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    4 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Creating Your Next eLearning Course

    As an instructional designer, your primary goal is to develop effective eLearning courses. You should address the objectives for each lesson, use the correct instructional method to meet the needs of the learners, and ensure the content and all its related activities are meaningful and relevant. After all, adult learners are not interested in completing "busy work" with no real-world application toward achieving their academic goals. 

    As with any project, gathering necessary information upfront is beneficial to obtain a successful output.

    Try asking yourself these four questions before creating that new eLearning course; they will provide clarity and will avoid possible traps in the process:  

     

    1) WHO?

    Who are the learners?

    Successful instructional planning requires understanding your audience's needs, goals, and challenges. You definitely don't want learners coming across content and features they may never ever use, that's why doing a learner analysis before starting to develop the course can help you create more targeted and useful content that learners can apply in their daily life immediately.

    So, before anything else, develop a learner profile by listing your audience's key characteristics.   

    Consider these questions to guide your eLearning course design:  

    • What type of workers generally take the course? What is their education level? Their skill level? Average years of experience? 
    • What a typical day is like? (Particularly related to their jobs).
    • What are the circumstances of their work environment? Including frustrations, challenges, and common roadblocks. 
    • Do they take this course as a major requirement or is it optional?
    • How much background knowledge do workers typically have on the subject?  

    Learn all you can about your audience prior to starting the course design to ensure it meets their needs.

    Also read: These 27 Questions Will Help You (Really) Know Your Learners

     

    2) WHY?

    Why is the training necessary? 

    Truth is people make decisions based on what’s in their own best interest. This is the main motivator for their actions and that’s why training must be relevant and provide useful information. 

     “What’s in it for me?” is what your learners want to know.  

    So, before anything else, define the benefits workers will receive from the eLearning course...and consistently weave the messages throughout your course.

    Adult learners are busy with multiple obligations and don't want to waste time on courses that are not relevant, or that will not provide any real-world transferable, applicable knowledge or skills. Be concrete in your examples, give them actionable tips, and add interactive activities and videos from relevant experts related to the subject, that all speak to how the course will help them.

    Also read: Why You Should Be Designing eLearning Courses Backwards

     

    3) WHAT?

    What do learners need to be able to do after completing the course or learning specific material?

    Focus on your ultimate goal of aligning your content with your learner’s needs and context. Considering the types of situations in which learners will need to apply their learning and tailor your approach accordingly. Don't strictly focus on topics and content -- this nearly always results in boring walls of text and no applicable realistic scenarios played out through interactive activities.  

    Always begin with the question: What must the learner be able to do upon completion of the course? This will guarantee your eLearning course is fully learner-centered.

    Remember: “Adults are life-centered (problem-centered) in their orientation to learning. They want to learn what will help them perform tasks or deal with problems they confront in everyday situations and those presented in the context of application to real-life” (Knowles). 

    Don’t use all the "bells and whistles" available, but instead focus on facilitating designated learning outcomes and diligently remove or omit anything that doesn't directly support these outcomes.

    Also read:

    6 Essential Content Creation Tips For eLearning Success

    5 Rules for Creating Relevant and Fluff-free Courses

     

    4) HOW?

    How can your audience best learn the subject or skill? 

    This question and all its components will help you formulate ideas regarding the most effective strategies and best method to use for presenting the course material.  

    First focus on how you will structure and sequence the events of instruction, and then create conditions that foster learning. This approach can enhance the integrity of the subject matter as you focus on what the learners know and what they still need to learn.

    The strategies you use will dictate the most relevant and appropriate instructional materials, activities, and assessments for optimal outcomes.

    Effective eLearning courses and instructional design incorporate diverse training methods. Since adult learners learn primarily by doing, gives them the opportunity to apply the information, practice the skills, and receive feedback during the training.

    Consider these questions to guide your eLearning course design:  

    Motivation-eBook

     


     

     
    Diana Cohen
    Diana Cohen
    Education Writer | eLearning Expert | EdTech Blogger. Creativa, apasionada por mi labor, disruptiva y dinámica para transformar el mundo de la formación empresarial.

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    4 Types of Immersive Scenarios: When and How to Use Them in eLearning

    In the digital age where information is just a click away and training has become accessible thanks to online platforms, eLearning has emerged as a pivotal tool. But with a vast array of resources and methodologies, what sets an effective eLearning course apart from one that simply goes unnoticed? One of the distinguishing strategies is the use of immersive scenarios. These aren't just visual embellishments or interactive add-ons to make a course more engaging. In truth, they're foundational training tools with the potential to transport learners into environments mirroring their actual work settings, enabling them to learn from experience and practice. Especially in corporate training, the ability of a scenario to mimic real-world work situations can bridge the gap between theoretical learning and applied knowledge. However, like any tool, eLearning scenarios shouldn't be used haphazardly. It's more than just including them because they look flashy or are trendy. Each scenario type has a purpose, an ideal context, and specific features making them apt for certain topics or audiences. Deliberate and purposeful use of these scenarios can elevate an eLearning course from merely informative to a transformative learning experience. This article isn’t just an overview of the various types of scenarios that can be integrated into an eLearning course. It’s a guide to understanding when, how, and why to use each one. Through descriptions, examples, and practical advice, we’ll dive deep into what makes scenarios so potent and how they can be the key to unlocking online learning's true potential.

    5 Reasons Why Your eLearning Programs Aren’t Working

    Ever found yourself standing at the crossroads of ambition and reality, particularly when it comes to eLearning? You took that leap of faith, fueled by the latest buzz or perhaps a compelling article you chanced upon, and decided to introduce eLearning in your organization. But, instead of the applause and triumphant results you envisioned, there was a whisper of disappointment and a lingering question: “Why isn’t this working?” Let’s get one thing straight: eLearning isn’t just a trendy box to check off or a badge to wear. It’s a strategic, potentially transformative tool that, when wielded correctly, can revolutionize how your team learns and grows. But if you're feeling a tad disheartened, thinking you've bitten off more than you can chew, fret not! We're here to demystify the maze of eLearning. If you’ve been looking at your program, scratching your head and feeling a tad helpless, you're in the right place. Let’s dive into the heart of the matter and explore the reasons why your eLearning programs might be missing the mark.

    Are Your eLearning Courses Achieving Behavioral Change?

    Have you ever noticed how often employees sit through mandatory courses, but once it's over, nothing really changes? I bet we've all seen it – folks diligently taking notes but then... nada. No change in behavior, no improvement in work. Here's the thing: just ticking off a training box isn't enough. If there's no real goal or follow-up, it's like tossing our investment into the wind. Before diving into designing a course, let's pause and ask: What's our endgame? Hoping for a safer workspace? A boost in sales? Stellar customer service? If our courses aren't aimed at making tangible changes in performance and results, we're kind of just spinning our wheels. Here's a nugget of truth: Even if you have the snazziest, most engaging course materials, it won't matter much if it doesn’t spur any change in behavior. And sometimes, piling on more information isn't the solution. Many times, our teams know what to do; they just need a compelling why to actually do it.