What Makes a Training Team? 11 Common Job Titles in E-Learning
The training and e-learning industry has never been a more exciting field to work in than it is today. First, technology—and let’s face it, e-learning is technology!—is a booming, growing industry that is ever-evolving, providing job variety as well as the opportunity to constantly learn new skills. Before the age of the Internet, training was mostly face-to-face and classroom based. But now, with globalization and increased access to the Internet, training departments are hotbeds of technology, adopting trends like gamification and interactive video. For these reasons and more, it’s easy to get excited about a career in training and e-learning design. Let’s look at some of the common job titles in today’s training and e-learning industries. Keep in mind, there are always nuances at each organization about job titles and the job functions they actually represent. The definitions below are simply a general idea of what each job title could entail. Trainer AKA: Facilitator, Instructor, Teacher What do trainers do? Simply put, they deliver instructor-led training—in either a physical or virtual classroom. Trainers deliver instructional content (designed by instructional designers), administer activities, and provide feedback to learners. To be a trainer, you need to be comfortable speaking in front of groups. Effective trainers are usually confident, dynamic, and engaging. You should also have strong communication skills and a knack for sharing information with learners in a concise and efficient way. If you have any doubts, there’s a whole industry dedicated to, well, training trainers on how to train! Two other key skills are time management and adaptability, which means being able to adjust your material or delivery on the fly to meet a group’s learning needs. And if you’re a virtual trainer, it’s important to have technology skills, like experience with web-conferencing or virtual classroom apps. Instructional Designer (ID) AKA: Training Designer, Instructional Systems Designer, Curriculum Designer Instructional designers (IDs) design training experiences. Whether the requirement is an instructor-led classroom training session, a one-hour e-learning module, or a single-page job aid, the ID needs to have the skill set to transform raw source content (often a Word document or a PowerPoint) into a meaningful and effective training solution. The output of an ID’s work varies depending on the type of training experience they are creating. If they’re designing an e-learning course, the output will likely be a storyboard, which is often passed along to a developer to create the content. On the other hand, if the ID is designing a classroom-based training activity or a simple job aid, they might develop those training materials themselves and then pass them on directly to the trainer for delivery. What skill set do you need to be a successful ID? You should be familiar with adult learning principles, learning theories, and instructional methodologies and models, such as ADDIE, SAM, and Kirkpatrick’s Levels of Evaluation. Since there’s a lot of writing involved in creating training materials, you should also strive to be a clear and effective writer. You also need to be analytical, logical, organized, and creative to design courses that present the key messages in a way that makes sense and engages the learners. E-Learning Developer AKA: Multimedia Developer, E-Learning Designer, Course Developer The e-learning developer takes the instructionally designed content (typically a storyboard or Word document) created by the instructional designer and develops them into a functional online course using e-learning authoring software. Depending on the level of detail the ID includes in their storyboard, the developer may or may not need to make some visual design and content layout decisions. They might also be the point person to replace any placeholder content (such as images or videos) and provide the final content. The e-learning developer’s skill set, ideally, would include strong experience using e-learning authoring software, a certain level of graphic and visual design abilities, an ability to manage timelines and due dates, and a level of comfort working with audio and video. Subject Matter Expert (SME) The Subject Matter Expert (SME) is someone who’s an expert in their field. SMEs aren’t usually specifically hired for the purpose of developing e-learning courses (though that does happen in certain cases). The SME is usually the person in an organization who has the most knowledge or skill in a specific topic and is simply helping out with the course creation process. The SME could be an HR staff member, an engineer, a researcher, a product manager, a sales manager, a finance person, etc. SMEs have the content, experience, and insights that are essential to creating great e-learning courses. They provide the course content to the instructional designer, who picks out the key messages and decides how to present them to learners in an effective way. Then the SME reviews the course to ensure the content is still accurate. In addition to being an expert on the subject, ideally the SME is someone who’s got a basic understanding of what makes training effective and how the course creation process works. If that’s not the case, it’s a good idea for the instructional designer to give them a quick overview, so they know what to expect. Here’s a course that was designed for this exact purpose. It’s also important for SMEs to be detail-oriented, since the accuracy of the content depends on them reviewing the course carefully, every step of the way. Finally, a good SME also has great communication skills, allowing them to provide clear feedback, so the instructional designer can then adapt the course accordingly. Here are some tips for first-time Subject Matter Experts. Content Editor AKA: Proofreader Some larger e-learning course creation companies hire content editors to review their courses. Their job is to ensure that everything is explained clearly, terms are used consistently, and the text is free of typos, grammatical mistakes, and spelling errors. When the project team is smaller or if courses are created internally, the content editor role is often done more informally by, say, a willing coworker. No matter who proofreads your course, it’s important that they have excellent writing skills and are detail-oriented. If you don’t have access to a professional content editor, here’s an article that outlines some things to ask your coworker to watch out for as they review your course: Top Writing Tips for E-Learning. Quality Assurance (QA) Tester AKA: Usability Tester Some training companies hire QA testers to review their courses from a technical standpoint and ensure everything works properly before they roll them out to learners. In smaller companies, this step is often something the instructional designer or e-learning developer hands off to a friendly coworker. QA testers spend time going through the courses and exploring any and all possible paths a learner might take, to ensure the learner doesn’t run into any issues. In addition to having patience, QA testers need to be extremely observant and meticulous—taking note of anything that works in a way they wouldn’t expect. Here’s a list of things to look out for. Graphic Designer AKA: Illustrator Not every company has the budget to have a dedicated graphic designer, but having one can really add value. Graphic designers can design custom slide layouts, icons, illustrations, and more that will make your courses look even more professional. For those of you working on teams without a graphic designer, don’t worry! If you’re an Articulate 360 subscriber, you’ve got access to tons of great templates, icons, illustrations, and photos for no additional cost in Content Library 360. Graphic designers working on e-learning project teams require a skill set similar to those