Over 800 E-Learning Examples To Inspire Your Course Design

One of the best ways to learn is by looking at the work others have done. We can see different ideas in action which causes us to think about how they were built and explore what we might do different with the same content.

Here’s an example from a recent community challenge. The challenge was to create an interactive slider for elearning. Melissa Milloway created a demo where you dragged a scuba diver down to explore the ocean.

Click here to view the elearning example.

Melissa’s demo had me wondering what I’d do to make the diver look like he was changing position as he was dragged. I also wanted to include some air bubbles for effect. So I took her idea and then played around for a few minutes and created this.

Click here to view the elearning example.

To me, this is the value of routinely looking at elearning examples. Melissa shared her idea and I was able to iterate from it which allowed me to try something new and in turn practice using the elearning software.

One of the challenges is finding good examples because many of the good ones are locked behind corporate firewalls. However. rere are a couple I’ve seen recently.

This one from SpongeUK is a proof-of-concept demo to show a gamified course in Storyline. I like the light graphics and course structure. And to tell you the truth, if I wasn’t told this was created in Storyline, I don’t know if I would have guessed it.

Click here to view the elearning example.

Here’s another one on choosing the appropriate safety attire from 42 Design Square.

Click here to view the elearning example.

I’m also fond of the weekly challenges because they are designed to be mini examples and not big courses. They’re like appetizers, just enough food for thought without being overwhelming. And with new ones every week, there’s plenty of inspiration to be had. I love seeing what the community Plus, there are new ones every week. So there’s always something new to see and inspire ideas.

Did you know that last year there were over 750 elearning examples submitted to the weekly challenge? You can stay on top of the elearning challenges and the recaps here.

In addition, the community has a growing list of different elearning examples. We add to them regularly.

Between some of the examples on this blog, the elearning examples in the community, and the examples posted in the weekly challenge, there’s close to a thousand elearning examples that cover a diverse range of subject matter and interactivity. That should be more than enough to help fuel your imagination.

The key is to replicate the ones you like and then challenge yourself to add something new to it.

Hope you all have a happy holiday and happy new year!

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"Ergonomics" training course: living in harmony with your screen!

  More and more of us are spending time in front of a computer screen. For some people, the average is one or two hours a day, but for others it’s practically the whole day. Not to mention what happens when we get home…

Sitting correctly at your screen-based workstation is not just a question of comfort.

Back or neck pain, sore wrists, eye strain, stress... these are just some of the problems that can arise over the short to medium term.

The likelihood of such problems can be reduced by adjusting your workstation, its position or the organisation of your workload, which can be defined as part of a detailed evaluation of your personal situation.

However, there are a few simple actions we can take ourselves.

With this in mind, the HSE Unit invites you to attend the “Ergonomics” training course, which is aimed at everyone who works in front of a screen.

Combining theory and practical exercises over the course of half a day, this training session covers essential topics such as:

The risks associated with working in front of a screen (anatomy and problems);Preventive measures (ergonomic organisation of the workstation, positioning, equipment);Strengthening and relaxation exercises.

The course description and registration form can be found in the training catalogue on the Safety Training Service’s website or can be consulted directly here. 

Sign up now! You won’t see working in front of a screen in the same light again!

More information about screen-based workstations here. 

Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions concerning:

 

View the original article here

"Ergonomics" training course: living in harmony with your screen!

  More and more of us are spending time in front of a computer screen. For some people, the average is one or two hours a day, but for others it’s practically the whole day. Not to mention what happens when we get home…

Sitting correctly at your screen-based workstation is not just a question of comfort.

Back or neck pain, sore wrists, eye strain, stress... these are just some of the problems that can arise over the short to medium term.

The likelihood of such problems can be reduced by adjusting your workstation, its position or the organisation of your workload, which can be defined as part of a detailed evaluation of your personal situation.

However, there are a few simple actions we can take ourselves.

With this in mind, the HSE Unit invites you to attend the “Ergonomics” training course, which is aimed at everyone who works in front of a screen.

Combining theory and practical exercises over the course of half a day, this training session covers essential topics such as:

The risks associated with working in front of a screen (anatomy and problems);Preventive measures (ergonomic organisation of the workstation, positioning, equipment);Strengthening and relaxation exercises.

The course description and registration form can be found in the training catalogue on the Safety Training Service’s website or can be consulted directly here. 

Sign up now! You won’t see working in front of a screen in the same light again!

More information about screen-based workstations here. 

Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions concerning:

 

View the original article here

From Compliance Course To Campaign, Part 1 – The Background

There’s been a great desk of chatter recently about compliance training. Actually, maybe it’s no more than usual, perhaps I’m just sensitive to it at the moment.

Why so?

