In-House Hourly Position Paid Vacation & Bonuses This is an on-site position only. Location: Franklin, OH (between Cincinnati and Dayton) Designing Digitally, Inc. is looking for a creative and innovative Instructional Designer who enjoys working in a fast-paced team environment. The Instructional Designer will turn ideas into a working storyboard that the multimedia and design teams can easily translate into the final product. Candidate needs to possess the following skills: Strong verbal and written communication - must be comfortable working directly with SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) Ability to work independently with little direction Researching and documenting task analyses Creating design documents that describe business needs, audience needs, high level tasks, delivery content, supporting materials, and evaluations/assessments Writing learning objectives and modules of content that ensure mastery of learning objectives, including but not limited to exercises, scripts, storyboards, simulations, games, and web-based training Working with graphic designers and programmers to style learning content with graphics and animations to maximize impact of learning Evaluating the effectiveness of training design through the creation of assessments and evaluations before, during and after training Collaborating with team members to execute a shared project plan and meet deadlines High level of organizational and time management skills Keen attention to detail in grammar and punctuation, visual design and layout, audio accuracy, and effective presentation Required Experience: Applicants should possess strong writing and instructional design skills. Specifically: One to two years of writing training material Performing needs assessments and job, task, and/or content analysis Gathering data Writing, sequencing, and prioritizing objectives Specifying instructional strategies Developing performance measurements Developing participant evaluations to determine satisfaction, effectiveness, achievement of learning objectives, and job-performance impact Conducting pilot tests, revising curriculum, and implementing necessary changes Required Computer-Related Skills The applicant should be proficient in PC environments and MS programs (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) Understanding of what the following applications are and what they do: Articulate, Adobe Captivate, Adobe Flash, Raptivity, and Storyline  Required Education and Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Education, Adult Education, Creative Writing, Instructional Design/Technology, Management, Curriculum Development, Marketing, Business, or related degree OR equivalent combination of education and experience. Work samples required (Storyboards, Learning Objectives, Course Outlines). Please submit resumes and samples of your work to jobs@designingdigitally.com

The staff at Designing Digitally, Inc. would first like to extend a personal thank you to all of our existing and future clients. Thank you for allowing us to work with you in designing E-Learning programs, virtual world tools, game-based training, and so much more. Without you we wouldn't be able to provide the high quality work we are recognized for. As we’re all coming back to reality after the holidays, it is time to turn thoughts to plans for 2013 and beyond. You may be racking your brain as to how to do things differently in 2013. Maybe you’re tired of hearing employees complain about attending those mandatory trainings and meeting those professional development hour requirements. Moving from traditional training or online courses to fully interactive E-Learning simulations or virtual worlds for meetings and information exchange needs to be high on the list of things to do. Not only will this satisfy your employee base, but it is sure to delight your boss. New hires and existing employees will love to attend training online, preventing that age old problem of getting people to participate. During these cold month of February we can meet to discuss your E-Learning needs and help you to design a spectacular online training program. This is definitely the time of year to take a serious look at your current programs and how you can develop exciting and unique ways to focus your training in the upcoming year. Incorporating a professionally designed and developed E-Learning training program can also provide you with more free time to get on with the multitude of tasks you have to complete while we handle the development process. Give us a call and let us help you make your training program the next big thing in the company. It is always a collaborative effort and our professional E-Learning, Virtual World, Serious Game, and Simulation programmers can provide you with all of the training tools you have been looking for. We look forward to the opportunity to work with you in 2013 and beyond!

Quite often our employees are asked "What do you guys do?" Getting into a detailed explanation on how we develop innovative learning strategies in both 2D and 3D form with tangible returns on investment can sometimes be windy. So, we thought we would simplify things by providing our 2013 Capability Statement for download. Below you can click on the image to review a PDF of what we do. You can see our awards, clients, past projects, as well as our GSA schedules. So maybe next time we see each other at a conference, on the street, at the gym, or even out on the town you will now know what the team at Designing Digitally, Inc. truly does!   CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OUR 2013 CAPABILITY STATEMENT

