How can you maximize your e-learning professional development? Task complete?

Is your goal to learn, practice, or experience? e-Learning is mainly for knowledge you can acquire. It is either about getting familiar with something at a theoretical level, e.g. how to do something. When it comes to practicing or experiencing what you learned, e-Learning has its limitations. Think of it as cooking: e-Learning can help you with getting a recipe and seeing some demonstrations of techniques, but in order to complete your learning experience, you then have to get into the kitchen, cook for real, and taste the food.

Greetings from Ngong Hills Kenya! I stumbled into virtual Learning by accident in Japan in 2005. On my return home,I was tasked to develop a National eLearning strategy for Kenya. I was not a trained teacher so had to learn on the go.Highlights: 1. Every training program must have learning objectives, whether traditional or virtual 2. The training must be learner centered. 3. Focus on the learning content NOT the technology 4. Focus on UI/UX design to make the learner experience as painless as possible.Mimic the in-person experience as much as possible by embedding multi media learning objects eg audio and video clips, animations, illustrations, interactive content 5. Make the learning process flexible in terms of time schedules and pace.

If you are looking to grow as an eLearning designer and developer you will need a lot of the same skills as any good learning designer to assess the needs of learners, define clear learning objectives, and create interactive and compelling learning. You will also need technical skills with design and development software. Assess your knowledge of theories of learning, instructional design, and learning technology to take stock of where you’re starting from.

In Nigeria, the advent of COVID-19 spurred extensive e-learning implementation to bridge the gap in out-of-school education. Educators encountered the task of virtual lesson delivery, triggering the pressing need to adeptly navigate online teaching. In this context, it becomes paramount for all individuals to proactively cultivate the skillset required for proficient online learning deployment. This deliberate effort not only elevates the quality of education but also propels professional growth, enabling seamless teaching and learning in the face of evolving educational dynamics.

Search your feelings. Whenever I am about to begin any new endeavour, I ask myself: “Why?”. Why learn this? Are you preparing for a future role? Or, are you trying to perform better presently? Time, more so than any other resource, should be spent wisely. Setting a goal is fine. Assigning purpose is better.

The best things in life are free: start with YouTube and other video libraries, search for reading materials, and ask an AI bot to provide some specific recommendations based on what you are looking for. Ask people who have experience in that field what was that has helped them the most. Avoid paying for something that may not return your investment.

Submit to speak at a big conference, like DevLearn or ATD ICE. Yes, get outside your comfort zone. You will not regret it. Why? You will become friends with other unbelievably talented speakers with their finger on the pulse of this industry. Invaluable resources.

Reading the following books now could save you and your practitioners immeasurable hours: Cathy Moore, Map It: The Hands-On Guide to Strategic Training Design. Cathy Moore, 2017. - All the biggest mistakes that LXDs make and how to avoid them. Michael Allen, Michael Allen's Guide to e-Learning, 2nd Ed. Wiley, 2016 - What elearning looks like. Ruth Colvin Clark and Richard E Mayer, e-Learning and the Science of Instruction, 4th Ed., Pfeiffer, 2016. - Getting evidence-based transforms your practice. Conrad Gottfredson and Bob Mosher, Innovative Performance Support: Strategies and Practices for Learning in the Workflow, McGraw Hill, 2011 - Understand opportunities for learning in the workflow, about 90% of workplace learning happens here.

This list is by no means complete but will give you an overview of some of the available resources and organisations that can help you to maximise your e-learning professional development. Courses Designing the learners journey by Michael Allen (LinkedIn) Instructional Design Essentials by Joe Pulichino (LinkedIn) Learning Design by University of Toronto Organisations Training Magazine - trainingmag.com ATD - td.org Other Websites: elearningheroes.com (inspiration, building a portfolio) elearningindustry.com (news, research) instructionaldesigncentral.com dribble.com (for inspiration) rapid-elearning (practical knowledge) YouTube: Search for ′Devlin Peck′, ′Tim Slade′or ′Mark Spermon′.

I did my first e-learning course back in 2020, during the pandemic. Now I am back on track. I have some health issues that will prevent me for the coming months to take time bounded assignments. So I thought it was a good time to start developing some e-learning courses that can be consumed without me being present.

