Make Working with SMEs a Breeze with These 3 Downloads
One of my favorite things about being an e-learning designer is creating courses on a wide variety of topics. I’ve learned so much over the years! When I look back on it, it’s almost like I had to become an expert in every subject in order to create the most effective learning experience. And while some of my knowledge came from my own research, more often than not it was gleaned from the content provided by my project’s Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). Subject Matter Experts play a critical role in course design. They have the knowledge, experience, and insight to help you create the most impactful training. Despite their importance to your projects, working with SMEs can also be challenging. From different perspectives around how content should be presented to old-fashioned beliefs around how people learn, many e-learning pros find themselves in a battle of wills with their SMEs when all they really want is a productive partnership. This problem can be especially vexing when creating custom e-learning in a powerful app like Storyline 360. With so many creative possibilities, there are countless ways to present content. So how do you help your SMEs visualize different treatments and bridge gaps in understanding, all while building positive relationships with your SMEs? Here are three documents I’ve found essential for communicating clearly and aligning expectations from the start. Document 1: Project Kickoff Questions Before meeting with your project’s SMEs, it pays to do a little prep work. If you already have some source content pulled together, study it to get a basic understanding of the material. And if you don’t have content, research the topic or the company to make the most of your time with your SMEs. As you study, prepare a list of questions to help guide the conversation and show the SME how much you value their time. Need to kick-start your thinking? Download and customize this Project Kickoff Questionnaire for your needs. Download With all of your prep work done, you’re ready to set up a meeting with your SME to discuss the project. Make sure to bring your list of questions, and then listen actively and take notes. This is your time to build trust with your SMEs and identify knowledge and performance gaps to determine the right solution. Document 2: Project Plan After you determine the right solution, it’s time to put the details in writing so you’re all on the same page. A project plan can be a great way to align expectations. In the project plan, you can include the project background, course information, deliverables, timelines, and any other important details. Once you’re done preparing the project plan, have the SME review it and confirm its accuracy before moving forward with design. Need help creating a project plan? I’ve got you covered! Download this free project plan template. Download Document 3: Storyboard Now that you and the SME are on the same page, it’s time to start designing the project. If you’re using a slide-based authoring app like Storyline 360, the best way to make sure you have a solid foundation for development is to create a storyboard. A storyboard is the blueprint for a course that outlines the content screen by screen. Storyboards help your SMEs visualize how the content will flow and allows them to make edits before you start development in your authoring app. Note: If you’re using a web-based authoring app like Rise 360, you can skip the storyboarding phase and go straight to development since it’s easy to use and quick to make changes. Need help getting started? Then download and customize this storyboard template with your content. Download What Next? After the storyboard is finalized, you can feel confident knowing you have a solid foundation to start building your course. Taking the time to develop project kickoff questions, create a clear project plan, and storyboard the content before you start developing it in your authoring app will set you, the SME, and the learners up for success. For more ideas on working with SMEs, check out this series on Everything You Need to Know About Working with SMEs. 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.An Introduction to SAM for Instructional Designers
The ADDIE model is probably the most well-known approach for mapping out the course design process. But it isn’t the only game in town these days. One popular alternative is SAM: the Successive Approximation Model. Created by Allen Interactions, SAM offers an instructional design approach consisting of a few steps that you repeat as many times as necessary. These iterations address common instructional design pain points like meeting timelines, staying on budget, and collaborating with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). So what is SAM? And how is it different from ADDIE? Is one better than the other? Let’s dig in and uncover some answers to these questions. What’s the difference between ADDIE and SAM? ADDIE and SAM are two different approaches for crafting learning solutions that share some similar language. To better see where they differ, it’s helpful to understand how each of them works. Let’s start with ADDIE. ADDIE ADDIE stands for Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate. It’s a linear approach—like a production line—with each step depending on the successful completion of the previous one. To borrow some terminology from project managers, ADDIE is a “waterfall approach.” And in a traditional waterfall method, analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation are all treated as ordered steps in the overall development process. While this model is preferred in many organizations, some folks say this