working in other environments: a great eye for design, creativity, and a familiarity with apps like Photoshop and Illustrator. It’s also helpful if graphic designers are organized and used to working in teams. That way they’ll be used to clearly labeling the assets they create so other people can easily find and edit them as needed. E-Learning Project Manager AKA: Training Project Manager Much like project managers in any field, an e-learning project manager is responsible for organizing and coordinating the creation of e-learning courses. Typically, this kind of role exists in larger e-learning content creation companies. In smaller organizations, the person managing the course creation might also be the instructional designer and/or the e-learning developer. In this case, they’d need to have the required skills for all three of those roles. The project manager is the main contact for external clients. As such, they serve as a liaison between the client and the project team members (instructional designers, e-learning developers, etc.), making sure everyone stays on the same page. The project manager also manages the course creation schedule, ensuring that things move forward as expected and stay on track to meet the deadlines. To be successful in this role, you need to know how to manage a team, a project schedule, and work with clients effectively. You need to have excellent relationship-building skills and be able to communicate clearly. And since you’ll need to anticipate any potential pitfalls that could pop up throughout the project, it’s helpful to have basic instructional design skills, a general understanding of what’s possible in the authoring tools you’re using, and a working knowledge of the way LMSs work. Training Manager AKA: Training Coordinator, Manager of Training and Development The training manager designs, develops, and executes an organization’s training strategy (which is usually outlined by the director of training). They typically work with internal stakeholders and teams to develop training programs—including in-person and online training—that align with the organization’s business goals. The training manager often takes care of scheduling instructor-led training sessions, booking training venues, communicating with participants about class logistics, ordering classroom materials, and more. They also identify training and developmental needs by analyzing job requirements, operational opportunities, and current training programs. After completing this research, they analyze the data and use a metrics-driven approach to develop training solutions and learning initiatives. Often, they will oversee other members of the training team, including the IDs, developers, and trainers. A training manager’s skill set should include the ability to manage a team, timelines, and projects. They should be well-versed in instructional design methodologies, performance management, needs analyses, and adult learning techniques to develop appropriate training programs as required. Director of Training AKA: Director of Learning, Chief Learning Officer, Director of Talent Development The director of training is a step above the manager of training. Directors are at the top of the chain; they provide the vision and direction for the training department and then oversee the managers as they execute the training strategy. Directors must think about the future of an organization, its assets, and its reputation with every decision they make. A director’s skill set should include leadership skills, broad knowledge of the industry at hand, a deep understanding of instructional design and learning methodologies, performance analysis skills, experience creating learning and development programs, and strong communication skills. LMS Administrator AKA: Training Systems Administrator, Training Implementation Specialist An LMS administrator uploads and tests the e-learning courses created by the e-learning developer in a company’s learning management system (LMS). This specialist also manages all tasks related to the LMS, including communicating with the software vendor, troubleshooting and fixing user issues, compiling reports and data, and communicating about performance metrics. What skills should an LMS admin possess? They should be a subject matter expert (SME) on the LMS platform an organization uses, possess strong technical capabilities, and hopefully have some experience in IT systems management. An LMS admin should also have in-depth knowledge of industry-standard publishing formats such as SCORM, xAPI (Tin Can API), cmi5, and AICC—and it doesn’t hurt to have experience uploading courses created with the authoring software being used by the organization. More Resources These are some of the most common job titles in the training and e-learning industry. Of course, plenty of jobs out there include a blend of the various roles. For instance, we see a lot of IDs who are also e-learning developers or trainers, and some training managers who act as directors, setting the training strategy. It really varies from one organization to another. Looking for some more insight into the day-to-day activities of e-learning pros? Check out these eye-opening articles: A Day in the Life of an Instructional Designer A Day in the Life of an E-Learning Freelancer A Day in the Life of an E-Learning Project Manager Is your job title listed here? Does the description above accurately reflect what you do and the skills you believe are required to do it? Leave us a comment below and let us know! Follow us on Twitter and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning.Get to Know The 4 Levels of E-Learning
If you work in e-learning or training, you’ve probably heard people refer to the levels of e-learning before. But what does that mean? In the e-learning industry, there are four generally accepted levels of e-learning that will, in turn, affect the learning experience, cost, and development time of your project. Today, you’ll get a high-level look at all four levels. Once you understand the key components of each level, you’ll be better equipped to estimate the time—and also cost—of future projects. Level 1: Passive Interactivity Level 1 e-learning is a passive experience, where the learner just consumes information. There’s little to no interactivity with the course and the learner mostly reads and moves forward by clicking Next. In fact, some refer to level 1 as the “click next” style of e-learning because of its low level of interactivity. These courses include static text and images, and little to no multimedia. Quizzes in level 1 courses are usually straightforward multiple choice and true-or-false questions. Level 1 e-learning, while simple, does have its place: it can be a quick way to cover simple rules or procedures. Check out these examples to get a better understanding of what level 1 courses look like: View Example View Example Level 2: Limited Interactivity At level 2, e-learning courses start to incorporate some multimedia. Courses at this level can contain audio, some video, basic animations, and a few simple transitions. This level of content is often accompanied by narration and click-and-reveal interactions. Level 2 quizzes start to incorporate drag-and-drop interactions and matching activities. If you’re looking for a nice middle ground with a richer learning experience without too much development time, level 2 e-learning is probably a good fit. Here are some examples of level 2 courses: View Example View Example Level 3: Complex Interactivity With level 3 e-learning courses, the interactions become even more sophisticated. In this level, you can expect to include extensive audio, video, transitions, animations, and more. Quizzing can involve branched, scenario-based questions that allow learners to explore multiple paths and feedback levels. Level 3 e-learning is usually a good fit if you’re looking to teach learners more complex skills, for example, if you’re