Curated Content for Course Creators

With more and more people focused on designing and developing online learning classes and workshops, it becomes more important than ever to leverage resources to assist with the process. Here are some resources you may find handy. I have taken a smattering of each from different categories to provide a breadth of topics.

Feel free to add your own go to resources in the comments section.

Being an Online Instructor

One area that caught a lot of people off-guard was how to suddenly teach online. Here are several resources that can help.

• Tips for Those Who are New to Online Teaching
• How to be a Better Online Teacher: Advise Guide
• 4 Tips for Teachers Shifting to Teaching Online
• Delivering Effective Virtual Training: Kassy LaBorie’s 10 Master Strategies for ReadyTech Instructors
• How to Go Live: Thinking About Virtual Classroom Facilitation
• Key presentation tip.

• Tips and Tricks for Teachers Using Zoom

Being an Online Learner

One item that is often forgotten in the rush to delivery content online is the perspective of the learner. Here are several resources that can help prepare the learner for the experience of learning online.

• Tips for Those Who are New to Being an Online Learner
• Here's a video you can share with online learners to help them maximize the learning experience.

• What Makes a Successful Online Student?
• How To Help At-Home Learners Become Good Virtual Learners

Converting Content from Physical Class to Virtual Classroom

Not only is delivery different from virtual classrooms but the design has to be modified as well. Here are some resources talking about converting from classroom to digital delievery.

• Tips for Adapting an In-Person Course to an Online Course
• Adapting PowerPoint Lectures for Online Delivery: Best Practices (from 2013 but some really good points in the article.)
• COVID-19: 10 steps for transferring your course online

Microlearning

One asynchronous method where a live instructor is not present is the creation of microlearning which can be a great way to get quick, fast pieces of information to learners.

• Here is a video that can you used to help people understand the value of microlearning.

• Elephant Sized Impact-ATD (article about different types of microlearning and how to design it effectively.)
• How do you convert traditional training content to microlearning?
• Why Microlearning Should be Part of Your L&D Toolkit

Basic Instructional Design

Here are some resources to get you up-to-speed on the basics of instructional design.

• What is Instructional Design?
• Nuts and Bolts: The 10-Minute Instructional Design Degree
• Research for Practitioners: Are There Basic Principles Across All Instructional Design Models?

Visual Design

Once you design the instruction, you want to make sure it looks as good as possible. Here are some resources that can help.

• How to Improve Your Visual Design Skills (for Learning Professionals)
• Video interview on "Nerdy Shop Talk"

• 10 Visual Design Tips For eLearning And Slides

Evaluating Learning

Once all this instruction is created, you'll want to ensure you evaluate it properly, here are some thoughts.

• The Learning Transfer Evaluation Model (LTEM)
• Seven Applications for Thalheimer's LTEM (Learning-Transfer Evaluation Model)
• Training Evaluations Models: The Complete Guide

Building a Training Department

In this time of uncertainty and flux, believe it or not, some organizations are investing more in their learning and development efforts, here are some resource to help if you are thinking about that.

• Building an Effective L&D Department or "Just" a Training Course
• Adapting workplace learning in the time of coronavirus
• Reimagining workplace learning during COVID-19

Gamification

If you are not careful, you may find learners getting Zoom Fatigue or Online Learning Burnout, one way to help keep fatigue or burnout at bay is to leverage gamification. (Of course you have to be careful not to create gamification burnout either but...here are some resources that can help you create effective gamification.)

• Gamification Resources for Course Creators
• What Research Says About Gamification

• Gamification in Learning

Earn a Master's Degree

And, if you are thinking that you'd like to pursue a Master's Degree in Instructional Design and Technology, I am going to put in a plug for Bloomsburg University. It's where I teach and it's a great place to learn the art and science of instructional design. Give it a consideration.

• Bloomsburg University Department of Instructional Technology

Bio

Karl Kapp, Ed.D. has been in the field of Instructional Technology for over 20 years as a professor and as a practitioner. During that time, he's shared his knowledge and insights through books, LinkedIn Learning courses, peer reviewed articles, and keynote and presentation sessions at industry events. He's a learning professional who happens to know gamification, online learning and interactive course design. Follow him on Twitter @kkapp or subscribe to his LinkedIn Newsletter "L&D Easter Eggs."