This free online course will equip you with the tools you need to develop high-quality e-learning courses.

E-learning models are becoming more popular by the day. We have designed this course to help you develop solid strategies to make your classes intriguing and engaging. We begin by defining ‘instructional systems design’, ‘e-learning’ and ‘blended learning’ and describing the advantages and disadvantages of this educational model. Then we explore the characteristics of successful e-learning courses and synchronous and asynchronous e-learning and blended learning features. Finally, you will discover some of the most popular instructional design models. While these are the tools for instructional designers, it is vital to know how to apply learning theories to course design. We will also debate the main ideas of behaviourism, cognitivism and constructivism.

Each learner has unique objectives, preferences and requirements. Creating a course that will engage all learners is practically impossible. However, several characteristics of motivation must be considered for course design to be effective. You will learn about intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, Abraham Maslow's ‘Hierarchy of ‘Needs and the ‘What’s in it for me?’ (WIIFM) concept. Understanding how memory works is imperative. Explore long-term, short-term, working memory and ‘cognitive load’ theory. The analysis phase is a crucial aspect of the instructional design process. Needs analysis discovers the target audience and the true purpose for designing the course. Investigate various data collection methods and strategies. Learning objectives are essential components of any training. Discover the ‘A-B-C-D’ format of learning objectives and how to create ‘SMART’ objectives. In addition, you will study Bloom's Taxonomy and learning domains. The following section explores the design document, storyboard and prototype. Finally, discover how to write a voiceover script for the e-learning course.

Learning how to implement an e-learning course is crucial. We will explain the learning and content management systems, guidelines for creating ‘shareable content object reference mode’-compliant content (SCORM) and reusable learning objects. Evaluation plays a pivotal role in training. There are formative and summative evaluations and Kirkpatrick's Four Levels of Evaluation. Understand the reasons for including assessments in e-learning courses, the validity and reliability of assessment items and how to provide corrective intrinsic and extrinsic feedback. Next, understand how to make your lessons interactive using games, simulations, a virtual world, storytelling and scenario-based learning. We will also discuss the reasons for including video, audio and graphics. Next, you will research the responsibilities of subject matter experts (SMEs) and instructional designers as project managers. We uncover the reasons to include job aids in your lessons, the types of job aids and the appropriate use of each type. The final section will explore social and mobile learning. Enrol in this course to understand how to design innovative and compelling e-learning training.