For eLearning, the COVID-19 pandemic was like a shot in the arm. As schools and colleges closed to prevent the spread of the virus, eLearning opportunities seemed to explode overnight. Although eLearning has been robust for decades, with many busy learners earning degrees online, traditional classroom learning has remained the standard. However, eLearning’s necessity due to the epidemic has highlighted the need to be intentional about eLearning course design.
Assess the Learners’ Needs
If an eLearning course is to achieve its purpose, it has to meet the learner’s needs. Understanding what the learner needs to know and how learners learn can help eLearning designers develop user-friendly courses that address content most beneficial to the learner.
Vary the Learning Activities
Technology makes it easy to offer interactive elements to teach all types of content. Courses can include videos, texts, simulations, and animations, which cater to specific learning styles and preferences.
Make the Assessments Fun
Like interactive elements that teach content, eLearning assessments can be fun. For example, designing timed review questions allows the learner to beat the clock by answering the questions before the time runs out. Learners can align steps of procedures in the correct order using “drag and drop,” which allows for dragging the answer into the right position.
Make the Course Objectives Measurable
Course objectives should state what the learner will be able to do and to what degree. The action in the learning objective should be measurable or observable. An objective such as “The learner will understand how to tie a knot” is not measurable. To make this objective measurable by stating it as follow “The learner will list the steps in tying a knot.” It is possible to measure the number of steps the learner can list correctly.
Align the Course Objectives with the Assessments and Evaluation
It is essential that the objectives align with the assessments. For example, the previous example of an objective indicates, “The learner will list the steps in tying a bow.” There should always be assessment questions or activities to measure the objectives.
Select a Good Course Authoring Tool
A useful course authoring tool makes easy work of designing eLearning. Course authoring tools make it simple to convert Powerpoint presentations into interactive eLearning components. These tools also have widgets for creating elements that make eLearning fun, including games and simulations.
These are just a few items to consider when developing eLearning courses. Keeping up with technology ensures that instructional designers and eLearning developers create courses that reflect good eLearning course design.
