Data & Analytics for Instructional Designers - by Megan Torrance (Paperback)

About the Book

Data and Analytics for Instructional Designers delves into the foundational concepts that will enable instructional designers and L&D professionals to use data in their roles. It blends practical content with real-world examples.

Book Synopsis

Add Data and Analytics to Your TD Toolkit

Instructional design pro Megan Torrance addresses the importance of instructional designers accessing and applying learning and performance data-from how to design learning experiences with data collection in mind to how to use the data to improve and evaluate those experiences.

With the advance of new learning technologies and data specifications, instructional designers have access to more and richer data sources than ever before. With that comes the question of what to do with the data. While most data and analytics books focus on their application for measurement and evaluation and assume a prior baseline understanding of what learning data and analytics mean, Data and Analytics for Instructional Designers delves into the foundational concepts that will enable instructional designers and L&D professionals to use data in their roles.

Split into two parts, the book first defines key data and analytics terms, data specifications, learning metrics, and statistical concepts. It then lays out a framework for using learning data for planning how to gather data and to building scale and maturity in your data operations. Megan reassures readers that basic math skills with some computer assistance is what you'll need to get going. So set aside any math anxiety!

Through a "If I can see it, I can be it" approach to learning data and analytics, the book blends practical what-is and how-to content with real-world examples and longer case studies from practitioners. Chapters conclude with opportunities for you to put these techniques to work right away, whether you are in a data-rich environment already, or whether you are just getting started and working on hypotheticals.

Review Quotes

"Through real world stories and easy to understand examples,
Data and Analytics for Instructional Designers answers why L&D
professionals should care about data instrumentation and analytics, and how to leverage
data in their work. It covers foundational concepts and provides a practical
framework for using workplace learning data. This books is a timely resource
that removes the mystique around data-informed decision-making in learning and
development. Every L&D professional should read this book."

-Jim Goodell, Editor, Learning Engineering Toolkit; Chair,
the IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee

"Data and Analytics for Instructional Designers is a unique and important title
for talent development professionals to understand the tidal shift under way in
the industry. Megan's depth of experience and expertise in the space is
unparalleled, and her readers will benefit from this experience and learn from
her work and detailed examples shared here. Megan has created an important book
for the learning and development community with Data and Analytics for
Instructional Designers. The dawn of big data in learning is here, and this
book will prepare you and your team for the new tools, processes, and business
strategies that accompany it."

--Chad Udell, Chief Strategy Officer, Float and SparkLearn

"Approachable and insightful! Data and Analytics for
Instructional Designers reads like a conversation with your smartest friend,
and when you finish, you'll have the confidence and know-how to begin using
these powerful tools in practice."

--Sae Schatz, PhD, Co-Founder of Bedrock Learning; Former
Director, Defense Department's Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative

"Today's informational revolution demands that instructional
designers are more versatile than ever before. As a very early practitioner of
emerging learning analytics technologies, I am often asked 'Where do I start?'
Right here, with this book, is now my go-to answer."

--Brian Floyd, Learning Architect

"A practical guide for L&D professionals that are
looking for approaches to leverage analytics from learning and training data,
supported with real-world stories to help guide success. This book pulls
together years of blogs, case studies, and project outcomes to help provide
structure around how to use xAPI."

--Chris Tompkins, Director of Sales, Rustici Software

About the Author

Megan Torrance is CEO and founder of TorranceLearning, which helps organizations connect learning strategy to design, development, data, and ultimately performance. Megan has more than 25 years of experience in learning design, deployment, and consulting. Megan and the TorranceLearning team are passionate about sharing what works in learning, so they devote considerable time to teaching and sharing about Agile project management for learning experience design and the xAPI. TorranceLearning hosts the xAPI Learning Cohort, a free, virtual 12-week learning-by-doing opportunity where teams form on the fly and create proof-of-concept xAPI projects.

Megan is the author of ATD books (Agile for Instructional Designers, The Quick Guide to LLAMA), and two ATD TD at Work publications (Agile and LLAMA for ISD Project Management and Making Sense of xAPI). She is a frequent speaker at conferences nationwide. TorranceLearning projects have won several Brandon Hall Group awards, the 2014 xAPI Hyperdrive contest at DevLearn, and back-to-back Learning Guild DemoFest Best-in-Show awards in 2016/2017 with xAPI projects. TorranceLearning is a 2018 Michigan 50 Companies to Watch.

A graduate of Cornell University with a degree in communication and an MBA, and an eCornell Facilitator in the Women's leadership curriculum, Megan lives and works near Ann Arbor, Michigan.