Well because since the beginning of 2013 I have been working to revamp our mandatory compliance training offering from 2 perspectives

1. Is the content technically correct (fear naught Dear Reader, I’m passing the buck on this one to the SME)

2. Is the method and media we are using the most likely to positively effect behavioural change (this is where I swing into action!)

Our current mandatory training is offered via traditional ‘click-next, self-paced’ eLearning delivered via our LMS and covers the following subjects

Data Matters

Manual Handling

Display Screen Equipment (DSE) awareness

Risk Assessment

Health & Safety (H&S) Induction

Diversity (I’m still arguing the toss as to whether Diversity training is mandatory or not and I have some interesting researched kindly surfaced by Donald Clark that suggests even if it is, that it’s not proven to effect any positive change)

Financial Crime Prevention

Privacy and Confidentiality

Treating Customers Fairly (TCF)

My plan is to adopt a campaign not course approach for each of these subjects, which (in my head) seems a logical and effective thing to do, all I have to do is convince the compliance department….

…. and you know what….

I have!!!

Keep on reading this series of posts to discover how I managed to get the SMEs/sponsors buy in, ascertain what we wanted, engaged with suppliers and (in the fullness of time) the end result!

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How to Build Course Objectives That Matter

The key to success is having clear goals and then mapping out a way to meet those goals. Without the map, you’ll never know if you got where you intended to go. In a previous post we looked at how to build learning objectives. Today we’ll take it a step farther and look at a simple process that will help structure the objectives around measurable actions.

There are many courses that exist for reasons other than performance improvement. For example, a lot of annual compliance or things like sexual harassment training are usually more about the awareness of policies and less about actionable activities.

On the other hand, there are many courses that do expect that upon completion the learner is able to do something specific. Perhaps they’ve learned a new procedure or how to apply a given policy in the work environment.

Understanding the type of course you build is important because it’ll help you craft the appropriate types of objectives, measure their success, and help you manage your resources.

Once you understand why you’re building the course you can focus on who is going to take it, why, and what expectations exist after the course. One way to begin is by answering the questions below.

Who is the learner Why is this important to him? In what situation would he use this information? What is the course objective? How does he prove that he’s met the objective?

I create a simple table to look over the answers. Here’s an example based on my experience working for some large organizations.

As part of our ethics training, there was a course on how to deal with bribes. This course was important because we had a number of international sites and many of our sales and procurement staff had to deal with bribery as part of the business culture. Even though we only had a handful of international staff, everyone who took the ethics training had to take the bribery course, regardless of getting bribed.

For the international staff the bribery course was performance-based. We had specific behavioral expectations. For all of our other staff, the objective wasn’t centered on their performance. Instead the objective was to build awareness of the company’s policies on bribery which fit into the larger context of being an ethical organization.

Here’s an example of how this I could have completed the table for this course and the tow different audiences.

Click on the image to see a larger version.

You’ll notice that I broke out the two types of learners and their course objectives. For those who encounter bribes, we focus on the performance aspect. As we build the course, we want to create the types of situations they encounter and have then make the decisions that are in line with the organization’s policies.

For the IT analyst who is never bribed, we create a scaled down course. There’s no need for them to go through time-wasting situations not relevant to their job expectations. In their case, the objective is general awareness of the policy. Presenting the content in an engaging manner and having them certify their understanding is all we need.

A few key thoughts:

Build the course appropriate to the performance expectations of the learner. If none exist, then don’t force them through the same type of course for those who do have performance expectations. Taking a course costs time which is equal to money. And pulling someone from their work to go through irrelevant scenarios is a time-waster. Don’t overstate the importance of the course. Subject matter experts have the tendency to do this. In this example, the temptation is to suggest that everyone needs to be able to make the appropriate decisions so they should all go through the same training. While it’s technically true if presented with a situation everyone should make the right decisions, but forcing people to take certain types of training because of some remote chance that they’ll be bribed is a waste of time. Focus on how the learners will prove their understanding. Are they able to make the right decisions in certain situations? How do you know? If the person needs to make certain types of decisions in certain situations then make that the burden of proof. Create situations like they’ll encounter in the real world and have them demonstrate their understanding through the decisions they make. If they don’t encounter those situations, then the level of understanding centers on general awareness. Instead of a decision-making situation, you can focus on the principles that drive the policies. Perhaps a simple case study would do the trick.

I know that some people say the non-performance courses shouldn’t even be built. They should be job aids. Perhaps. But they do get built and often you’re not in a position to force that change. By understanding what the organization expects from the learner you’ll be able to craft good course objectives and determine the appropriate proof to ensure they’ve been met. If they have performance expectations focus on what you want them to do. If it’s about policy awareness, certify their understanding with a simple quiz.

