Storyboarding for eLearning Illustrates Team Vision

by Cheryl Oberlin, Learning and Development Leader

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Is your glass half-full or half-empty? My coffee cup is always half-full. In June, my email box was overflowing with negative emails from learners. Some learners thought they would “pass” the course without showing up or doing the work. I always grade by the book – a learner either does the work and completes the course or does not. The control of completing the course is in the hands of the learner. Still, it was hard to start my day with a positive outlook when reading what I lovingly called “nasty grams.” In other words, learners were sending emails to attempt to sway my decision and allow them to earn a certificate for completing the course successfully. If you know me, well, you know their efforts fizzled.

To negate the negative, I created a new morning work routine. While having my coffee, I read posts and articles by people I call “Learning and Development Rockstars.” I actively listen to L & D Rockstar Podcasts because the topics are timely and useful, and the speakers exuded positivity. These L&D Rockstars are cheerleaders for collaboration, professional development, surrounding yourself with like-minded people, and working to better yourself each day; plus, they often stress the importance of self-care, and they love what they are doing in their professional space — all good stuff.

Today was different. While holding my steaming Fire Department Spirit-infused (rum) coffee in my Learning Styles LNDswag cup and scrolling through LinkedIn, I read the headline and thought, “Fantastic! New nuggets of information to use when creating my next storyboard!”

I love storyboards. Sadly, this story was not what I expected. Instead of being inspired, I was quite surprised to read that the author suggests completely skipping the storyboard stage. Yes, you read that right – he advises people to SKIP STORYBOARDING! He explained his reasons in a tart, nearly patronizing tone. He elaborated on why he finds storyboards cumbersome, useless and why he “dives right in designing” instead of mapping out a plan. You can probably imagine that I did not find a new Rockstar author today. Instead, I see someone cutting corners and setting his team up to crash and burn. 

Most everyone follows the golden rule of storyboarding when creating eLearning. We start with an action plan to detail the training blueprint or action map. In my teacher life, we used broader “lesson plans.” The difference in a storyboard represents a deep dive and notes navigational directions, and explains details. A lesson plan scratches the surface. A storyboard details the entire eLearning journey. Now, if you skip storyboarding, then you will probably never discover missing puzzle pieces. And it won't be easy to create the final puzzle (eLearning course) without those pieces.

In essence, a storyboard creates a clear plan for the eLearning project, including navigation, the narrative storyline, and learning objectives that address business needs. It manages every aspect from graphics to animation, images, font, characters, scripting, and formatting – it is all there in a storyboard. It is the tool you use to detail the dialogue among characters, the voiceover script, and it includes navigational directions that the characters or voiceover artists provide. It also is a working document for collaboration among design team members, approval by stakeholders and SME’s, a place to note changes, and record buy-in to show the entire team is on the same page at kick-off. 

Do you have a storyboard template that you use? If not, view and download this fantastic Storyboard Template created by Ashley Chiasson. It is listed on the Articulate Community website under “Using E-Learning Storyboards Challenge # 48.” There are many choices on how to create a storyboard. Some are more visual and graphics-oriented, while others rely on the written word. There is no right or wrong way to create a storyboard. Try a few templates out or create your version. The choice is yours. Here is another example from Ashley Chiasson’s website. Visit her website, and you will find this template and 47 other storyboards, plus information on her process for storyboarding.                                                           

Storyboard Template created by Ashley Chiasson, download it on her website.

When working collaboratively with an eLearning design team, I believe it is important to position an eLearning storyboard to illustrate the entire team’s design vision, not just the storyboard's author's vision. If you think about it, a storyboard has a huge responsibility in the learning and development process. Most of us use ADDIE, so the storyboard helps stakeholders and SME’s visually see the plan points and connect to linked end goals or learning objectives. It helps the development team tighten the story when the draft and final versions are under review by the entire team. For example, you will want to ensure you create engaging learning activities and assessments to measure the learning objectives. Doing so sets the course up to ensure alignment. The storyboard details the results of all these steps and is the glue that holds the eLearning course’s pieces and parts together. The amazing ID Rockstar, Ashley Chiasson, explains in her blog.

“The media developer can get added context for a screen by reading the onscreen text. The programmer has a better understanding of how to program

the media interactivity by reading

the media description.” 

- Ashley Chiasson

The key takeaway being – all different types of storyboards can be created, and any of them will likely work if you take the time to ensure the content is detailed, visual, and collaborative.

