Category: Communication Design, Technology
Summary
We all want our e-learning to be a positive experience for
the learner and deliver results for the business. Professional instructional designer Stephanie Dedhar (above) prepared her top ten
tips for delivering engaging, effective, excellent instructional design "every
time."
Her list contains many common sense, practical, applicable ideas. All of the suggestions directly relate to the design, with only one of the items "4. Remember: content is king," addressing the material itself. This separates the list from pedagogical practices but provides measurable opportunities for improvement in course design.
Content
"1. Set testable, behavioural learning outcomes."
Before you start designing the course, make sure you
understand what you want the learners to be able to do by the end of the
course. Do you really want them just to understand something, or do you want
them to take action?
"2. Put yourself in the learners’ shoes."
At the start of the project, ask yourself what the learners
already know about the subject and what questions they are likely to have. Then
make sure you answer those questions in the training.
"3. Emulate the best in classroom training."
Great classroom training is often down to two key things –
shared experiences and human interaction. Apply these lessons to your
e-learning: use case studies or testimonials from real life, and build up a
dialogue with your learner.
"4. Remember: content is king."
All good training is interactive – most people will switch
off if they’re just reading, or listening, not actually doing anything. But
make sure the interactions are driven by the content, not the other way around.
"5. Use technology to enhance (not define) your solution."
Likewise, there are near endless possibilities offered by
technology these days and they really can turn something good into something
great, but don’t let them define your solution – the strategy, not the
technology, should drive the design.
"6. Include scenarios to demonstrate relevance."
The best way to change behaviours is to use scenarios that
put the learners in a realistic situation. Ask them to make a decision,
identify a problem or suggest a solution – this way, you’re equipping them to
do the right thing in real life.
"7. Test and tell, don’t tell and test."
The model of telling someone something and testing them on
it shortly afterwards tests memory, not understanding. It’s more effective to
ask learners to think for themselves and draw on their own experiences to reach
the right answer.
"8. Make it easy for learners."
No matter how engaging the content or innovative the design,
if the course can’t be navigated easily or if it’s not accessible, you’ll give
your learners a negative experience.
"9. Speak the learners’ language."
You’re designing a training course, not an instructional
manual. Strike a conversational tone and speak in plain English – you’re much
more likely to engage your learners than if you take a formal tone or use lots
of legal or business jargon.
"10. Get a second opinion."
It’s hard to be objective when you’re the one who’s written
the content. Before declaring your storyboards finished, ask a colleague or
friend to take a look. Their first impression will give you a good idea of how
learners will react later.