Sometimes, finding a suitable and practical opportunity to apply new knowledge isn't exactly a dime a dozen. Here's an idea for you: pass it on. Teaching can be a great way not only to better internalize new knowledge but also to find application opportunities beyond just your own. Share!

Think big, start small. Write down in bullet points what you have learned, and tick the bullet points for what you believe will have the biggest impact once you apply them. Then, just each of these points, write down one tangible outcome you expect to achieve; this is how you will know you were successful. Give it a go, and reflect on how it went. Use any success or failure as a learning to improve. Once you master one small step, take the next one.

Stay ahead of the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve! According to Hermann Ebbinghaus (1885), we start to forget new concepts and ideas within an hour of learning something new (Wittman & Stanislaus, 2018). Integrate what you have learned...before you forget! A few ways to do this: 1. Set an action item for yourself. Talk, text, or post and share what you've learned with others. 2. Create visual notes and doodles to illustrate new concepts. 3. Rearrange or distill new concepts and ideas in a new way through an acronym or a mnemonic. ~~~ Wittman, J., & Stanislaus, C. S. U. (2018). The Forgetting Curve. California State University, Stanislaus.

The biggest challenge in application is striking a balance between the real needs of opportunity owners (leadership, business stakeholders, people who offer work and pay for it), and the practical needs of the practitioners you serve. Often leaders come to the table with solutions already in mind, and with time and money-saving strategies (already approved by their leaders) that might seem to force the work down a path to uncertain results. Unless you know for sure that the solution is right at the outset, you have to make a case for doing needs analysis and working iteratively with practitioners and SMEs to get to the best possible solution within your time and budget constraints.

Putting theory into practice is often where people stumble. So you need to get a jump on identifying the barriers to repositioning yourself or utilising your learning immediately. Perhaps you've upskilled and want to use this new skill to find a job. Or you want to a promotion in-house. - What are the barriers? - How will you overcome them? - Who are the key contacts you need to connect with to make things happen? - Identify how your life will change with this new learning.

There is no need to feel that you need tens of names to connect with. Start with one person you have noticed in the area that interests you. Once you talk to them, ask them who you should talk next. Each person will give you the name of someone they respect for their knowledge. This is how you will get the best people in what you want to do.

In my experience, joining National bodies such as ASCILITE and ACODE (Australasian examples) provides a wealth of opportunities for sharing & learning across the eLearning landscape. Further, they offer a chance for professional learning as members of Executive by vote for those inclined to enhance e-learning contexts on a wider level & provide opportunities for others.

Connecting with other learning pros is valuable, using LinkedIn and professional organizations like ATD, but have you tried connecting with the practitioners you serve? If you have a specialty discipline (mine is sales enablement), hang out with and follow people who use your elearning. Follow your customers and their thought leaders. Read some of what they read in the field, learn about their problems and challenges, their processes. Learn about where they work and what motivates them. Steep yourself in their professional world and challenges. These connections will always inform your work and help you when you have to make decisions or share an opinion.

Don’t forget that while networking and reaching out to others on an individual level can be uncomfortable, you aren’t the only one who benefits. I’ve had individuals reach out to me directly because they wanted to increase their network of e-learning professionals- and even when I end up in a mentoring role as a result, I have found the experience an opportunity for my learning and development as well. I sometimes feel these relationships can benefit the mentor more than the mentee. All this to say don’t be afraid to network with individuals, not just with groups or organizations.

E-learning thrives in a communal garden. But let’s get one thing straight: networking isn't collecting LinkedIn connections like they’re Pokémon cards. Aim for quality relationships. Hit up forums, but move beyond the "great post" comments. Offer value, share personal anecdotes, and debate respectfully. Slide into the DMs of industry experts, but come armed with insightful questions, not just fan admiration.

It is easy to get lost in the ocean. Ask the people you consider successful for a single resource you can use to keep up with trends. They will give you the one they themselves use. This is going to be enough until you discover other ways through your own experience.

