There’s no doubt that the future of learning is in eLearning. According to research, the market size has crossed $250 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach around $1 Trillion by 2027. The right tools Sure, you could probably pull off an eLearning course using Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Sides. You could use powerful imagery and create riveting handouts and course notes to supplement your slides. But will that be enough? Probably not! To really produce highly engaging, interactive eLearning content, you need some great course authoring tools to support you. Why? The “manual effort” involved in creating interactivity and spontaneity in eLearning content isn’t worth it! A tool makes it much easier to do that Most tools include huge libraries and archives of powerful supporting content, like icons, graphics, videos and images, that bring life to eLearning courses. Using stock images and icons in your courses is unprofessional, and doesn’t leave learners with a … [Read more...] about What Are The Best Authoring Tools for Developing Interactive ELearning Courses?
Instructional Design and ELearning
5 Easy Ways to Curate Your ELearning Content: Understanding what content curation is, and why it’s needed
Everyday, millions of pieces of content get created online. So, if you were looking to “learn” more about a particular subject, is going through all those millions of bits of information really the best way to do so? That’s exactly the challenge that eLearning course designers and developers face. And more often than not, content curation is the best answer to this challenge. Assimilating eLearning content So, in the context of eLearning, what does it take to offer great content to your learners, and why should eLearners not go straight to the source – content creators – instead of reaching out for your curated content? Before we highlight why content curation is an essential part of eLearning, consider these facts about content creation first: According to Smithsonian Mag (a site owned/operated in partnership with the renowned Smithsonian Institution), there are over 1.8 million articles and research papers produced every year The same source cites that most of that … [Read more...] about 5 Easy Ways to Curate Your ELearning Content: Understanding what content curation is, and why it’s needed
8 Little Known Ways to Conduct Content Analysis for Your ELearning Course
When preparing to develop an eLearning course, or poised to deliver eLearning content, it’s always wise to conduct a thorough content analysis. While Needs Analysis will steer you on the right path to understanding the challenges faced by learners, it is Content Analysis that’ll offer the building blocks to successfully address those needs. Content Analysis 101 Academics define content analysis this way: “Content analysis is a research technique used to make replicable and valid inferences by interpreting and coding textual material” So, for the purposes of eLearning, what exactly is Content Analysis, and why should it matter when developing eLearning courses? Well, as humans, we are prone to “assuming” that what worked for us will also work for others. If we learned how to operate a piece of equipment (or perform a job function or use a software tool) using certain learning tools and content, or using a certain approach, we think others will learn using that same exact … [Read more...] about 8 Little Known Ways to Conduct Content Analysis for Your ELearning Course
Converting school curriculum into eLearning: Considerations for designing eLearning for kids
When school administrators and instructors first embark upon a project to embrace eLearning, the immediate temptation is to “scan everything and put it online!”. While “pure digitization” might be a quick way to introduce online learning to kids, it’s not always the best way to engage kids through eLearning. Key design and conversion considerations Unlocking the power of eLearning for kids is not just a matter of digitizing content from the existing curriculum. Kids today are extremely tech-savvy, and when they stare at an electronic version of their textbooks, it’s likely to spur immediate disengagement. ELearning designers must therefore go way beyond scanning and uploading paper content to pique kids' interest. Here are five design considerations that should help you decide whether you should design from scratch, or convert or port school curricula into eLearning courses: Enhance your content ELearning provides you an opportunity to go above and beyond what existing … [Read more...] about Converting school curriculum into eLearning: Considerations for designing eLearning for kids
Training for Agility: Understanding the new paradigms in eLearning
Dell Technologies Inc, one of the largest technology manufactures in the world, said recently that “…around 85% of the jobs that today’s learners will be doing in 2030 haven’t been invented yet.”. The new world will be based on organizations “...becoming more agile and profitable”. This bold statement was made in a report titled “The Next Era of Human Machine Partnerships”. If this prediction is, in fact, true, it then introduces a brand-new paradigm for trainers and instructional designers alike: How do you train future workforces to embrace that leaner, more competitive, agile and profitable future? Agility in eLearning The challenge with future of workforces, as laid out in the report cited above, is that information and knowledge is expected to become redundant at a much faster pace than it is today. In the new paradigm, while employers have already mapped out a new business model, they won’t have a sizable enough trained workforce to implement their vision – unless they … [Read more...] about Training for Agility: Understanding the new paradigms in eLearning
Why storytelling in eLearning works? Secrets to telling compelling stories
The best way to engage and communicate with your eLearning audience is through storytelling. Not only will you be able to connect with your learners, but if the story is appropriately framed and structured, they will be able to better relate to the content being taught. This will lead to improved transfer of knowledge and, as a result, deliver better overall learning outcomes. Why tell stories at all? In late 2013, Emory University published a study conducted by its neuroscientists that linked changes to the brain’s neural patterns as a result of reading real-life event-based stories. Without getting too technical, researchers saw extraordinary activity in the research subject’s left temporal lobe – the part of our brain responsible for processing semantics (meaning) in vision and speech. In layman’s terms, the results showed that stories created more brain connections to the events being studied, compared to straightforward facts, figures and other raw data. The conclusion that … [Read more...] about Why storytelling in eLearning works? Secrets to telling compelling stories