This article is triggered by our global ranking in the Top 10 eLearning Content Development Companies For 2015. This recognition coincides with completion of over 6000 hours of custom eLearning development by us and I take this opportunity to reflect on what has worked and what should be our focus areas in the future.
Custom eLearning Development
Custom eLearning Development: 6 Takeaways From Our Experience
In this article, I look back at our journey and share 6 important takeaways from our extensive experience in custom eLearning development.
1. Focus on customers and ensuring that we retain and grow with them.
High customer retention is what we are most proud of. Our growth has largely been driven by relationships that began with one-off projects and slowly grew to a strategic partnership. We continue to build from here and every six months we meet our key customers and show “what more is possible”.
Go through challenges that keep them intrigued all through the learning path.
Internalize the learning and practically apply it on the job.
Enhance their performance and deliver better results.
We focus on efficacy and application of learning to ensure that a clear business gain for organizations is established. We bring our TNA and solution architecting expertise into play to chalk out the path for a positive ROI for our customers.
We have invested extensively on two enablers, Innovation and Exploration, that help us differentiate our learning and performance solutions. Our Innovation team focuses on:
Evaluation of emerging tools and technologies.
Evaluation of learner needs and expectations.
Determining how these pointers can be practically used to enhance learning experiences.
This year, the team has created two innovative products:
Online Review Tool (integrated with the course).
Digital Workbook (To enhance the ILT delivery).
4. Agile development methodology.
We have been using an agile methodology for several years to meet the ever-evolving and changing customer expectations.
We are currently in the process of applying the Kanban approach to our Project Management. Additionally, we are in the last mile of our Corporate Quality Certification (CMMi).
5. Our Offshore Development model.
As an offshore development partner based out of India and servicing customers over 16 countries across the world, our Offshore Development Framework is one of the most mature and agile one. While it has a strong core of process definition, it is flexible enough to be aligned quickly to meet our diverse customer needs.
6. The power of our team.
Last but not the least, what has really worked is the cumulative power of our team that continuously works towards customer delight.
Behind every single course that goes on to incite the “wow” response from our customers is a well-oiled team mechanism at work. Right from getting the requirements right to delivering the final product, each and every member of our team brings in that significant value at various stages of the development cycle.
What’s next: We are in the midst of a cutting edge research to come up with a predictive Learnability Index for custom eLearning and mLearning development which will be a unique concept in the industry.
The distinct effort that our Innovation and Exploration team puts in provides the required pointers for our Solution Architecting team in creating newer and unique Learning solutions.
I would like to summarize these takeaways with a quote from Tom Peter’s 7 Steps to Sustaining Success:
“You take care of the people. The people take care of the service. The service takes care of the customer. The customer takes care of the profit. The profit takes care of the re-investment. The re-investment takes care of the re-invention. The re-invention takes care of the future. (And at every step the only measure is EXCELLENCE.)”
Nobody knows what the future holds. But it’s safe to say that eLearning games are here to stay and people have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Combine the two, and you have an exciting, engaging, and immersive ID approach. In this article, I’ll explore what’s to come for game-based eLearning.
Game Based Elearning
8 Point To Consider About The Future Of Game-Based eLearning
Microlearning games will still play a prominent role in eLearning. However, long-term gaming is already experiencing a popularity surge. This approach transforms an entire eLearning course or program into an immersive eLearning gaming environment. Online learners must complete eLearning modules and activities to earn badges or progress to the next level. Larger milestones, such as finishing an eLearning course, allow them to defeat the “boss” or unlock the next stage. Long-term eLearning games can even includesimulations in real-time. For example, online learners must increase their sales figures and customer satisfaction ratings by performing daily tasks. At the end of the month, online instructors evaluate their overall performance.
2. More Tactile And Multiplatform-Friendly
Game-based eLearning is already headed in this direction. But the future is going to bring even more tactile eLearning gaming experiences for on-the-go learners. From tablets andsmartphones to wearable tech, online learners are going to be able to step inside immersive eLearning environments. One of the most significant advancements is virtual reality eLearning. Employees can simply slide on a VR headset to gain real world practice, minus the negative consequences. Smartwatches are yet another sector to keep an eye on. They give online learners the power to access “moment of need” eLearning games at a moment’s notice. For this reason, responsive design toolsare going to be a must-have for eLearning professionals in the future.