sequential approach contributes to many of the challenges faced by instructional designers, including: Prolonged development cycles: Have you ever had your project come to a screeching halt in the development phase? It’s not uncommon for new training or technology requirements to emerge in the project development phase, bogging down your productivity with re-work. Communication challenges with SMEs and stakeholders: Even the most thorough explanations and storyboards are still open to interpretation. And with a sequential approach, SMEs and stakeholders typically don’t get to try a hands-on version of the project until well into the development phase. This can mean it’s not until you’re near the end of the project—when you’re out of time and money—that you discover your vision doesn’t match theirs. No time for testing: When projects run out of time or money, what’s the phase of the process we tend to skimp on? In my experience, it’s testing. Shortchanging this step may save you time, but with risky downsides like a training product that doesn’t work—or work effectively—to address a critical performance gap. Successive Approximation Model (SAM) SAM, on the other hand, is considered to be an “agile approach” that can be scaled from basic (SAM1) to extended (SAM2) to suit your needs. Both SAM models use iterative cycles to create the end product right from the start—all while continually analyzing and refining your work as it’s being produced. Proponents of using agile methods for creating e-learning claim that models like SAM can alleviate many of the challenges discussed above—in particular, improving the project team’s visibility into the instructional design process and reducing development time frames. The basic process—SAM1—can be a good fit for smaller projects or teams. This flavor of SAM is a simple model with three iterations of the familiar instructional design steps of evaluation, design, and development. Using this approach, everyone’s ideas and assumptions can be discussed, prototyped, and tested early on, bringing you closer to a usable product more quickly. And what if your project is more complex? That’s where SAM2 comes into play. SAM2 is an extended take on SAM1. It consists of eight iterative instructional design steps spread across three project phases: Preparation, Iterative Design, and Iterative Development. In addition to the incremental cycles, another notable feature of the SAM2 model is the preparation phase. It consists of two steps to help you prepare for your design and development work fast: gathering information and then holding a brainstorming and prototyping meeting known as a “Savvy Start.” Which is better—ADDIE or SAM? When it comes to evaluating which design model is a better fit for you and your team, it really boils down to what you’re trying to achieve and what your work environment will support. When applied in the right situations and fully committed to by everyone involved, SAM’s flexibility can get you to a successful final course fast. Its iterative approach both helps you use prototypes to get stakeholder buy-in quickly and also makes it easy to pivot should your course requirements change. However, many instructional designers work in organizations that have embraced agility in theory but not so much in practice. Applying an agile approach like SAM can be difficult when your environment doesn’t encourage rapid feedback or flexible processes. In those cases, ADDIE’s waterfall model may be a better choice. Because ADDIE is a waterfall method that’s been used for years, it might make clients, stakeholders, and even team members more comfortable. And while it’s still not as flexible as SAM, many people find an adapted version of ADDIE that includes some iterative loops does a good job of splitting the difference between both methods. More Learning Whatever design model you follow—whether it’s ADDIE, SAM, or another one entirely—weighing your options for more thoughtful, responsive development practices can be a great way to build collaboration and grease the wheels for smoother training rollouts. Start by digging into these related articles from the archives. An Introduction to ADDIE for Instructional Designers What’s the PADDIE Model of Instructional Design? Best Practices for Effective E-Learning Project Management How to Manage E-Learning Project Scope Creep What design model is closest to how you really work? What are your thoughts on ADDIE vs. SAM? We love hearing from you, so share your thoughts in a comment. Follow us on Twitter and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning.6 Agenda Items for Your E-Learning Project Kickoff Meeting
Project kickoff meetings are an important part of the e-learning process. It’s the first time you meet with stakeholders, SMEs, and anyone else who has a hand in your project to get the ball rolling. But this meeting isn’t just a formality. It’s a crucial first step in starting your e-learning project. To make sure everything gets off to a good start, it’s important to use your time wisely. In this article, I’ll walk you through six key items you should discuss for a successful project kickoff. 