E-learning is a powerful way to deliver education, especially in times of crisis or disruption. But how can faculty who are not tech-savvy create engaging and effective e-learning programs for their students? In this article, we will share some tips and tools that can help you design and deliver online courses that are accessible, interactive, and pedagogically sound.
The first step to create an engaging e-learning program is to choose a platform that suits your needs and skills. There are many options available, from learning management systems (LMS) to web conferencing tools. You don't need to be an expert in coding or web design to use these platforms, as they often have user-friendly interfaces and templates. Some examples of popular platforms are Canvas, Moodle, Zoom, and Google Classroom. You can also use a combination of platforms to create a blended learning experience that integrates online and offline activities.
I don't need to be a 'technical expert' but rather a great 'learning guide' that provides the tools, direction, and motivation for the learning to take place as part of one's 'self-discovery', or where appropriate, 'mutual-discovery' with others helping each other. The first step is creating the desire and 'curiosity' to learn. In my leadership work, I"ll use good assessments and put participants into pairs or groups to discuss the results and provide helpful mutual feedback to each other. For individual learning, I like to use a good learning management system that can conveniently organize the resources, assignments, and assessments ... and allows me to provide individual feedback on their results, accomplishments, and next steps.
Non-technical faculty can create engaging e-learning programs by understanding their audience, setting clear objectives, using interactive multimedia, incorporating narratives, focusing on visual design, chunking information, promoting active learning, providing feedback, ensuring accessibility, and continuously improving based on learner feedback. By following these steps, they can create dynamic and effective e-learning experiences that cater to diverse learning styles and preferences.
If the e-learning platform is not super-easy and intuitive to use, the compliance rate will drop. Keep that in mind when you choose your platform!
The teacher doesn't necessarily need to be a tech expert. He/she should be aware of what is out there and have a basic understanding of it, and what it can be used for so that he/she can direct students to use the technology to complete their lessons. They are the real experts and have grown up in the world of information. The teacher will be quite surprised by what he/she can learn from his/her students. At least that has worked for me in the past.
One thing I’ve found useful is to appreciate how e-learning differs from how we prepare normal classes. We go to normal classes hoping to explain unclear concepts. E-learning has to be far more explicit. However, the similarity with live classes is that a good e-learning class must commence with a compelling case/story/phenomenon that the course is designed to unpack. As in live classes, this creates the motivational context for the learner. It also helps to insert progress checks with instant feedback that help the student know if they understand the material or not. It also helps to have quick turnaround times for any questions students might have. So you need tutors able to do this if the lead instructor is unable to.
Before you start creating your e-learning content, you need to have a clear idea of what you want your students to learn and how you will measure their progress. This will help you design your course structure, activities, and assessments. You can use the SMART framework to define your learning objectives and outcomes. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For example, a SMART learning objective could be: "By the end of this module, students will be able to identify and analyze the main themes and symbols in Shakespeare's Macbeth using textual evidence and literary criticism."
The acronym SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely goals. Here, are some effective examples of personal SMART goals. 1. Write regularly 2. Increase reading 3. Improve exercising 4. Mastering emotions 5. Enhancing productivity 6. Better time management Let's discuss some healthy ways to work smarter. 1. Develop a healthy morning routine. 2. Write a short to-do list for each day. 3. Avoid procrastination & respond quickly. 4.Practice stress management techniques. 5. Avoid multitasking & focus on one task at a time. 6. Use time block method to increase productivity. SMART goals sets a right direction to make you organise in a better way. It helps in achieving the necessary knowledge, skills and behaviour.
That’s so very important. I’ve been designing and developing content for more than a decade now and I can vouch how important setting learning outcomes at the start are. Your initial phase of Analysis and Design in ADDIE will contribute a lot to defining learning outcomes. Focus on how the learning content will add to the skill and ability of learners. WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) for your learners is important to reflect significance and relevance. It is recommended to tie the outcomes to real business use case.
Clear objectives and outcomes are crucial. For my online Chinese Conversational class, I outlined specific skills students should acquire, ensuring each lesson was purposefully designed towards achieving these goals. This planning ensures the course remains focused and effective.
I always ask myself this question to “have a clear idea” or to set my objective - what does success look like for my learners after they take the e-learning, and how do I measure the success?
Nothing matters without a well-designed course. Making sure you're teaching the right material and breaking it into easy to grab chunks is the foundation of it all. From there, the media can follow and if technical skills are not your strength, look for outsourcing or AI to help.
