How do you handle complex digital learning design and delivery?

Starting with an analysis of learners and context is vital in digital learning design. Ask “why” this training is needed—align it with business goals and desired outcomes, not just what learners need to know, but how they should act post-training. Consider diverse learning styles and pacing; a blend of visual, auditory, and interactive content tailored to enable Learning Transfer is key. Accessibility is non-negotiable—learning must be inclusive for all. Context influences content design: mobile learners in retail may need different content than office staff. After launch, keep refining—L&D is ongoing innovation, leveraging feedback to iterate and improve. Aim for impactful, lasting change.

There are a variety of ways to analyze your learners. For example, you can: -interview learners -develop surveys and questionnaires -go through learning materials that have already been created and find the gaps -Hold small focus groups to discover the learner's perspectives

Analysing the unique parameters for every user is the main key for adaptive content delivery. This may vary according to the scope.

It is also essential to find the gap between the learner's current knowledge and the desired learning outcomes. Also necessary to understand the context of learning regarding the stakeholders, I used to ask: how many minutes/hours does your colleague have during work to learn about the specific topic?

This is an excellent start on training assessment. I would also have subject matter experts rank the possible objectives, and for insight as to what needs to be learned, before the learners can master said objectives and where that learning is accomplished.

When writing learning objectives for a corporate audience, you want to ensure that you tie it back to a business goal. Most instructional designers use the ABCD method to do this. A= Audience (who are your learners?) B= Behavior (what do you want your learners to do?) C= Condition (situation, context, condition) D= Degree (how will the behavior be measured?) Now, let's take a look at an example together: Store associates will accurately identify the correct sunscreen for their customers, minimizing the number of returns by 25% over the next year. Let's dissect the ABCD example above. A= Store associates B= identify C= loss of sales D= minimize returns by 25% over the next year

Starting with a precise alignment to business or organizational goals is essential. Think of it as a two-way street: learning objectives should set the path for learners and directly contribute to achieving strategic goals. It's about crafting learning interventions that are designed with the end goal in sight. The SMART framework is a valuable tool here; it ensures that learning objectives are educational targets and measurable contributions to business success. This alignment transforms L&D from a support function into a strategic partner, directly fueling the organization's growth and success. Continuous evaluation and realignment are key, ensuring that as business goals evolve, learning objectives adapt in tandem.

When designing your outcomes think of what a person who has completed your course would look like. Learning occurs with irrevocable behavior change. What major behavior change will your course bring out? Always focus on the need of the course and learner when answering this question. This will also help you design better assessment.

This objective cannot be measured, as it needs to be measured at the time of training. It is an excellent long term goal, is not measurable within the training session.

Creating SMART learning objectives should be complemented with the specific evaluation to check whether objectives are achieved through the course or not.

Outstanding perspective here. Most possibilities have been covered. You may find others along the way, but as long as you have an open mind, all is possible.

Choosing the correct digital format is like picking the right tools for a masterpiece—it depends on the goal. For compliance training, interactive eLearning modules with assessments are a go-to; they ensure knowledge is consumed, assessed, and tracked. Skill-based training calls for a different tact. Here, Learning Transfer comes to life: eLearning as the 'Aware' phase builds foundational understanding. ILT & VILT act as 'Align,' engaging learners in activities mirroring real-world scenarios. To close the skill gap, 'Apply' is key. Coaching and OTJ training let learners apply knowledge and receive actionable feedback. The magic? Aligning each element intentionally with desired outcomes.

No matter what type of learning solution you choose, you'll want to give learners adequate practice by spacing out how and when your learners interact with your learning material. Learning is not a one-time event so it's in the best interest of the learner to design various types of learning materials that are delivered in a multitude of ways over a designated period of time.

All these form of digital content should have the hook to enagage the learner in first 2 minutes. This hook will decide whether the student will continue to learn or not. The retention and dropout rate will grartly affected by hook of the course.

It is always essential to use a mix of formats. The diversity of learning tools is not just inclusive for many types of people but also a tool for producing engaging and motivating content. It is also important to have a blended learning solution if it is feasible.