creating a course for new nurses on patient care. Here are some examples of level 3 e-learning: View Example View Example Level 4: Full Immersion Level 4 e-learning uses all of the components in levels 1, 2, and 3, plus gamification or simulation. These courses may incorporate 360° images, games or complex gamification, scenarios, avatars, or interactive videos. These courses are more immersive than other levels of e-learning. As learners interact with the course, they receive feedback on their choices. And in some cases, their choices might even impact the content they’re presented with next. This makes level 4 e-learning excellent for learners who need to practice real-time decision-making skills. Although these courses take the longest to develop, the learner experience makes it well worth the effort. Take a look at a few examples: View Example View Example Wrap-Up Now that you know about the four levels of e-learning, you’re ready to identify which one a new project falls under! This will help you appropriately estimate the time and assets needed to create the course. Are you looking to learn more about e-learning development? Check out these helpful resources. What You Need to Know to Create Amazing E-Learning 6 Easy Ways to Make More Compelling Interactions for Your Online Courses Here’s How I Transformed This Static E-Learning Content What level of e-learning is your favorite to create? Let me know in the comments below. Follow us on Twitter and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning.Follow These Tips to Reduce Your Risk of Corrupting or Losing Project Files
It’s every e-learning developer’s worst nightmare: you’re hard at work in an application, deep in development, when all of a sudden—the software freezes! You start frantically clicking around … this can’t be happening! When did you last save the file? Are you going to lose all that work?!? Others (not you, right?) have faced the horror of having an entire project, representing weeks or even months of work, become corrupt and completely unusable. Different scenario, same result. Yuk. File corruption can happen, even in the best software, and even if you’re following all the recommended best practices. It’s not just a software crash that could wipe out or damage project files; it could be a power outage, your computer crashing, or even just the size of your project file, as very large files have a higher risk of corrupting. You need to be prepared if a problem occurs and know what options can help to prevent it. To be ready if it happens, follow these pro tips. Work Locally You should always save and publish all of your Articulate Storyline files and projects to your local hard drive, which is typically your C: drive. Working on a network drive or an external (USB) drive can cause erratic behavior due to latency, which is the amount of time it takes for the information to traverse the systems. As a result, your files might become corrupted, you could be unable to save changes, or your application might “freeze” altogether. If you need to copy your project over to a network drive or a USB drive for backup or versioning purposes, only do it once you’ve saved the file and exited the Storyline application. Do not reopen the project file until it’s finished copying. (That’s why backing up your Storyline 360 project files to Review 360 or uploading content to a library of shared team slides are better options.) To learn even more about the importance of working locally, read this helpful article by Trina Rimmer: Save Time with This E-Learning Project Troubleshooting Checklist. Use Proper File-Naming Conventions It’s important that you follow some important basic conventions when you name your project files and published output. Do not use special characters, accents, or symbols in your Storyline file names or in any file paths. And avoid using spaces in your file names and file paths; spaces will be replaced by symbols (i.e., %) when you publish the course, which looks messy and could possibly contribute to file corruption. Here are a few suggestions for naming your files without spaces: Use an Underscore or Dash: Instead of using spaces between the words, use a dash or an underscore. For example, safety_training_101.story, or retail-module-3.story. Use CamelCase: CamelCase is a practice often used in the web development world that includes writing words or sentences so each word begins with a capital letter; for example, SafetyTraining101.story or RetailModule3.story. With either of these tips, you can easily read your file names without using spaces. Another best practice: always use short names to ensure the file paths to your projects and published output are well under the 260-character limit imposed by Microsoft Windows. Save Often Get into the habit of saving your work at least every 5 to 10 minutes. The fastest and easiest way to save your file is to simply hit CTRL+S on your keyboard. You should save so often it becomes automatic and you don’t even notice when you’re doing it. When you see an asterisk (*) next to your project file’s name, it means your project has changes and needs to be saved: It also should go without saying that you should always save after you do something complex, confusing, or time-consuming that you don’t want to have to repeat. Create Versions In addition to constantly saving your project file, you should be “versioning” as well. To create a version is simply to do a Save As of the file and then save it with a new name; this makes a new version of the file. The number of versions you create will depend on you and your requirements, but here are a few ideas: Daily: You might consider creating a new version of the *.story file every day and including that day’s date in the title. For example: safety-training-03-22-2016.story. This way, if you need to go back to a previous version, you’ll have every day to choose from. Weekly: Versioning every day might be too often for your needs; if that’s the case consider doing at the very least a weekly version of your document. If you choose to store versions less frequently than weekly, you might find you have to re-do a lot of work to get your project file back where you need it to be. Major Changes: It’s a good idea to always create a new version when there’s a major change to the file, including navigation changes or any design changes that are going to apply project-wide. If you change your mind, or need to go back for any reason, you’ll be thankful you made the new version. How long do you want to hang on to all those versions? It depends, but until the project is delivered is probably a safe bet. After that, you might want to hang on to a couple of versions but are probably safe deleting the rest. Back Up Your Work Saving your work religiously and creating file versions won’t do you much good if your computer crashes. To save yourself major headaches when something unpredictable occurs, you need to back up your work OFTEN. How often? How many hours of work are you willing to redo should a crash occur? I recommend backing up your work at least once a day. Let’s review some options for backing up your work: Review 360: When you publish a Storyline 360 project to Review 360, you can include the source file so it's downloadable from Review 360. You can even store project files for multiple versions of a course. (Articulate 360 subscribers have access to this feature. If you don't have Articulate 360, start a free 30-day trial.) File-Hosting Service: Use a third-party hosting service to back up your project files.The options abound: Dropbox, Carbonite, Backblaze, and many more. Some of these services automatically back up all your files constantly, so you don’t even have to think about it. File or Web Server: Opt for a file or web server to upload your files and back up your work. External Hard Drive: Save your files to an external hard drive. Even if you do this, it’s still a good idea to back up that hard drive to a