The responsibilities of instructional designers vary from organization to organization. While some companies do have graphic designers on the team, others require instructional designer to wear a hat of an artist. Regardless of your responsibilities, it is suggested that you become comfortable with basic graphic design theory so that, if needed, you can apply it to practice. Here are a few basic recommendations that many instructional designers should find useful. •If you know how to do something that does not mean you should do it. In eLearning, less is more, so if the tool or an option is available to you that does not mean that you should actually use it in your project. This particularly applies to animations. Try to avoid animation whenever possible. Instead, consider separating information into several slides. •The same principle applies to images. When you add images to slides, always be sure that they are meaningful and are not just there for decoration. Images … [Read more...] about Five ELearning Graphic Design Tips That Every Instructional Designer Must Know
The ELearning Course Designer’s Blog
What is the Role of Webinars in ELearning?
Even though webinars have been around for a while now, many organizations still find them intimidating. However, with proper planning, even a non-technical person should be able to conduct effective webinars. Webinars can be used for just about anything starting from teaching people how to use a tool to lecturing or providing information on the topic of importance. Webinars can have a single presenter who speaks to the audience, demonstrates slides or steps needed to do something, and answers questions from the audience. Webinars can also take a form of an interview where two people talk to each other or multiple people can speak and answer questions with a facilitator moderating the discussion. While, all three formats are appropriate, the last two are much more interactive in nature. Just like eLearning, webinars rely heavily on audio-visual presentation of the material. Therefore, it is important to have attractive slides and clear audio. Many facilitators create an … [Read more...] about What is the Role of Webinars in ELearning?
Why Do Employees Forget Their Training?
When employees are sent to training, they are expected not just to retain the information, but also to be able to apply it to the job when they return from training. However, one of the major dilemmas with training is that trainees do not remember most of what they have learned in class. In this blog post, I will cover some of the most common reasons employees forget. The first and probably most common issue is that the training was not engaging enough to begin with, so employees could not concentrate on it. As a result, they did not gain much from it. To solve this issue, instructional designers should aim to make their training, even if it is plain and boring, interesting and engaging. This can be achieved through inserting lively but informative movie clips and role plays into the course. Additionally, short quizzes along the way may be helpful as they ensure that the learner is paying attention. To add additional spark to courses, instructional designers may consider serious … [Read more...] about Why Do Employees Forget Their Training?
How To Improve Employees’ Performance: Proven Techniques That Bring Results
Have you ever managed employees who were clearly underperforming? Unfortunately, poor performance of one employee can negatively affect other employees in the organization and have poor impact on the overall organizational performance. To help poor performers become high performers, managers need to identify the root cause of the problem. Even though it is easy to conclude that poor performance is a result of inadequate training, this is not always the case. In fact, motivation often plays key role in poor performance. So, what are some ways to remedy the problem? First, mangers need to carefully diagnose the root cause. If you notice that your employee lacks knowledge or skills in certain areas, you may consider assigning a mentor or offering a training course. However, if you suspect that the root cause of failing performance is motivation, you will have to work together with the employee to create a motivating environment through setting up performance goals, providing regular … [Read more...] about How To Improve Employees’ Performance: Proven Techniques That Bring Results
3 Ways To Obtain Information From Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) That Never Fail
Working with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) is a challenging yet important part of successful course design. Instructional designers often have to find creative ways to obtain all the required information from their SME. Here are some suggestions that you may find helpful when dealing with Subject Matter Experts. Involve SMEs from the beginning – When SMEs are involved in a project from the very beginning, they feel needed and are more willing to share their knowledge with you. Whenever possible, ask the SME why the course is needed and what should happen as a result of the course. You should also ask your SMEs to help you brainstorm the information required for the training. Then, create a prototype and ask the SME to follow and correct it, if necessary. Always ask the SME why they feel the information is important and whether or not this information is required to achieve the objective. Ask the SME to categorize information – When your SME presents you with the content, ask … [Read more...] about 3 Ways To Obtain Information From Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) That Never Fail
4 Localization Issues That Come Up When Translating ELearning Courses
In one of my previous posts, I discussed translating eLearning modules into other languages. Since then, I have completed a project that needed to be translated into Spanish. As I was working on my translation, I came across some localization issues, which I would like to share with other eLearning professionals responsible for translating their courses into other languages. Graphics and images – When you translate your course, keep in mind that in addition to linguistic differences, there are also social and cultural differences. When we deal with cultural differences, we should pay close attention to graphic and images, as they instill different feelings and reactions in people from other cultural backgrounds. Therefore, changing existing images to more neutral or culturally appropriate ones may be another responsibility of someone translating the course. Audio-visual Elements – If the course that you are trying to localize includes video, you may think that dubbing would do it, … [Read more...] about 4 Localization Issues That Come Up When Translating ELearning Courses