When you think of modern digital design, what comes to mind? Possibly, an Apple product or a slickly designed HTML5 website counts as cutting edge in the contemporary digital world, but is this something we associate with e-Learning?  Instructional designers and learning technologists will know firsthand that when it comes to developing an effective and engaging online learning experience, substance is more important than looks. Over the last 10 years, e-Learning content hasn’t gained much of a reputation of being ‘modern’ in regards to the way it is designed. As long as the finished product hits its learning objectives, it is generally seen as a success regardless of how it looks. Furthermore, the creation of digital resources and content has different objectives depending on the industry area and audience.

Traditionally, online learning resources have been created by training departments, learning, and development staff, or by course administrators who have little or no knowledge of graphic and web design specifications. It’s clear to see that the main purpose of these resources is to educate and train, rather than to entertain on a design level. However, as digital design tools have become more accessible, and more importantly easier to use, there are now more options available to the average user. This is not to say that design is more important than functionality and effectiveness of an online learning experience, it should, however, be part of the conversation.

Here are 3 tips in designing modern online learning experiences.

1. Design with the audience in mind

What constitutes modern digital design differs depending on the individual and target audience you are creating for. Designing online training content for professional white collar workers would be expected to look and feel totally different from that of undergraduate students.  Therefore, try and understand what sort of design would be appealing to this audience by observing other digital content accessed by them. It is important to remember that just like many people eat with their eyes, online learning resources should be appealing enough to get the individual initially excited.  Regardless of how much useful information is hidden inside a piece of digital content, first impressions count. Take a look here at some great examples of e-learning content design.

2. Design for devices

This should be something which is a given within digital design production, however, within the e-Learning field, it is sometimes forgotten.  This could be due to a lot of organizational learning management systems are built predominately for desktop access, meaning the content might look great on a laptop, but not so sharp on a mobile phone.  This is not so much of a problem if you expect your learners to only access learning material via this method. However, as e-Learning content and platforms are moving further towards mobile devices, make sure your content looks and feels great on all devices where you think it will be accessed. That means a lot, of testing, testing, and you’ve guessed it, testing. For more information on how to design for devices, take a look at this blog post from Articulate.

3. Get inspired

With so many great examples of modern graphic and web design available, spend time researching the different options you can use when creating your own online learning content.   Take inspiration from the way a particular piece of digital content is designed in regards to imagery, fonts, colors, layout, and in especially user experience. This is a very useful process, especially if graphics and design are not your forte. Alongside this, take advantage of the free resources available through sites such as Iconfinder, Pixabay, Dafont and Coolors to give you even more inspiration. Modern digital design is rarely linear and boring, and neither should your online learning content.

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In a world dominated by digital technologies, it’s easy to see how these new methods of dissemination, communication, and entertainment have changed our lives for the better, and for the worse. The education sector, in particular, has slowly begun to embrace the power of harnessing these digital tools to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning on a global scale. As these tools continue to develop within the sector, the need for highly trained professionals with knowledge of how best to implement such tools and techniques is imperative. You might be thinking that working in this field as an Educational Technologist, e-Learning expert or Instructional Designer is something both interesting and impactful, and you would be right. Educational Technologist’s, in particular, are trained to help support organizations in their development, design, and analysis of learning technologies.

So, how do you get started working in this field, and what skills are necessary for an effective Educational Technologist?

Here is a list of 4 tips to help you get started.

1. Experience delivering classroom training

A lot of e-Learning professionals begin life working in formal education and training within a traditional classroom setting.  The experience of working first hand with learners, delivering information and dealing with classroom dynamics is great preparation for working in the online learning field. You get to see what works, and what doesn’t work, in a traditional learning environment.  You can then reflect on those experiences when developing e-Learning projects, with the learner firmly in mind.  A good way to do this is to lead staff development sessions and harness your delivery skills.

2. Develop your production skills

The great thing about working in the e-Learning sector is you get to create multiple different types of digital media using a range of software. You might be tasked with creating an instructional video and therefore need to harness your videography and editing skills. Or, you could be asked to help set up a Learning Management System for a client and need to fall back on your web development experiences. The more adept you are at using multiple tools, the better. I would suggest you become familiar with some kind of video editing program (Premiere Pro/Final Cut), an image manipulation tool (Photoshop), web development and hosting procedures, and of course,  e-Learning authoring tools (Storyline/Captivate) to begin with.

