Type A Learning Agency

Dr. Will Thalheimer kicks off Researcher-in-Residence Program at Type A

CHICAGO (3 March 2006)- The staff at Type A Learning Agency recently rolled up their sleeves to participate in the Researcher-in-Residence Program, an intensive, onsite workshop lead by learning expert Dr. Will Thalheimer. Launched this year by Thalheimer's Work Learning Research, this new program is designed to help organizations build their knowledge and competency around research-based instructional design. Type A is the second organization to participate in the Researcher-in-Residence program and was very excited for the opportunity to work directly with Thalheimer to further explore the human learning experience.

"To make the difference we're out to make," says Anna Belyaev, CEO of Type A, "we and our clients need to ground our work in solid research about how people learn and what drives change in behavior. Unfortunately, there's a lot of misinformation and bad science behind the work in our industry. Dr. Thalheimer's contributions are debunking these myths, and we feel privileged to be collaborating with him."

“While I'm passionate about the research, I've learned that research is not enough,” reflects Thalheimer. “Research is necessary, but not sufficient. It's the same for all instructional professionals. Me included. What I need--in my efforts to help my instructional-design clients--is to understand the research from their perspective. To see how it can work in action. The Researcher-in-Residence Program is a way for me to share, and to learn.”

Type A's Gretchen Hartke and Dr. Will Thalheimer discuss the learning industry via podcast.

To conduct the program, Thalheimer spent several days working with Type A's instructional design team to share the most highly-regarded learning research, swap stories, and create frameworks for new and innovative learning models. Thalheimer shared scientific facts and secrets about how people really learn, observed Type A's key instructional design principles and current portfolio, and provided feedback and direction for future learning designs.

The result for both Type A and Dr. Thalheimer was an inspiring experience that clearly illustrated where there's room to innovate and make a true difference in e-learning.

“Working with the folks at Type A was amazing,” says Thalheimer. “They don't just go through the motions. It almost seems that they spend every waking hour with their antennae attuned to the learning implications of their experiences. Their innovative designs inspired me to see a whole new set of implementations for research-based e-learning. It was perfect timing for me. In the middle of writing a book on research-based instructional design, I'm hungry for illustrations of excellent learning practices.”

"Collaborating with Will was like getting a creativity booster shot," says Type A's director of Instructional Design, Gretchen Hartke. " Every member of our team walked away inspired and eager to apply these energizing models to the important work our clients are doing."

Type A's CEO couldn't agree more. And as the co-founder of the Chicago Learning Council, Belyaev also believes Thalheimer's program can contribute to fulfilling the Council's mission to transform Chicago into the " Silicon Valley of Learning."

"Thalheimer's Research-in-Residence program is affordable, tailored to the individual needs of an organization, and offers tremendous return," raves Belyaev. "I'd love to see every major e-learning organization here in Chicago take advantage of it to propel our community into the forefront of the field."

To learn more about the Researcher-in-Residence Program, visit the Work-Learning Research website at http://www.work-learning.com or contact Dr. Thalheimer at info@work-learning.com.

CONTACT:

Anna Belyaev
Type A Learning Agency
312.274.9430
info@typea.net

About Type A Learning Agency LLC
Type A develops blended learning solutions that drive performance across the enterprise. The company offers custom e-learning development, consulting in learning services, and a line of off-the-shelf products. Type A is a privately held corporation and a certified Woman Business Enterprise.

About Work-Learning Research, Inc.
Work-Learning Research (WLR) works in the learning-and-performance field, bringing research knowledge to practice and practicality to research. Guided by its founder and principal researcher, Dr. Will Thalheimer, WLR helps instructional designers, e-learning developers, trainers, and performance consultants develop a practical understanding of the human learning system, and utilize research-based knowledge to build effective learning-and-performance solutions. To learn more about WLR, visit http://www.work-learning.com.