eLearning is highly imperative to an organization’s development in today’s technology-driven world. eLearning not only meets the varied training or learning needs but also helps in overcoming the problems that arise due to time, distance and resource limitations through its various delivery methods.
No single eLearning method is effective to meet all training or learning needs. A combination of several eLearning technologies and traditional learning methods can provide the most effective eLearning solutions. An effective strategy should be in place to develop a zero-defect eLearning product. The development should always be a collaborative effort between SMEs, IDs and designers to develop a solution which is not only attention grabbing for the audience, but also relevant enough to create learning satisfaction. A timely review by respective SMEs & IDs and functionality check is necessary to curtail errors at the development stage. Development should be followed by a quality analysis and check to prevent any slippages and to further ensure a 100% delivery to the desired audience.
However, the core five elements that should remain at the heart of each eLearning solution to impart effective solution are the goal or objectives of the program, target audience analysis, graphic user interface (GUI), content and level of interactivity. These elements are in no specific order but the presence of each and every element is pertinent for the success of the program.
Goal or Objective of the program— Each learning or training solution should have a goal to begin with to give direction to the development. The goal should be broken into small objectives to meet the training or learning needs of the audience. These objectives should be based on different Bloom’s level to design an effective eLearning solution. Take the example of a classroom scenario, where the goal of the teacher is to teach the concept of heredity to the students of class XII. In this case, the goal would be broken down to various objectives as per the Bloom level of the learners. So, the objectives would be to interpret the concept.
Target audience analysis — Target audience is the most important lot who makes or mars any program. Analyzing the target audience correctly is the most significant part that should be dealt deftly. Each learner is an individual, whose learning needs vary according to their proficiency. While conducting an analysis, besides taking into account the cognitive demands of the learner, their behavioral and psychomotor needs should also be examined. Understanding the nature of the target audience helps the Instructional Designer (ID) decide the media elements and script the storyboard accordingly. If the learner is more of a visual learner, then there is no point giving him a module, which is suggesting interactivities, which are kinesthetic in nature and gives a hands-on experience. Apart from interactivities, the content, media elements and even the goal of the module should be audience appropriate. For a perfect audience analysis, cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains of an audience should be researched well.
Graphic User Interface (GUI) — GUI holds the power to engage an audience. The GUI should be such that it should enhance the overall engagement of the audience. A confused and convoluted GUI leaves the audience uninterested, as they remain grappling with the navigation rather than exploring and surging ahead in the eLearning solution. Moreover, the GUI should be more audience-centric. A colorful GUI will be able to hold the young learners for a longer time than a one with mature colors. Adult learners would definitely prefer a GUI, which does not have a linear navigation, as these solutions turn out to be mere page turners. Many adult learners favor a branching GUI that provides them with a challenge to dig into more.
Content — Content definitely is an imperative element of any eLearning solution and content aimed at the target audience is definitely a pre-requisite. A structured content will always be a precursor to meaningful learning outcome. Inaccurate content has the capacity to mar the learning interest despite of a well-strategized learning solution. The content should always be supported by images and illustrations for a better presentation and retention. Content should also be designed using the pedagogical and andragogical approaches for a more audience-centric approach.
Level of interactivity — Interactivities are always required to keep the learning graph high and to maintain the learner’s interest. Interactivities should be as per the learner’s Bloom level to enhance the application of the concept learnt and to further concretize the learning. Interactivities need to be present at different levels of the solution to maintain the same participatory level of the audience. Another important aspect for interactivity is its feedback, as it enables the audience to learn. Feedback should be constructive in nature to create a positive effect on the learner. A negative feedback is a deterrent for learning and should be avoided at all costs.
eLearning is a great enabler in terms of bringing the global learning community at our fingertips. The technologies used in developing an eLearning solution takes one to resources that one may never see in a traditional classroom or workplace.
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