How do you determine the course objectives in your training programs?

Click here to cast your vote.

May 4-7: Washington DC. I’ll be at ASTD International Conference & Expo. Swing by the Articulate booth #419 to say hello.

May 20 & 21: Fargo, ND (ASTD). Sign up for one or both days here.
Day 1: PowerPoint for E-Learning
Day 2: Build Interactive E-Learning with Articulate Storyline

June 11 & 12: Lincoln (ASTD). Sign up for one or both days here.
Day 1: PowerPoint’s No Longer a Slideshow Freak
Day 2: Getting Started with Articulate Studio ‘13.

October: Dallas (ASTD). Details coming.

More to follow.

Post written by Tom Kuhlmann

View the original article here

E-Learning Design Series: Branding Your Course

I probably review at least two hundred elearning courses each year. Most of them are designed by people just getting started so they then to look for feedback that can cover a broad range of topics.

Many of the courses I review have common design issues. Often it’s those little issues that make the difference between a course that looks like it’s built by a beginner and one that’s a bit more polished.

In a previous post I highlighted three common design issues and offered tips to fix them. Today’s tips are based on some things I see quite a bit related to the branding of courses.  

While I don’t necessarily agree with all of the branding that happens in many online training courses, I understand why organizations do it. However, often the branding goes beyond common sense.

Look at the example above, how many times do you need to see the organization’s name or logo? It’s in the title, the logo panel, and on the screen at least three times.

What’s the point of this? Does all of this branding even do anything positive? I can’t imagine that it actually makes people feel better about taking courses or being part of the organization. What’s next, a company tattoo?

With all that said, the copyright is a good idea. Don’t want anyone to steal that design.

If you have to add the branded items to your course then try to limit when you do so. A few simple ideas may be to make the logos smaller or watermark them so they’re less obvious.

Something I’ve done in the past is create an animated splash screen that I can add to the beginning or end of a course. It’s a bit more elegant and consistent with the brand requirements, but it doesn’t interfere with the course content. By moving the branded elements off your content screens you’ll have more room for the important stuff.

If you need to add branding to your course, then do it where it makes sense. Most authoring tools have a place for you to add a logo and you can also add brand colors to the template and player.

Click here to view the elearning example.

In the example above, a course on social media guidelines, Hitachi customized the template (and course colors) to match the branding in the logo. This helps meet the organization’s guidelines and still gives more control over the content on the screen.

I’m sure this will upset some people, but one thing I can’t stand about going to a kid’s play is that the play may only be 45 minutes long, but then after they spend another 30 minutes thanking everyone who helped out. That’s all good and I truly appreciate those who volunteered, but come on! No one came to the play for the credits. Do all of the back patting at a cast party.

The same can be said for elearning courses. Seems like I’m seeing more and more courses that begin with a series of screens like the ones above that are more like commercials and production credits. They have little to do with the course content so it’s probably a good idea to drop them.

If you do need to add all of that information, then take it off of the course screen. A simple solution is to create an “About Me” tab to hold all of that type of information. It’s in the course for those who want it, but it’s not part of the content flow.

Also, here’s a bonus tip. If you create a live action video don’t use the outtakes to create a gag reel. Unless you’re a master comedian like Emo Philips odds are the gag reel isn’t as funny as you think it is.

You don’t need to use all of the features in the player template that comes with your software. Here’s an example: many elearning templates offer a side menu. However, that feature can be turned off if it’s not needed.

In the example below, the only reason the side menu area exists is because the developer inserted the branded logo. Other than that, all of the space below the logo is wasted. It’s also confusing. If the learner is used to a side menu and then sees this example, she may think that something’s broken.

If you’re not using the side menu, a more elegant solution may be to get rid of the logo panel. This gives you a different course profile that doesn’t have a big empty area.

Like it or not, branding requirements exist. The key is to work them into your course design so meeting them makes sense. What do you do to deal with branding requirements that may interfere with your course design?

January 23 & 24: Las Vegas, NV (TechKnowledge): Mike Taylor will host two creation stations on Building Interactive E-Learning with Articulate Studio ‘13. January 29-30: London (Learning Technologies): I’ll be doing a quick presentation on interactive video using the Articulate applications. If you’re at the conference, swing by the Articulate booth. February 4-6: Karlsruhe (LEARNTEC 2014): I’ll be at the conference working in the Articulate booth and would love to meet you. March 11-12: Phoenix, AZ (ASTD). Details coming. March 19: Sydney (iDESIGNX): I’m excited to attend my first conference in Australia. Looking forward to meeting many of the blog readers there. I’m organizing a workshop while in town. Contact me if you’re interested and I’ll send details as soon as we know.Place I’ll be in 2014: Indianapolis, Lincoln, and Dallas. More to follow.