server or file-hosting service in case the drive itself should ever become corrupt. Yes, there are costs associated with most of these options, but it’s usually much less than the cost of losing your work, which can represent many, many hours of development time. If you work in an office setting, check to see if the IT department has a backup system already in place. If so, ask about the policy, and then consider making your own backups as well, as an extra precaution. Enable Auto-Recovery Storyline has a handy auto-recovery feature. To initiate the feature, you need to save your project file at least once. It should be enabled by default; but to make sure, or to make adjustments to the intervals, click on File from the Storyline ribbon and select Storyline Options at the bottom of the menu. In the Storyline Options window, you’ll notice the AutoRecovery option. When you select this option, Storyline will automatically save a copy of your project at the specified interval and you can recover your work if the power goes out or the app shuts down unexpectedly. The default interval is every 10 minutes, but you can enter any whole number between 1 and 120. Learn more about the auto-recovery feature on this page: Setting Articulate Storyline Options. Why does the auto-recovery feature exist? If Storyline crashes or closes unexpectedly, chances are you didn’t save before it closed. So, in the background, the application has been doing it for you. This means Storyline will prompt you, when you reopen the file, with a message to recover the file from the last auto-recovery save that occurred. Exit the Application Another best practice is to not leave the Storyline application open and unattended for long periods of time. If you leave the application running overnight, it’s possible that a malware scan or disk backup could run because the machine is idle, making your application vulnerable to crashing. When you’re done working with your project file and about to step away, do a final save, close the application, and back up the latest version—just to be safe. Check Temp Files If there’s a crash and your file is lost or corrupt, don’t lose hope: there may still be a working version of your project in your temp files. Here's how to check: Open this folder in Windows Explorer: %appdata%\Articulate\Storyline. Scan the contents of this folder for a file that starts with the name of your project. If you find the file, copy it to your desktop (if you find more than one, copy the latest version). Change the file extension of the copy on your desktop from *.tmp to *.story. Double-click the file to open it in Storyline. If your project file isn't there, it may be lost (sad face). But the good news is, if you’ve been following the recommended best practices above—versioning and backing up your work—you’ve hopefully only lost a minimal amount of work. In Sum These are just some of the tips you can follow to avoid corrupt and lost project files. Remember, it’s all about being proactive just in case the unpredictable happens! Follow us on Twitter and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning.How to Do a Task Analysis Like a Pro
Task analysis is one of the cornerstones of instructional design. But what is it, really? The name says a lot: you analyze a task, step by step, to document how that task is completed. At first glance, this seems like a straightforward thing. But even the easiest tasks can be quite complex. Things you do every day might seem simple when you first think about them. But what happens when you eliminate internalized or assumed knowledge? Take sending an email. Easy, right? Maybe four or five steps? Click the New Mail icon Enter a Recipient Enter a Subject Enter your email text Click Send But what about carbon copy or blind carbon copy recipients? What if you need to attach an invoice or picture? What app do you use to create the email in the first place (or are you sending from Gmail in your browser)? For that matter, from which device are you sending the email? Suddenly that “simple” task is a set of processes, organized by device, operating system, and application, with various subtasks along the way accounting for mailing list complexities and the purpose of your email. As I was writing this I came up with about a dozen different variations, all of which would need to be closely analyzed and broken down precisely. Even the most average task has a lot behind it. This is why understanding how to do a task analysis is so important to becoming a successful instructional designer. When instructional designers create training, they’re teaching the learner how to accomplish something. Task analysis helps you focus on what they’re going to do and how they’ll do it (don’t worry so much about the why; that comes later). The easiest way to illustrate the process is with an example. Let’s say you work at a midsize media company and your boss asks you to complete a task analysis on how the company’s social media manager does her job. They want this documented for training purposes for future hires. That means you’ll need to: Identify the task to analyze Break down the task into subtasks Identify steps in subtasks Let’s take a closer look at each of these steps. Step 1: Identify the Task to Analyze Tasks are the duties carried out by someone on the job. The social media manager carries out a lot of duties, so you need to be able to break them down into broad activities (aka tasks!) and focus on them one at a time. Don’t worry about all the little things that make up the task; we’ll get to that in a second. Here we’re looking to paint with broad strokes. One of the social media manager’s tasks is to add new content to social media sites every morning. Your tasks should describe what a person does on the job and must start with an action verb. So, in this case, the first task to analyze is “Add new content to social media.” Step 2: Break Down the Task into Subtasks Once you identify the task, you need to identify the subtasks, the smaller processes that make up the larger task. Remember in the email example above where I mentioned attachments and carbon-copying recipients? That’s the kind of thing you capture here. These should also be brief and start with an action verb. Continuing the social media manager example, you need to find out the subtasks of adding new content to social media. You can figure this out by talking to or observing the social media manager. Through this process, you discover that the subtasks for adding new content to social media are: Check the editorial calendar Add new content to Twitter You’re making good progress! You can now move on to Step 3. Step 3: Identify Steps in Subtasks Now it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty. You’ve identified the task and broken it down into subtasks. The final step, then, is to identify and list the steps for each subtask. Do this by breaking down all of the subtasks into specific step-by-step, chronological actions. The key here is to use a “Goldilocks” approach to detail: not too much and not too little. Use just the right amount so learners can follow the instructions easily. Again, as with tasks and subtasks, your steps need to start with an action verb. So, putting everything together from steps 1 and 2 and then breaking the subtasks into steps, your final task analysis would look like this; 1. Adding new content to social media 1.1 Check the editorial calendar 1.1.1 Navigate to the calendar webpage 1.1.2 Click today’s date 1.1.3 Click newest article title to open article 1.1.4 Click inside article URL bar 1.1.5 Copy URL for article to clipboard 1.1.6 Highlight title text of article 1.1.7 Copy the title text to clipboard 1.1.8 Close the calendar 1.2 Add new content to Twitter 1.2.1 Navigate to Twitter account 1.2.2 Log in to Twitter account 1.2.3 Click Tweet button 1.2.4 Paste article title from clipboard 1.2.5 Paste article URL from clipboard 1.2.6 Click Tweet button to publish