As an eLearning course developer, are you sending loads of email but feel you’re still not communicating with your team? Do you find each iteration of your course design sets you back, instead of nearer to meeting completion deadlines? Is your softboard filled with colorful sticky-notes, but you don’t know who’s doing what on the team? Is your final course always out of sync with what course sponsors requested? If using traditional course development methodologies isn’t working for you anymore, it might be time to consider Agile. Challenges of Traditional Methodologies Traditional course development methodologies, like Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation (ADDIE), seek to produce eLearning content through iterative phases. Specialized teams (of Analysts, Designers, Developers, Testers, etc.) lead each “phase” of the process, with the client then having their say on the finally developed product. And there lies the challenge! An analytical flaw may not … [Read more...] about Agile ELearning Course Development: It’s more than just rapid development
eLearning project management
ELearning Development- The Agile Way!
Since the word "eLearning" was first used at a Computer Based Training (CBT) systems seminar back in 1999, a number of structured design methodologies (ADDIE, SAM) have been used to develop eLearning content. As far as methodologies go, you will be hard-pressed to find two eLearning project managers (PMs) who agree upon which methodology is "right" and which is "wrong". The fact is that many of those "iterative" models, where content is developed using a cycle of repeated processes, have proved immensely resilient over the years in projects that produced high-quality content. However, now, there is a new kid in town. "Agile" (has been around for several years!), and eLearning sponsors and PM's are taking notice of it! What Is Agile eLearning development? To really understand what Agile eLearning development is all about, let's have a brief primer of what an existing iterative model - ADDIE - does. Developed in 1975, at the Florida State University primarily for IT project … [Read more...] about ELearning Development- The Agile Way!
How to Estimate ELearning Development Time in 5 Easy Steps
Whether you are an HR manager considering an in-house eLearning course, or a consultant thinking of bidding on an eLearning project. The one question that’s always front-and-center is: How long will this eLearning project take? We’ll explore that question in this post, and leave you with a simple 5-step process to answer it! Factors to consider The methodology explained below is based on a set of logical steps that you need to follow when putting together a timeline for eLearning development. As an eLearning content developer, however, when applying the 5-step process provided below, you must also factor the uniqueness of your project requirements, and the development environment, into the equation. For instance: How many course designers, developers, and content producers will I have? What types of course authoring tools will I have access to? Do I have developers who have experience with those tools, or will there be an associated learning curve? Untrained or less … [Read more...] about How to Estimate ELearning Development Time in 5 Easy Steps