3. Work on multiple projects

By working on a range of different projects, you will get a sense of what actually works in an online learning environment. Of course, these tools won’t work every time, however, you will begin to build up a list of experiences to compare against. For example, you might work on 5 different projects building e-Learning modules, and each time you can reflect on the previous production process to make the next one run a lot more smoothly. You could initially use the ADDIE model (which is favored by a lot of e-Learning professionals), and then begin to adapt the model once you understand what works best for both you and your clients. Like most professions, trial and error is crucial in developing your professional skills, especially in the e-Learning sector.

4. Always be open to new ideas

Whilst working in the educational technology field, you will soon come to realize that most of the digital technologies presented have a limited shelf life and won’t be around forever. Likewise, new e-Learning tools and techniques are a common theme, so by being open new ideas is essential if you want to keep on top of your professional development in the area.  For example, the concept of the MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) shook the online (and offline) learning world a few years ago, and many jumped on the idea as if it would revolutionize education as we know it. However, even something as impactful as the MOOC has a limited time frame and will certainly be replaced by another incarnation in due time.  So stay open to new possibilities, tools, and techniques for implementing effective online learning provisions.  Using social media (Twitter in particular) is a great way to do this in an informal and up to date way.

Working in the educational technology field isn’t for everyone, but if you want to develop your career in an industry which mixes a range of different theoretical and practical skills in a meaningful way, it could be for you.

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Opening statements

When it comes to creating online training programs, Learning Management Systems (LMS) have been at the heart of deploying, tracking and hosting learning content and data for the best part of the last decade. Organizations regularly rely on these systems to help support online learning offerings in a way which can be managed and accessed easily by all key stakeholders.  The current LMS market is estimated to reach $7.8 billion in 2018 (Capterra), steadily increasing since 2013 ($2.6 billion). But what does the future hold for the trusted LMS, and does it still have a role to play over the next decade? Today we are putting the LMS on trial, so let’s hear its defense.

The Defence

As both corporate and academic organizations move increasingly further towards delivering some kind of online learning and training provision, the LMS can still be seen as a cost-effective way to manage this process. According to a substantial and in-depth report into the LMS from Capterra, 45% of respondents believe that these systems are cost-effective, and are either satisfied (38%) or very satisfied (25%) by their solution.  Alongside this, it was also noted that course completion and student satisfaction had both significantly improved since the deployment of an LMS into an organization.

Although the LMS has its roots through desktop access, a new generation of multi-device compatible solutions are now available on the market allowing learners to access course content anytime, anywhere. This has given the LMS a new lease of life as learners can now access learning content in a way that suits them best. Figures from 2015 (Learning Management Userview) suggest that 89% of learners were still accessing the LMS through their desktop, however, we can expect those figures to dramatically shift as more LMS companies realize the potential of m-Learning.

The Prosecution

Is the term ‘Learning Management System’ still applicable in the modern age of contemporary online learning? For many organizations, the LMS is used as a repository for useless and dry learning content and is often seen as the place where information goes to die. As traditional classroom training is moved online, the LMS is often not used to its full potential leading to a stale and boring transaction of information.  Often these systems are clunky and unintuitive, leading to a frustrating experience, one which is not seen as valuable as its traditional counterpart. This could be due to most LMS training focusing on how to upload documents and administration, rather than how to get the most out of collaboration tools such as forums and social learning. The most used LMS functions include trainee testing (73%), training administration (68%), record keeping (53%) and document management (45%), suggesting the LMS is more suitable for administrators rather than the learners themselves.

Closing arguments

The LMS is often seen as a necessity when it comes to organization e-Learning deployment. Integration with other systems is crucial, in particular with talent management systems and other performance development solutions. Alongside this, tracking and reporting are standard features of most Learning Management Systems meaning they are a great way to monitor KPI’s and understand the potential ROI, which is ideal for learning and development teams wanting to understand the value of the platform.

Verdict

In regards to training efficiency and organization, the LMS is still a suitable solution for most academic and corporation organizations needing to monitor their online learning in an effective and clear way. However, there should be more focus on the way the LMS is used to create meaningful and worthwhile learning experiences, rather than how it supports the administration of the learning.  The LMS is going to be around for the next few years at least, so make sure you are using it in the most effective way for your organization, and most importantly for your learners. For more information on the current HR Technology landscape, download this free report from eLeaP.

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Within corporate and academic landscapes, learning metrics are heavily relied upon to analyze if training objectives are being achieved and supported. Once formal learning opportunities have been designed and deployed, they are then measured, tracked and analyzed in a clear manner for both the organization, and the learner.  When it comes to continuing professional development (CPD), this process had previously been strictly carried out in a regimented fashion, with L&D department’s organizing internal formal development sessions, and then recording who attended, and for how long. This information is then entered into an individual’s CPD diary and is used as evidence during annual performance reviews to demonstrate development opportunities undertaken throughout the year. Of course, these formal opportunities are only one part of the CPD story, as some of the most effective development activities are accessed informally, normally through on the job observation, and discussions with other colleagues. Alongside this, increased opportunities to access informal professional development through online methods have become increasingly popular. The question remains, however, how do we measure these informal professional development tracks within an L&D context, and does it even matter if it is measured?