There are several ways to approach task analysis. It’s a fine art deciding how far down the rabbit hole you need to go with detail. Instructional designers can debate for hours whether saying “log in” is enough or if that needs to be broken down further into “enter user name,” “enter password,” and “click the login button.” Again, it all comes down to figuring out how much detail is just right for your audience. Wrapping Up That’s it! As you can see, while creating a task analysis boils down to “just” three steps, there are a lot of nuanced decisions to make along the way. Remember the Goldilocks Rule and always consider your audience and the seriousness of the subject matter when deciding just how nitpicky you need your task analysis to be. After all, there’s a marked difference between how much detail a learner needs when they’re learning how to perform brain surgery versus filling out their timecard. Do you have any do’s and don’ts of your own for completing a successful task analysis? If you do, please leave a comment below. We love to hear your feedback! Follow us on Twitter and come back to E-learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning.30+ Best E-Learning Portfolio Examples for Inspiration in 2024 #451
E-Learning Portfolios for 2024 RECAP #451: Challenge | Recap Are you looking for fresh, visually engaging ways to showcase your e-learning projects? Or perhaps you're looking to hire talented e-learning designers to help with your next project. Either way, we've got you covered with 30+ e-learning portfolio examples. From simple portfolios using E-Learning Heroes profile pages to custom-designed websites, this week's roundup features a range of creative ways to present your best e-learning work. Jonathan Hill Portfolio Tip: Share your E-Learning Heroes profile page to showcase examples of your work. Example | Jonathan Hill | Website | @DevByPowerPoint Jeniffer Brubaker Example | Jeniffer Brubaker Christine Vadovszki Portfolio Tip: Networking is so important! I think it's really important to talk to people, build relationships and connections as I often find these one-to-one interactions are what often land jobs rather than sending a resume or portfolio into the oblivion. Example | Christine Vadovszki Anel Albertao Example | Anel Albertao | Website Kari Edmonds Example | Kari Edmonds | Website Ayla Blacklaw Example | Ayla Blacklaw | Website Cherisse Lipps Example | Cherisse Lipps | Website Joanne Chen Example | Joanne Chen | Website Jodi M. Sansone Example | Jodi M. Sansone | Website | @jodimsansone Teo Karageorgakis Example | Teo Karageorgakis | Website Michael Schleicher Example | Michael Schleicher Alexander Salas Example | Alexander Salas | Website | @stylelearn Thaddaeus Smith Portfolio Tip: Portfolios are living documents and grow and change with the person they represent. As existing skills are sharpened, new skills are obtained, new technologies are incorporated, and new practices are implemented, the portfolio should be modified to reflect those changes. Example | Thaddaeus Smith | Website Ilona Winnemore Example | Ilona Winnemore | Website Samuel Apata Portfolio Tip: Before having a dedicated portfolio, I used to share my demos through the community page which is still a free and viable option. Example | ELH Portfolio | Samuel Apata | Website | @afrostem Thierry EMMANUEL Example | Thierry EMMANUEL | Website Michelle Susar Example | Michelle Susar Amar Kulshreshtha Portfolio Tip: I create articles on my LinkedIn profile Example | Amar Kulshreshtha | Website | @AmarShreshtha Julie BIGOT Example | Julie BIGOT | Website Laura Hansen Portfolio Tip: Set achievable and measurable goals for your own development. This year I have created a goal for myself to submit at least one E-Learning Heroes challenge a month and have two virtual networking calls a month. Example | Laura Hansen Silver Echo77 Portfolio Tip: Showcase a variety of projects that highlight different skills and strengths. It's all about demonstrating versatility! Silver Echo77 Missy Hovland Example | Missy Hovland Maria Munoz Portfolio Tip: Every day is a new opportunity to learn something new. Set realistic and achievable goals that will help you grow. Example | Maria Munoz Tracy Carroll Example | Learn more | Tracy Carroll | Website | @1tracycarroll Emma B Portfolio Tip: Curate! Don't put everything in there and ensure your portfolio really is a demonstration of your best work. Try to include a variety of examples and put in some good quality images / screenshots of your work. Focus on how you solved problems or tackled challenges, to achieve your end result. Also take a look at what other people are doing and learn from them. Don't put too much pressure on yourself to get it perfect and remember you can always change things as you, your skills and your style changes. Example | Emma B | Website Logan Monday Portfolio Tip: Keep showing your work and network with people that can support you as well as inspire you. Example | Logan Monday Wrenn Corcoran Example | Wrenn Corcoran Courtney Roberts Portfolio Tip: Have fun building your portfolio. Do what you like and what inspires YOU! Example | Courtney Roberts Kate Golomshtok Portfolio Tip: Learn how to be inspired by the world around you. Inspiration can come from a variety of sources: films, music, advertising, books, and many others. It’s important to see the ideas around you and use them to create interesting and helpful courses. Example | Kate Golomshtok | Website Anne-Marie Fiore Example | Anne-Marie Fiore | Website Jared Speight Portfolio Tip: Have a flagship project where you include design documents, discuss accessibility features, and show the results of your course/job aid if possible. Jared Speight Jayashree Ravi Networking Tip: Be genuine and proactive in building relationships. Connect with fellow professionals through online communities like LinkedIn, engage in meaningful conversations, and offer value. Authentic relationships can lead to collaborations and opportunities. Career Tip: Never stop learning. The digital learning landscape evolves rapidly. Stay curious, invest in continuous learning, and embrace challenges as opportunities for growth. Committing to lifelong learning sets you apart and fuels success in your career journey. Example | Jayashree Ravi | LinkedIn Teammate Learning and Development Example | Teammate Learning and Development | Website New to the E-Learning Challenges? The weekly challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challenges anytime you want. I'll update the recap posts to include your demos. If you have a blog, please write about your challenge example. I'll add links to your blog post so your examples get even more exposure. And for those who share your demos on Twitter or LinkedIn, please include #ELHChallenge so your network (and Articulate!) can track your e-learning coolness. Share Your E-Learning Portfolio Examples! The e-learning portfolio challenge is still open! If you have one or more ideas you'd like to share, please jump over to the original challenge and post your links in the comments section. I'll update this recap page to include your examples.7 Common E-Learning Job Interview Questions