It has been almost a decade since the last major SCORM update was introduced to the learning community. SCORM 2004 was a great evolution from 2.1, and now the members of Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) and Rustic have taken learner tracking another step further by Introducing Tin-Can API. Tin-Can API is a new type of tracking protocol for learning management systems that gives employers new options to see a more in-depth breakdown of their employees training within the Learning Management System (LMS). "So what?" you ask. "We have had SCORM for a long time now, and it tells me my employees have passed the course." You are correct. SCORM is able to bookmark, track time spent in the course, track if the learner has completed the course (pass/fail), and provide a score for their effort. This works great for traditional presentation style E-Learning developments we have seen for the past decade, but we are now seeing large demands for social learning, serious games, simulations, and virtual worlds to be used for training. The issue is that the old SCORM could only tell us if learners have completed their training, recommended courses, etc. SCORM does not tell us the effectiveness of the training, what the learner explored, what they interacted with, how long they were in a particular area, etc. So why do we need all this new information? As learning evolves from the traditional presentation style to a social and collaborative learning environment that uses 2D user engagement along with 3D environments, organizations will want to track more information regarding what a learner has done within these new learning approaches. Along with these approaches new technologies, such as gaming engines, HTML5, etc., are providing more possibilities of what can be done with employee training, which means more possibilities for tracking users. Tin-Can API is able to track a wide range of learning activities, including: Mobile learning Virtual worlds Serious games Social learning Training simulations Experiential learning Collaborative learning Watch this great overview video of what the Tin-Can API is capable of below: This information can be valuable to organizations as a whole. Tin-Can API can provide more definitive information regarding how well training is being perceived in your organization, along with comprehensive data about a realm that does not consist of linear learning instruction online. We are now seeing software applications such as Articulate Storyline allow for the export of Tin-Can API when publishing a course. In the future you will see more of the development software suits utilizing Tin-Can API. See how Tin-Can API works with Articulate Storyline: http://www.articulate.com/support/kb_article.php?product=st1&id=yhy5y6afimyc Now, one other thing to consider is that you must have an LMS that offers Tin-Can API. What does this mean? It means that, before trying to include Tin-Can API in your courses, you need to speak with your LMS administrator, to ensure it will work with your existing LMS. For more information about Tin-Can API view ADL’s website at: http://tincanapi.com/

Because we’re so passionate and committed to the arena of E-Learning in its’ many forms - virtual worlds development, 3D training scenarios, serious games, learning management systems and more - we wanted to revisit a subject we blogged about back in June of this year - The Gamification of Learning - otherwise known as serious games. At a recent conference we attended - DevLearn Conference & Expo 2012 - many visitors to our booth were intrigued by the concept of serious gaming, as if this apparent contradiction in terms promised some magical experience outside of the realms of ordinary mortals. And while we do admit that the phrase is a little counter-intuitive at first, we think we can help our readers to come to a better understanding of what we’re talking about here, as well as what we’re designing in our offices and studio. The word games conjures up images of group fun and competition, as well as playful activities to pass the time. Games also connotes the idea of escapism - of forgetting oneself and one’s daily duties and just enjoying time spent in idle pursuits. Adding the word serious to the mix completely mystifies some people, since games by their very nature and design are the exact opposite of serious - unless of course you’re talking about the Superbowl, which is another kind of ‘serious game’ altogether! But if you put these two words together and think of them conceptually, the idea of serious games makes sense. Serious games are games that are played about serious, responsible, practical matters. Much like children first learn to count or to learn their ABCs through songs and gimmicks such as marbles or sticks, serious games arrive via the Internet and the digital world of computers to teach learners important procedures, processes and facts but in a playful, engaging manner. The main reasons these "games" are growing in popularity as training materials for companies and businesses of all types is two-fold. First, the almost-universal presence of computers in all households, schools and libraries ensures that every generation since about 1980 has the experience of using keyboards and mice and monitors for playing and engaging with technology. For these students and workers, using a computer is as simple and intuitive as tying their shoes or ringing a doorbell. It’s a tool-set they are completely comfortable and at-home in using. Computer games, search engines, website navigation... these design applications are examples of form following function and are all simple and convenient for IT-based learners. Secondly, now that technology has advanced beyond the printed word (Thank you Johannes Gutenberg!), our original learning mode practiced long before reading took hold of humanity can become a different modality for education. We’re of course talking about visual learning - something all humans use as their primary method of gathering information until they learn to read in about kindergarten or first grade. With the advent of highly sophisticated computer design programs for interactivity and graphics, visual learning can go to places undreamed of before the digital revolution. And so serious games are born - playful interactive experiences using monitors or handheld devices that communicate medical procedures, security protocols, manufacturing processes and more with moving avatars and sound - all executed from the safety of one’s desk or armchair until enough learning has happened to make the physical tasks being practiced safe for the new learner to initiate. Serious games - they’re here and they’re remarkable tools for training and education. Allow Designing Digitally, Inc. to show you how serious games can make a positive impact on your employee training initiatives - contact us today to get started on gamification for your company business. Or read our testimonials first from clients just like you who’ve seen what the future holds for businesses today. Want to learn more about serious games and simulations? You can download our 2012 White Paper - "Corporate Training Using 3D Serious Games and 3D Training Simulations"

