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:: Time: e-learning Development ::
Saving time: How you start is critical
The following factors start well before completing actual development of e-learning, and could save time.
- Well-defined problem and agreement on need
Companies find it difficult to develop any learning until the development team and business sponsor, together, clearly define the goal, starting point, and metrics of successful learning. Knowing those factors, for example, could result in developing sales training in two-plus weeks; not grasping them for, say, leadership development could mean that the learning never happens. Time is always problematic, said one respondent. And the more people who are involved, he added, the harder that is to control.
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- Clearly defined approval process
We found a disconnect during the course approval process between the level of the individuals in learning and the business involved, which can lead to learning that fails to meet goals.
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- Dividing learning by “domain” to speed development
One company pre-analyzes job tasks associated with the role and the audience, and then outlines tasks and topics before determining a domain “bucket” for the training. This guides the process to be followed. When creating courseware for software, one expert divides what someone needs to know into four “buckets” – facts, processes, concepts, and tasks – each with its own build time.
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A Matrix for estimating e-learning design times
CUX has developed an E-learning Design Matrix that helps estimate e-learning development time by combining industry norms with the following key factors.
- Learning and development team experience: This accounts not only for the actual experience of the team, but also for the familiarity of the team with the kind of material being taught. An outside design team would obviously fall into the two latter categories, but there is then an added coordination issue that’s not considered here.
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- Templates: Templates can dramatically cut development time, but even reusable learning objects and graphics can save time.
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- SME knowledge and experience: This factor takes into account not only subject matter expertise but also familiarity with the process of creating Web-based training.
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- Interactivity: CUX proposes a five-stage model that starts with simple page-turners (still the prevalent form of e-learning according to recent research), all the way to the fully-interactive virtual reality simulation.
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CorpU Members: click here for the complete report, including the CUX E-learning Design Matrix. |