Do you have an e-learning job interview coming up and want to feel prepared? If so, you’ve come to the right place! One of the best ways to get ready is to practice answering some common questions before the big day. That way you’ll arrive feeling confident, comfortable, and in control. So, what questions should you practice answering? Let’s dive into seven prompts that e-learning candidates get asked the most—and how interviewers expect you to respond. #1: Can you tell me about yourself? This is a classic interview question—no matter what industry you’re in. That’s because it’s an easy way to transition into the interview and give candidates an opportunity to introduce themselves. But there’s no need to go into your entire life story here. The interviewer just wants to hear a summary of your professional experience and qualifications and how those skills relate to the job. Whatever you decide to share, keep it concise. #2: Why do you want to work here? It’s a fair question. People take pride in the company they work for and want to know if you share in that passion. This question gives the interviewer some insight into how much you know about the company, its culture, and its values. So, make sure you research the company beforehand so you can truthfully answer why the company and role appeal to you. #3: What’s your typical e-learning process? Since the e-learning creation process can vary with each company, the interviewer wants to know how you typically approach new projects and what instructional methods guide your work. This also gives them more insight into whether you know all the steps involved in designing an e-learning course. Some companies also don’t have all the resources to fill an entire team, so knowing how involved you are in each step can give them a better picture of your capabilities and what you can bring to their team. #4: What tools are you comfortable using? The interviewer wants to know what applications you’re comfortable with. Often, the programs that are required for the position are listed in the job description. Sharing your proficiency with these applications lets them know you can quickly adapt if hired. But what if there’s a program you’re unfamiliar with? Try to obtain a free trial before the interview to determine if you can comfortably use it and to show your willingness to learn new tools. And don’t forget to mention any other programs that would help you create quality courses. #5: Have you ever disagreed with a subject matter expert? If so, how did you resolve it? We all know that subject matter experts (SMEs) play a critical role in the e-learning process. But despite their importance to your projects, interviewers are also aware that their different perspectives and priorities can sometimes cause tension in the working relationship. Interviewers want to know you’re honest—so saying you’ve never worked with anyone challenging might not seem plausible or could make you come across as inexperienced. Whatever example you share, make sure it has a positive outcome so the interviewer knows you can work with different types of personalities. #6: What do you consider to be your greatest weakness? Here you are trying to put your best foot forward, and now you have to talk about how terrible you are at something. But this question is actually more about turning a negative into a positive. The interviewer wants to see that you’re self-aware enough to recognize a skill or experience gap but determined enough to overcome it. Share something you’ve worked on or are currently working on that shows you take initiative in your professional development. #7: Why should we hire you? Sometimes this question takes the form of “Why should I hire you over other candidates?” Obviously, you don’t know who else has applied, but the real reason interviewers ask this is to hear what you think makes you the best fit for the position. Don’t give a vague answer such as “I’m a hard worker.” They want to know what’s unique about you and how your specific skill set would complement their team. Wrap-Up These are just a few of the questions you can expect to be asked in e-learning job interviews, so don’t stop here! Do more research and find out what else interviewers ask. And then, practice out loud so you can respond with confidence when it’s time for the actual interview. Just make sure you’re not responding with general answers that anyone could say. The main goal is to be personable and memorable so the interviewer knows who you are. Looking for more ways to prepare for your e-learning job interview? Check out these helpful resources for more ideas! Storyline: E-Learning Interview Questions Snag That E-Learning Job with These 5 Interview Tips 5 Tips for Landing Your Next E-Learning Job Rise 360: Can You Talk Your Way Into Higher Pay? Branching Scenario Follow us on Twitter and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning. If you have any questions, please share them in the comments.A Day in the Life of an Instructional Designer
In today’s world, there are so many new job titles popping up that it’s hard to know what they all mean. And it’s even harder to really understand on a deeper level what anyone’s day-to-day looks like. No matter how many times my brother explains his job to me (he’s a software engineer) I feel like I never fully get it. But I’m comforted by the idea that he undoubtedly feels the same way about my job. So whether you’re an instructional designer looking to provide some much-needed clarity to friends and family about your job, or you’re looking into becoming an instructional designer but want some insight on what that actually entails, this article is for you! Here's a peek at the schedule I kept as a full-time instructional designer in a boutique e-learning firm. 9:00 am I get to work, say hi to coworkers, grab a cup of coffee, and sit down at my desk. I check my e-mail for any urgent messages and set aside any non-urgent messages for later. 9:15 am It’s time for our daily standup meeting. The team goes around the table and states our top priority for the day. The project managers course-correct if our priorities don’t align with project priorities. 9:30 am Next up: a kickoff meeting for Project XYZ with the project manager, the e-learning developer, the client, and the Subject Matter Expert. We take this time to define the target audience, learning objectives, technical requirements, and other project parameters. 10:30 am Back at my desk, I start going through the raw materials (PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, or Word documents) for Project XYZ and picking out key messages based on the learning objectives. From that information, I create a course outline and send it the project manager, who will review and send it to the client. 11:30 am While I’m waiting for the client’s feedback on the Project XYZ outline, I work on the storyboard for Project ABC. I review the learning objectives, course outline, and raw materials and think about the best way to help learners understand and apply the key messages. I take that overarching idea and break it down, slide by slide. I decide when to include videos, interactions, animations, etc. If there’s voice-over audio, I write the script. 12:30 pm Time for a lunch break. With all that designing, I’ve worked up quite an appetite! 1:30 pm Back at my desk, I check my e-mail again. I got a message from a project manager saying that Project JKL’s client—whose feedback we’ve been waiting on for months—finally got back to us. The client needs the updated prototype by the end of the day, so I get working right away. I make the necessary changes to the course in Storyline and publish it to Articulate Review. I let the project manager know so she can review the new version and send it to the client for approval. 2:30 pm I go back to working on the storyboard for Project ABC. I chat with the e-learning developer about the feasibility of certain interactions and with the graphic designer about some illustration ideas. 3:30 pm A project manager stops by my desk to let me know that Project XYZ’s client is on the phone and wants to talk about the outline we sent to him this morning. We go into a meeting room to take the call. The client gives us his feedback over the phone and I take notes. After the call, the project manager tells me that this project takes priority over Project ABC. We need to finish the storyboard by the end of the week. 4:30 pm Back at my desk, I set aside Project ABC for Project XYZ. I start working on the storyboard. I have a couple of questions about the content, so I send them to the project manager, who will forward them to the Subject Matter Expert. While I wait on those answers, I continue working on another section of the storyboard. 