Developing an Effective Elearning Program Requires and End Game

An integral part of developing an elearning program is creating an end goal that demonstrates the effectiveness of the experience.

It’s vital to have a system in place to ensure the objectives of the course are being met and the learners are successfully moving through each stage or level, finally reaching the conclusion satisfactorily.

The first step is to determine the desired outcome of the learning experience. What is the learning goal? How is mastery of the material demonstrated? What does a successful completion of the program look like?

Employing the Right Strategies

When developing goals for a learning experience, there are a few aspects that come into play:

Comprehension. At the end of the activity, the learner should be able to demonstrate that they have a certain level of understanding of the material they were presented.
Application. The goal of any learning experience is to be able to put into practice what has been learned. Users should be given the opportunity to display they can apply what they are learning.
Analysis. When the activity ends, a time of analysis is necessary to encourage retention of the material. Taking an in-depth look back at what happened in different stages aids in the learning process.

Being mindful of these strategies will provide appropriate accountability for the short-term as well as the overall effectiveness of the activity or program.

How Can an Elearning Program Maintain a Sustainable Impact?

Effectiveness over time is the goal of elearning development. We want to produce game-based learning experiences that remain useful and relevant over the long haul.

The blueprint for making this happen looks like this:

Get the input of management at the beginning. Those in higher positions should have an opportunity to weigh in on what the goals and assessments of an elearning program should be. This should be done at the beginning of the project, not the end.
Involve management in the setting of benchmarks and collection of data. Executives are much more likely to stand behind a product or program they have had a hand in developing. In addition, as leaders in their field, they have a firm grasp of what objectives are the most important.
Don’t be afraid of “trade-offs”. Work together. Be willing to compromise. There may be a time when precision has to be sacrificed for the sake of efficiency. Make sure there is a mutual understanding that the decisions made are for the benefit of the final product.
Have realistic goals. Elearning development isn’t about perfection, but rather the idea that the final product will be successful as each step builds on the last, with analysis and assessment at each stage.
Keep a narrow assessment focus. The broader the range, the more likely results will be skewed by environmental factors. Keep the assessment specific and limited.

The development of a successful elearning program is much more likely when the right assessments and opportunities for analysis are in place. Use management to aid in the creation of goals and objectives. Accept that perfection is unattainable, but the development of an effective elearning product that benefits learners is not.