Facing the Pantry of eLearning Design

Where Do I Begin?

I remember how overwhelmed I felt when I first began developing e-learning content. There is a lot to keep track of in eLearning design such as learning architecture and whether it should be receptive or directive.

I had to determine which principles were best suited to the learning material I was creating. There was also the need to eliminate cognitive overload for the learners and make learning objects reuseable. Assessments that aided engagement and interaction had to be included. Images had to be selected carefully to ensure they were relevant and not causing cognitive overload. And just when I thought I had it all figured out, I learned I could be violating accessibility laws if I didn’t ensure through my design that earners with different learning needs would access the material.

Keeping Track in eLearning Design

Learning a new concept or principle often infects me with shiny object syndrome! I can focus on a new idea to the oblivion of every other concept I learned before it. When I learned to create branching scenarios there was, even more, to keep track of!

How could I keep track of:

• Copyright and ‘alt’ descriptions necessary for the images.
• Whether or not to use narration and the
• Pathways and outcomes that make scenario-based eLearning such a great interactive learning experience?

A Method to this Madness

Just as cooks don’t include every ingredient in the pantry in each meal, you shouldn’t incorporate every principle and concept into every e-learning module.

This example of e-learning on elucidat.com helped ground me when I became inundated with the many requirements and possibilities for creating my e-learning modules. It reminds me of the simplicity that can make e-learning appeal to learners—simple inclusions such as basic interactions, high contrast text, and appropriate font sizes.