ATD 2024: Your Guide to L&D Data and Measurement Sessions

We've combed through this year's impressive lineup of sessions to find the ones that offer unique insights into how you can better link training to tangible business results to prove learning impact.

These sessions will help you evaluate the effectiveness of your training programs, and ultimately demonstrate the value of L&D initiatives in ways that capture attention from business leaders. And don't forget—you can find us at Booth 2713, so pop over to say hello!

Courage and Commitment to Change: A Modern Learning Transformation Journey

Jeff Fissel, VP Solutions, Learning Technologies Group / GP Strategies

Michael M. Grant, CPTD, Senior Director – Learning Innovation & Assessment, AICPA & CIMA

Gary Lamach, II, Director of Learning Consulting, AICPA & CIMA

Chris Tompkins, VP of Business Development, Rustici Software and Watershed

Karie Willyerd, Chief Customer Strategy Officer, Learning Technologies Group

The session on AICPA's transformation journey offered a fascinating look at how courage and innovation can reshape learning strategies. AICPA has set a new standard for personalized learning experiences by deploying an advanced learning ecosystem and leveraging generative AI.

You'll leave this session with valuable lessons on monetizing personalized learning paths and how you can enhance learning through technology.

Aligning Instructional Design With Business Goals

Jaimie Krause, Director of Learning & Development, Indeed

Kristopher J. Newbauer, CPTD, Chief People Officer/Head of Global People & Talent, Rotary International

Christine Younkin, Senior Director of L&D, Indeed

Find out how to align instructional design with business goals in an 8-step evaluation-focused framework. You'll see how to establish learning evaluation criteria across four levels to ensure your courses deliver tangible business results and design training that meet learning objectives and align with your organization's business goals.

L&D Detective Measurement Mysteries

Kevin M. Yates, Impact Investigator, L&D Detective™

This session dives into the world of learning impact measurement and turns participants into detectives tasked with investigating training's contribution to human and business performance.

By examining facts, clues, data, and evidence, you'll learn how to remove or reduce factors that block impact measurement—ensuring the true value of training initiatives is recognized and celebrated.

A Geek-Free Guide to Exploring Learning Analytics

Jim Goodell, Director of Innovation, Quality Information Partners (QIP)

Eddie Lin, Learning Data Scientist, Meta (formerly Facebook)

Megan Torrance, CEO, TorranceLearning

This session brings together experts from diverse backgrounds to focus on the practical application of learning analytics. You'll see how to link L&D challenges with analytical solutions, facilitating the adoption of learning analytics in L&D workflows.

Connecting Soft Skills to Hard Data

Jack J. Phillips, Chairman, ROI Institute, Inc.

This session challenges the misconception that soft skills have less impact on the bottom line than hard skills. You'll see how to quantify the value of soft skills, design high ROI programs, and measure results.

You'll leave with the knowledge to elevate the perception and implementation of soft skills training, showcasing its contribution to business goals.

Data-Enabled Instructional Design: How to Show Real-Time Learning Outcomes

Alaina Szlachta, Learning Architect, By Design Development Solutions

See how to integrate data collection and analysis into your instructional design process. This session shows you how to use data to tweak your training content and address skills gaps in real time, making your L&D program more effective and engaging.

Effective Training Is as Simple as 4-3-2-1

Vanessa Alzate, President/CEO, Anchored Training and Kirkpatrick Partners

Wendy Kirkpatrick, Senior Consultant, Kirkpatrick Partners

The Kirkpatrick learning evaluation model provides a robust framework for designing, developing, and delivering training that increases job performance and contributes measurably to organizational results.

And this session underscores the importance of designing training with the end in mind, ensuring on-the-job application and business impact are central to L&D strategy.

Proving Value in Top Leadership Development Programs (Case Studies)

Sulaiman Hamed Ali Al Ghafri, Learning & Development Expert, Oil & Gas Sector

William A. Brantley, CPTD, CLO, BAS2A

Deborah Masak, Vice President, Global Talent & Inclusion, First Advantage

Patti P. Phillips, CPTD, CEO, ROI Institute, Inc.

James T. Ward, Leader Development Continuum Program Manager, US Navy

Leadership development programs are often significant investments, and this session focuses on measuring their value effectively. Through detailed case studies, you'll discover how to design programs that deliver leadership growth and tangible ROI.

The Secret of Training and Evaluation That Works

Jim Kirkpatrick, Senior Consultant, Kirkpatrick Partners

This thought-provoking session explores the best ways to implement the Kirkpatrick Model to protect and maximize training and talent investments. The emphasis is on choosing the best measures for learning outcomes, effectiveness, and efficiency tailored to an organization's unique needs.

The session also offers a roadmap for using learning evaluation for continuous improvement and strategic alignment.

From Intangible to Tangible: Demonstrating L&D’s Impact

Martha Soehren, Senior Executive Advisor and CTDO Comcast Cable (Ret), Soehren and Associates, LLC

Ryan Austin, CEO, Cognota

Connecting learning with bottom-line business results is challenging, yet it's crucial for securing L&D's future. This session emphasizes the importance of actionable insights that showcase the impact of learning, secure greater stakeholder buy-in for L&D, and facilitate strategic alignment.

In other words, if you want to boost L&D's organizational value, you must link training, performance, and results in a way that's both visible and measurable.

Demonstrate the Impact and ROI of Learning and Talent Development

Patti P. Phillips, CPTD, CEO, ROI Institute, Inc.

See how to distinguish between learning activity and actual results so you can define training impact and ROI in a way that resonates with senior leaders. This practical, hands-on approach encourages you to take the next steps toward proving the value of your programs.

Create a Measurement and Reporting Strategy With TDRP

David Vance, President, Manage Learning

Discover how to create a comprehensive learning measurement and reporting strategy incorporating outcome, effectiveness, and efficiency measures. This strategy will help you showcase the value of your learning initiatives and align them with your organization's goals.

As a result, you can enhance your training measurement and L&D reporting strategies, ensuring your learning initiatives deliver value.

High Impact Evaluation

Allan P. Bailey, CEO, Centre for Learning Impact

Lynette M. Gillis, Executive Director, Centre for Learning Impact

This session presents an evidence-based alternative to traditional learning evaluation methods. High Impact Evaluation, or HIE, focuses on driving impact rather than merely measuring it, offering a proactive approach to enhancing performance and bottom-line results.

The session also covers three key innovations in evaluation, promising a transformative shift in how you assess the effectiveness of training programs.

Crowdsourcing Your Way to Training ROI: Measuring the Hard-to-Measure Quickly

Warren Ernst, Manager, Learning & Organizational Development, Heliogen

This session introduces a novel approach to measuring the value of soft skills training. You'll discover how to quickly and easily establish the dollar value of soft skills training, which means you can demonstrate its impact on the bottom line.

You’ll also hear a compelling case for using crowdsourcing to collect training data and establish ROI.

Don’t forget to swing by Booth 2713!

Be sure to visit Booth 2713 and snap a picture with the Watershed crew. We'd love to discuss any of your learning analytics questions—so drop us a line to schedule a time to chat!