As adults are often busy, they may be tempted to quickly skim through a digital content just to get done with it. Hence, it is vital to apply learning theories such as transformational learning, aimed at boosting learner engagement through motivation. When they understand how the content can potentially help them, it increases their willingness to learn. As an example, instead of simply showing how to correctly handle a process, help them see how learning to do it correctly can make their job so much easier. This is because adult learners mostly favor learning that establishes a connection between the content and their real-life needs. When they can readily perceive its added value, the motivation to properly assimilate it is higher.

In most corporate settings, ADDIE is an iterative process which can also make it an agile one. Typically, corporate instructional designers will design, develop, implement, and evaluate their learning solutions throughout every stage of the cycle. While extremely rare, some instructional designers do go back to the drawing board even when they've already completed an analysis.

Instead of ADDIE which is a waterfall model. Follow agile methodologies to deliver the content to client/customer. This way you will get the chance to incorporate the changing needs (if any) and adapt the course accordingly. This will overall cost you lesser than ADDIE model.

In today's fast-paced world, adopting an agile approach like the SAM (Successive Approximation Model) is essential. SAM IS ITERATIVE AND FLEXIBLE, unlike ADDIE, which is linear and can be rigid. It prioritizes rapid prototyping and early collaboration with stakeholders. This means we're testing and refining as we go, making data-driven decisions based on actual learner feedback. This real-world, real-time feedback loop allows us to make immediate improvements, ensuring the training we deliver is high-quality, timely, and relevant to the learners. SAM's agility allows us to adapt swiftly, a critical feature in today's ever-evolving business landscape.

The ideal digital learning content process is very iterative and agile, with many cycles. During all the phases (needs analysis, design, etc.) you have to go forth and back to produce the content, which is never final, just an actual state of the work.

Depending on the institution you work for, you'll have to follow their protocols, policies, and procedures when designing learning solutions. If the purpose of the learning solution is for practicing in a safe space, then I would advise against controlling the learner's experience via navigational controls. Remember, in a corporate setting, you are designing for adults and adults want autonomy over their learning; in most cases, adults are self-directed learners.

With a stable cloud LMS, basic UAT is a must, but my focus shifts to shaping short- and long-term engagement strategies through a crafted learner experience journey: Discovery, Onboarding, Scaffolding, Mastery. The immediate value is key—what does a learner gain from their first login and content interaction? But the long view is just as vital: aligning learning with career progression. This journey isn't just an L&D endeavor. HR plays a critical role, partnering to shape a pathway that enriches the employee and steers the organization toward its goals. The learner's motivation, under this lens, becomes a central concern in digital learning.

Beyond the foundational aspects of delivering digital learning content, it's vital to establish a continuous feedback loop with learners to refine and improve the content based on their experiences. As digital learning initiatives expand, the platforms and methods used should be scalable to accommodate growth and flexible to adapt to changing needs. For global audiences, content localization, beyond mere translation, ensures relevance across diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Ensuring that all content is universally accessible, including for those with disabilities, is a fundamental consideration.

Utilize data analytics feature for this. Harness the capabilities of AI into your LMS and get the data about the course in various formats, which would be easy to understand and hence you can plan the desired changes to implement in the course.

After delivering digital learning content beyond surveys and analytics, I advocate for user research into the learner experience. In digital or blended learning, we're crafting a journey, not just a singular event. Imagine it as innovation: consider the Diffusion of Innovation Theory. We start with early adopters—our pioneers in this learning journey. One-on-one interviews with these learners can uncover what resonates and where we need to refine it. This process is akin to 'Crossing the Chasm,' where we fine-tune our approach based on these insights before a wider rollout. It's a strategy to evolve content and the entire learning experience.

It is also a good idea to have scope of rapid iteration and updates in your courses. Especially, if you design courses for subjects that evolve rapidly. Just like a research paper ends with possibilities of new research, a course should intice creative thinking and have the scope of improvement over the time. This will make your courses dynamic.

Seems still to be based on a very traditional Learning and Teaching approach unfortunately. Best Practises, case studies is still very theoretical. The gap between Learning and Application is Too big .

Handling intricate learning design isn't merely about digital; it's about a holistic approach. While digital plays its part, especially in self-paced learning, there's more to the story. Blend it with physical or virtual instructor-led sessions and seal it with coaching and hands-on experience for genuine learning transfer. Move beyond a digital-only lens: see the more oversized frame, especially for skill-based training. Let digital be your learning design strategy's aide, not the entirety. Balance is key.