Instructional designing involves designing engaging and well-organized instructional and learning material that achieves a given objective. The effectiveness of an eLearning course in achieving the performance objectives depends on the skills and capability of the instructional designer.
Simulations in eLearning courses can provide a rich learning experience to learners. They are based on the age-old concept of “practice makes perfect”. However, how do you determine the extent to which simulations are adequate? Based on our experience in designing courses for our clients, we have identified 4 factors that primarily help us decide on the ideal level of simulations required for a given course.
I’m sure you’re all familiar with the story of Alice in wonderland, in which Alice enters the forest and asks the cat which way she needs to go. The cat replies saying it depends a good deal on where Alice wants to arrive at. To that Alice responds by saying she doesn’t care much where to go. The cat, in turn, replies that it doesn’t matter then which way she takes. What do you learn from this story? We learn that you need to begin with the end in mind – you need to know what you want to achieve to be able to make the right beginning. In the context of eLearning too, it is important to set your learning objectives in advance so as to achieve the end results for which you are developing the eLearning.
To evaluate the impact of training, there are two possible ways of measurement – one based upon financial measures (Return on Investment) while the other include qualitative measurement based on Return on Expectation. However, the ultimate objective remains the same – to generate greater benefits at the lowest possible cost. Therefore, it makes good business sense to know about the major ways to increase the impact of training.
Managing Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) is both a science and an art, as many battle-scarred project managers, instructional designers, and SMEs themselves will attest to. Here’s a list of dos and don’ts that SMEs wish eLearning teams would remember.