These three storyboard examples each have a different approach. Credit to: Miss Chaz, Euan Mackie, and August on Dribble.com

No matter the format, a storyboard is a visual representation of learning goals and the action map for completing the course. You can create your version of a storyboard template or borrow someone else’s template (think “why recreate the wheel?”). Making a storyboard is creating an action plan that works for you and your team. Many ID Rockstars are kind enough to share their storyboard templates. Here is one set you may access in the Articulate community from the great ID Rockstar, Kevin Thorn. You will notice he also uses supplementary storyboard information to outline player color properties and slide properties.

Kevin Thorn's Storyboard Templates

I also see a connection between storyboarding to the widely publicized personal Vision Board. With a storyboard, you are creating a vision for your eLearning deliverable. In comparison, creating a vision board provides you with the opportunity to visually express your personal goals, the images related to those goals, and often the path you will take to achieve them.  

Vision Board Graphic by Kayse Morris, the CEOTeacher.com

The Vision Board roadmap is used to complete each step of your personal action plan by providing step-by-step progression and guidance to realize your vision or end goals. Aren’t storyboards the same concept? 

I see that the common thread between storyboards and vision boards is that they each illustrate stories. Each helps you create and manage a project plan (or set of goals), shows a critical path for completion, and provides a sequence showing exactly what you will do to meet the (business) needs, complete the eLearning course or accomplish your personal goals.

A storyboard also acts as a collection spot for stakeholder buy-in and is a change agent for noting comments related to revision. It is both visual and narrative. A vision board shows your personal goals through a visual story. Much like a storyboard, it showcases visual representations of your personal end goals and the journeys you plan to take to get there.

A vision board is like your personal yellow brick road journey.

The root of a “storyboard” contains the word “story.” Narratives are the foundation of a storyboard. They are used to display dynamic details that will enhance stories. In comparison, vision boards illustrate your personal stories visually. They share a commonality as one allows us to visualize stories related to professional development, and the other provides the vision to our personal life goals. Each provides detailed identifying textual information. Storyboards offer narrative scripts and include the intro to outro, images, audio, video clips, and B-roll details. In essence, a storyboard walks your learner through the action planned after carefully conducting, completing, and explaining business needs and gap analyses. It showcases interviews results from your interaction with stakeholders and SME’s and offers a detailed script supporting graphics and images.

It sounds relatively detailed and important to creating successful eLearning, right? 

Given this information, I cannot imagine storyboarding being a “step” one skips to “save time, dive in or present a quick plan.”

In my view, if you are skipping these fundamental steps on your project’s yellow brick road, then you are likely to hit a brick wall rather than being welcomed into the wizard’s castle. I spent the last two years teaching more than 2,000 teachers, administrators, and professors on designing and peer review online courses. It was by no means an easy task as teachers can be the worst students! One of my key takeaways from interacting with these folks is no one wants to read, read, read all text in an eLearning course. Instead, they want to see learning as they do on YouTube - entertaining, engaging, and quick.

We live in a high-touch, tech-savvy, YouTube driven world. Learners expect the same kind of engagement in eLearning as they do when watching a YouTube spotlight or a Google video on their cellphone. Quick, easy access, plus includes and audio.

How can you use video effectively in instructional design? Check out this eLearning Launch Spotlight featuring Jessica Blair, an eLearningLuanch success story who is making a move from Teacher to Corporate ID in 2021!  Tune in January 2, 2021, on YouTube for Jessica's Camtasia tips!

Sadly, this type of engagement does not always happen in professional development. You can increase the value of your eLearning course design by using storyboarding effectively. It is a key contribution to the design process to encourage interaction between the learner and content, learner, and other learners, plus the learner and the instructor. Planning or mapping out (think Cathy Moore, Map It) eLearning to include learners' engagement showcases active learning and leads learners along a well-defined path to completing the training.    

To me, storyboards outline the most basic of eLearning elements like a visible “start here” button, an obvious path or sequence learners must follow to complete the training, and an explanation of WIIFM (What is in it for Me). Are you an advocate for learners as I am? If so, you want to ensure learners are not lost or confused on startup. You want to clearly outline what learners want to do “first” and “next.” Take a few minutes to put yourself in the learner’s view.

Grab your keyboard, iPad, cell phone, tablet, or pen and paper, then write a list noting “what” details a learner needs to get started in a brand-new eLearning course or training.

Are the keys to creating a Rockstar storyboard creativity, collaboration, and details? What do you think?

Next, write down what particulars a learner will need to get started on day one. And, then, note the details a learner needs to know to be successful in the course?

Finally, use the information you created to advocate for a learner throughout your project's entire life-cycle. The design team will work to collaborate with you, and by doing so, you will create a storyboard showcasing a successful journey for the learner. You might use a final storyboard to illustrate your eLearning course's action map targeted to meet the business’s end goals and advocate for the learner that journey. 

So, what do you think? Can your team afford the risk of skipping storyboarding?