As a business owner, trainer, human resource manager and busy professional you have no doubt toyed with the idea of getting some type of online training going within your company, organization or agency. You have probably also thought about saving money and doing it on your own after buying one of the many different software programs available that reportedly can give you all the support you need to develop a very professional looking e-learning module. While there are some good software programs out there, unless you have specific skills and experience in e-learning development is it virtually impossible to develop your own web-based learning that stacks up against those developed by professional companies. There are three very important considerations when trying to decide between a do-it-yourself web-based design program and hiring the professionals. At Designing Digitally, Inc. we have seen many people spend hundreds of hours in trying to create the perfect online learning experience for their audience. Before you spend time and money stop and consider these three reasons why it is best to let our professional e-learning developers use the virtual training tools we have developed to provide you with just the experience you want for your target audience. Hands On Experience with All Types of Businesses We have worked with nearly every type of company, agency, organization and business out there to create serious games, e-learning modules, virtual worlds, 3D simulations and gamed based training. This includes designing everything from virtual campus tours to simulations that allow the learner to practice protocols and procedures as well as management scenarios that stress problem solving and leadership abilities. This experience means that we have already developed a proven set of virtual learning protocols and designs that work without the need to keep recreating everything from scratch. The software packages that you buy aren't going to be able to give you tips, ideas, and expertise like our virtual world design staff and e-learning developers can. There are many different tools and techniques that can be transferred from one type of e-learning to another, but there are some that really don't transfer well. If you do not have the experience with different options you can find yourself spending hours in developing one aspect of the e-learning program that just won't work. In addition you may not realize the steep learning curve you will have just to use those software packages. In many cases this learning curve is going to drastically increase the amount of time it takes for you to complete your development in comparison to your expected completion time. This is time you have to take out of your own work schedule or put in on top of your existing 40 hour work week. Most people find that the pressure to get the program complete is overwhelming and extremely time consuming. Working with experienced professionals that can give you an overall design, modify it based on your feedback and then implement the development is going to take all the pressure off you to try to work through the program with little or no experience. Team Based Approach There is much more to developing games-based training, virtual training tools or e-learning simulations than just adding some text, a few animations and some sound effects. It is important to incorporate three different components, the Three E's, into each and every online learning experience. The Three E's include: Educational - developing a gaming experience that incorporates the specific learning objectives required is not an easy feat to accomplish. It requires specific skills in understanding learning and teaching methodologies that can accomplish these objectives.   Engaging - the program needs to capture the attention of the learner and keep them interested in the learning process. This can be done through serious games, 3D simulations, game based training or the use of virtual worlds to allow the learners to participate actively in the experience.   Entertaining - if the web-based learning experience is not entertaining there is no benefit for the user to be engaged in the learning process. Entertainment value is what differentiates an e-learning experience from a traditional 19th century classroom based learning experience. Having a team of professionals that can address the Three E's of web based learning development ensures that your training requirements will meet the standards necessary. Since no one person can specialize in all aspects, the team approach really does make sense. The team approach also ensures that there is quality assurance, testing, high quality interface design and input from experienced professionals all along the development process. Time and Money Savings When you hire the professional team at Designing Digitally, Inc. to handle your e-learning development for designing virtual training that is customized to your company, business or organization you will be saving yourself both time and money. Time saving will occur because you don't have to do the work yourself; you can provide ideas and input, but the professionals will actually implement your plans to create the e-learning experience you want for the target audience. The finished product will also save you money since it will be ready to implement without the need for tweaking, changing and modifying. Testing is all done before the e-learning goes live online as part of the program development. If you use a software package you will have to pay for all that plus the cost of an e-learning developer to come in and tweak the program. In some cases you may actually find that the time and money you spent to develop your web based training ends up getting scrapped and you have to hire a professional anyway. Since our focus at Designing Digitally, Inc. is providing high quality online learning through virtual worlds, simulations and e-learning we can assure you that the final product will be just what you want. We can incorporate your theme, branding and the use of your particular learning objectives into the game so it is completely unique and customized to your specifications. You won't have to take time out of your already busy schedule and you can continue to focus on your job while we do ours.

