I just got back from Atlanta and the ASTD 2007 International Conference. It is great to go to hear and meet thought leaders in our profession on everything from traditional learning to distance learning; from ADDIE models to Radical Rapid Development; and on topics of evaluation and ROI. You can look at some of the presenter slides that are available on th ICE page at: http://astd2007.astd.org
My key take away from a coporate training perspective is that you have to look at your organization, the culture, the suppport of leadership and customize the learning developed to those needs. Corporate leaders don’t care if you know (and they certainly don’t want to hear) what pedagogy, ID, distance-learning, etc. is. They want results – what is in it for them that will help the company 1) meet their financial goals and 2) align to the company strategic values.
In my opinion and ramblings… Yes, learn the principles of Instructional Design – but remember who your audience is when you present your ideas. The theoretical and the practical don’t always meet in the middle.