Getting to Know Roundtable: Employee Spotlight

Read Time: 3 minutes

This week, we sat down with Roundtable’s Bob Baskette to talk about tech, Learning & Development, and something new brewing behind the scenes at Roundtable Learning.

 

So, Bob, what does your title mean? What do you do for Roundtable?

I am the Chief Technology Officer or CTO. My job is to solve problems with technology at the business level and then help create, organize and implement them.

 

How did you get into L&D?

I got into it a long time ago, I used to do work for other folks, specifically around building websites. I am one of the many early-web true-believers. The ideas of the “global village” and the democratization of knowledge really shaped our vision for the future of the technology. When we went to look for ways to put these technologies and ideas to work, learning and development was an easy choice. We looked to build tools to both empower and enable people to do their best work by giving them easy access to information.

 

What’s a big difficulty in L&D & Tech?

Delivering content with the latest technologies that optimally can benefit learners. Our goal is to keep learners engaged with the right mix of content built on sound ID principals and technology to increase engagement and better understanding. This is something we are working on right now, combining new learning modalities that allow you to access information where and when it’s needed most. 

 

What is a trend in L&D that’s exciting to you?

Using immersive technologies to create experiential learning that goes beyond simulations. Soft skills training, for example, that place you in an environment or situation that you may never encounter otherwise. They allow you to process and internalize the experience such that you’re prepared to act appropriately when necessary. This requires thoughtfully-designed, instructionally-sound content rather than just repetitive actions in an environment.

 

Finish the sentence. Learning is essential to an organization because…

…a well-trained workforce not only performs better but is more empowered to make good decisions. The cumulative effects of the right knowledge informing the right action transforms individuals and organizations.

 

What is something you have done in this role this year that you are proud of?

Our team’s collective effort to bring something new to the space. We have something coming in 2020 that combines a number of different leading technologies in an exciting way. There will be more forthcoming, but to see our team and the work come together makes me really appreciate the skill and dedication of all involved.

 

Check out Bob’s article titled, “Why Is It Important To Know Who Owns Your XR Training Content?“