5:30 pm I save and close my storyboard when I get to a good stopping point and make a note of where I left off. I go back and respond to the non-urgent e-mails I set aside this morning and make a to-do list for the next day. 6:00 pm Time to go home and relax! As you can see, the job of an instructional designer is fast-paced. At any given time, most instructional designers are working on multiple projects—in various stages of the development process—simultaneously. Priorities can change quickly, so it’s important to be ready and willing to shift gears when needed. This is largely due to the fact that sometimes client response time is variable. They may respond quickly or they may take days or even weeks to reply. But either way, they usually expect you to respond right away. If you’re also the project manager, you can temper this expectation by setting deadlines for their feedback and explaining that if they don’t respond within that deadline, they may have to wait when they do give you feedback because you’ll be working on another project. Keep in mind that every organization is different, and that depending on how big your team is, you might end up doing more or fewer of the things mentioned above. For example, in some organizations you might have to both design and develop the e-learning courses. And in some smaller organizations you might have to be the project manager, instructional designer, e-learning developer, and graphic designer—all rolled into one! Every organization works differently. Here are some additional resources to help you better understand the job of an instructional designer: An Introduction to Instructional Design What Makes a Training Team? 6 Common Job Titles in E-Learning Like this article? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest e-learning inspiration and insights directly in your inbox. You can also find us on LinkedIn and X (Formerly Twitter).E-Learning: Storyboard vs. Prototype
If you’re new to e-learning, you may have heard people throw around terms like storyboard and prototype without daring to ask the question: What’s the difference? Well, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! In this article, we’ll walk through the definitions of both as well as some advantages and disadvantages of using one over the other. Let’s get to it! E-Learning Storyboard A storyboard can act as a blueprint for developing custom, interactive e-learning in apps like Storyline 3/360. Using a storyboard helps you lay out the visuals, multimedia, text, audio elements, interactions, and navigation details (where does the learner go next?) of each and every slide in your course. By viewing the storyboard, the stakeholders should be able to understand what learners will see, hear, and do during the course. Often, storyboards are created with Microsoft Word or PowerPoint. While this makes it easy to share the course content and design with stakeholders, the drawback is that it can be harder for them to imagine what that experience will be like. For people who have never been part of an e-learning project team before, storyboards can feel a little abstract. However, the more experience stakeholders have with e-learning, the easier it is for them to look at one and imagine what the finished course will be like. Advantages Helpful way to get stakeholder buy-in. Quick and easy to create and edit. Puts focus on the content itself instead of functionality and layouts. E-Learning Prototype We like to think of a prototype as a halfway point between a storyboard and the final version of a course. Like a storyboard, it lays out all the course content. And like a finished course, it’s clickable, so stakeholders can interact with it. That way, instead of having to imagine what that experience will be like, they can actually click through for themselves and get a feel for the flow of the course. Sometimes, prototypes include branding elements—like the customer logo, colors, and fonts—which allows the stakeholders to approve their usage. However, unlike a finished course, prototypes usually contain only mockups of graphics, and not the final versions. They also don’t include the final version of the voiceover audio. In fact, sometimes they don’t include any audio at all—just the script that’ll be used to record it later on. Other times, designers will include text-to-speech audio to allow stakeholders to hear for themselves what the audio script sounds like when read aloud. That way, if stakeholders notice anything that sounds awkward, they can request changes before the audio is recorded. Advantages Often easier for stakeholders to understand. Gives stakeholders a preview of what the entire course experience will be like. Saves the designer time by getting approval before developing the final course. More Resources Some e-learning designers swear by storyboards, claiming it’s an essential step in the course creation process. Others skip straight to prototyping, saying it’ll save them time in the long run by helping stakeholders better understand what the final course will look like. In the end, there’s no right or wrong answer here, it’s all about personal preference. Looking for more storyboarding and prototyping tips? Check out these helpful resources. Articles 11 Best Practices for E-Learning Storyboarding Storyboard Like a Pro with Storyline 360 and Review 360 What Information Do You Include in Your Storyboards? Downloads Storyline: Storyboard/Prototype Sample Storyline: Storyboard Template Based on the definitions of storyboard and prototype above, what do you think are the pros and cons of each? Do you always create a storyboard, or do you prefer to skip straight to prototyping? Leave us your thoughts in the comments! Follow us on Twitter and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning.How To Make the Business Case for E-Learning Software
As a success coach with Articulate, I’m on the front lines answering customer questions (and yes, indeed, we get them all). In a single day, we might hear, “What is e-learning exactly?” “What is the cost of a license?” and everything in between. The most frustrating comment we hear, however, is “Now I just need to convince my boss to pay for it.” You know how great our software is, but what’s the best strategy to convince the “higher-ups” to go for it? Here are some helpful hints … Share a Demo The first rule of sales is “show …don’t tell.” We are happy to offer a free, fully functional trial of Articulate Storyline and Articulate Studio so you can experience how easy they are to use, and so your boss can see how robust the software is. To someone not fully versed in e-learning, and not up to speed on Storyline, words like triggers and format painter and highly immersive courses don’t mean a lot. Those people need to see the difference. Identify the Cost Benefit Another piece of advice is to make it make sense—and cents! How much time would Storyline save you compared to the tools and resources you use now? Especially if your workload is at capacity, this can be a powerful message. It is always less expensive to use better software than it is to add an employee. And, software doesn’t call in sick! Your time is valuable, and anything that helps you make better use of it is a win for your organization. You should also find ways to show how great e-learning saves your organization money. Many people find they can quickly and easily justify the expense when they think about how much this small outlay will save them in the big picture. Demonstrate the Ease of Use Articulate differentiates itself by providing outstanding customer support, training, and tutorials. This is key for your manager to know because you can get up and running quickly with minimal downtime—without lengthy trainings—and if there’s a problem or something you can’t figure out, our fabulous support team is here to help. Fulfill Future Needs Software that meets a current need is good, but software that also has future benefits for your organization is even better. So, think about your organization’s current needs, and how they will evolve. Then, have a good explanation ready for how Storyline or Studio will help your organization fill an anticipated need. For example, perhaps mobile access isn’t a huge deal to your company now, but might become so in the future. With Articulate software, you’ll have a ton of robust features to call on as your needs change—and versatility is music to a manager’s ears! Convincing upper management isn’t always easy, but if you prepare for the meeting and present your case logically, you might find it is easier than you think! Our success team is always here to help answer questions if you need more information, and there are some great threads in our community forums about this topic. Here are a couple to get you started: How Do You "Sell" Storyline Internally? Business Case for E-Learning Upgrade Like this article? