The term “elearning ecosystem” appears more and more frequently in eLearning writings. As a leader in eLearning, I like this metaphor—not because it’s scientifically-based and sounds cool (although it is and it does), but because I find the metaphor reflects some foundational changes influencing eLearning instructional design. Continue reading “Experts and eLearning Ecosystems”
Tag: eLearning
3 Things I Learned Working with Subject Matter Experts in my First Year as an ID
In my first year as an instructional designer (ID), I worked with college faculty to develop the courses they had taught face-to-face into online courses. I was eager to dive into my new role, create successful courses, and stick to a 3-month timeline for each project.
A few key lessons that I encountered in those early days continue to guide my work. Continue reading “3 Things I Learned Working with Subject Matter Experts in my First Year as an ID”
Formatting eLearning Documents: Back to the Basics
Elearning is a highly collaborative environment, with instructional designers (ID), subject matter experts (SME), instructors, and editors all working together to provide consistent content across multiple platforms. It’s one of the great strengths of eLearning.
It can also be a great weakness. Continue reading “Formatting eLearning Documents: Back to the Basics”
Student-Centered Faculty Training
A few years ago, a friend stopped by for a visit. When it was time for her to leave, I walked her to the front door where we chatted a bit. I slipped on a pair of black flats sitting in front of the door and continued talking. We exhausted our good-byes, and my friend grew silent.
Finally she said: “I’d leave if I could have my shoes!”
It turns out we had the very same shoes, and I had slipped HERS on by mistake! #embarrassing
A Mile in a Student’s Shoes Builds Empathy
In the context of teaching and learning online, Continue reading “Student-Centered Faculty Training”
Diving into Open Educational Resources (OER)
With the rising costs of textbooks, it’s imperative that universities and colleges find cost-friendly, quality learning materials for students. Enter Open Educational Resources (OER), stage left. Continue reading “Diving into Open Educational Resources (OER)”
What I Wish I’d Known Before I Became an Instructional Designer
Like many in the world of eLearning and Instructional Design, I entered the field through a wandering path. Finally, I’d found a job that benefits from my “jack-of-all trades” skill set, Continue reading “What I Wish I’d Known Before I Became an Instructional Designer”
Make your eLearning More Authentic
Have you noticed that our culture is beginning to value authenticity over authority?
We’re tired of being told. We want to be asked.
We’re tired of overly-complicated wordsmithing. We want clear and concise information.
We’re tired of not knowing. We want to be kept in the loop.
Authenticity is what we all crave. Continue reading “Make your eLearning More Authentic”
4 Tips to Survive Rapid Course Development on a Deadline
We’ve all been there. The course launches in two days. Your SME just gave you another laundry list of ‘essential’ revisions, and entire sections of the course need to be added. So, other than starting an intravenous drip of caffeine, how do you tackle rapid development without going insane? Here are four tips and tricks to help you meet your course development deadline.
Plan
You’ve heard it a hundred times: “Plan the Work. Work the Plan.” When you’re in crunch mode, however, Continue reading “4 Tips to Survive Rapid Course Development on a Deadline”
Personalized Learning
Innovation in the digital world seems to move at the speed-of-light. As I wonder what the conversations around digital learning will center on in five years, I believe the lasting dialogue will be “personalized learning.”
Those of us in the world of educational technology know of the rhetoric around the term, but we do not seem to have a shared understanding of its meaning. Many use the omnipresent phrase to refer to efforts to tailor instruction to each student’s unique needs and preferences. Continue reading “Personalized Learning”
Game Design Principles for Your Course, Round 2
This week, I’ll continue our series on lessons that can be learned from game design and applied to the world of instructional design. We’ll keep exploring Mark Rosewater’s “10 Things Every Game Needs” for our comparison.
In my last post, I outlined how goals and rules clearly lay out the learner’s expectations to ensure they understand the structure and outcomes of the course. Today, we’ll focus on three design elements to retain and increase learner engagement throughout your course. I’ll also include a couple of practical tips for implementing these features in your course.
Let’s get started. Continue reading “Game Design Principles for Your Course, Round 2”
Model eLearning 
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