Facilities, manpower and travel costs make the decision to build a cost-effective e-learning infrastructure easy. That’s why many distance education departments and business executives are turning to web designers to develop online training courses to train their students and employees. However, this decision often results in a waste of time and money and can be frustrating for organizations simply because web designers are not trained to create effective e-learning courses; they usually focus on an attractive aesthetic.
To successfully develop online courses, you need to work with a course developer who has complete mastery of the programs from beginning to end, while achieving educational goals at every stage of the process. An effective online learning course should have the same care and expertise as the design elements in pedagogical aspects. The content of the course should be interesting and presented in the right order to maximize the learner’s memory retention. Qualified developers build courses that are carefully aligned with the needs of students and directly meet their learning goals, making online learning a critical component of education and training.
With regard to e-learning programs, the development of online courses is not just about giving the pages a good appearance. Here’s how to create an effective online learning course that will achieve your goals successfully:
1) Establish your idea – What is the learning objective of your course? What do you want participants to achieve by taking the course online?
2) Refine your ideas – Work with a subject matter expert to determine what the course needs to do to effectively meet your needs. Decide how much information to include in the course and its level of detail by making a hierarchical list of key points that you want to highlight in the course. The SME will ensure the accuracy and sufficiency of the information provided.
3) Decide if your course requires an administrative function – You may just need a system in which participants can take the course without keeping any formal record. However, training programs often require an administrative tool that manages learners and tracks their progress for all types of course activities. In e-learning, this element is called learning management system (LMS) or course management system (CSM). It allows you to enroll students in courses, manage grades, offer tests or quizzes, allow two-way communication between instructor and student, download study resources, and keep records. transcripts of student-instructor content and interaction. These systems are designed to meet your specific training needs. They allow students to follow the course seamlessly and record their progress appropriately.
4) Work with an Instructional Designer – The instructional designer will ensure that information is presented in an interesting and successful manner, using established learning principles. They determine how knowledge is presented and how it is reinforced through activities, exercises and quizzes.
5) Course Production – At this point, a production team collaborates with the course designer to determine the necessary artwork, animation, audio, video, or interactive media. Production specialists design the graphics and create the necessary support to integrate into each section. They make sure that the course is deliverable via the intended target medium (LAN, CD or DVD or Internet). The production team is also responsible for quality control. The team ensures that the appearance and style of the course are consistent and that all course components work properly. If a learning management system or a specific content management system is targeted, they also ensure that all components work properly in that environment.
6) Course Delivery – This is the last step in the development of online courses. If a learning management system or a content management system is used, the course is installed in the chosen system. The course is now available to prospective students through the previously selected media.