Rapid e-Learning: Increasing Speed of Development, Reducing Cost and Meeting e-learners' Needs

Special Issue, 120-Page Article

This article presents a series of strategies and tactics which help you answer these questions:

• How do I respond to rapid business needs for e-Learning?
• How do I decide which approach can dramatically increase the speed of development and how do I calculate the returns?
• How do I work effectively with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to obtain content?
• What strategy ensures that the software meets rapid development and cost objectives?
• And many more topics.

Excerpts from the Article:

› Rapid e-Learning as a term is an oxymoron. Inherently e-Learning is rapid. Its principles are all about speed and quality. It provides immediate learning, and its tools and software are fast, inexpensive and have more capabilities than we can even imagine using. It provides personalized and just-in-time learning at its best.

› Our e-Learning programs are at least 50% heavy (too much content) and at least 75% cumbersome (too much control) than what is required by e-learners.

› We need to present an architectural plan or infrastructure so that all the contributors to our e-Learning program can follow a process.

› Remember “Garbage in, garbage out”? We can add one more: “The more the garbage, the slower the speed and higher the costs – and the quality stinks.”

› Software developers and suppliers have their own “religions” borne out of their backgrounds, origins, interests and skill sets.

› Add interactivity only when it matters.

› This architecture provides clear direction for design, processes, and software and resource requirements - that lead to clarity of standards and streamlined decision making.

› Reducing the number of content to focus on “must learns” increases the speed of development, reduces the costs and meets e-learners’ needs.

› This ability to randomly select allows e-learners to learn or apply ideas rapidly; it cuts down by 75% the burden of forcing learners to go page by page.

› Assist SMEs to organize, categorize, write and display the content that meets the standard of your architecture (structure their contribution so it is easy and time efficient for them).

› You can also maximize the full capability of the software when you know the end results you wish to derive.

› Not all content should be in an interactive form. Don’t put in interactive format content which you can put in plain text, images and references. If only 20% of your content needs to be interactive, then you drastically reduce the time to develop it. You also help the learners focus on what is truly important and what matters – which is one of e-learners needs.
And many many more useful and practical ideas.

Ray Jimenez, PhD www.vignettestraining.com
"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"