3. Microlearning Meets Game-Based eLearning
Online learners don’t have a second to waste, which means that they need the information quickly and conveniently. This is why game-based eLearning is now becomingbite-sized. These eLearning gaming experiences offer brief bursts of knowledge that help online learners complete a task and build essential skills. They no longer have to make room in their busy schedules for eLearning. Sitting in commute traffic or waiting for a meeting gives online learners the opportunity to expand their knowledge base. Now that’s what I call multitasking!
4. Personalized Game-Based Learning Paths
Personalization will pave the way for the future of eLearning, as a whole, not just game-based eLearning. From mobile learning to corporate eLearning, every sector is looking for bigger and better ways to customize the eLearning experience. In terms of game-based eLearning, you’re going to see personalized gaming paths that feature clickable eLearning course maps. More intuitive eLearning course designs will even be able to point online learners in the right direction based on their past performance. For example, unlock another branch of the eLearning game if online learners need to develop a specific skill. These personalized learning paths will also include learner-centered goals, milestones, and reward systems.
5. The Rise Of Serious Games
Countless organizations are now using serious gamesto improve workplace proficiency and productivity. They are immersive, entertaining, and engaging, which is a winning combination in corporate eLearning, especially when you’re dealing with dull compliance online training courses. However, serious games will be even more widespread in the future. Companies will use them as the foundation of their corporate eLearning programs. Online Training simulations, branching scenarios, and online demos still have a place in the corporate curriculum. But they’ll all have a serious game spin that fosters an emotional connection.
6. Social Media-Centered EduGames
There are two key reasons why I believe that social media edugames are the wave of the future. Firstly, video games are gravitating more toward multiplayer online platforms. Gamers have the ability to play with their friends half a world away. Secondly, social media games are already drawing in millions of players each month. Combine this with educational value, and you have the power to create lifelong online learners. Edugames also give online learners the chance to interact with their peers, who can offer feedback and personal experience. As a result, they’re able to have fun while they collaboratively solve problems and overcome challenges.
7. Bigger And Better Game-Based Analytics
As is the case with all eLearning endeavors, you must have a way to track online learner progress and performance. The same goes for the effectiveness of your eLearning course design. Game-based analytics of the future are going to be more detailed and easier to obtain. eLearning professionals will be able to monitor every aspect of the online gaming experience and customize their reports like never before. For example, tracking how an online learner interacts with the gaming world and their online peers.
8. The Evolution Of Game-Based Authoring Tools
As game-based eLearning evolves, so must the eLearning authoring tools that we use to create them. These online tools are already packed with interactions, templates, and themes today. But they are going to be even more versatile and robust in the future. You’ll be able to customize virtually every aspect of the gaming world, from clickable objects to eLearning characters. eLearning professionals can develop game-based eLearning content that is morelearner-centeredthan ever before. Every in-game decision takes online learners down a different path, which leads to one of a hundred outcomes. And you won’t need any prior game design experience, thanks to the intuitive game-based authoring software.
Game-based eLearning is going to play a prominent role in the future of eLearning, which comes as no surprise, as it is motivates and engages online learners on an emotional level. Regardless of an online learner’s background or experience, eLearning games provide an immersive environment that is ideal for knowledge assimilation.
You don’t have to be a professional game designer to create amazing eLearning games. Read the article 7 Tips To Develop Serious Games For Non-Designersto discover some useful tips to help you develop serious games, even if you don’t have any prior game design experience.
We all understand the value of measurement of learnability or learning effectiveness can bring to an organization’s learning strategy and training delivery. In this article, I share a case study that showcases how you can practically evaluate the learnability of online courses.
How To Evaluate The Learnability Of Online Courses: Case Study
Why Is Measuring Learnability Or Learning Effectiveness Of Online Courses Vital For Learning And Development Teams?
Learner experience has a direct bearing on the effectiveness of your training initiative and eventually your ROI. If the learnability/learning effectiveness quotient of your online training is high, application of learning and the desired impact are taken care of automatically. Evaluation/measurement of learnability will help you predict the eventual impact and identify ways to better the learning experience.
