Templatized e-learning: Myth or Reality?

A little while back I worked on a project that caused me to deeply reflect on the instructional design process and the role of lay instructional designers. My assignment was to create a PowerPoint template that would facilitate the development of simple but effective e-learning modules by subject matter experts.

elearning

The project was great because we were leveraging a relatively simple and well known tool, along with a standard look and format, to allow SMEs to share their knowledge, grow their skills and make effective use of down time.

Part of the challenge was the instructional design expertise of the SMEs. One of the ways we managed this is through the design of the template. It includes elements such as interactive questions with feedback, introductions and summaries, overviews, detailed steps, and branched scenarios.

By including these elements we are showing the SMEs some options as well as what goes into effective e-learning, while giving them a sense of how things can flow.

Of course, including these and other elements has a concomitant effect on cognitive overload for the task; there are a lot of slides to look through. So there is a balance of giving enough content to provide context, but not so much content that the design and structure are obscured.

One way we managed this is by availing ourselves of PowerPoint features such as hidden slides and sections (see my previous blog on this feature).

Another way we managed this as well as the original concern about SMEs and instructional design expertise is we provided training that included some ID basics as well as the care and feeding of the template.

This brings me back to my original question: is there such a thing as templatized e-learning? Or perhaps I should modify the question by asking, “Is there such a thing as an effective e-learning template?”

My insights are:

  • An effective template, like effective training, is focused on objectives and tailored to the audience.
  • It’s still good practice to tell people what you’re going to tell them, tell them, and tell them what you told them. I know this is old but the reality is people miss things and/or fail to retain them when only exposed once.
  • People learn best when they have a real reason to learn, and are solving authentic problems
  • People like to feel effective (see my previous blog on motivation in learning) – they like to feel like they have accomplished something.

All these things can be built into a template. Of course the devil is in the details, but when you revisit the audience and the client’s goals, you’re off to a pretty good start.

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