Heather and Bill

(Originally posted October 7, 2021 By ~ Microsoft 365 Insider Engagement Team)

Header Ackman and Bill Coulterman

Heather Ackmann is a veteran technical trainer and co-founder of AHA Learning Solutions, a provider of high-quality training and professional development materials to businesses and organizations across the country. A Microsoft MVP, she is also a busy wife and mom.

So when a publisher recently approached her about writing a book on Microsoft Word, she initially declined, citing her busy schedule. Then the publisher suggested she bring in a co-author to lighten the workload, and she agreed on one condition: she would only do so if she could work with Bill Kulterman.

“In my experience, adding a co-author actually extends the timeline,” Heather said. “But Bill and I work together really well.”

Heather and Bill have shared a passion for teaching computer applications for decades. These Chicago-area professionals have previously worked together at industry leaders such as New Horizons, TrainSignal, and Pluralsight. Both still teach and run their own training businesses, and now they have teamed up to create guides for popular Office applications.

“I don’t know if I could have written a book. [Microsoft 365 Word Tips and Tricks] “With someone other than Heather,” Bill said. “It was a really great experience.”

So we paired them up for our latest Spotlight interview, conducted by Susan Cockrell, Senior PM for the Office Insider program. Heather and Bill talk about how they “fell in love” with a career in technology education, the joys and challenges of using Office to help students, the benefits of the Insider program, and their thoughts on the future of eLearning.

How did you get into technical education?

bill: We’ve both had very interesting journeys in tech. Heather, would you like to go first?

heath: Sure. So I started out as an English teacher. I was a young English teacher at a high school with one IT person for the whole district, and he was spread very, very, very thin. So when things went wrong, they were like, “Ask the young teacher!” I didn’t know anything about computers. But because of that assumption, I had to push myself. So I was fixing printer jams and people’s Word problems, Excel problems, Access database problems, and I was like, “I don’t know that program!”

Heather Ackmann at the Presentation Summit

(Image source: Jody Newell)

And then, in a roundabout way, I got hired as a business writing instructor at New Horizons. And then they needed a (computer) apps instructor, and they trained me on that, and I loved it. I was really good at it. And then I really, really got into apps, did some programming, and just ran it. And I loved seeing what apps could do, and what apps could do better, and I loved teaching about apps.

Time flies and I am now at DePaul University getting my Masters in Human-Computer Interaction. This is my last semester so I will be graduating this year. I love teaching people how to use apps and figuring out how to make apps more user friendly.

bill: I had a much more circuitous path to this. I actually majored in theater in college, did some acting, and did a lot of technical work. After not being very successful as an actor or a theater technician, I became a museum carpenter. And I worked as a carpenter for about 25 years. And as I got older, I said, “Wow, I’m really tired of moving drywall and plywood.”

So I decided to take some courses at New Horizons and decided I wanted to study graphic design and web design. So I took their full program, but I still needed a job. And one day my mentor said to me, “Excuse me. You’re really good at these apps, and we need more trainers. Do you need a job?” And I said, “Yes, actually, I do.” So I started working at New Horizons, and my main focus was graphic apps. I taught Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, all of that stuff.

But of course, no one at New Horizons can get away without teaching Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Excel seems to be the curse of my existence. I’ve probably taught Excel more times than anything else in my life because everyone wants to know how to use it.

heath: Bread and butter!

bill: Yes, absolutely. Then I moved to TrainSignal, and they wanted me to teach Photoshop, Illustrator, Quark, all the graphics stuff. But first, they wanted me to teach Excel. So I took an Excel course. I took a Word course. Then they hired Heather, and she did PowerPoint and Access. And when we were done with all that, they said, “Okay, we’re not going to do any graphics stuff. You just do apps.” So we just did apps forever.

And last year I moved into HR training. I started my own business, and we do HR training. We teach about intergenerational, gender bias, ageism. Whatever you have, I can teach it. That’s my acting career.

How long have you been a part of the Office Insider program? Why did you join, and what do you like about it?

heath: I have been involved in the program from the beginning. [2015]. I like the Office Insider program because it’s open to everyone. You don’t have to “know someone.” Anyone can join, and I like that. I can tell the person I’m teaching the class, “Hey, you can join. You can give feedback directly to Microsoft. You can contact the program managers, the people who code these things, and give them feedback. I can’t promise they’ll take action on everything you suggest, but I’m polite about it. They’ll read it.” I like the feeling that I have a voice, that my feedback is out there, and that someone is going to read it.

Bill Kulterman recording class

bill: Yes, me too. But as a trainer, I’m always making videos and it’s always nice to be able to see what’s going to happen. I work with a lot of VMs. [virtual machines]So I always have one VM that’s on the fast ring. It’s development stuff. It’s rough, it’s new, and I want to see what’s coming. And my recording gear is on the beta track, so I can start making videos before features are released, and I can kind of get ahead of the game. I’ve already done a course called “First Looks” on Windows 11. You know, just trying to keep everything up to date.

We’ve really seen an uptick in eLearning, especially during the pandemic. In your opinion, how has the need for eLearning changed? Are people more receptive to eLearning?

heath: Two different questions. The need has definitely doubled, maybe tripled. Do they want it? No. I predict that online learning is very popular now, but there will be a backlash. The pendulum will swing the other way and we will go back to the classroom. I don’t think online will go away, but I think everyone will say, “No more online. I don’t like it.” I think the younger generation, especially, kids who are forced online, will be incredibly resistant. And they won’t want to buy anything for online education.

How about a fun question: Do you identify with a particular superhero character?

bill: This is an easy question for me. Batman has always been my favorite character. It’s easy to be a superhero if you don’t have super strength or you’re invisible. Batman has to use his brain and his normal human body to do his job. And he has a moral compass. He has his technology and his brain, and that’s all he needs.

heath: The most sloppy, clumsy, boring thing is… you know, there’s a superhero who sits there and, you know, spills coffee a lot, knocks things over? I poured myself a cup of coffee this morning and I couldn’t remember where I put it. I went through every room in the house twice and poured myself another cup of coffee. I think it was right there.

Susan: I think my mom is a superhero!

heath: Or Loki the Lizard. Good choice.

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