How To Improve Your eLearning Authoring Process
As Learning and Development professionals, our time is valuable, which means we need to always be looking for ways to create smarter processes. Fortunately, there are some eLearning authoring tools that can make this job easy.
But simply having the right tools isn’t enough; you still need to know some best practices that will make your eLearning both helpful and truly engaging for your audience. That's why you should take note of these steps as you work on getting your information online so your audience can start benefiting from it as soon as possible.
Related: How to overcome the four biggest challenges that are slowing down your projects
1. Select The Best Tool For eLearning Authoring
There are several eLearning authoring tools available, but which one is the best for your needs? In general, the right authoring tool does the following:
- Makes it easy and fast for you to create high quality eLearning.
- Lets you make templates that you can use for multiple projects.
- Allows you to author eLearning content that works on any device.
- Enables you to create prototypes instantly.
- Empowers your whole team to collaborate and make changes quickly.
Related: 8 questions to ask before buying an authoring tool
2. Come Up With A Plan
Before you create a course, you need to have a handle on the structure, ensuring that it includes these three fundamentals:
- Informative content.
Keep in mind who your learners are and what their main goals might be. This will help you select the tone you use in your written content. - Interactive elements.
Any eLearning course needs to have some exercises that help users practice applying their new knowledge while increasing their engagement and reflection. Examples of interactive elements include games, case studies, simulations, and quizzes. - Visual appeal.
The appearance of your course matters, since it's what people notice right away. Make sure it looks good by using high-quality images, fonts that are easy to read, and colors that are pleasing to the eye. Keep in mind how you want the course to look on each type of device, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones.
3. Make A Prototype For Your eLearning Course
Prototyping is the best way to put all of your team members' ideas together in one place. This gives you a working model that you can easily use to show your clients what you have in mind for the course. As you begin, consider these points that will help you successfully put together a prototype:
- Do it as soon as possible.
You should create your prototype at the very beginning of your project. This way, you can be sure that your whole team is in agreement on what the project should include at each stage of development. - Make it a rough draft.
You don't have to make your prototype perfect. In fact, you should think of it as a rough draft or a simple outline. This way, no one will be afraid to make changes as needed. If it looks too polished, people might think it's already set in stone and that it's too late to change it. - Prototype often.
Don't be afraid to make more than one prototype for each project. In fact, you should strive to make a few and share them with stakeholders so you can discuss all the possibilities together.
4. Take Advantage Of Templates And Pre-Existing Visual Content
You don't have to reinvent the wheel with every course that you author. If you've already made a great template that will work perfectly for multiple projects, why not use it again and again? You can always adjust the template for each project as needed.
The same goes for graphics that are already completed. This is why Elucidat has the image library. By using these resources, you increase your production speed without compromising on the visual elements that your project demands.
Related: How to speed up your eLearning authoring process
5. Make Use Of Tools That Allow You To Communicate Quickly
One way to speed up the production of your eLearning course is to make sure you can communicate effectively with everyone who’s involved with the project. Fortunately, there are several tools for this purpose such as Google’s free, cloud-based suite of office software (Docs, Sheets, and Slides).
Elucidat is one eLearning authoring tool that lets you communicate with your team through notes directly inside the platform, as you'll see if you use the comments feature.
6. Assess The Workflow Of Your Project
Once you've published your eLearning project, you need to evaluate the process so identify what worked well, and what could use a little improvement next time. By doing this, you can continuously improve your authoring process. This will ensure you future projects are completed fast and efficiently.
Final Thoughts
Following these best practices will not only speed up the production time for your eLearning projects, but will also help you deliver a high quality eLearning course that meets the needs of your learners. This is a win/win situation for your team and your learners!
Next step: Read our guide on how to speed up eLearning production by using smarter processes