1. Find Out Who Has the Final Word Identifying your primary stakeholder(s) is a crucial part of any successful project. There’s nothing worse than spending weeks designing a course, calling it ready to roll out, and then having someone say, “Now, let’s take it to Bob so he can review it.” To avoid this situation, you want to know who’s ultimately responsible for approving a project from the start. Touch base with them and find out their criteria for success, then have them review your project periodically. Doing this up front saves time and money on the back end. 2. Agree on Deliverables The key project deliverables can vary from one project to another depending on a variety of factors, like the e-learning development app you use, the level of course complexity involved, etc. For example, if your client wants to use an app like Rise 360, you know you can skip creating a prototype. That’s because with Rise 360, the visual design and functionality are done for you—all you need to do is select colors and fonts—saving tons of time. Take time to chat with your client and decide which deliverables make sense for their project. Maybe they don’t need a prototype or a storyboard, but they want a few extra review cycles. As long as you’re both on the same page from the beginning, it doesn’t matter what you decide. Once you’ve made a decision, make sure to document it to avoid extra work, wasted resources, and frustration. After you’ve nailed down the deliverables, it’s time to look at your timeline. 3. Commit to a Timeline Your project timeline is important because it says when you’ll hand off deliverables to the client. Work directly with your client to build the timeline, and if you make any changes later on, be sure to loop them in right away. When working on a realistic and attainable project timeline, you should: Identify the dates your major deliverables are due Note any connected projects or resources owned by other teams that will need to be completed before the e-learning launches Outline the due dates of key milestones and when you expect to have the project wrapped up Include deadlines for items the client must provide to you, so they know their responsibilities Include dates when client reviews need to be completed Budget time for rework after each stage of review Build in time at the end of major phases as a buffer for any unexpected issues or events, since no project ever goes 100% as planned Once you’ve got your timeline set, document it along with the project deliverables and share them with your team for greater project visibility. Once you’ve got your timeline nailed down, it’s time to consider your learners and their needs. 4. Think About Your Audience The cornerstone of any successful e-learning project is a thorough audience analysis. An e-learning audience analysis is a deep dive into job- and context-related details. It teaches you who you’re training and covers important facts, like what your audience knows and how best to communicate with them. For example, what’s their level of prior knowledge? And are there any cultural considerations you should be aware of? If so, knowing this up front will help you design inclusive e-learning that resonates with your entire audience. While an audience analysis is incredibly helpful, it can’t account for everything. For example, a learner might have a disability they aren’t comfortable sharing with their employer. In that case, you won’t be aware of this disability either and can’t take it into account as you’re creating the course. That’s why it’s a best practice to always design courses that are accessible. This ensures all learners have equal access to your course content. 5. Clarify Learning Objectives Once you’ve thought through who your learners are and how to design an accessible course, it’s time to drill down and identify learning objectives. A great way to start is by answering these three questions: What needs to be learned? (What do they need to be able to do after taking the training?) What do they need to know before they can start? (What level of knowledge is required to understand the course content?) How will you measure whether they’ve learned what you set out to teach them? (By passing a knowledge check? By performing on-the-job demonstration?) After you’ve identified and written the learning objectives, make sure to get them approved by your key stakeholders and SMEs. The learning objectives will determine the content you include in your course, so it’s important to get buy-in up front to reduce project scope creep. 6. Think Through Technical Considerations The technical requirements for e-learning courses can vary greatly from one project to another, so it’s important to know what they are before you get started. Some good questions to ask are: Do learners have access to the technology they need to take the course (for example, computers or mobile devices)? Do they have headphones or speakers to listen to audio? Do you need to track the course progress and completion? How will you share the course with the learner (LMS, video hosting service, browser, etc.)? Do the learners have a high-speed internet connection? Figuring out answers to these questions will help you identify potential issues learners might run into. A good practice is to identify the worst-case scenario and build your training in a way that ensures it will still function even if that happens. After all, a course is only successful if learners can access it! Wrap-Up As you can see, there are many things to consider when kicking off an e-learning project and they are all important pieces of the puzzle. And while it might seem like a lot, covering these six items in your kickoff meeting will ensure you’re off to a good start. Want more project management tips? Check out these articles: 3 Tips for Building an Effective E-Learning Project Team Keep Your E-Learning Project Moving Forward with These 3 Tips 3 Ways to Ensure Your E-Learning Clients Keep Coming Back For More And here are some useful templates: Basic Project Management Timeline in Excel Basic Project Management Plan in Word E-Learning Project Estimates Worksheet E-Learning Project Plan Remember to 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). This article is part of our E-Learning 101 e-mail course, a series of expertly curated articles that’ll help you get started with e-learning—delivered right to your inbox. You’re only a click away from becoming an e-learning pro! Sign up here to enroll.Top Considerations for Choosing the Right E-Learning Authoring App