One particular area of interest when it comes to CPD is overall effectiveness and value of the opportunity in question. Regardless of whether it is classified as formal or informal, does it have value, and if so, how much? Most professionals can empathize with having to attend mandatory CPD sessions which supply little or no quality from a learning perspective, taking up value time (sometimes outside of working hours), and normally leaving all us yawning around the third PowerPoint slide. Perhaps you have been forced into completing a boring static online course for the purpose of ticking the compliance box. These sorts of formal CPD opportunities are common practice (and unavoidable in some cases), but they can often leave professionals feeling that CPD is something which is an unnecessary requirement, rather than an opportunity to develop professional skills and abilities.

With access to a world of information through the web, it could be suggested that developing ones professional skills isn’t as important as checking social media feeds, browsing through eBay, watching one or two (or three) pointless YouTube videos, and completing the next level of whatever mobile game you’re playing that week. However, amongst the irrelevant celebrity tittle-tattle and fail videos, I’m sure most professionals have accessed the odd piece of professional development advice in the form of a shared article on Twitter, or a scintillating and inspiring TED talk. This kind of informal ad-hoc CPD is not generally acknowledged within CPD diaries, even though it could contain the most valuable content.

Measuring CPD has always been tricky calculation. Normally, ‘time spent’ on a development activity gives L&D departments some idea if objectives are being met, even though there is no clear correlation between ‘time spent’ and ‘effectiveness’. A two hour session on ‘teamwork’ for example, could easily be less effective than a sub-10 minute YouTube video viewed on the train to the office. One of these activities will potentially be recorded as CPD, and the other barely mentioned. However, it is very difficult to measure effectiveness in this context, and therefore have to question whether CPD should be measured at all.

As a professional, you have ownership of your development on an intrinsic level. You are the only one who knows if a given piece of training or advice has provided value and support to your career development, and that is something which is difficult to measure in an objective sense. Rather than waiting for formal CPD opportunities to arise, taking a proactive informal approach could be far more beneficial to help harness your professional development. If you would like to track your own CPD, then take a look at Experience API which is a new specification for online learning that makes it easier to collect information about the wide range of professional development experiences an individual has both online and offline.

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Gamification strategies are now common practice within the e-Learning creation process. From using leaderboards to add an extra competitive layer to proceedings, or offering ‘digital badges’ and ‘level-ups’ to reward learners, these techniques are becoming a familiar staple of modern e-Learning design. For a lot of learning platform and content companies, that is as far as it goes in regards to adding gaming strategies to a learning environment. However, if we dig a little deeper into video game design strategies we find one of the more underutilized techniques for driving engagement which could be used very effectively within an online learning context, interactive video and branching scenarios.

Firstly, interactive video began to creep into the e-Learning design process a few years ago when tools such as Articulate Storyline and Adobe Captivate become more robust and allowed more sophisticated actions. Previously, only images and text within a project could become interactive, so having the ability to now add buttons on top of video opened the door to a range of possibilities for any instructional designer. Alongside this, as Storyline and Captivate have become more mobile friendly over the last couple of years, interactive video could now be used seamlessly on all devices, allowing L&D departments to consider this as a real option for developing interactive m-Learning opportunities for staff.

Branching scenarios have been a regular part of video game design for as long as the medium has existed. Adding complex narrative to a game is a popular tool in regards to user engagement as well as the element of choice, to allow for rich user experience and a personalized journey. In many cases, the more varied the scenarios, the more engaging the media can be for a player.  The ability to make decisions and then be presented with consequences can be a fun way to interact with a game. Platform games such as Mario or Sonic have more of a linear style and rarely contain any of these branching techniques, but yet they are still engaging, however, the same cannot be said of most modern day linear e-Learning.

Combining both interactive video and branching scenarios can be seen as a great way to engage learners with a specific piece of content. We have previously seen branching scenarios used within e-Learning content, normally only in text or image format.  However, the ability to add video into the mix allows for instructional designers and subject matter experts to get a little more creative when designing training content.  It may take a little (or a lot) more time to develop this sort of learning content, but by using a combination of decisions, consequences, challenges, and rewards can transform a stale linear PowerPoint style module into something which has real value both on an engagement level and from a learning perspective.

