Content creation is one of the important qualities of an elearning course. Regardless of how sophisticated the software program is, the content will determine if the learning goal will be met or not. The elearning software is just the delivery tool and the package. The learning will still be rooted on what the instructor will put in the content.
To help those who are creating content for an elearning course, here are some tips that we have for you.
- Always start with your objective. Even the best instructor and the most intelligent expert might be in danger of confusing their students if they do not start with their learning objectives. Sometimes, not defining the objective will end up with the content veering off course. This is especially true if the topic you will be discussing in the course is part of a series. The objective will keep you from straying from what you really want to teach.
- Have a benchmark. This simply means you should look for a similar elearning course that you can pattern your content creation to. The details will have to be different, of course, but having the pattern will help you conceptualize how you want your course to run. You can pick out ideas from the sample course or you can formulate your own idea from what you have observed in that benchmark. Make sure your course pattern is proven effective.
- Outline your course. This will help you stay on track and determine how long the course will be. This will also help you identify and foresee the tools that you might be needing to complete the course. This is where you will finalize the general design of the material.
- List down the questions that you want to answer. This will help your content creation reach the objectives that you have listed in the beginning. It is more of helping you check if the content you included in the course is actually effective. If you are able to answer the questions, then you know that your target students will be able to understand what you are trying to share with them.
- Use formats that you and students are familiar with. While it is okay to be as modern and sophisticated as possible, you may want to ensure that you and your students will be working with formats that you can understand. Try not to complicate it so the student will not have to be burdened with learning how to navigate the course before jumping right in to learn the content you put in there.
- Keep the student interested. Use visuals, videos, audio and other tools that will keep the learning process fun and engaging for the student. Content creation is all about keeping your students hooked on the learning – regardless if the actual lesson is really boring.
- Make sure it helps you measure effectiveness. This is very important because you want to be able to see the data that will help you improve future courses. This is how you can be proactive in all the elearning courses that you will create.
Whether you will create the elearning course by yourself or you will hire a professional to help you out, these tips will prove to be useful. When you choose to hire an expert to create the software for you, these tips will help you stay on the same page while the course is being created.
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