Choosing the right course creation app is a key factor for e-learning success. But with so many options available it’s not always easy to know which one is the best match for your needs. And you’ll likely have different priorities for different projects—like creating rich interactivity or publishing content as quickly as possible—so you’ll need an app that’s as versatile as the courses you create. So how do you fully evaluate your options to make sure the app you choose meets the needs of the courses you’re creating today as well as the ones you’ll need to develop in the future? Answering the questions below will help streamline your decision-making to determine a clear winner. 1. What’s your budget? Cost is a smart way to narrow your options. But don’t forget—the base price alone doesn’t tell the full story—not all apps come with everything you need. When comparing your options, do a deep dive into everything each authoring app offers you. Does it include free assets—such as templates, photos, illustrations, or characters—that can save you money? Are there built-in audio and video recording features or will you need to purchase separate software? Does it offer collaboration features or tools that allow you to collect feedback from stakeholders? What level of technical support is included? By weighing what is and isn’t included, you can see which option gives you the best overall value. 2. How easy is it to use the app? Think about your course creators. Are they quick to learn new apps or less comfortable with new technology? Are they experienced developers or subject matter experts (SMEs) building e-learning for the first time? Do they have time to ramp up or do they need to start creating content immediately? Be realistic about what you and your team can handle and take into account any upcoming deadlines. 3. Is there a free trial? Getting your hands on the apps you’re considering can answer a lot of questions. That’s why free trials are so helpful! They let you get a feel for how different apps work before you commit to buying. A useful way to decide between apps is to create the same short course in each one. This makes it easy to compare the development process as well as the final look and feel of each course. If a process takes three clicks in one app and ten in another, you might decide you want the faster option. You might also discover along the way that one app gives you more flexibility or features than the others. 4. What level of customization do you need? Thinking carefully about the level of customization you need can also narrow down which apps will work best for your situation. Are you hoping to quickly develop e-learning courses that look beautiful out of the box? Or do you need to have complete control over the look and feel of your courses—down to the last pixel? Could you meet your training goals with a library of modular learning blocks? Or do you need to create fully custom interactions or immersive scenarios? Make sure the app you choose supports the level of customization you need. 5. Do you need to create software training? If you’re designing software training, you likely want an app that supports screen recording and software simulations. But don’t stop there—look into what features it has to save you time on recording and editing. If you make a mistake, do you have to start over or can you edit individual frames in your recording? Can you automatically add annotations to your video during the recording process? Are there options to adjust the volume or video brightness? Can you decide on the format (screencast or software simulation) after recording or do you have to decide up front? The right features can make a noticeable difference in how fast you can create software training and revise it later if something changes. 6. Does it create mobile-friendly content? Having your e-learning courses work on mobile devices isn’t optional anymore—it’s essential! Even if your learners aren’t accessing courses on mobile just yet, it’s still good to plan for a future where they are. But not all apps make building mobile courses easy. As you explore your options, see if you can create inherently responsive courses or if you have to manually tweak your content to make sure it displays correctly on all devices. And when creating your sample courses, test them on mobile devices to make sure they look and work as expected. 7. How do you want to share your courses with learners? Once you’ve created your courses, you need to decide how to share them with your learners. For example, do you just need to give your learners access to the content? Or do you also need to track learner data (like scores, completions, and more) for compliance reasons? Your answers to these questions will help you decide the kind of hosting platform to use. And because different platforms require different file formats, it’s important to have this information before you choose an app so you can make sure it’s compatible. Learn more about the different options in this article: How to Share E-Learning Courses with Learners. 8. Will it cover your future needs? Course creation apps are a long-term investment, so do “Future You” a favor: think about what kind of e-learning you’ll need to create in the upcoming months and years. Are there topics or audiences you’re not creating content for now but likely will in the future? Will your organization’s needs shift as it better understands everything e-learning can offer? Will upcoming challenges mean you’ll need to scale up how fast you’re creating courses or who’s making them? You’ll be happier with your app choice in the long run if it can also cover these future needs. 