Elearning courses are unique; some are filled with multimedia whilst others contain simple animations and a few pieces of text. Choosing the right strategy for an elearning course should be based on the learners needs, pedagogy and the learning outcomes.

For example, if I were creating a piece of elearning where the objective was “After this course, the learner should be able to Install Windows 10” then the best method for this would be step-by-step guides, simulation or a video tutorial.

However, sometimes it’s not always possible to create the right training if you are constrained by time, money and resources. There can also be security or licensing constraints. In this post, I will be talking about levels of learning interaction, when they work and when they don’t work.

In the past, before I really knew what instructional design was, I worked with a few 3rd party contractors. After becoming an instructional designer myself, I realised that there is one aspect of the job that many instructional designers don’t talk about  – learning theory. Learning theory is a key element of developing a successful elearning solution and it is often confused with instructional design models.

When learning theory is combined with an instructional model, it provides the basis for which you create your learning strategy – the “how do we get there.” In this blog post I will attempt to deconstruct some of smoke and mirrors behind instructional design. Continue reading →