Many efforts get key steps of the eLearning development process wrong, yet having the right approach is vital to the success of your project. There is a lot of talk today about competing methodologies (Agile, Spiral, etc.). To understand how these new models might be applied to online training, you must first have a solid grasp on the details of a good, traditional approach.
In the first segment of this detailed, two-part series on the professional eLearning development process, we cover the steps from the project kickoff to final storyboard approval. In part 2, we will cover a recommended media development approach.
During the team introductions, it is vital to establish the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) for various parts of the project. Also, never underestimate the value of a good discussion about the target audience. To be successful, you must figure out how to make the training valuable to the target audience. Understanding the target audience drives the eLearning content more than any other factor.
It’s vital to establish the key influencers and approvers for the project. A common mistake clients make is waiting until AFTER the first version of the eLearning is created to get the key approvers involved. This tactic is tempting because this phase of development is easiest to review and takes the least amount of time or communication. Nonetheless, it is VITAL that anyone who can stop approval of the project be involved in every approval step if at all possible. Otherwise, a key approver can introduce changes to scope at a point when there may not be adequate time or budget to implement those changes.
It is worth noting that a full schedule is usually not established at this point because the content needs to be reviewed before an accurate schedule can be developed. Often clients WANT a full schedule at this meeting, but it is like trying to build a detailed schedule for building a house when a rough blueprint has not even been created yet. At this point, you may be able to estimate general phases, but any attempts at a detailed schedule are really educated guesswork. Instead, put together a plan for when a full schedule can be established and schedule the content review meetings. While the best time to finalize a full detailed schedule is after the outline is fully created and approved, the development team can often publish a draft detailed schedule before this, modifying it after the outline is approved.
The meeting should also cover a list of things that could increase the scope of the project, especially since these are often these are not obvious to the client or even the development team. (We will cover a list of potential scope dangers in another post.)
The size of the project often dictates how many content meetings are needed. For small projects, you may only need one, but very large projects, there may actually be a series of meetings.
Content meetings may involve anything from reviewing previous course material to taking notes as content experts talk and answer questions.
The instructional designer will both focus and the content and ask what related visual assets may already exist. Since this is the primary person on the development team who knows where the content is going, the instructional designer must take the lead in gathering assets.
Failing to take advantage of existing visual assets can have a couple of consequences. It can either drive the cost of the project up as the creative team recreates things they don’t know already exist, or it can makes the project less visually appealing as those key elements are missed.
To make sure the collected assets are high enough quality to actually be used, the instructional designer must be educated in video and file formats and communicate the necessary specifications. The instructional designer must also verify the rights to the assets being used.
Again, it does not make sense to push this asset gathering work onto a different resource. The instructional designer knows best where the content will go and has the most contact with the SMEs. For an efficiently run project, the instructional designer is the right person to lead asset gathering.
The instructional designer studies the content further and also works to understand the audience fully. This process often involves reviewing client-provided materials, as well as other outside material created on the subject. The instructional designer may communicate with the client via email or phone to get any questions answered.
Several issues are commonly encountered during this phase:
When issues such as these arise, the instructional designer works with the project manager to arrange additional client meetings. Sometimes these issues are easily remedied with a single meeting. Other times, it takes getting all the client SME’s in the same room so they can debate the issues and reach a consensus.
Once all big issues are sorted out, the instructional designer creates an outline with learning objectives. Good instructional design organizes the content in a logical flow for the target audience. Even though the outline is often brief, it usually accomplishes several key things, including:
Eighty percent of the instructional design happens during this step. After this point, the ID work focuses more on writing and storytelling.
The project manager, instructional designer, and creative lead should meet together to review the outline. The creative lead is often able to provide vital input to make the interactive or animated segments better or alternative ideas to be included in the outline as possibilities.
A high-level schedule may have been drafted a little earlier in the process as the content requirements became clear. At this point, it is time for the team to create a full detailed schedule, which will show the client when the various review cycles are during the eLearning development process. (We will detail what this schedule may include in a later post.)
The common mistake associated with this step is trying to schedule any portion of the creative work before content is fully approved. It is the primary way money and time are wasted in eLearning media development.
If any changes were requested to the outline, that document must be updated, which usually only takes a few days at most. The exception is when new content was added. If this happens, additional content meetings are scheduled, as needed. Whenever changes are made to the outline, the draft schedule must also be revisited to see if updates are necessary.
If any other changes to the outline or schedule are needed, they are usually made during this meeting so final approval can be given.
Next, the instructional designer creates a script or storyboard with visual asset notes. The initial draft typically does not include test questions because changes to the storyboard could require them to be reworked.
During the writing process, we almost always involve a second editor or writer. We have a saying about writing that we apply even to ourselves: “People like two types of writing: good writing and their own writing.”
Even the best writers are not always the best evaluators of their own work.
Also, if a visual or interaction described is unclear, a graphic or quick sketch can be created and included in the storyboard to communicate the vision of what is to be developed. Even grabbing a screenshot from a previous project can be helpful. For instance, “The game described here will look similar to this image from another course.”
Client feedback is incorporated into the storyboard. If the feedback was significant, another round of meetings is necessary. If the feedback was extremely minor, the document can simply be sent back to the client for for approval. Test questions should also be created and included with this final storyboard draft.
If changes were made to parts that impact creative media, the instructional designer runs these by the creative media team before sending the storyboard back to the client. After all, a single out-of-place sentence can throw a wrench in a planned animation. Also, something that seems like a small requirement change to a game or interaction may make a bigger development impact than a non-developer might realize. Involving the team again at this step avoids many potential issues later.
If you are looking for a team of eLearning professionals to guide you through these steps as well as media development, Branch Media has the resources and expertise for successful results. We deliver quality solutions to large corporations, small businesses, and non-profits. Contact us to learn more about our custom eLearning courses, eLearning games, creative video production, and dynamic websites and applications.