One of the challenges of e-learning is to keep your students engaged and motivated. A good way to do that is to use multimedia and interactive elements in your e-learning content. Multimedia refers to the use of different types of media, such as text, images, audio, video, and animations. Interactive elements refer to the use of features that allow your students to interact with the content, such as quizzes, polls, games, simulations, and discussions. These elements can help you present your information in a more appealing and diverse way, as well as provide feedback and reinforcement to your students.
Los elementos multimedia, como los videos, las imágenes y los audios, siempre pueden hacer que el programa de e-learning sea todavía más atractivo para los estudiantes. Además, las actividades interactivas, como los cuestionarios y las discusiones, pueden ayudar a los estudiantes a participar mas activamente en el proceso de aprendizaje.
To achieve an engaging E-learning experience without tech skills is easy. After you have determined your objectives. You need to choose the application(s) which enables synchronous and asynchronous learning. Nearpod and Peardeck enable learning with UDL in mind because of its multisensory appeal. Learners are able to do pre and post tests, collaborate using the collaborator board, learning via interactive videos, Augment reality, polls, quizzes, research via linked website. The teacher can facilitate, model or coach to achieve desired learning experience synchronously.
Multimedia helps in keeping the students engaged. Include the following interactive elements to increase the attention span of students. 1. Quizzes help learners to test their knowledge. Games, quizlet & digital flashcards are the powerful learning assets. 2. Short videos and animations break the monotony of the traditional books. Create specific & focused videos for the maximum engagement & interaction. 3. Infographics offers the instant information to teach with facts and statistics. Primarily students are visual learners. 4. Gamification is an interactive engagement. It turns traditional Power Point presentation in to the animated story-telling elements. 5. Micropodcasts are the best tools for those who have strong auditory memory.
Incorporating multimedia, such as videos and interactive quizzes, can significantly enhance engagement. I used simple tools to create engaging content, like recording short instructional videos and designing interactive exercises, making the learning experience more dynamic and enjoyable.
Use questions not just as quizzes to test knowledge, but as a way to help learners navigate the connections between information and actions. It makes it interactive, but in this sense, the question is a way to tee up content. You can make it interesting by setting a question up with a short scenario, posing a situation (or problem), and using the question to get the learner to engage with what they should already know with a key concept they are going to learn about. Another method is using questions as a sort of "guided exploration", to prompt learners to think of key situations / problems where the knowledge/ skill they are learning will be useful.
When creating e-learning content, it’s important to ensure that it is accessible and inclusive for all students. This is where universal design principles come into play. Universal design is an approach that seeks to make products and environments usable by everyone, without the need for adaptation or specialization. A few principles you can apply to your e-learning content are providing multiple means of representation (e.g. text, audio, video, graphics), multiple means of action and expression (e.g. written, oral, visual, creative assignments), and multiple means of engagement (e.g. choice, challenge, feedback, collaboration). This will help you create content that is suitable and engaging for all your students.
Following students needs and programs learning outcomes, faculty can enrich the classroom activities for students. Brining related case studies to the classroom, interactions with business clients, and encouraging students will help the faculty to run a more engaging classroom.
Another way of looking at this is ‘leveraging’ as many different ways of sharing the expert content from one mode to many. Before your webinar on your course topic, invite students to submit their questions (anonymously or not) regarding what they want or expect to learn from the module, or lesson. Use these questions to guide the format of the presentation. Use the questions to share vignettes to discuss specific topics of interest. Then, following webinar, have Q&A. The Vignettes can become “How to videos.” The Q&A can become FAQs. It The audio can become a podcast. The transcript can become an article, pdf study guide, cheat sheet, etc.
Exploring Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles from Cast. Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. It suggests flexible instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that can be customized and adjusted to meet individual needs. CAST has been instrumental in developing and promoting the UDL framework. They provide resources, research, and tools for educators to implement UDL principles effectively in their classrooms.
Don't forget the closed captions! I know so many people that don't bother with sound anymore. If you don't want a wall of text, make sure to include closed captioning. It follows the UDL principle that designing for the margins makes better design for everyone.
Making content accessible to all learners is essential. I ensured text was readable, videos had subtitles, and materials were accessible on various devices. These considerations help cater to diverse learning needs and preferences, improving the overall learning experience.