Designing Digitally, Inc. is excited to see you March 13-15 at Learning Solutions 2013! We have a handful of exciting new learning projects we’re looking forward to sharing with you! Check out the information below to be sure you’re ready: Review the schedule for LS2013 - Use this to plan your day! Follow us on Twitter and follow hashtag #LSCON for conference news and updates! Like us on Facebook for updates on who the leader is of our Air Marshaller Serious Game! So where will Designing Digitally, Inc. be at Learning Solutions? Well, first you will see some of the team walking around with our company shirts on, but if you really want to see some of the innovative learning solutions we’ve been creating for customers please come see us at Booth 307! As a creative team, we make sure to bring our gamification skills to Learning Solutions. This year we are bringing back the Air Marshaller Microsoft Kinect Serious Game per the request of some past winners and other players of the serious game. The top performer at the end of the conference will win a $100 Amazon Gift card, and bragging rights of being the best serious game learner in all of Learning Solutions land! Don’t worry second and third place, you will get gifts as well! But we promote only the winners gift because as Ricky Bobby always says "If you ain't first, you're last."   Our schedule for the contest is below: Wednesday March 13th 12:00pm - 12:30pm (during lunch) 3:45pm - 4:00pm (during break) 5:15pm - 6:00pm (during welcome reception) Thursday March 14th 10:15am - 10:30am (during break) 12:30pm - 1:00pm (during lunch) 3:30pm - 3:45pm (during break) Come see us in Booth 307 of Learning Solutions 2013! We have free swag, cool learning solutions, gamification, and did I mention march madness stress basketballs - just to get the frustration out for you not winning your company's bracket tournament. We hope to see you there! And until you stop by be sure to stay creative!

Online Training & E-Learning Trends to Remember from 2012 It’s March, and it’s that time of year again when companies are analysing Q4 2012 and Q1 2013 data. Companies are analysing programming efforts on the past year’s accomplishments, and making adjustments based on lessons learned. While doing our homework on trends in 2012, Designing Digitally, Inc. stumbled upon a fascinating summary article written by Jessica Athey, 4 Trends in Online Training & e-Learning in 2012 for TrainingIndustry.com, concerning some of the more important trends to "emerge" into the public conscience last year in terms of digital training initiatives. However, we feel Designing Digitally, Inc. has been trumpeting these initiatives for longer than that, and we’re glad the world is catching up to us a bit! Mobile Learning Applications With everyone getting on-board the mobile/hand-held technologies train these days, it’s not at all that surprising businesses are scrambling to leverage the huge popularity of smart phones and tablet computers for E-Learning applications. With the almost universal accessibility to the Internet that mobile devices provide, as well as their ease-of-use HR pros, trainers, and teachers are using the convenience of mobile learning applications to help new hires, vacationing staffers, and traveling workers to develop new skills and get up-to-speed more quickly than ever before. As Ms. Athey writes in her article: "Mobile delivery makes it easy for employees to access just-in-time training, performance support, checklists and more at the most convenient times for them. This could be while waiting for an appointment, during lunch or any other time an employee is on-the-go. This type of functionality, convenience and ease of use is exactly what makes mobile technologies unique and powerful for online training." We couldn't agree more. Gamification Some businesses and sectors have had a bit of a difficultly grasping the nature of "gamification" since in some ways it seems contrary to the nature of the business world as they know it. That said, work styles and work life are changing dramatically as twenty-somethings enter the work world with very different ideas and expectations about what they want from their employment situations. With altruism, flexible schedules, and tele-commuting more popular than ever before, even the process for instilling knowledge and processes into new workers is changing, and gamification is one potent part of that new process. As Athey writes in her article: "The term 'gamification' has received a lot of traction in the E-Learning and training community. Some learning professionals imply that gamification means simply utilizing games in courses, but others note that it does not mean strictly using actual games but rather 'gaming mechanics,' according to Scott Lake from the Brandon Hall Group. Gamification 'plays' on our innate desire to compete and win by including game-like characteristics as a way to enhance training and motivate employee participation." Gamification is a fun way to learn and to teach on-the-job skills while speaking the language of the new workers coming into the workforce, who have been raised on digital games since their childhood. E-Learning: Bite-sized and A` La Carte Online learning is growing tremendously for stay-at-home students, distance learning collegiates, and for new hires and trainees needing to be instructed uniformly in processes and protocols at their new jobs. HR professionals recognize the liberating and empowering use of E-Learning to provide consistent, monitorable education, and training for all workers, and that the new method of providing E-Learning in smaller chapters and bite-sized bits that are easier to "digest" than voluminous coursework is being explored and watched by many educators and trainers. Some say  smaller-sized modules and training materials are just dumbing-down students and catering to shorter attention spans, while others cite new modes of communication such as mobile tablets and phones, as well as flex-time work schedules, as proof that the traditional 9-to-5 world is fading, and compact lessons accessible "whenever" make learning more convenient and thus more enjoyable for students. As Athey points out in her article: "In this 'information now' era where access to information is conveniently at our fingertips at any given time, learners do not typically want to delve into text-heavy or time-consuming E-Learning content; Learners want quick, bite-size pieces of information. It is much easier to progress through a course in smaller chunks and much easier to retain information when we can process and reflect on information in small sections." Designing Digitally, Inc. is committed to the new ways of learning that technology is allowing us to develop, yet we also believe in the quality and workmanship that has been the hallmark of production values in America since the Industrial Revolution began. We look forward to meeting and talking with you about your education and training needs in for Q2 through Q4 of 2013 - please reach out to us by clicking this link. You can also read Jessica Athey's complete article, 4 Trends in Online Training & e-Learning in 2012, here.

