Having more content than you know what to do with is a common problem. It's actually more common than having too little, with course creators beginning the process with years of research, SME input, and ideas on what their mega-course will look like. Here are 5 things you can do if you have TOO MUCH content! #1 Keep focused on your learner What skills or knowledge are essential for their improvement? The content being added should always pass the "need to know vs. nice to know" test. If you're having trouble narrowing down what fits into each of these buckets, revisit the learning objectives and measure each chunk of content against that objective. Is it essential in helping the learner achieve the stated learning objective? If it's not, cut it from the course (but hold onto it and I'll tell you what to do with it later). #2 Deliver it like a bullet Just as you can have too many content ideas and topics, you can be too wordy on delivering them to your learner. Master the method … [Read more...] about How to Deal With Too Much Content and Avoid Information Overload
eLearning objectives
5 Tips For Effective ELearning Storyboards
Storyboards are an essential element in designing your online course. They'll improve efficiency, save a lot of work/re-work down the road, and can also help communicate your ideas to stakeholders. Here 5 tips and best practices to get the most out of your storyboards! 1. Keep your goals in mind Why are you creating this eLearning course? Be clear on the purpose and content of your course, right from the start. If the course is truly your course, it should be much easier - you'll know the exact direction to head. However, if you're creating the course for a client, be sure everyone is on the same page (stakeholders, SMEs, course developers, etc.) I often find that what I think the course should be is drastically different from my client's expectations. 2. Don’t forget your audience Assuming you know your audience is a mistake. Research is key. This can come in the form of focus groups, surveys, or interviews to find out everything about the audience you're trying to … [Read more...] about 5 Tips For Effective ELearning Storyboards
iSpring Suite Max Review
At Your ELearning World, we are always looking for great solutions and easy to use eLearning authoring tools. When I learned about iSpring Suite Max, I knew I had to give it a try. Here’s an account of what I learned. Hopefully, some of you who are looking for an eLearning course authoring and publishing solution will find this information insightful. What’s It About? iSpring Suite Max is a collection of eLearning course authoring tools that allows you to design content through collaborative teamwork. With the Suite of tools available to them, design teams create e-courses that include videos, dialogue simulations, interactive quizzes and assessments, and a whole lot more. One distinctive feature of the product suite is a remarkably short learning curve. Thanks to the intuitive navigation and well-laid-out design, I was able to get productive, using my demo/trial subscription, within a short period of time. What’s Included? iSpring Suite Max is a 3-in-one solution … [Read more...] about iSpring Suite Max Review
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
ELearning in Action: Turning Performance Goals into Objectives
The reasons why people are taking a course in the first place can sometimes get “foggy.” Instructional Designers know that learners have a gap in their performance...but the dilemma that they face is how to articulate that gap in learning objectives. Here are some ways to do that: Understand your audience: People tend to turn to learning when there is a perceived gap between what they SHOULD know, and what they ACTUALLY know. Therefore, before developing content, make sure YOU understand the objectives your learners should accomplish. Change your focus: Be action-oriented, and instead of focusing on the knowledge that the course will impart, build content that will turn knowledge into specific actions to be learned to meet the objectives. Get real: Content that merely paraphrases written materials won’t help bridge the gap between learners’ goals and the courses’ learning objectives. Instead, add real-life examples or simulated use cases to ensure the … [Read more...] about ELearning in Action: Turning Performance Goals into Objectives
How to Write Effective Learning Objectives
All instructional designers are well aware of the benefits of learning objectives. However, even those who mastered the art of writing objectives often wonder of their effectiveness. First, let’s look at some of the reasons why we need to include learning objectives in our lessons. Most importantly, objectives tell learners what they should expect from the course. They also help learners understand what is important in the course and what they will most likely be assessed on at the end. While the advantages of learning objectives are evident, many learners find them useless and often skip over them. So, what can an instructional designer do to help learners pay attention to the objectives? There are several ways to handle this problem. First, instead of offering a bulleted list of learning objectives at the beginning of the course, instructional designers should try to find some creative ways to engage learners. One way to do that is to come up with a realistic attention … [Read more...] about How to Write Effective Learning Objectives