The ability to allow learners to put theoretical knowledge into practice within a safe and secure environment has certainly got its benefits, and therefore should be utilized more by training organizations and L&D departments when creating learning content. Opportunities to try and fail within a scenario can immediately draw attention to shortcomings which can be used to improve learning outcomes for staff.

Developing a high-quality learning module which incorporates both interactive video and branching scenarios is probably going to take considerable time to plan and develop.  Deciding on the structure is only the beginning, as a lot of the production time will be taken up shooting and editing relevant videos which will be used within the module.  These videos will then have to be embedded inside an authoring tool to create the relevant interactions and structure the scenarios. However, if done correctly, the finished product should provide a meaningful and valuable learning experience, one which is both engaging and challenging for the learner.

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Finding a mentor who has the right combination of experience and insight has always been a great way to gain inside knowledge on a particular industry area. Before the internet age, you would be lucky to find such an individual who would be willing to give up their free time and help you develop on a professional level. You may have been fortunate enough to work with someone like this and realized that an effective mentor can really help you see an industry from a different perspective, as well as provide some unique and effective recommendations on how to improve. With the rise of the modern day virtual mentor, professionals now have a myriad of choices in any particular sector and can gain that inside knowledge when they need it.

The term virtual mentor was initially used to describe an industry specialist willing to share knowledge outside the traditional face-to-face environment.  Normally, this would be done via familiar web conferencing tools such as Skype, text messaging, emails or even over the phone.  This would become an effective way for a mentor to provide ongoing support to a professional regardless of time and space.  Furthermore, these virtual meetings would arguably be more valuable to an individual as there was not as much room for social cues which could potentially hinder face-to-face meetings.   However, some professionals still like building relationships with their mentors outside the confines of the virtual world and could feel that building trust and a professional bond is more difficult virtually.  Alongside this, it could be argued that it is easier to leave a virtual mentor relationship when there is no more to learn or gain. Do you have any experience of this? Is this a bad thing?

Rather than relying on one particular individual to provide answers to everything, professionals are now taking to the influx of virtual mentors available through social media channels, in particular through YouTube. Though these individuals seldom claim to be mentors, they are acting out the role in a way which suits professionals who are craving a particular insight.  Industry experts such as Gary Vaynerchuk, Seth Godin, Tony Robbins and  Simon Sinek (along with many others), are giving individuals unique professional development opportunities in a convenient and engaging way.  Topics such as how to start a business, build marketing campaigns, develop social media channels and career progression, as well as a myriad of other topics, are all discussed through YouTube channels and other social media outlets.  Though they may not claim to be mentors in the formal sense, these experts do fulfill their role by interacting with their community and providing answers to a range of questions. In particular, Gary Vaynerchuk has developed a close relationship with his followers by actively responding to comments on a daily basis through his multiple online accounts.  This reinforces the idea that learning within a community of practice is a valuable and worthwhile experience.

As professional development opportunities continue to increase through digital avenues, virtual mentors could become a regular part of an individual’s continuing professional development program. Switching between multiple virtual mentors certainly has its benefits, mostly around the ability to receive a lot of expert information in a convenient and digestible way. However, professionals should realize that the information exchange may only be in one direction, and relationships with these mentors probably won’t ever develop. Rather than personalized advice based on your unique set of circumstances, the information accessed through virtual mentors may be generalized to a wider demographic.

Even so, as the information is mostly coming from industry experts, it could be far more beneficial than waiting for someone in your organization to step up and fulfill the role.  As a professional you know what works for you, and a traditional hands-on mentor might be exactly what you need to help support your development. However, with so many smart and insightful personalities willing to share their experiences and knowledge online, it could be worth investing time in a virtual mentor, or even a group of them.    

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Learning analytics have become a hot topic within the e-Learning industry over the last couple of years thanks to more sophisticated ways of tracking and reporting learners. Organizations are now subscribing to the idea that creating content is just one part of training and developing individuals and that making sense of learning data is a necessary and valuable process.   Big (and small) data is regularly mentioned in conjunction with user information and it certainly sounds impressive, but what is it? And more importantly how do organizations use it to their advantage and make the whole learning and training experience more effective? Even the term analytics can sound a little scary for training departments who have previously relied on feedback forms and formal assessments as measuring tools. There is no need to worry though, these terms might seem intimidating on the surface, but in reality, they are actually really helpful in defining modern day learning data and more importantly, making sense of it.

