Having an efficient process for any project you take on is important to the outcome of the project, and this is especially true with E-Learning development. Your E-Learning development process will dictate how successful the final product will be in obtaining your objectives. For this reason, you need to know what key characteristics will ensure that your E-Learning development process runs smoothly.
Start with the end in mind. Understand what you want the end result to be, and work backwards from that. You should also have a clear understanding of how often you might need to update the E-Learning training course and how many students you expect will need to access and use the course.
Think about the learner’s point of view. Your development process should have you thinking like the learner. Think about what information and tools they need in order to complete the course successfully, what knowledge they already have and what they need to learn to do.
Know who should be involved. You’ll probably need to get instructors, training coordinators, and other stakeholders involved in the project. Know who they are before you begin developing the training course.
Conduct needs analysis. Understand the budget for your project, who will need to access the course, what content is needed, how long the E-Learning course should take to complete, and more.
Develop a timeline. It’s hard for any project to stay on track if you don’t have a timeline of planned tasks and due-dates. Delivery dates and testing dates should be included for each task (where applicable).
Understand technical requirements. Well before development is completed, you should know where and how your E-Learning course will be delivered. Also, you’ll want to consider what kind of equipment learners will use for the course, what their skill level is, potential technical problems that might arise, and if in-house support will be available.
Round out your E-Learning development process with an evaluation. Evaluate the whole development process by finding out answers to questions such as: Has the right problem been addressed? Has the problem been improved? Are there follow-up actions that need to be taken?
By planning through your E-Learning development process and making sure every possible outcome is accounted for, your E-Learning course has a better chance of being a success. Take the time to consider all aspects of your course and plan your development process accordingly.