Finally, one of the most important aspects of creating an engaging e-learning program is to communicate and collaborate with your students. To establish a sense of community and connection, you should provide clear and timely instructions and expectations for your course, activities, and assessments. Additionally, create opportunities for interaction and discussion among your students, such as forums, chats, blogs, or peer review. Furthermore, offer feedback and support to your students in the form of comments, grades, emails, or office hours. Lastly, encourage and acknowledge your students' participation and achievements with praise, rewards, or recognition.
In my experience, one of the early failures in e-learning in higher ed, in particular, was trying to turn faculty into content developers. If a faculty member is interested in instructional technology, then great, they should have access to it and the support to work with it. Otherwise, as many schools are now doing, the internal development teams (or external if they have survived) should treat the faculty as the subject matter experts they deserve to be. They, the instructional technologists, should develop the content into some kick-ass online learning (pardon me) that the students will appreciate instead of a series of talking heads and T/F questions. Everyone swimming in their lanes. Jump in to learn a new skill if you want to.
As I teach English in an ICT Faculty, the answer is simple. I get my students to either help and in some cases create it. They have far more knowledge than I do.
These are all excellent points. One important resource to consider is your institution’s instructional design staff. So many faculty are content experts but not curriculum development experts. Having an experienced and knowledgeable companion in the design and support phases of curriculum development and student engagement can be an extraordinary asset.
Je laisse toujours des temps de parole aux apprenants : je leur demande régulièrement si tout a été compris, je les rassure sur le fait qu'on a le droit de n'avoir pas compris et que c'est en faisant des erreurs que l'ancrage memoriel se fait de manière plus efficace. Si j'ai des apprenants qui coupent trop la parole ou aiment particulièrement participer, je leur annonce qu'à tel moment, je les laisse parler ou leur propose de poser toutes les questions qu'ils ont pu avoir pendant mon cours.
Todos os aspectos de um programa de e-learning devem ser levantados, organizados e apresentados aos participantes para que tenham uma no??o clara do que vai enfrentar, e n?o ser surpreendido no meio do caminho. Deve perceber que ao final do caminho deverá alcan?ar um determinado conhecimento e compartilhar com seus pares o aprendizado obtido. Essa é a finalidade de ser criar uma comunidade e para reger este fluxo espera-se um maestro que entenda todo este processo, que aliás é obtido nos cursos de forma??o de professores, onde criadores de conteúdos aprendem didática e compreendem nas "salas de aulas" o comportamento dos alunos.
E-learning staff, whether at a faculty member's own institution or a different one, are a tremendous resource for inspiration and collaboration... and one that's often overlooked. In general, we chose our careers because we want to see students learn and we're happy to encourage that. (In the same way, pharmacists aren't medical doctors but they sure do have a lot of education and knowledge about medicine!) Curious about something? Wondering how to learn more? Buy one of your technologists lunch at your cafeteria, chat with them about what's on your mind, and ask them who else you should talk to. Rather than more work added onto their plate, most will see that offer as a fun opportunity to share.
Faculty without tech expertise can still captivate learners by weaving personal stories, real-world examples, and multimedia into their e-learning content. This approach fosters engagement and understanding by connecting abstract concepts to tangible experiences, making the learning journey meaningful and relevant.
There are a lot of useful options for less technical learning professionals to create effective e-learning (Articulate Rise, Camtasia, Synthesia). That said, building technical skills are still important. It is never too late to develop a new skill. As learning professionals we can role-model having a growth-mindset and a willingness to try new things. Even without becoming an expert, you will enhance your abilities in the field. LinkedIn Learning, EdX and Coursera all off useful development material. Happy learning!
Frankly speaking, there is nothing like non tech skill, in today's world. We use smart phones, social media platforms and e shop as well, with a reasonable degree of ease. So an educator creating content can easily create content using such simple Tech skills and platforms. The tech tools enable self learning to a large extent. And where the educator can bring a difference is through the richness of their experience, research and study. Keep these as the focus areas and use technology as a tool to put these across. A true educator is a self learner and a lifelong learner !
From what I've learned as an Apple Teacher and having participated in Apple Learning Academy, the most important thing to do is be willing to take risks. If the technology fails you, celebrate it! Students will appreciate you took a risk. One way I've advanced my own learning is to 'just do it' - get in there an play with the technology. Force yourself to use a new app in your daily routine. It will take some time, but will be well worth it in the end!