Be friend with the "new". In this rapidly changing world, adaptation has become a desired and required soft-skill for all aspects of life; learning is no exception. Keep your eye on AI developments, ask yourself how long you have been using the tools you have at hand. Don't be afraid to try new ones. Share your successes and failed attempts and new roads will reveal themselves.

It is definitely tough to keep up with such a rapidly developing field. I’ll go back to networking- buddy up with someone who you feel comfortable experimenting with and failing in front of. Try out new and innovative approaches- give yourself the empowerment to innovate and permission to fail.

Keeping up with the always-growing e-learning landscape can be daunting. The key is to focus on those trends that are beneficial for my job or are interesting to me. For example, I love designing, and currently, I am in a position where my design is limited to creating charts. To satisfy my creative urge and to stay on task, I am practicing/growing my design skills with Visio, Figma, and other chart-making tools. Once this analysis project is over, I will have increased my productivity and ability with e-learning design tools while staying on task. In summary, I believe that, if you cannot see the benefits, you will have difficulty learning or more importantly, retaining information. Focus on what you enjoy, and you will succeed.

Many of the latest trends and innovations reflect creativity at its problem-solving best. Usually, what's on our calendars receives our focused attention. Set and block a time for a standing, weekly calendar "Trend" appointment to scroll your feeds and follows. Use an app or scheduled email as a reminder. Collect trends in personalized lists on social media. Add new book and podcast recommendations to a "Want to read” and “Want to listen” wishlists. Review these sources during your Trend calendar appointment. Can't spare weekly time? Prioritize an hour or two every month to keep up with trends and innovations.

Don’t underestimate the power of pausing. Reflection isn’t just a vanity mirror for your e-learning endeavors; it’s your diagnostic tool. Take time to breathe and audit your progress. Did you hit a milestone? Pop that champagne! Did you fail? Great, you've got fodder for your next success. The key to the game is adapting; make reflection your weekly ritual, not just an end-of-year fireworks display.

Progress in oneself is often hard to identify. The mirror can be trecheraous and deceiving. It takes courage and a stubborn mind to pursue the road to true progress. Reflect and evaluate but never let the absence of immediate or greatly noticeable change daunt you. Be stubborn!

Learning is an ongoing process, and you should always be ready to modify and adjust your plan as necessary. Agility is key in so many areas of life, and education (formal or informal) is no exception.

Online professional development can also be maximized through: - goal planning where a big goal can be broken into objectives, activities, tasks and milestones -Constant evaluation for continuous improvement will keep the learner on track.

In 2014 I made a pivot in my learning career toward sales enablement. I did this because I loved (and still do) the software pre-salespeople I got to know and work with in my software training role. I never understood or appreciated sales and selling before this experience, but as I got to know field salespeople I began to realize how incredibly demanding and important their work is in making companies successful and in making customers successful. For a learning pro, sales enablement is an exciting role. You get a chance to develop a wide range of solutions, collaborate across disciplines, learn a lot about business, and see the real revenue impact of your work.

Consider the outside world. How do you like to consume content outside of work? What engages you? What trends do you see in the spaces people willingly choose to consume content, such as social media? Do your development projects align with how people search out content? If not, you may want to reconsider within the scope of your project.

Make a note of which e-learning materials work for you as a learner, and why. It's important to remember that this field isn't about just churning out trendy, goal-aligned content -- there are people on the other end of our work! How can you demonstrate that you respect their intellect, ability, and time by how you construct your e-learning materials? I promise, viewers of your work can tell what you think of them or whether you really thought of them at all. So take some time as a learner to reflect on what it feels like to be on that side of the equation. What is a current trend that is actually contemptuous of the viewer? What is something you've always done by default that feels like a waste of the viewer's time?

Maximizing your e-learning professional development as an early years teacher and lecturer requires a multifaceted approach. Here are some actionable steps: Learning & Skill Development Formal Training: Enroll in e-learning courses specifically designed for educators. Webinars and Workshops: Attend webinars and workshops to get updated on the latest trends and technologies. Peer Learning: Engage in online forums or community groups that focus on e-learning in education. Hands-On Experience: Set up a mock e-learning environment to apply your knowledge. Cross-Discipline Learning: Don't limit yourself to educational courses; learn from other sectors that effectively use e-learning as well.