Reference no: EM133212745

Autodesk, Inc. is a leader in three-dimensional design, engineering, and entertainment software for customers in manufacturing, architecture, building, construction, and the entertainment industries. (In fact, most Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects used Autodesk software.)

Traditionally, Autodesk used to hold two annual training events for its partners in the United States and Canada. These events were attended by more than 300 salespeople, who learned about new product features and the customer base, and more than 700 engineers, who learned how to support the products. The high cost, planning demands, and logistical support needed for the annual training events motivated Autodesk to redesign the training.

Autodesk decided to convert the face-to-face, instructor-led training event to a virtual, instructor-led training event. To develop the virtual classroom, the program's core content (which included Microsoft PowerPoint presentations and product demonstrations) was reviewed. Quality content was kept, and other materials were either revised or eliminated from the program. To make the content more engaging and interactive and to keep participants motivated, polls, questions and answers, and quizzes were developed. Questions, exercises, and polls kept learners' attention and provided insight into whether learning was occurring. The instructional designers created "rooms" in which each class was held. They also developed pods that delivered a specific learning activity, such as conducting an exercise. Session maps were created for instructors to use as outlines for their presentations. This helped the instructors organize content, plan interactions, and identify necessary technical support. All roles and responsibilities for the virtual learning event were carefully defined. To help facilitate the instruction and aid the instructor, each event had a producer, host, and moderator. The producer facilitated the learning event, loaded files for sharing, was responsible for rehearsing and kept the session running on time. The host presented an overview of the session, reviewed tools, and provided closing comments. The moderator was responsible for answering learner questions and solving technical issues. The entire crew held practice sessions to help the instructor become comfortable with giving the class and keep the pace fast to maintain the learners' interest.

Analysis Prompts

• Regarding Autodesk's redesign, which design elements do you believe helped to ensure that participants learned and then put it into practice? Why do you believe those elements were effective? Explain. Be specific with your answer.
• Explain how the design elements you identified in the first question encouraged both learning and transfer.
• What suggestions do you have for Autodesk to measure the effectiveness of the new program?