b.a. babcock & Associates, llc - global learning consultants
Learning Strategies That Drive Business Success
a smart approach to learning
Do you know what your learners need to succeed in today's workplace?
B.A. Babcock & Associates combines proven learning leadership strategies with technical acumen to build high performing teams. We design and implement transformations that support performance excellence for multi-generational learning audiences. We are experienced project leaders with expertise in instructional systems design, leadership development, content curation, communication and collaboration, learning technologies and change management.
Key Competencies:
Global learning strategies and learning transformations
Instructional systems designer and instructional technology leadership
Team leadership, talent development and mentorship
Technical writing and process flow documentation
Knowledge doesn't solve the problem. The key is applying the right knowledge in the right way, at the right time. If these three 'rights' aren't in place, the end result is probably wrong.
best advice ever
"Make mistakes. If you don't make mistakes, you're not doing anything."
strategies for success
Money Style Personal Money Management    2003-2006
Won $300K+ in grant funding for community based and online financial education
Strategic Initiative: Design Talent Development    2011-2015
professional development FOR GLOBAL AUDIENCE; NO HARD COSTS; 100% PARTICIPATION
Mobile Learning Project   2011-2013
six sigma quality learning reduced TRAINING TIME BY 55%
Global Field Enablement Learning Portal   2014-2015
PERSONALIZED LEARNING SCALABLE TO A GLOBAL AUDIENCE; INCREASED SPEED TO COMPETENCY BY 50%
Learning Transformations    2015-2017
REDUCEd new hire onboarding time by 25-33% with cost saves of $6000 PER CLASS
degrees
Bachelor of Arts, Economics
university of dallas, irving, tx
Master of Arts, Educational Technology Leadership
george washington university, washington d.c.
board memberships & advisory roles
HSMAI of the Florida Keys
founding board member, former president, hero award winner
Fair Housing Opportunities for Excellence (HOPE)
board member for fair housing agency
Waterford Courtyards HOA
board member for community association
Interests
Photography
Emerging professional photographer specializing in landscape and nature
Barb Babcock - PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
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Global Learning Consultant, Global and National Corporate and Non-Profit
Instructional design consultant and learning project leader for business partners in the US and Canada. Professional advisor for learning technologies, best practices for curriculum design, and learning content curation.
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Director of Outreach & Education, Consumer Credit Counseling Service
Designed and developed instructor-led and web-based educational seminars and train-the-trainer events in accordance with principles of adult learning. Built mutually beneficial partner relationships with clients and contacts; solicited and won funding from business and foundation partners; delivered 300+ classes annually.
Secured grant funding of $150K+ annually, supporting financial education classes.
Built moneystyle.net, the first online financial education resource for a non-profit agency in Florida.
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E-Learning Curriculum Specialist, Miami Dade College
ranslated instructional design theories into web-based content that aligned with educational needs and overall learning goals.
Produced learning outcomes consistent with educational goals by applying best practice principles for eLearning.
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Senior Instructional Designer, American Express
Transformed organizational learning from instructor led training to e-learning. Collaborated with colleagues on strategic initiatives to drive improved standards for professional development and design quality.
Led initiatives for talent development and design quality assurance, improving all facets of learning materials across World Service Learning Network by 33%.
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Manager, Instructional Design & Delivery, American Express
Managed team of 9 instructional designers, learning specialists, and coaches in Lean Six Sigma production environment. Led strategic initiative for talent development and digital learning.
Achieved Six Sigma level quality for 8 consecutive quarters by implementing mobile learning strategy.
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Project Director, Talent Development Conference, American Express
Led team of 73 producers, presenters, and participants to deliver a 24 hour conference with all interactions presented online. Project deliverables included: a virtual and interactive conference center, 60 synchronous learning sessions/13 asynchronous sessions, virtual library and networking center, interactive global schedule of events, 23-page conference e-book, and all promotional messaging.
Deliverables and intellectual properties created 100% internally
Aero hard dollar cost for event
Average time spent at conference was 5.5 hours per attendee
Overall RTF for live session was 97.5%.
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ID Manager, Global Center of Excellence, American Express
Instituted global organizational strategy that ensured consistency of learning quality for participants in every geographic location. Managed international team of instructional design professionals; identified talent development opportunities to support continuous improvement in overall design quality.
Increased speed-to-competency by 25% for new hire employees across all geographies by re-writing on boarding learning programs for all global markets.
Led teams of learning solutions architects, instructional designers, and junior IDs to support various lines of business. Built a talent pipeline; provided mentorship to develop a high performing team. Served as project manager and business partner for all learning transformation activities.
Re-designed classroom based new hire curriculum into robust blended learning, resulting in hard dollar cost saves of $6K per new hire class.
Improved on-the-job results from Day One, by incorporating scenario based eLearning activities into new hire learning.
Implemented global governance process, giving stakeholders and business partners a voice in prioritizing project requests, enabling on-time completion of learning projects.
Results
$300K
Cost saves using internal resources
97.5
highest net promoter score for a learning project
8
consecutive quarters of six sigma level quality
years of experience
change management
10
Project management
14
financial educator
12
facilitation/public speaking
20+
people leadership
15
learning technologies
14
adult learning
15
global learning solutions
14
Questions & Answers
What are your long-term goals?
I've had success designing and implementing learning transformations at the business level. I'm now interested in building enterprise level learning strategies that are agile, innovative, and cost-effective.
What learning projects are you working on right now?
I'm a big fan of the massive open online courses (MOOCs) offered by EdX, Udemy, Coursera, etc. I am a hobbyist photographer, and really enjoy the digital photography classes that Michigan State offers on Coursera. As a former Economics major, I find myself caught up in the Behavioral Economics courses and blogs.
Which of the current learning trends do you think will stand the test of time?
I think any learning innovation that aligns with the needs of a business and produces results has a good chance of surviving. Companies are becoming more agile and fast paced, so learning must similarly evolve. On-demand learning, micro learning, gamification, customized learning paths, and virtual synchronous learning are all solutions that support this reality.
What is the biggest challenge organizations are facing today, learning-wise?
Successful organizations need their workforce to be knowledgeable, flexible and engaged. Learning is no longer a one-and-done effort; however, this does not mean that endless training sessions should become the new normal. Savvy businesses are now building learning roadmaps that augment traditional learning solutions with activities such as professional apprenticeships, hands-on practice, virtual and on-demand learning modules, performance support, and personalized learning paths.
I was reminiscing with a colleague about a project we dubbed “Swamp Thing” because every time work approached completion, the learning team would be asked to tweak part of the content or design. The project requirements weren’t especially onerous; the execution, however, took on a life of its own. I came on board when the team was completing rewrite number 24.
The root cause of the project’s longevity turned out to be simple: the focus was on ideas and wants, not on true learner needs. While...
Gator Gone Hunting
Sleeping Lion Mtn
Poppy House in Bloom
View of a Bridge
Above the Clouds
Cabernet Grapes