What Are The Challenges That Learning And Development Teams Face In Determining Learnability Of Their Online Courses (Legacy As Well As New)?
While there are a few measures in place to evaluate learnability, Learning and Development professionals continue to look for an approach that can address the related challenges and help them:
Analyze the learner experience in their existing courses.
Gain insights and develop guidelines to enhance learnability in future courses.
Validate the impact on learning experience from users in real time.
Analyze and identify the gaps.
Get insights on how to bridge those gaps.
Make amendments to the existing approach based on the user feedback.
Bring about the desired level of learnability/learning effectiveness.
What Are The Highlights Of Our Framework That Can Predict And Measure Learnability Of Online Courses?
As I had mentioned in my previous article, at EI Design, we have been working on the creation of a framework that can predict and evaluate the learnability of online courses since Jan’15. This maps very closely to the wish-list you may have to predict, measure, and validate the learnability of your online courses.
In this article, I use the same framework to illustrate exactly how we have used it to:
Evaluate and measure the current learnability.
Analyze these results and come up with enhancements that helped us improve the learnability.
In my next article, I will use another case study to showcase how we can validate our predictive learnability from users through real time surveys.
How Can You Use Our Framework To Measure And Predict Learnability Of Your Online Courses?
You can use our framework to:
Evaluate the learnability of your existing courses and identify measures to enhance it.
Predict the learnability for your upcoming courses and validate this prediction with your learners real-time.
You can also use this framework to:
Address the extended learnability challenge. This involves monitoring a group of users over a period of time and evaluating them based on the metrics. You can then use this data to plan future measures to enhance the learning experience.
Build a framework based on the cues from the data gathered from the users and the metrics and take concrete steps to improve your ROI.
Case Study: How To Evaluate The Learnability Of Online Courses
Challenges: The course was developed in 2014 and during the last two years, many aspects have changed (from more wide ranging learning design possibilities to learner profiles that now feature millennials).
We felt that this is a good case study material to see how our learnability evaluation can enhance an existing course which was already delivering the required value.
Objective of the exercise: To transform a traditional eLearning course from an Instructional Design, design, and technology standpoint. Specifically, the exercise was carried out to:
Create a modern design experience for the learners.
Demonstrate significant improvement in learnability (learning experience and effectiveness).
Activities undertaken in the exercise: We followed the following steps to evaluate the current learnability and provide recommendations to enhance it. Specifically, we:
Analyzed the requirement and identified the need to redesign and revamp.
Did a “Learnability Evaluation” and came up with recommendations.
Conducted a rapid design workshop to address the recommendations and remediation suggested in the evaluation.
Created low and high fidelity prototypes to test the designs.
Developed the course tested against the same “Learnability” parameters.
Created a set of guidelines to revamp such courses and have a predictive learnability standard.
Outcomes Of The Learnability Evaluation And Recommendation Exercise
The learnability evaluation was done through several metrics notably:
Metrics based on task performance.
Metrics based on interface usage.
Metrics based on content and cognition.
Metrics based on feedback on design elements.
Metrics based on interface and navigation help.
Metrics based on usability.
Here is a screenshot of one of the metrics used for learnability evaluation
Analysis and recommendations: The recommendations provided in the learnability evaluation helped the learners in getting a significantly better learnability (learning experience and effectiveness) as it provided them with:
A better learning experience by making them focus on the key content.
A better way to navigate in the course and know where they are in the course.
Better ways to interact in the course.
More controls to learn at their own pace.
A greater level of intuitive learning through better hierarchy in information presentation and engaging layouts.
View of the enhanced learnability: Here is a video (featuring “before and after” views) that reflects how the recommendations enhanced the existing learnability of the course and met the goals of the current exercise.
What more is possible: We have tested this framework and methodology with our courses and we have seen tangible gains accrue as a result.
Organizations looking to achieve a similar mandate have a lot to gain from our framework. Do contact me if you would like to sign up to measure and predict learnability of your online courses.
This article is one of the three articles on how to predict, measure, and validate the learnability of online courses.
