organizations and their employees convert learning into effective action on the job. Under her guidance, Lever now delivers Turning Learning into Action programs throughout 20 countries and in 12 languages.

Emma trains and mentors the Lever TLA Team and has been coaching leaders and managers within Fortune 500 organizations for the last 20 years. Prior to starting her own business, Emma’s first career was in retail buying and merchandizing where she led teams in the UK and Middle East.

Emma is the author of Turning Learning into Action: A Proven Methodology for Effective Transfer of Learning, Kogan Page, 2014, and Making Change Work: How to Create Behavioral Change in Organizations to Drive Impact and ROI, co-authored with Jack and Patti Phillips, Kogan Page, 2016. Her next book will be published in 2023 by ATD Press.