10 Things About E-Learning #187: Challenge | Recap
Challenge of the Week
This week your challenge is to share a top 10 list of things you want people to know about e-learning.
Last Week...
Published 7 years ago
Version 1.0
Blog Post
1. It takes time! Testing your slides, making adjustments, formatting, etc. Don't become frustrated when you have to review a slide for the 10th time to make sure all of the timing and effects are working properly. 2. Be creative but don't re-create the wheel. While it's nice to create from scratch, we don't always have the time (or know-how) to create new layouts or interactions. Use inspirational work from others to guide you or even the templates downloadable from here to get going but don't be afraid to re-design the template and make it your own. 3. Know when to stop! You may have 100 ideas you'd like to incorporate but you have to draw the line somewhere. Don't let scope creep get you behind schedule.
4. Keep learning. The more you learn, the more creative you can be.- L. Norman. Keep your finger on the pulse of the industry and always invest some time each week in your personal development. 5. Sharing is caring. We all are able to learn from each other and helping other designers doesn't take away anything away from you. 6. Try to avoid locking down navigation if permittable. I like to leave as many options open for the learner to move freely in the course as possible. Depending on the content or goal, try to let the user roam free so that they can get to the information they need most as quickly as possible. 7. This is not powerpoint! If your e-learning looks like you imported a power point with bullets and only added next/back buttons then you're doing it wrong. Authoring tools are like a paintbrush that allows you to create a learning EXPERIENCE. Rethink how to present the content and try to keep bullets OFF your slide. 8. TEST-TEST-TEST. Even when you think it's perfect, have someone else test it and then test it again yourself. You have to test the WRONG way/answers as much as the correct options. I guarantee that something isn't working as you thought. 9. Push back as much as you can when you know it's the right thing to do. People outside of this field often don't know or realize how much work is involved, they don't understand adult learning theory or value user engangement....however YOU know how important these things are. It's sometimes our jobs to educate those that have hired us or are leading us. Don't end up with crap just because you were afraid to speak up!
10. E-LEARNING HEROES! I always direct people that reach out to me to start being active in this amazing community regardless of the authoring tool they are using. The benefits of completing challenges, utilizing the available downloads and viewing eLearning examples are immeasurable.
4. Keep learning. The more you learn, the more creative you can be.- L. Norman. Keep your finger on the pulse of the industry and always invest some time each week in your personal development. 5. Sharing is caring. We all are able to learn from each other and helping other designers doesn't take away anything away from you. 6. Try to avoid locking down navigation if permittable. I like to leave as many options open for the learner to move freely in the course as possible. Depending on the content or goal, try to let the user roam free so that they can get to the information they need most as quickly as possible. 7. This is not powerpoint! If your e-learning looks like you imported a power point with bullets and only added next/back buttons then you're doing it wrong. Authoring tools are like a paintbrush that allows you to create a learning EXPERIENCE. Rethink how to present the content and try to keep bullets OFF your slide. 8. TEST-TEST-TEST. Even when you think it's perfect, have someone else test it and then test it again yourself. You have to test the WRONG way/answers as much as the correct options. I guarantee that something isn't working as you thought. 9. Push back as much as you can when you know it's the right thing to do. People outside of this field often don't know or realize how much work is involved, they don't understand adult learning theory or value user engangement....however YOU know how important these things are. It's sometimes our jobs to educate those that have hired us or are leading us. Don't end up with crap just because you were afraid to speak up!
10. E-LEARNING HEROES! I always direct people that reach out to me to start being active in this amazing community regardless of the authoring tool they are using. The benefits of completing challenges, utilizing the available downloads and viewing eLearning examples are immeasurable.