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest e-learning inspiration and insights directly in your inbox. You can also find us on LinkedIn and X (Formerly Twitter).5 Ways You Can Advocate for Your Value to the Business as a Course Creator
In an ideal world, leadership would always have a clear view of the impact of your e-learning projects and your unique value to the organization. But that view can be much foggier in real life than we’d like it to be. When our company or leadership doesn’t get what course creators like us do or how it benefits them, we can end up on shaky ground. That lack of understanding makes it hard for us to push back against training cuts. It makes it tricky to get budget increases for tech investments or team expansion. And it can even lead to the mistaken belief that we can easily be replaced by new technology or people without e-learning expertise. Thankfully, many of these issues stem from an easy-to-address source—a lack of awareness. Tipping the balance back in your favor is often as easy as advocating for your work and yourself. Not sure how to do that? Here are a few good places to start. 1. Find your champions It’s possible to do this self-advocacy work on your own. But you’ll probably reach more ears and shift perceptions faster if other people are talking up your work too. Think of it like how you might decide where to eat when traveling to a new city. Intriguing social media posts from a restaurant might get your attention. But chances are a trusted friend telling you about their favorite dining spot in town is more likely to influence your decision. Who might step up to champion your work or team? Consider tapping into people like: Subject matter experts (SMEs) that you have a strong working relationship with. Learners who’ve given your e-learning glowing reviews. Stakeholders who’ve seen the impact your past projects made on the business. Trusted coworkers who know how great your work is—and why it should matter to others. If you’re feeling awkward about asking people to praise your work, just keep your requests small at first. For instance, if an SME emails you a compliment about how easy you’ve been to work with, ask them to forward it to your manager as well. 2. Be loud and proud about your successes We sometimes get siloed off in learning and development. As a result, other teams may have no idea what we’re working on and why it’s so important to the company. If you’re feeling a bit invisible, a good solution is to put on your marketing hat and pursue opportunities to share what you’re doing. This is a great time to tap into your manager and champions to help you find ways to share your work. Large-scale efforts—like presenting at a department meeting, sharing an eye-catching infographic about the impact of a course, or making a year-in-review video highlighting your team’s biggest wins—can all help. But even smaller actions—like asking someone who gave a glowing review of your course to tell their team why they should take it too—can get the word out there. While you’re doing this promo work, don’t just focus on the final project. Also talk up the unique skills and ideas you and your team contributed to make it succeed. That way people don’t just get excited about the finished content—they’ll also get excited about what you and your team bring to the table. 3. Share how what you do connects to broader business goals The people we work with may have a vague sense that e-learning benefits the company in some way. But they may not know precisely how. Or sometimes they understand the surface benefits of our e-learning—like how compliance training checks off a legal requirement—but may not see the deeper, more meaningful impacts it makes in the long run. The best way to turn this situation around is to help these colleagues make those connections. Look for opportunities to call out the specific ways your projects contribute to key company goals. For instance, maybe that compliance course also helped reduce workplace injuries or prevented costly fines. And be sure to be direct about these links so there’s no ambiguity about the impact of your work. 4. Talk to your audience in terms they care about While you’re talking up what you do, also think about how you’re framing that information. When you’re chatting with other learning professionals, eyes will often light up when you share how a project met your learning objectives, used a development tool in a creative way, or tied into learning research. But that likely won’t mean as much—or sometimes anything—to people outside our field. Instead, promote your work in ways that will speak to your audience. For instance, if they’ve complained to you about the boring and useless e-learning at their last job, tell them about all the ways you're making your courses interesting and practical. If your project can help with their team’s goals, tell them how it does that. Or, if you know they’re constantly feeling crunched for time, play up the key ways you’re streamlining your projects. That way, they’ll know you’re making a difference on things that matter to them personally. 5. Do the math to connect your successes to the bottom line Want a measure of success that’s easy to get people excited about? Focus on money. In some cases, financial numbers are easy to uncover—for instance, if you launched training on upselling a new product and the sales numbers immediately went up. Other times, though, you might need to break out your calculator to convert one kind of win into a financial one. For example, if you shaved ten minutes off of your company’s annual compliance training, that may not initially sound like a big deal. But if you have 60,000 employees that have to take it, that’s 10,000 hours of saved work time. If your company’s average hourly salary is $25, that ten-minute trim saved the company $250,000. And those are numbers that can impress! Have a situation where your training wasn’t the only factor at play? You can still frame the final savings or profits as something your work contributed to. That way, you’re acknowledging the other factors but not downplaying that your work had an important part to play in the mix. Wrap-Up Advocating for yourself and your work may not solve all the challenges you face in your professional life. But it’s a good first step toward boosting your visibility and ensuring your organization knows just how much you have to offer. Not only that, but it can even open doors for your career that you didn’t know were possible. Want more ideas on building buy-in for you and your work? Check out these articles: 2 Ways To Show the Value of Online Training Here’s How To Prove the Value of Training to Your Organization Use KPIs To Demonstrate the Value of E-Learning Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest e-learning inspiration and insights directly in your inbox. You can also find us on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter). And if you have questions, please share them in the comments.
