147 pages pdf - ICT Digital Literacy

Content, Content (Not To Mention Content) … How To Best Design & Deliver It
#238: The Magic Number? 15!
E-learning modules should be designed so that learners can take chunks of content in no more
than 15 minutes at a sitting.
Eric Kugler
Healthcare E-learning Collaborative
#239: The Real Scoop on Practical Design
The effectiveness and ultimate value – to both users and the organisation – of e-Learning will be determined by the
quality of instructional design that underlies the training materials. To keep these as high as possible you should:
• Set technical standards for the whole project – including lists of the software required and how it is to be set up.
• Make sure that the instructional designer is fully briefed on the subject material by a subject matter expert.
Making an effective multimedia programme requires – at least – a subject matter expert, an instructional
designer who can translate the programme content into multimedia using your chosen interface, and a
programmer who translates what the designer says into something you can see.
• Reduce the training material to "bite sized chunks" for online delivery. Anything larger will call for technical
(bandwidth) capability that the system does not possess.
• Avoid a plethora of graphics, animations and "flashy bits." These can cause problems if plug-ins are needed at
the delivery end to make these play. There are other, effective ways of making a programme visually interesting.
• Keep the format of the material simple.
• Ensure that part of the production process is to test the programme rigorously with groups of users with similar
skills to your target audience. Note their responses and the way they use the programme. Was it relevant to their
jobs? Could its content be easily assimilated into working practices? Did they find navigating through the
programme easy? How long did it take them to complete the programme? Did the user control the programme or
go through it linearly (from start to finish)? And, of course, did the users enjoy the learning experience?
Vaughan Waller
Technologies For Business & Learning
#240: Lights, Camera, Action!
When presenting soft skills, you can enhance the "uptake" of the information by providing scenarios that
illustrate the application of the skills being presented. Tips for creating these scenarios include: 1. Use audio +
stock photography for a lower tech/lower cost way to engage the learner in the scenario. 2. Gain awareness
of your program or product by using employees within the company for the audio. Hold auditions! 3. Buy your
own microphone & sound software and use your laptop to capture and edit the audio. 4. Don't forget diversity!
Be sure the photos and voices reflect a diverse population.
Allison Anderson
Intel University
#241: Adapt, Adjust & Accommodate For The Specific Content Style
Be extremely aware of the differences in writing structure and style of presentation for the following three types of content:
Reference, Performance Support and Education/Training. With much hype around "content conversion," there is a
temptation to repurpose classroom or reference materials directly into e-Learning or Performance Support materials.
Resist the temptation! While the information contained in the original material is invaluable and time-saving, it almost
ALWAYS needs to be re-worked so that it's appropriate for the new purpose and audience. Examples? Reference
writing needs to be feature, function, or topic-focused, requiring little context. Performance Support writing should be task
or decision-focused with links or references to contextual information. And writing for an e-Learning course should be
context-rich, conversational, and flowing along a logical progression, as though delivered by a caring, personal mentor.
Rob Bohlen
MaxUse LLC
701 e-Learning Tips by The MASIE Center www.masie.com 49