Common sense tells us that we should design differently for novices than for experts. Wouldn't you expect a novice swimmer to learn new strokes differently than an advanced swimmer? What might not be … [Read more...]
5 Levers Of eLearning Design
How can you continually improve the learning experiences you design to make them more effective? Pull these levers a bit more with every new effort. 1. Motivation Start with the person. Who are the … [Read more...]
Answers To Instructional Design Career Questions
I get lots of emails from people who are considering a career in instructional design. In fact, that's why I created a free 12-lesson email course called Breaking into Instructional Design. It's all … [Read more...]
Five Resources for Estimating Development Time – Update
How long does it take?
Are you unsure of how to answer the big question: How long does it take to develop one hour of online learning? As you might expect, there is no one answer to this complex question because there … [Read more...]
Alternatives to Correct and Incorrect
Eight approaches to providing learning feedback
Imagine a trainer at the front of the room responding to a participant's comment by saying nothing more than "You're right!" or "Incorrect." Imagine this happening over and over again. So, why is … [Read more...]
Finding Your Place In an Instructional Design Career
If you aren't happy with your career in instructional design or want to start a career in this industry, there's no reason to be a square peg in a round hole. There are numerous paths you can follow … [Read more...]
The World Needs More Checklists
Using Checklists for Performance Support
One of the most brilliant cognitive aids devised by some very smart humans is the checklist. Hidden in this deceptively simple format is a type of performance support that has saved lives in the air … [Read more...]
The Instructional Design Life
Today I remembered how odd our instructional design life can be. For example, I attended a kickoff meeting to design and build a course that teaches medical personnel about venous access devices … [Read more...]
10 Unusual Sources Of Inspiration for eLearning
When designing learning solutions, we all need inspiration at times. Here are ten websites where you can seek, browse and find inspiration for eLearning creativity. You'll find sources to kickstart … [Read more...]
What Do Instructional Designers Do?
Starting a Career in Instructional Design
What is instructional design? You've heard of instructional design. Perhaps you're wondering, what do instructional designers do? The goal of instructional design is to facilitate learning. We … [Read more...]
Rapid Course Development
Are you in a situation where you don't have much time to develop an online course? Or perhaps there is no budget, but the course must be produced anyway? As an advocate for the learner, you know this … [Read more...]
SME Advice: How To Brain Sync With A Subject Matter Expert
Short of performing a science fiction mind-meld, how can you efficiently transfer content from the brain of a subject matter expert (SME) into a form you can use? … [Read more...]