These days, not every e-learning course is designed by an instructional designer. This beginners' guide offers some basic tips to help training managers, subject matter experts, IT professionals and other non-instructional designers create e-learning that is engaging, relevant and effective. These are my slides from a webinar I presented for the Institute of IT Training - they do lose something without the narrative but still provide some useful tips.

1. 10
excellent
instructional
design*
tips for
Top
*Official title of this session

2. What’s your role?

3. this
this
(and how you
can too!)*
to
How I went from
*Alternative title of this session

4. Make your next e-learning
course engaging,
relevant and effective

5. How can I do it myself?
What makes e-learning
excellent?
What’s this got to do
with me?

6. How can I do it myself?
What makes e-learning
excellent?
What’s this got to do
with me?

7. How are you creating e-learning?

8. We all want morefor less

9. This is good news for e-learning
62% use e-learning more in
2010 than in 2009
31% of businesses have
increased their use of
learning technologies

10. Especially DIY rapid development
Over the past year,
31% of businesses
have reduced external
suppliers and moved
to in-house provision

11. Low cost + little time
= low quality
Only 12% think it is the
most effective method
85% of businesses are
using e-learning

12. Which is most important?

13. The cost is not in
but
development
failed training

14. The tool is as good as the person using it

15. The tool is as good as the person using it

16. How can I do it myself?
What makes e-learning
excellent?
What’s this got to do
with me?

17. What’s this got to do
with me?
How can I do it myself?
What makes e-learning
excellent?

18. It hinges on instructional design

19. It hinges on instructional design

20. Everyone can learn the basics

21. Greate-learning in three words
Effective
Relevant

22. What’s this got to do
with me?
How can I do it myself?
What makes e-learning
excellent?

23. What’s this got to do
with me?
What makes e-learning
excellent?
How can I do it myself?

24. Set testable,
behavioural
learning
outcomes
1.

25. Put yourself in
the learners’
shoes
2.

26. Emulate the
best in
classroom
training
3.

27. Remember, content is
king4.

28. Be tough but
fair with
questions
5.

29. Include
scenarios for a
hands-on
experience
6.

30. Use questions
to drive the
learning
7.

31. Make it easy for your
learners8.

32. Speak the
learners’
language
9.

33. Get a second
opinion
10.

34. Get a second
opinion
Set testable,
behavioural
learning outcomes
Put yourself in the
learners’ shoes
Emulate the best
in classroom
training
Remember,
content is king
Be tough but fair
with questions
Include scenarios
for a hands-on
experience
Use questions to
drive the learning
Make it easy for
your learners
Speak the learners’
language
Top 10 tips for excellent
instructional design
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

35. What’s this got to do
with me?
What makes e-learning
excellent?
How can I do it myself?

36. How can I do it myself?
What makes e-learning
excellent?
What’s this got to do
with me?

37. Make your next e-learning
course engaging,
relevant and effective

38. What have you got from today?

39. References
From me
• Engaging, relevant and effective e-learning: http://bit.ly/csKlse
• The secret of good design: http://bit.ly/bxL1wS
• Classroom tips for engaging e-learning: http://bit.ly/9cx4bx
• 15 tips for energising your e-learning: http://bit.ly/9G1GMM
• Banishing the business speak: http://bit.ly/c9IYWX
• Quality worth waiting for: http://bit.ly/cc6qrb
Instructional design
• Action mapping™ (Cathy Moore): http://bit.ly/6DOV
• ‘Dump the drone’ (Cathy Moore): http://bit.ly/kF0v
• Question-writing mistakes (Cathy Moore): http://bit.ly/cHftw
• Bringing the learner into the design (Kineo): http://bit.ly/bKchpv
• ‘Don’t be tone deaf’ (Kineo): http://slidesha.re/aa8iFi
• Tips for effective questions (Saffron): http://bit.ly/9dDWcZ
Learning trends
• Towards Maturity 2010 benchmark report of preliminary
findings: http://bit.ly/ac0jyZ
• CIPD learning and talent development survey 2010
(reviewed by Towards Maturity): http://bit.ly/brjQx0

40. Image credits
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