Organizations have a need for effective training. Training designers have to be able to design effective eLearning to meet those needs. This is difficult because designing successful eLearning is part art and part science, involving the use of learning and training theory and an understanding of the knowledge and/or skills to be taught. The design also has to be completed within the constraints involved in all phases of the training design and implementation. Further complicating the process is the diversity of equipment, tools, and techniques involved. A final complication is the fact that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to the design of eLearning. Each course is unique. However, there is a general process whereby the designer balances the elements involved. If the designer does everything correctly, there is a greatly improved chance that the result will be effective eLearning.
This article provides an overview of the context and process of elearning design and introduces the notion of elearning as both an art and science.
Type of Material:
Open (Access) Journal-Article
Recommended Uses:
Professional development reading for e-learning or training developers; part of an instructional design course.
Technical Requirements:
Adobe Reader (for pdf) or Web Browser (for html)
Identify Major Learning Goals:
Enhance understanding of elearning and training
Identify tools, techniques, and contextual factors for designing elearning
Apply tools and processes to effective elearning design
Define elearning, its purpose, and its challenges
Target Student Population:
Instructional designers, technology educators, students in ed tech courses.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
Basic computer skills, familiarity with course design.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
Provides a clear and concise summary of elearning for training in organizations.
Information presented is accurate
Clear and concise examples provided throughout
Concerns:
The title is a bit misleading as the author is referencing training in organization as opposed to elearning in academia. Although the two can be used interchangeably, it does run the risk of causing confusion
What about the complication of providing accessible content? This seems to be missing
Why is elearning ill-suited to teaching original thought? Author does not clarify. Doesn’t research suggest students of well-designed elearning are more apt to participate and defend their own ideas and build upon others? Maybe this is where the distinction between training and academia is important?
Are there statistics to support the benefits of elearning?
Knowledge management definition seems at odds with commonly held definition- where knowledge is self-serve (as opposed to the definition provided which references courses).
eLearning formats might need further explanation. eLearning can’t be completely audio, but it can contain audio as an element of the overall design.
Lacks sufficient acknowledgement of current literature.
This was published in 2008, so it and its references are not current, though useful.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
Paper builds on progressively so that earlier sections support later sections.
Reinforces ideas with examples, tools, and techniques.
Succinctly worded and presented
Concerns:
Lack of relevant research fails to provide reader with prerequisite knowledge or identify where to obtain that knowledge. There is no discussion about making materials available to diverse learners.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
Quick, well-organized read
Concerns:
Several spelling/grammar mistakes including (most frequently) mistakes in capitalization
Some ideas presented lack supporting evidence making this somewhat difficult to use.
Creative Commons:
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