Becoming an eLearning Pro requires identification of the area of focus within eLearning that will become your area of expertise.
For example, are you an eLearning instructional designer, or are you an eLearning project manager? What about serving in a client facing analyst role, explaining the eLearning development process and setting course delivery expectations for the client? In any case, the eLearning pro must understand what eLearning is, and isn’t, and the basic theories of designing eLearning with instructional integrity which includes setting context for the learner.
If context isn’t created at the start of an eLearning course, learners may not become engaged in the content because they won’t relate to the material or situation. They don’t see how or why it’s important to them. Creating context answers the old adage of: What’s in it for me? But it takes it a bit further. It shows why the content matters to the learner and how it affects their ability to perform a task, meet a goal, or have on-the-job success.
To be an eLearning pro, you need to expose yourself to all aspects of the planning, development and delivery process. This way, you will understand the challenges associated with each phase and you’ll learn how to support a team of developers who each have a different area of expertise to create engaging eLearning courses that deliver on their learning objectives. Finally, you’ll want to expose yourself to as many eLearning courses as you can. Explore different designs and creative approaches used in various authoring environments.