e-Instructional Design Modules

EID01: Boredom-busting e-learning that works

When a Sunday Times book critic praises a page-turner, be delighted. When your learners use it about your e-learning, start worrying.

Page-turning e-learning is easy to create. But churn it out at your peril. Your learners won't thank you. And when performance doesn't improve, nor will your boss.

This module turns the standard, content hierarchy-driven view of e-learning on its head. It introduces a holistic, three-pronged approach to development which always focuses you on:

• using a learner-centred, context-driven approach to your design
• creating relevant, meaningful practice activities for your learners, and
• providing timely support and feedback within those activities.

Module length: 2 hours

EID03: More than multiple choice -  effective practice fundamentals

Most e-learning authoring software makes quizzes, questions and interactions dead easy to create. You can churn them out quickly and efficiently. So what's the problem?

Well, just because the authoring software lets you do it, doesn't necessarily mean it's a good idea. And anyway, practice activities in e-learning need to be about more than just multiple choice, true-false and abstract drag and drop.

In acknowledgement of this, the module focuses on:

• The key underpinning principles and approaches involved in creating, relevant, challenging and realistic practice activities and scenarios
• The essential skill areas that most typically need practising in work-based e-learning
• The six key ingredients needed to build effective practice activities
• The three types of meaningful feedback which consolidate learning and encourage transfer, and
• How to ensure that any post practice test questions you create are valid and reliable.

Module length: 2 hours

EID05: A design blueprint for effective feedback and supporting knowledge

Continuing the part module, part workshop style of EID04, this module completes the design blueprint started in EID04 by answering questions about when, where and how frequently the following should be provided:

• Help
• Feedback
• Reflection, and
• Supporting knowledge

Central to the approach we cover in all of the EID modules is the concept of ‘guided discovery’. 

This is absolutely not about learning by random trial and error but it is about carefully calibrating a preferred success path through a practice activity, while still allowing room for your learners to make errors and to learn from their mistakes.

In this kind of ‘guided discovery’ environment the effective and appropriate use of help, feedback, reflection and supporting knowledge is critical. 

This module covers the specifics of how to:

• Calibrate feedback by working within 4 key feedback parameters
• Apply a consistent, success framework for providing your instructional feedback
• Embed appropriate opportunities for learner reflection on feedback received
• Encourage learners to apply critical thinking to skills and knowledge being practised
• Use a coach or other support avatars to enable and encourage guided discovery and reflection
• Embed the right levels of supporting knowledge in the right places, within your practice activity
• Apply clear and consistent placement and visual styles, when presenting learners with help and support options

Module length: 2.5 hours