As instructional designers, we want our learners to remember and apply what they learn from our eLearning courses. However, research shows that most people forget between 60-80% of what they learn within 24 hours. This phenomenon is known as the Forgetting Curve, and it poses a significant challenge for eLearning design. To help IDs mitigate the impact of the forgetting curve, we will explore what the curve is, why it matters, and how we can design eLearning experiences that help learners retain and transfer knowledge. What is the forgetting curve? The forgetting curve is a concept developed by German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus in the late 19th century. He conducted experiments on himself to measure how much information he could recall after different intervals of time. He found that his memory declined rapidly in the first few hours after learning, and then gradually over time. He plotted his results on a graph that showed a curved line descending from 100% to near … [Read more...] about The Forgetting Curve: What to remember when developing impactful learning experiences
The ELearning Course Designer’s Blog
eLearning Kickoff Meetings: Planning and Conducting them For Success
A kickoff meeting is a crucial step in any eLearning project. It is the first opportunity for the project team, the client, and the subject matter experts to get on the same page, align their expectations, and define the scope and deliverables of the eLearning initiative. A well-planned and executed kickoff meeting can set the tone for a successful eLearning project; while a poorly managed one leads to confusion, delays, and dissatisfaction. So how can you plan and conduct an effective eLearning kickoff meeting? We’ll unpack some tips and best practices to help you. How to Choose Participants for the Kickoff Meeting The first thing you need to do is to decide who should attend the kickoff meeting. Ideally, you want to include people who have a stake in the eLearning project, who can provide valuable input and feedback, and who can influence the decision-making process. Depending on the nature and size of the project, you may want to invite some or all the following: You … [Read more...] about eLearning Kickoff Meetings: Planning and Conducting them For Success
Visual Style Guides 101: Mastering eLearning Content Development
In the ever-expanding world of eLearning, the creation of captivating and consistent content is a lynchpin of effective instructional design. One indispensable tool that aids in achieving this consistency is a Visual Style Guide. In the discussions below, we’ll explore the foundational aspects of developing a Visual Style Guide for eLearning, and offer practical insights to empower instructional designers in their content creation journey. Getting Down to Basics: What is a Visual Style Guide? A Visual Style Guide is a comprehensive document that serves as a roadmap for instructional designers, providing a clear framework for design elements and guidelines. It outlines the principles and specifications that maintain a consistent visual identity across all eLearning materials, ensuring they align seamlessly with the overarching goals of the course. So, when should you prepare one, and what value does it bring to eLearning projects? Timing is critical when developing a Visual … [Read more...] about Visual Style Guides 101: Mastering eLearning Content Development
Action Mapping for eLearning: How to Design Performance-Based Activities and Achieve Your Business Goals
Action Mapping is a popular instructional design method that helps you create engaging and relevant eLearning courses. It is based on the idea that learners need to perform specific actions to achieve their goals, rather than just acquire knowledge. By focusing on the actions and the outcomes, you can design eLearning solutions that are more effective and aligned with the business needs. Here's All You Need to Know As an instructional designer, you are likely familiar with several L&D design methodologies and frameworks. These may range from traditional watershed design models, such as ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation), to SAM (Successive Approximation Model), an agile model to jumpstart any L&D project. One highly effective tool in any IDs toolbox is Action Mapping - a technique for designing performance-based activities that align with business goals and learner needs. For learning designers to make the most of Action Maps, it … [Read more...] about Action Mapping for eLearning: How to Design Performance-Based Activities and Achieve Your Business Goals
Unleashing the Power of ChatGPT in Instructional Design: A Bloom’s Taxonomy Approach
Instructional designers are always looking for new ways to create engaging and effective learning experiences for their learners. One of the tools that can help them achieve this goal is ChatGPT, a conversational AI system that can generate natural and coherent text on various topics. ChatGPT can help ID professionals design interactive and personalized learning activities that align with Bloom's Taxonomy framework to target different levels of cognitive skills and learning objectives. ChatGPT and Bloom’s Taxonomy: The Power Couple Bloom’s Taxonomy is a widely used and recognized framework that categorizes learning objectives into three domains: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. It helps educators and instructional designers (IDs) to design and assess learning activities that foster higher-order thinking skills. The original taxonomy, proposed by Bloom in 1956, had six levels: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. The revised taxonomy, … [Read more...] about Unleashing the Power of ChatGPT in Instructional Design: A Bloom’s Taxonomy Approach
2024 eLearning Trends: Dive into a Learning Revolution
The landscape of learning is shifting. Forget dusty textbooks and monotonous lectures, because 2024 promises a learning revolution fueled by exciting trends that will transform how we design, deliver, and experience knowledge. Instructional designers and eLearning professionals, buckle up! This is your roadmap to navigate future learning. 2024 eLearning Trends to Watch For So, as the industry moves into a new year, what can IDs and eLearning professionals look forward to in 2024? Here are some eLearning trends to watch for: 1. AR and VR Embrace the Immersive Stage: Learning through virtual experiences In 2024, the landscape of eLearning will see a transformative shift through better integration of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). Picture yourself immersed in a virtual operating room, or equipped with AR glasses for real-time troubleshooting of machinery – thanks to remarkable advancements in technology. This innovation is particularly revolutionizing fields … [Read more...] about 2024 eLearning Trends: Dive into a Learning Revolution