First of all, how can you measure learner progression in a way that works for you and your organization? Answering this question depends on how robust and sophisticated your tracking system is and how much time you would like to spend analyzing and sorting through the (potentially meaningless) data. Thanks to technology enabled analysis tools, a lot of this data can be analyzed in an automated fashion, meaning the more learners who participate, the more meaningful the data analytics. Any of the big MOOC companies (Coursera/FutureLearn etc) can rely on millions of learner records to generate valuable analysis of how individuals interact with digital courses, giving a fantastic insight into online learning behaviors from an individual and community perspective.  Alongside this, the course itself can be analyzed in regards to design and accessibility, as well as how successful it has been in disseminating the content and organizing the group in real time. No longer do learning providers have to wait for a cohort to complete the course before changes are made to the design and structure.  This can be done also in real time so current students receive these design improvements, rather than just the future cohorts.

Like most personal data, it is important that learners have agreed to share it and also know it will be analyzed as part of the learning process. Also, the data collected should be valuable and mean something to the organization and course creators; otherwise it’s a waste of time sharing in the first place.  This analyzed information can be shared with course leaders in an easily accessible and clear manner, usually through a dashboard displaying visual representations of learner’s progress. Alongside this, the students themselves may also have access to their learning information, as well as how they fit in with the rest of the community. In a more traditional face to face learning environment, this analysis would be done in person on a regular basis through observation and in-class discussion, and a lot of it would be guesswork rather than detailed analytics.

Learning analytics certainly has a place in modern day training and development to produce more in-depth discussion on learning environments (and the learners themselves) both on and offline. The design of a particular course could potentially have severe ramifications on its success and objectives if not structured in the best way for that specific demographic of learners. Learning analytics is now allowing course creators and leaders to structure their content and activities in the most effective way to support learning outcomes, and in the process, getting the most out these learning environments. As these analytic tools advance, expect to see them become a regular part of the learning and development process to provide an insight like we’ve never seen before.

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Developments in technology have allowed us to reshape the way we receive products and information to make life that little bit more convenient.  If we need a certain product, we want it now, or at least without too much delay, and companies like Amazon understand this modern day customer philosophy. The same can be said when it comes to entertainment and the way we consume media. No longer do we have to wait for our favorite TV show to appear at the designated time and within a particular space, we watch when it’s convenient to us and fits in with our busy lives. But what about the way we consume online learning and training content, how does this fit in within this on-demand world?

Within the e-Learning industry, we are familiar with buzz words and fancy expressions which aim to revitalize old ideas and learning concepts. Be it ‘flipping the classroom’ or ‘gamify learning’, these seemingly new notions crop up every so often, convincing L&D departments that this is the method which will finally make compliance training exciting and engaging.  So is ‘on-demand learning’ the new kid at school, or is there actually substance and value in the concept from an L&D perspective? During the last educational technology event I attended, I heard a learning platform company referring to themselves as the ‘Netflix of learning’.  ‘This sounds great’, I initially thought. Most of us are familiar with Netflix and its personalized dashboard, customized to our own desires and available anytime, anywhere. I instantly thought that from an engagement point of view, branding a learning platform in a similar way to Netflix was a clever (but potentially deceptive) idea, but is it any more effective than a standard LMS in disseminating learning content?

The key factor which has allowed on-demand learning to rise to the top of the L&D pop charts recently is the way we have become accustomed to using our mobile devices. The amount of time the average adult spends on their mobile phones per day is around 4 hours (hackermoon.com) and increasing year on year, however, most of that time is taken up by checking emails, social media, playing games, watching videos, taking photos of food and of course speaking to others.  The way we interact with our personalized mobile device has allowed e-Learning and L&D professionals to consider how we can make the best use of said devices from a learning perspective.  Whereas on-demand products and media work well due to the personal motivation from an individual perspective due to an interest or need, learning on-demand requires the same sort of desire and personal connection to make it an effective option. If organizations are expecting employees to access on-demand training content just because it is easily accessible then they might be a little disappointed.  If the training is formalized and required from a compliance perspective, are employees more likely to access it if it’s available on-demand, possibly. However, the effectiveness of the content and community should be more important than the way it is accessed. Sure, it’s helpful that we can access it anytime or anywhere, but do we want to, especially if it’s not as engaging as Breaking Bad or House of Cards?

The effectiveness of on-demand learning really depends on the motivation of the individual to access and learn about a specific topic. If an individual is interested in developing themselves through their mobile device (rather than playing Candy Crush or scrolling through Facebook) then doing this on-demand is very effective and convenient. Therefore, on-demand should be a given within any online learning offering, and the focus should be on developing the best materials and providing intrinsic and extrinsic incentives for employees to participate and develop, rather than the means and ways to access it.

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