By Sabrina Ruggles, Talent Acquisition Manager

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, most of us have been doing more work from home. While there are many benefits to working remotely, a downside is the impact it can have on us physically.

A November 2021 Forbes article on the physical impacts of working remotely states: “The average remote worker commutes just 16 steps from their bed to their workstation.” As a result of this reduced mobility many people are experiencing increased pain.

By Nancy Corchado, PhD, Instructional Designer

Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is an instructional approach that emphasizes collaborative and self-directed learning. Usually, students collaborate in teams to decide what information is needed to resolve a problem situation. Even though PBL has been around since the ’60s, online PBL is much more than a linear approach to problem solving. It focuses on a team-led discourse centered on building the team’s capabilities, knowledge, and understanding.

By Debra Perry, Managing Editor

Today we know better than to say for all “mankind.” But we have much further to go. Thinking of not just what we write but how we write—and communicate—is writing consciously, with mindfulness. Stopping to think about our word choices and our communications’ impact on others, we can choose inclusivity and respect for all.

By Kate Lenehan, Staffing Manager

If you are reading this, you made it through one of the most unprecedented, challenging years ever! As everyone has experienced, no one could have predicted what unfolded in 2020 and onward.

As we start to find ourselves on the other side of this unbelievable pandemic, we see the workplace has changed since the dawn of the COVID-19 era, and we must pivot to meet the goals of our work organizations. These seven steps will help you adapt to this new normal, benefitting you and the company you work at.

By Adam Lawrence, Freelance Editor

As an editor, many of your clients follow an established style guide (e.g., AP, Chicago Manual, AMA), with their grammar and other editorial preferences already set out in that single document. However, sometimes a client may leave style choices up to the editor. In those cases—especially if you’re editing a larger (e.g., book-length) project—you’ll quickly find that compiling a style sheet will save you time and ease your work. Also, having such a project-specific tool at hand can reduce your room for error.

By Vonita Williams, Instructional Designer

Have you found yourself in an environment where Microsoft Teams is the meeting go-to of choice? Are you ever overwhelmed or unsure about the use of it? You can now relax and know that Microsoft Teams is a one-stop hub that can enable and optimize your virtual team partnering and information sharing. The platform allows for meeting, chatting, voice calling, collaborating, sharing, and organizing files and projects all from a central place.

By Clarissa Crisp, Technical Writer & Training Coordinator

Cyberattacks—from phishing to viruses to malware to ransomware to hacks—can plague every computer user at one time or another. You may even have been attacked and not even realized it. And the more we use technology, the more it’s only going to increase. Although preventing cyberattacks isn’t foolproof, you can and should be taking cybersecurity measures to help you avoid and thwart cyberattacks.

A message from Tess Kastning.

We all see the tremendous, obvious changes happening in corporate culture here in America and around the world. But as leaders, we need to prepare for what we don’t see. My challenge to you is to ask yourself, “What are the leadership skills I need to develop to prepare for 2021?”

Online learning is the new normal and may be here to stay. There’s no need for educators to struggle with the complexity and challenge of delivering exceptional online learning experiences. From real-time support to one-time training, there’s a professional available to help educators conquer the virtual classroom and focus on what they do best—teach.

As a busy training professional, it’s natural to look for quick, easy solutions to eLearning program development—from relying on software and systems to repurposing existing content. Unfortunately, taking what may seem to be the easiest path often leads to disappointing results. Make sure that you give your eLearning content the attention and care it requires to support a successful educational program!

Any project, large or small, that involves multiple team members—especially working remotely—can easily run astray without skilled project management to keep communication flowing and everyone working on schedule. Steve Fenton, certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and manager of nSight’s Premium Editorial Services, offers some commonsense advice for keeping projects moving forward when all team members are working remotely.