Effective eLearning: Taking Learning Design to the Next Level
Regardless of your level of experience in creating eLearning courses, designing an asynchronous learning environment is a very different challenge than writing teacher-led classes or live online courses. It’s more of a set of PowerPoint slides; the student must experience real-life scenarios, try out assignments, and receive feedback in the process. A Smiley and thumb icon at the end of a training effort is not enough.
Select Quality Training Resources
Take a reliable eLearning design training course to learn the basics – one that provides content-based research and personal learning. If you face any issues in online courses then ask someone to pay to take my online class. The value of a qualified instructor is crucial but just as important is a course that allows for mutual interaction. Find courses that require a practical and hands-on approach to teaching design. You need access to tools and techniques that you can use quickly and efficiently in your work.
Evaluate the Size and Diversity of Your Skills
If you have the know-how, you have to do more. Is your job position “learning designer” or similar? If so, be prepared to add a few more titles below. Narrative actor. Graphic designer. Investigative journalist. QA tester. He will write. You may need to complete these tasks to design and build an eLearning course. Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. Assigning one or two elements of a project – such as comments or graphic design – to experts is okay.
Check Your Work Before You Commit
Due to short timelines, I once had to run a series of eLearning modules without complete QA control or a pilot project. I was the only one who checked it before it was implemented! Ambot, what happened. The students sent me an e-mail. “Nikki, I want to let you know that I can’t proceed to the fifth slide; eLearning got me in the loop. If you happen to be in the same situation, try this: ask a potential student to watch the course and look over his shoulder as if it were through screen sharing. You will be amazed by the small obstacles when someone else navigates the course.
File Management Is the Key to Long-term Success
Every organization has process changes, so updates are needed. Return to the beginning if you do not have access to the original eLearning course files. When one of my team members came on maternity leave, I was asked to take a quiz. Easy – if I have a file. It’s on a team member’s desktop, and I have no way of getting it. I had to completely rebuild the course to change the exam question or I have to take professional online test takers help. Store files in an accessible central location.
The Tool of Authority Expertise Is Not Enough
Attendees at my Authorization Tool courses left without trust because they could use variables and tags, add animations and triggers, and easily create quizzes. However, they may not have any knowledge of the art of design. What does your organization want the student to be able to do at the end of the eLearning course? It is often not “surprising how many interactive features the developer has created within the authoring tool.” Use design to enhance the learning experience, not to disrupt it.