Administrative Assistant / Office Support In-House Hourly Position Paid Vacation, Sick Time & Bonuses This is an on-site position only. Location: Franklin, OH (between Cincinnati and Dayton) Designing Digitally, Inc. is looking for a self-starter who enjoys working in a creative and fast-paced team environment. The Administrative Assistant should be dedicated to making sure the day-to-day administrative tasks are taken care of efficiently, reliably, and accurately. Candidate may be responsible for, but not limited to, the following: A wide variety of clerical and general office duties (answering phones, typing correspondence, data entry, electronic filing, bill paying, ordering supplies, making travel arrangements, preparing shipments, scheduling meetings, taking meeting notes, and other administrative duties for one or more persons) Gathering data and creating/editing documents and spreadsheets, as well as a variety of other reports Supporting projects by assisting with building and maintaining project plans/schedules and proofing and editing of a variety of items Bookkeeping and preparation of payroll utilizing Quickbooks (Quickbooks experience a plus, but not required) Occasionally required to lift/carry materials weighing up to 50 lbs Candidate needs to possess the following: Strong verbal and written communication - must be comfortable working directly with managers, clients, and vendors Ability to work independently with little direction - shouldn’t wait to be told what to do High level of professionalism and integrity - maintains utmost confidentiality Enjoys multi-tasking - can organize and prioritize tasks with interruptions and flexibility Strong attention to detail - enjoys finite details and ensuring nothing is missed Valid Driver’s License Clear criminal record - subject to background check Required Computer-Related Skills The applicant should be proficient in PC environments and MS programs (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) Type at minimum 60 WPM Required Education and Experience Two years of post-secondary education in a related field and one year of related work experience. Please submit resumes to hr@designingdigitally.com

Presenting material to learners in a two dimensional format is common in most types of online learning programs. Most E-Learning companies provide this basic format, but at Designing Digitally, Inc. there is always the option to enhance this basic experience by adding virtual worlds and 3D simulation training to any online learning experience. Virtual worlds have several benefits over basic 2D types of E-Learning experiences and are very applicable to any type of training program. Experiencing The Training Rather than just learning about a specific technique, skill, protocol or procedure, virtual worlds and 3D simulations allows the learner to actually learn about and experience the learning objective. In a 3D environment the learner can have an avatar that interacts within the virtual world much like the experience of being in a video game. The avatar can try out different options in the game and, through correct and incorrect choices, have a much more complete learning experience. People that have the option to experience learning rather than just reading about the concept ultimately have a better understanding. The human being learns through the results of what the avatar does in the program. Adding Socialization Having the option to include multiple learners in an online training environment within a virtual world has benefits to all learners. Chat systems and interactive features between learners in the game provides opportunity to talk about the experience, reinforcing the learning. It is also a great way to allow people from all over the company, agency or organization to take the same training at the same time without the need for travel. Everyone can experience the training virtually through the environment created online. This immersion in the 3D environment has additional benefits. It is possible to provide some healthy competition by adding a scoring element in a game type of format. Serious games and simulations that are scored will allow co-workers to compare scores and continue to strive to become better at the skills and learning objectives built into the game. Adding a Sense of Space and Environment Virtual worlds are really a great option since they allow the learner to have a sense of space and environment in the learning process. It is not flat and abstract since the E-Learning developer can make an environment that is very typical of the environment in which the skill or learning experience will be carried out. This is also a great way to ensure that the learner is able to use the skills learned appropriately and within the protocols that are required by the specific organization or agency. The entire E-Learning module doesn't have to be part of the virtual world or simulation. It is possible to place a 3D element within the 2D training so traditional types of material is presented plus the learner gets to experience and practice the skills. This is a great combination of learning modalities that is sure to reach all learners and engage them in the training.