9. What support is available? Research the level of support available to customers. Are tutorials and resources easy to find and learn from? If you run into an issue you can’t solve, can you contact a support team for help or do you have to pay extra for that service? And while it might not be the first thing that comes to mind when choosing new tech, remember that connecting with other users is priceless. They can quickly troubleshoot issues, give you tips for getting up to speed on the app, and help you see what you can create with it in new ways. An active user community can help you find these people quickly. And the connections you’ll foster in those communities will make your work easier and support you along the way. 10. What accessibility features are included? Consider how easy the app makes it to create accessible e-learning courses that all learners can take advantage of. While there are many steps you can take as a course creator to make your courses accessible—such as selecting colors with proper contrast and picking fonts that are easy to read—there are some things you’ll need to rely on an app for. Does the app offer built-in screen reader support? What about keyboard navigation? Can you add alt text to images and closed captions to videos? Keep these things in mind as you research apps, and make sure whichever one you choose will allow you to design projects that remove learning barriers. Wrap-Up There’s no one-size-fits-all course creation app that works for everyone and every project. However, some companies offer complete e-learning solutions that allow you to pick and choose different apps for different projects. For example, Articulate 360 includes multiple authoring tools—including Storyline 360 and Rise 360—so you always have the one you need, no matter what the project. It also includes tons of course assets—such as templates, characters, and images—a review app, and even free online training. Want to learn more? Check out this article: Why You Need the Apps in Articulate 360 and When to Use Them. And if you’d like to take Articulate 360 for a spin, start a free 30-day trial. No matter what apps you’re considering, it’s up to you to vet them to make sure you end up with one that fits your unique needs. Hopefully, these questions will help you more easily pick the right authoring software for you. For more tips and topics related to course creation apps, have a peek at the following articles: The Basics of E-Learning Course Creation Apps 3 Types of E-Learning Course Creation Apps How to Share E-Learning Courses with Learners 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. This article is part of our E-Learning 101 e-mail course, a series of expertly curated articles that’ll help you get started with e-learning—delivered right to your inbox. You’re only a click away from becoming an e-learning pro! Sign up here to enroll.E-Learning Maintenance Checklist
As an e-learning designer, it’s good practice to periodically review your e-learning courses and make sure they’re up to date and functioning as expected. Depending on how many courses you create every year, this task may feel daunting, but think of it like this: if your training courses are outdated or broken, having employees spend time taking them is a wasted effort. To make it a little easier for you, I put together this list of things to watch out for when you review your courses. Outdated Information This is the main reason it’s important to review e-learning courses: stuff changes! And when an internal policy changes six months after you create a course, you won’t necessarily think to update that course. Here are some things you should look for during your review: Are there any references to events that have since passed? Are there any references to products no longer on the market? Is there any mention of people who have changed positions or left the company (photos or text)? Is all the information about internal processes up to date? Is all the information about laws and regulations up to date? Is all the contact information (email addresses and phone numbers) still accurate? Outdated Visuals Another thing to pay attention to during your review is the visuals. For example: Is the branding (logos, fonts, colors, etc.) used in the course up to date? Do any of the screenshots feature older versions of tools or images of people wearing outdated uniforms or logo apparel? Technical Issues Technology changes and web pages disappear, so when you’re reviewing your course, it’s important to be on the lookout for things that don’t work as expected. Here’s a list of issues to watch out for: Does the course still load correctly? Do all the links still lead to working web pages? Do all the buttons still work? Do videos still load and play back as expected? Content Mistakes You reviewed your course when you made it, but sometimes when you’re too close to something, you can’t see the forest for the trees. While you’re at it, you may as well take a look to see if there’s anything you missed the first time around. Things like: Are there any typos or spelling errors? Are there any capitalization or punctuation errors? Is there any incorrect information? Is content formatted in a consistent way throughout the course? Wrap Up Hopefully, this checklist will make the maintenance of your e-learning courses go a little bit more smoothly. And if you're looking for a way to stay organized as you update a long list of courses, download this helpful spreadsheet. New to e-learning? Sign up for our E-Learning 101 email course, a series of expertly-curated articles that'll get you up to speed with course development.