Post written by Tom Kuhlmann

View the original article here

Want an Engaging E-Learning Course? Start with a Case Study.

A few years back I worked for an organization that suffered through a number of workplace deaths. The company was fully committed to a safe work environment and already had sufficient training. However, they were concerned that people weren’t serious about the safety procedures which was the cause of the deaths.

So they put together some case studies where they told the story of how each death happened and how they could have been prevented. In all of the cases, the people disregarded the safety training and one person actually died right after giving a safety briefing and then ignored the precautions he just discussed.

To this day, I can recall many of the details and solutions that could have prevented the deaths because the way the cases were presented (and of course the emotional impact).

Here’s the point. Instead of building big interactive elearning courses to address the issue they created a series of case studies that were meaningful and real. Sometimes you don’t have time to build a big course. But at the same time you don’t want to get stuck with the typical click-and-read course. In those cases a case study is a great way to move past the information dump and create a meaningful course.

A lot of elearning consists of mostly linear click-and-read courses. Those courses are fine for sharing information, but often they’re not very engaging or memorable. In fact, one of the things I’m asked most is how to get past the click-and-read course and make something more engaging.

My first rule of thumb is to make sure it’s relevant to the end user. If it’s not relevant, odds are you’ll resort to gimmicks to make it seem engaging.

For example, you may want to gamify it or build an interactive branched scenario. Those are all effective considerations when used appropriately. However those types of courses can also be frustrating if they are irrelevant and meaningless to the person taking the course.

So if you want to make engaging courses, first make sure that the content is relevant to the end user.

As we discussed earlier in the post on how to avoid boring courses one of the reasons why there are so many linear elearning courses is because they’re easy to build. With limited time, it’s a challenge to build an interactive and engaging course. It’s a lot easier to pull some information together and then publish it as a “course.”

But the reality is that those types of courses are more like electronic documents than they are courses. And that’s what we get—well documented (but less than engaging) elearning courses.

The good thing is that there’s a happy middle point—a way to transform the linear information dump into something more engaging without the time commitment to build a fully interactive course.

If you don’t have time for a fully interactive course, and you don’t want to build an information dump, do the next best thing—transform your content from information dump into a meaningful case study.

Cases studies are still mostly linear (although you can make them interactive) but the content is framed in a way that provides context and meaning. Because of this, they get past the information dumping that plagues many courses.

A few considerations:

Find the relevant perspective. Courses don’t exist in a vacuum. Most compliance courses have some connection to the person’s day-to-day function. Find out what that is and then frame the content around that connection. A good place to learn more is by interviewing those who take the courses. Ask them when the information is important. A case study is like a story. There are a lot of ways to tell a story. You can go from A to B to C. Or you can present it from a unique angle. The key is to tell a good story that is contextual to the person’s need. A common approach is the “day in the life of _____.” Keep it simple. Don’t provide details that aren’t required. Not only does that take extra thinking to create but it could cause you to go on confusing tangents. Also, we’re not always the best story tellers so the simpler the better. Flip the perspective. Tell the story from the perspective of the customer or someone other than the learner. Instead of telling the learner what they need to know. Show them how not knowing affects others.

If you’re stuck in a place where all you get to build is linear courses, on the next one try a case study. Pull your content into a story that is engaging and relevant to the end user.

A case study is still mostly linear, but I see it as a first step in an iterative process. It helps you move away from linear, click-and-read content to engaging and memorable content. The interactivity can happen later when you get more time, oversight, and technical skill. But in the mean time you are learning to reframe the information dump.

Have you used a case study approach to your courses? What’s worked for you?

Click here to cast your vote.

May 4-7: Washington DC. I’ll be at ASTD International Conference & Expo. Swing by the Articulate booth #419 to say hello.

May 20 & 21: Fargo, ND (ASTD). Sign up for one or both days here.
Day 1: PowerPoint for E-Learning
Day 2: Build Interactive E-Learning with Articulate Storyline

June 11 & 12: Lincoln (ASTD). Sign up for one or both days here.
Day 1: PowerPoint’s No Longer a Slideshow Freak
Day 2: Getting Started with Articulate Studio ‘13.

October: Dallas (ASTD). Details coming.

More to follow.

Post written by Tom Kuhlmann

View the original article here

OHR Spring Course Catalog Available

January 21, 2014 | In Training

The Office of Human Resources is pleased to announce the release of our spring course catalog, which includes classes through July 2014. This release contains new classes, interesting conversation groups and introduces the convenience of webinars on several topics! Sign up now to participate in a class that will enhance your professional development needs. Classes are free and open to faculty and staff.

To register online, please visit the Training & Talent Development registration website, or contact Training & Talent Development at 962-2550 for more information.

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