Consider this situation: You hire an architect to build you your dream house. After discussing the broad strokes of your vision for the home, he/she shows up onsite the next day and starts building! I’m pretty sure you (the paying client) won’t be impressed at all! You were likely looking for a blueprint or some type of vision document before shovels hit the ground. It’s the same with instructional design (ID) projects. You need to provide clients with a vision artifact first, before commencing detailed course design and development. And that document is typically the Storyboard. Storyboarding 101 In his book “The eLearning Designer’s Handbook”, noted eLearning designer Tim Slade, describes Storyboards as “…a document that outlines the learning content, slide-by-slide or screen-by-screen.” According to Slade, Storyboards are great for: enabling SMEs and stakeholders to preview the content and flow of a course providing opportunities for early inputs for design changes The … [Read more...] about 4 Steps to Creating ELearning Storyboards: Step-by-step guide to effective storyboarding!
Instructional Design and ELearning
Designing Training Solutions With Myers-Briggs In Mind
Renowned management consultant, author, educator, and business-thought leader, Peter Drucker, once said: “Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results, not attributes.” As a founding father of modern leadership theory, Mr. Drucker had a deep understanding of what makes a good leader. Yet, many of today’s leadership training curriculum show scant appreciation of the fact that to produce good results, leaders must be trained. And that training should directly reflect the attributes of the environments in which they are expected to lead. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator And Tips To Designing Training Solutions The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) is a personality evaluation tool, developed by Isabel Briggs Myers and her mother Katharine Briggs. The tool is based on the original work of psychologist C.G Jung. MBTI is used in a number of situations, where it is important to understand how to tailor interactions (interviews, tests, … [Read more...] about Designing Training Solutions With Myers-Briggs In Mind
Blooms Taxonomy: Tried and tested recipe for effective eLearning
Bloom’s Taxonomy was created in 1956, by educational psychologist Dr. Benjamin Bloom, and subsequently updated in 2001 to its current form. It is based on hierarchical ordering of learner’s cognitive skills, which then facilitates learning professionals (L&D) and Instructional Designers (ID) in helping learners learn better. To help instructors and course developers understand how to achieve their learning objectives, the taxonomy breaks down human thinking skills into six categories, ascending as a pyramid from lower to higher-orders of thinking. Using Bloom's Taxonomy Understanding Bloom’s Taxonomy can play a vital role in helping eLearning professionals create highly effective learning objectives; organize learning into logical structures to help make learning a seamless process; inject focused interactivity into courses; and design course assessments that truly evaluate whether learners have mastered desired learning objectives. Here are some strategies and tips to help … [Read more...] about Blooms Taxonomy: Tried and tested recipe for effective eLearning
Why You Should Never Skip the Needs Analysis Phase
It seems that, as the demand for eLearning continues to grow, the need for conducting Training Needs Analysis (TNA) continues to take a back seat through the course development process. To be fair, most Instructional Systems Design (ISD) professionals understand very well what needs analysis is all about. Yet, somehow, circumstances often compel many to ignore this very important step. News Flash: Skipping TNA is a bad idea! We’ll take a closer look at why that’s so; and we’ll also review some strategies to help stakeholders in eLearning projects – sponsors, SMEs, clients, supervisors understand why TNA is a very important phase. THE IMPORTANCE OF TNA An eLearning course designed without a TNA is like planning a trip without a destination in mind. How will you know when you’ve arrived? And needs analysis isn’t unique to eLearning. Project proponents must ground a project, regardless of size, budget or duration, around a need for it. Otherwise, once completed, how are stakeholders … [Read more...] about Why You Should Never Skip the Needs Analysis Phase
Working with SMEs for Better Instructional Design Outcomes: How to produce win-win relationships and reduce stress on a project
Let’s face it – we, as Instructional Designers, aren’t masters of all aspects of course design and development. It takes a team to put together a successful course, and it takes aligning ourselves with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to make success happen. However, because of the differing perspectives they bring to the instructional design team, working with SMEs can sometimes be challenging. But it needn’t be. In this article, I'll tell you how you can forge win-win relationships with your SME partners, and explain some tips and tools to use in order to make success happen. What SMEs Bring to the Team Before understanding how to build exceptionally productive relationships with SMEs, it may be prudent to take a step back to understand who SMEs are, and how they add value to a course design and development project. It may sound redundant, but it’s worth repeating: SMEs are not instructional design specialists – that’s the role of IDs. However, subject matter expertise – be it in … [Read more...] about Working with SMEs for Better Instructional Design Outcomes: How to produce win-win relationships and reduce stress on a project
Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction: How to create eLearning experiences that will blow your learners’ minds
If you are an instructional designer, you've probably heard of Robert Gagne. Gagne was an American educational psychologist best known for his Conditions of Learning. Gagne believed that there are several different levels of learning, and each level requires different types of instruction. He created a nine-step process that detailed each element required for effective learning: The Nine-steps are: Gain attention Inform learners of objectives Stimulate recall of prior learning Present the content Provide “learning guidance” Elicit performance (practice) Provide feedback Assess performance Enhance retention and transfer to the job Gagne's Nine Levels of Learning model provides a checklist that ensures that you present comprehensive and successful learning experience. His approach also motivates learners and helps them associate the topics covered in your course with their previous knowledge. Another benefit of … [Read more...] about Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction: How to create eLearning experiences that will blow your learners’ minds