7 Suggestions To Keep In Mind When Designing An E-Learning Content Management System (CMS)
E-Learning today is extremely popular. It enables people to keep abreast of new developments in their fields through the use of the Internet. However, not everyone is adept at designing e-learning courses, or at delivering them in a way that is memorable and engaging for those who participate. For those involved in e-learning, the following tips can be helpful to create the most successful e-learning course:
– Organize the course in a way that’s engaging and memorable. E-Learning is often delivered as a hands-on learning experience or a classroom-type environment, but depending on your needs, a combination of electronic media including videos, audio, and text may be more effective than one-on-one interactions with a teacher or group of students. Additionally, there are many other components that go into creating an e-learning course, including live or recorded lectures, videos, audios, exercises, quizzes, simulators, games, and other interactivity.
– Create an instructional design that is easy to follow and understand. E-Learning involves complex interactions between learners and teachers, which means that there is a great deal of communication involved. E-Learning experts recommend that a significant amount of research go into the development of any educational material, whether it be online or in the classroom. “E-Learning is about communicating, so the instructional design should be about communicating as well,” says Jon Katzenbach, senior director of IT solutions at Learning Edge, a nonprofit online education company. “The use of visual aids and interactive features makes it even easier to incorporate audio, video, and text into a hands-on learning experience.”
– Take a close look at your current teaching style. As e-Learning becomes more popular, educational institutions will need to determine their best instructional styles, as well as what types of e-learning products they can produce easily and cost-effectively, while still remaining true to their core educational missions. “The days of loading classes onto discs and printing a DVD or a CD are gone,” Katzenbach notes. “But the days of loading classes onto DVDs and shipping them across the Internet are here.”
– Consider the learning methodologies of your students. “The learning methodologies you choose now will set you up for the next decade or so of learning,” adds Katzenbach. “E-Learning involves the use of electronic media, so you want to choose e-learning methods that utilize digital content and deliver them in a convenient way. You also want to consider the various learning styles of your students have, whether it’s through self-paced learning blended learning, group learning, or distance learning.” (There are a number of other aspects to consider, of course, but this is a good starting point.)
– Take a close look at the variety of e-learning platforms available. “Virtually all educational technology today now supports online learning. But not all platforms are equally supportive of your learning experience. Even the most popular Web-based courses may not be compatible with your operating system or with the browser on your computer. So spend some time investigating the various learning courses available on the Internet and make sure they are compatible with your platform.
– E-Learning should include an effective learning management system (LMS). In fact, Katzenbach encourages his clientele to seek a comprehensive LMS – one that allows for e-learning software and hardware to be easily integrated with existing computer software for the creation of virtual classrooms. “A comprehensive LMS will eliminate the learning curve completely,” he notes. In addition to easing the learning curve, a comprehensive LMS will allow for the seamless transfer of information from one part of a lesson to another – no matter where the learners are located.
While it is true that e-learning has tremendous potential to help your organization streamline the process of teaching and train your learners, it’s important to remember that many people learn best in a group. If your e-learning course offers a workgroup or project-based learning experience, you may find that the flexibility of the training materials and the assurance that you can readily move ahead with your learners is very important to them. So invest in a comprehensive LMS to provide greater reassurance to your learners that their time is as valuable as your own.
