Hoping you can help. I have recently been given a resource to work with me. She is very willing and understands the basics of Storyline without any real issues, however she has no experience of designing effective online content.
I have a budget for getting her some training but not sure which courses are available or worth trying. We are in the north west of the England but are open to distance learning.
Omniplex host instructional design training in Harpenden, Hertfordshire. Or we could carry out this training at your offices, if you prefer. You can learn more about our instructional design training here: http://omniplex.co/instructional-design-for-elearning/
If you have any questions please contact me at hannah.waddams@omniplex.co.uk - I'm more than happy to discuss our training offering with you!
Graham - Hannah seems to be a local resource for you to tap into. I would some additional thoughts which are mini-tests to determine your colleagues level of design and creativity. Designing good training is about the creative approach and not just the mechanics.
1. give your colleague an assignment to watch a popular television or channel movie. Ask that they determine the major components of the show, what were the twists or hooks in the show, what made they say "wow" or jump in their seat, could they see the final ending early on or were they surprised.
2. next morning have a chat and debrief each other about what was good/bad/indifferent about the movie.
3. Pick a topic, e.g., diversity and ask the colleague to lay out (single page) how they would approach diversity from a different perspective using the knowledge gained from the movie. You are looking for the "wow" factor in the design concepts, the hooks, the flow of the story, e.g., it would be interesting to see the training from the perspective of the person being 'accused' of diversity shortcoming. How did the new training design open, was it welcome screen, navigation,learning objectives, course outcomes, etc (boring) or was there a splash screen with a photo of the 'accused' being interviewed by HR with a performance warning. The photo has a tag line of "How did i get here" and the training goes from back to front going through the training material in reverse order. All of this is basic Gagne - grab their attention immediately.
4. the point with this exercise is to see the creative spark and how that can be increased (look at IDEO.com or Kathy Malamed). Then when the colleague goes to Hannah's training, the colleague has a vision in mind to apply to the SL training.
5. creativity needs to be practiced every day. Once a week, have a coffee break/lunch with your colleague and being a "story" - you start with a 30 second opening, the colleague adds to the story, back to you, etc. Just see where that story goes. All of these little tips when faithfully used helps to build great training. Good luck.
Well said Mr. Goodman (BTW - high and how are ya). Step 5 was the new piece for me. I like the idea of practicing creativity. I hadn't considered that one.
Side note... I have been satisfied with the courses on Lynda.com. They have the foundational knowledge that will prepare the new resource to have those meaningful interactions listed above.
I haven't taken the ATD course that Carolyn mentioned, but from what I know of Michael Allen's work, and what I can see in the description, it looks like a really good option.
Choosing an appropriate instructional design course is actually very difficult. It's a bit like eating healthy in the United States: it requires some knowledge and extreme vigilance, because most of what's on offer is junk.
The ATD course appears to be leveraging Allen's "CCAFs" ideas, which are a great way to avoid the trap of "infodump"-style courses (a style which so dominate our industry that for many people, "infodumps" are what e-learning "is").
7 Replies
Hi Graham,
Omniplex host instructional design training in Harpenden, Hertfordshire. Or we could carry out this training at your offices, if you prefer. You can learn more about our instructional design training here: http://omniplex.co/instructional-design-for-elearning/
If you have any questions please contact me at hannah.waddams@omniplex.co.uk - I'm more than happy to discuss our training offering with you!
Thanks,
Hannah Waddams
Marketing Executive - Omniplex
Graham - Hannah seems to be a local resource for you to tap into. I would some additional thoughts which are mini-tests to determine your colleagues level of design and creativity. Designing good training is about the creative approach and not just the mechanics.
1. give your colleague an assignment to watch a popular television or channel movie. Ask that they determine the major components of the show, what were the twists or hooks in the show, what made they say "wow" or jump in their seat, could they see the final ending early on or were they surprised.
2. next morning have a chat and debrief each other about what was good/bad/indifferent about the movie.
3. Pick a topic, e.g., diversity and ask the colleague to lay out (single page) how they would approach diversity from a different perspective using the knowledge gained from the movie. You are looking for the "wow" factor in the design concepts, the hooks, the flow of the story, e.g., it would be interesting to see the training from the perspective of the person being 'accused' of diversity shortcoming. How did the new training design open, was it welcome screen, navigation,learning objectives, course outcomes, etc (boring) or was there a splash screen with a photo of the 'accused' being interviewed by HR with a performance warning. The photo has a tag line of "How did i get here" and the training goes from back to front going through the training material in reverse order. All of this is basic Gagne - grab their attention immediately.
4. the point with this exercise is to see the creative spark and how that can be increased (look at IDEO.com or Kathy Malamed). Then when the colleague goes to Hannah's training, the colleague has a vision in mind to apply to the SL training.
5. creativity needs to be practiced every day. Once a week, have a coffee break/lunch with your colleague and being a "story" - you start with a 30 second opening, the colleague adds to the story, back to you, etc. Just see where that story goes. All of these little tips when faithfully used helps to build great training. Good luck.
Well said Mr. Goodman (BTW - high and how are ya). Step 5 was the new piece for me. I like the idea of practicing creativity. I hadn't considered that one.
Side note... I have been satisfied with the courses on Lynda.com. They have the foundational knowledge that will prepare the new resource to have those meaningful interactions listed above.
I'm currently taking this online course (synchronous) through ATD in the U.S. It may suit her needs:
https://www.td.org/education-courses/e-learning-instructional-design-certificate
Good luck!
I haven't taken the ATD course that Carolyn mentioned, but from what I know of Michael Allen's work, and what I can see in the description, it looks like a really good option.
Choosing an appropriate instructional design course is actually very difficult. It's a bit like eating healthy in the United States: it requires some knowledge and extreme vigilance, because most of what's on offer is junk.
The ATD course appears to be leveraging Allen's "CCAFs" ideas, which are a great way to avoid the trap of "infodump"-style courses (a style which so dominate our industry that for many people, "infodumps" are what e-learning "is").
Cheers!
-Ray
Thanks guys. Some great ideas and links to look at. Given me a good starting point.
I agree on the CCAF model! Course has been very instructive so far (halfway through).
Carolyn
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