Quality Assurance - Case Study The Advanced Media, Inc. team was struggling with the end of a major project: a huge simulation designed to train officers in the military. Though they had a standard QA process, they were quickly finding that the usual process was inadequate. Their military clients were incredibly detail oriented and needed every aspect of the training to be perfectly accurate, clear to a wide variety of learners, and it should conform to protocol. The need for more and more reviews and revisions was creating tension with their clients and losing them money. The team knew they should have clarified the process before the project had begun, but it was too late now—they were bogged down with work. Finally, the instructional design lead decided they needed a pair of fresh eyes. She brought in a QA Analyst from another project who was known for his ability to streamline and simplify the QA process. First, the QA Analyst decided to have a meeting with the clients. He … [Read more...] about Why is Quality Assurance Important in ELearning
How to Engage ELearners Through Questioning Techniques
Questioning learners has always been a very effective tool in the arsenal of instructors. In an eLearning context however, because of the physical separation of teachers and learners, the use of questioning techniques attains even more relevance. What course developers and instructors can’t assess through visual observation and in-person interactions, they must accomplish through innovative questioning techniques. 5 ELearning Questioning Strategies Before online course developers and instructional designers start creating their question banks, it is vital to understand the objectives that are sought to be accomplished from the questions. Questions should then be built around a comprehensive strategy, which key elements should include: Communication: Using strategically designed questions, evaluate whether there is a high degree of communication between learners and instructors. If the response reveals lack of good communication, then your instructional … [Read more...] about How to Engage ELearners Through Questioning Techniques
Eye Appeal in eLearning Course Design: 3 Effective Ways to Use Color Theory, Typography, and Images
The look and feel of your eLearning materials has an impact on training effectiveness. The combination of colors, font types, and images affect the way your learners go through your content and eventually the lessons. Your goal is to make your content more exciting, easier to understand, and more interesting to read. A good combination of the elements mentioned above can help you achieve your training goals. Conversely, a bad combination could make your learners bored, disinterested, and perhaps even sleepy. Needless to say, this will result in bad performance and ineffective learning. Here are some important considerations when using color theory, typography, and images in your eLearning course design: 1. Keep it clean and simple. This does not mean that your design should be stark and boring. You can use bold colors like reds and oranges, and your design will still be clean and simple. Avoid the clutter and pay attention to readability and ease of … [Read more...] about Eye Appeal in eLearning Course Design: 3 Effective Ways to Use Color Theory, Typography, and Images
Have You Ever Wondered If Learning Styles Really Exist?
The study of learning styles aims to understand the different ways that learners are able to take in and process new knowledge. It seeks to find the best practices to help a learner absorb, comprehend, and retain a piece of information. In recent years, many instructional designers have devoted their time to come up with different learning style theories that aim to ease new knowledge acquisition. However, one big question in the world of learning styles, particularly among skeptics, is: Do learning styles really exist? The lack of reliable studies looking over the effectiveness of learning styles in the classrooms is one big issue that continues to plague it. In their study “Learning Styles and Pedagogy in Post-16 Learning: A Systematic and Critical Review,” Coffield and his colleagues bemoaned that while there are several researches available, they all have “poor reliability, poor validity, and a negligible impact on teaching and learning.” The authors also raised concerns … [Read more...] about Have You Ever Wondered If Learning Styles Really Exist?
New Resource for Designing Exceptional ELearning Courses!
Want to know latest eLearning and instructional technology news? Want to design robust, innovative eLearning courses? Check out the new edition of the Instructional Design for eLearning book, and start creating successful training materials today! … [Read more...] about New Resource for Designing Exceptional ELearning Courses!
4 Ways To Apply Behaviorism Principles to Your ELearning Materials
As instructional designers apply behaviorism principles to create courses for virtual settings, it is important to keep in mind that the driving force behind progress is reinforcement. 1. Repetition Take audio visual presentations as instructional methods employed in virtual classrooms. People learn through observation, so audio or video presentations are an efficient way to enable learners to understand the subject, organize their own thoughts around that subject, and ultimately present their own analysis of the matter. In behaviorism, only the response to the information received can be measured, so it is a good idea to develop materials that promote drill tasks. This involves teaching concepts by presenting a series of steps that lead to expected outcomes. For example, in a database class, the lessons would entail presentation of various data types as well as the commands for specific functions. Step by step video tutorials would be provided, guiding the learner as to … [Read more...] about 4 Ways To Apply Behaviorism Principles to Your ELearning Materials