Best Practices for Elearning Instructional Design

Elearning is revolutionizing the way people learn and teach. Learners can access knowledge anytime they wish and from anywhere. They can create their own learning path and establish developmental goals to accomplish. But, behind every successful course is the instructional designer. It is the job of eLearning instructional designers to create content that keeps the learners engaged and motivated. Learners will go through the learning only if they find relevance in the course.

Here are six best practices to help instructional designers create top-notch learning.

#1: Look beyond point and click PPTs

Gamification, instructional videos, podcasts, mobile learning - this is the age of innovation, technological development, and creativity in learning. Take your cue and move beyond using boring, page-turner PowerPoint presentations. There are numerous authoring tools available that create dynamic, learner-centered courses to keep your learners engaged.

#2: Seek help from Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)

You can be an expert in learning design, but you cannot become an automation engineer for a single project! What this means is that you are not an SME on the topic. You can suggest ideas on how to present the content, after you obtain the content from the expert. Always have the SME provide and validate the content for the course. By doing this, you will ensure your content is relevant for your audience.

#3: Filter the need-to-know with nice-to-know

Just because you have the content dump, it does not mean that you must use all of it in the course. Remember that your employees are hard-pressed for time. They will be motivated to go through a course if they feel that it is worth their time. Filter out the ‘need-to-know’ information from the ‘nice-to-know’ ones. Give them only what they need.

#4: Include deliberate questions to test prior knowledge

Using deliberate questions at the beginning of the course is a good way to peak interest. You may consider using multiple choice questions or drag-and-drop interactivity that makes the learner think. If they fail to answer the questions, they will be keen to find the correct answer in the course. And, if they are able to answer correctly, they will be motivated to learn more.

#5: Keep it interactive

Keep the dialogue ongoing with the learner. You need to include elements such as activities, discussions, and simulations. If the course does not have interactive elements, you will lose the learner midway. You need to keep them on their toes as much as possible. Interactions result in engaged learners.

#6: Pay attention to the user interface

A crucial aspect of an effective eLearning course is the user interface. The learner interacts directly with this part. It deals with buttons, menus, images, color, and the overall aesthetics. You need to ensure a smooth flow from one step to the other. Keep the look and feel consistent throughout the course.

At Designing Digitally, Inc., our experts use strong instructional design concepts to create customized learning content to meet your training needs.

Get in touch with us today to learn how we can create custom learning solutions for your company.