Recruitment and assessment.

Hi Al

 Basically if they can use powerpoint they can use Storyline. Perhaps set a workplace test with an outline for a short course and get them to develop in P/Point (with animation).

Perhaps get them to document/ respond on their process - how they would get it from an outline to a course in the LMS.

Will they also need an understanding of: instructional design, SME's, graphic design, project management, sound and video editing?

Hi Kate,

Thanks for the idea, I had planned to give them a bit of a project but just wanted to sense check myself and see if there were any other ideas out there. 

They would need a basic understanding of all the skills you listed but it is very much a trainee role so they will be supported throughout their journey.  For me, it's more about how they pick up new technologies and software that concerns me.

Thanks Al.

Software is the least of it, in my experience. Storyline, as Kate points out, has done a great job of emulating the basic PowerPoint layout and interface, so if they know PowerPoint well, they are already 60-70% of the way there. Variables and triggers require a bit more technical savvy, but even those features are pretty accessible thanks to Storyline's drop-down method of constructing triggers.

If your organization is creating information-centric courses, then maybe it will be enough for your trainees to just focus on acquiring Storyline development skills. But if you're trying to create courses that jumpstart learner practice, that build skills in realistic job contexts, and that aim to have most objectives at the "Applying" level or above on Bloom's taxonomy, then you are going to have to be very, very patient with your new recruits. It takes a lifetime to get good at translating the typical SME info-dump into high-context decision-oriented training. It is really hard to do well, even for those of us who've been working at it for years. Learning Storyline is child's play in comparison.

Although it may cost more and require more upfront recruitment effort, you will likely get better results over the long haul by hiring some really skilled instructional designers, even if you have to go outside your organization to find them.

I'm with you Ray. I have some very talented staff who can do amazing things technically in Storyline but struggle to view course development from an educational perspective. Acting as the "go between" from SME to learner is very challenging. Turning content into good educational design, while advocating for the learner, requires more than just technical expertise

Kate (Cathryn) Niblett
Training Development Manager
Education, Training & Research
Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service
p: 07 4184 1834 | m: 0439 289 026/048 8958 865
a: PO Box 592, Hervey Bay QLD 4655
e: Cathryn.niblett@health.qld.gov.au | w: www.health.qld.gov.au/widebay

********************************************************************************

This email, including any attachments sent with it, is confidential and for the sole use of the intended recipient(s). This confidentiality is not waived or lost, if you receive it and you are not the intended recipient(s), or if it is transmitted/received in error.

Any unauthorised use, alteration, disclosure, distribution or review of this email is strictly prohibited. The information contained in this email, including any attachment sent with it, may be subject to a statutory duty of confidentiality if it relates to health service matters.

If you are not the intended recipient(s), or if you have received this email in error, you are asked to immediately notify the sender by telephone collect on Australia +61 1800 198 175 or by return email. You should also delete this email, and any copies, from your computer system network and destroy any hard copies produced.

If not an intended recipient of this email, you must not copy, distribute or take any action(s) that relies on it; any form of disclosure, modification, distribution and/or publication of this email is also prohibited.

Although Queensland Health takes all reasonable steps to ensure this email does not contain malicious software, Queensland Health does not accept responsibility for the consequences if any person's computer inadvertently suffers any disruption to services, loss of information, harm or is infected with a virus, other malicious computer programme or code that may occur as a consequence of receiving this email.

Unless stated otherwise, this email represents only the views of the sender and not the views of the Queensland Government.

**********************************************************************************

Thanks for your suggestions. All valid points and useful additional considerations for me think about. 

Regards Al.

Hi Alistair,

I've no experience but sometimes I think it is the attitude that matters, not just the technical skills. It might be worth asking...

What elearning they have completed themselves - what would they say was positive, what was negative - a critical attitude

What skills have they developed on their own - are they a self-starter, curious to learn rather than wait to be taught

Maybe an example of how they could improve XXX

Hope this helps and good luck.

I completely agree with everything that Ray said. Find skilled and experienced Instructional Designers with a proven track record of creating effective eLearning. Rise and Articulate are only tools (of which there are many) and anyone can learn to use them. However, very few people can use them well to create effective online courses. Actually building the course using whatever development tools is the smallest part of an eLearning project. 

+1 to Ray's comment - 'Software is the least of it ...

What exactly does that mean? Though we don't want to be wasteful, trying to train a person in the use of software, chances are that the problem will not be learning the software, but lack of knowledge of the use and application of it.

You can easily show what and where to click for a given feature, but if they don't know what the feature is for in the application of a learning experience, there's no analytical skill that will help with that.

Technical skill are essential, and knowing the company, the industry and everything else is important, but at the end of the day, the eLearning Developer will have to know at least the basics on, well, eLearning Development.

There's a misconception that knowing how to work in the company, or fitting well in the company culture will automatically make people know what they are doing, which I find baffling.

Do you, yourself, know anything about instructional design? I know that you are in the UK, but in the USA, the Department of Labor has the "Occupational Outlook Handbook", with a detailed descriptions of what the job of pretty much every title entails, giving people a basic idea of what knowledge and skills are required for a position. I'm sure you should have something similar in your country.