how to create an instructional course

by Freida Bauch 3 min read

How To Design An Instructional Design Course

  • Recognize The Audience. The general process that a company follows while designing an eLearning course is to consult the users first.
  • Collect Resources. ...
  • Course Preparation. ...
  • Get Client Feedback. ...
  • Instructional Design Theories. ...

How to create an online course
  1. Choose the right subject matter.
  2. Test your idea.
  3. Research the topic extensively.
  4. Write a course outline.
  5. Create the course content.
  6. Bring your course online.
  7. Sell your online course.
  8. Market your content.
Jun 23, 2021

Full Answer

How to prepare an instructional design document?

Here is a sample outline that consists of the key information required to prepare an Instructional Design Document. We can use any template or format that best caters to the requirement. 1. Project Context. Provide a short background to the course and its end objectives: Purpose of the course. End objectives. 2. Project Requirements.

How to create an effective instructional video?

Find your angle by interviewing members of your video’s target audience about the topic. Determine what they understand and where knowledge gaps are—the latter will be the most useful, relevant subjects for your instructional video. 2. Set a clear learning objective

Why take an instructional design course from eduflow?

“The instructional design course from Eduflow was really thoughtfully designed. From the use of various instructional elements to the SME conversations, every touchpoint was meaningful.” ‍ In this module, you will introduce yourself and get to know the other participants. You will also set some personal goals and reflect on what motivates you.

How do I create an eLearning course?

The first step to creating an eLearning course is, in fact, defining why does your audience need this training? And what it is you want to achieve with this eLearning because otherwise, how will you know if you’ve reached your goal? A need analysis make sure you aren’t doing training just for training’s sake.

Prior knowledge

You don't need to know much about instructional design to participate in this fundamental course. However, you will get the most out of the experience if you come prepared with an idea for a course or learning intervention that you would like to create.

Instructional approach

This is a practical course that uses a problem-based approach. From the first module, you will be encouraged to think about a course idea that you will develop in 3 weeks. You will also be able to get valuable feedback from your peers as you progress.

Time demand

The course will last for 3 weeks, and you will need to budget around 4-6 hours per week. There will be 3 live workshops that will run for an hour and 15 minutes at a time. These workshops will be recorded, so you will be able to catch up if you missed a session.

What is the blueprint for eLearning?

In order to build anything, we need a “blueprint” – a document that acts as a framework for the project; the same applies to eLearning. Before we start developing an eLearning course, we need to create a blueprint and that is called Instructional Design Document.

What is a documented proof that all key stakeholders in the project agree with the vision and objectives of the eLearning

It is a documented proof that all key stakeholders in the project agree with the vision and objectives of the eLearning course. It ensures that the eLearning course stays on track and achieves the purpose for which it is designed.

How to make an instructional video easy to follow?

To make your video easy to follow, include visual cues in your storyboard, such as character expressions and actions or header text.

How to ensure that your video is meeting its learning objective?

To ensure that your video is meeting its learning objective, show the script to experts in the video’s subject. They will be able to confirm whether the knowledge you’re sharing is accurate and useful before you dive into video production.

What is an eLearning video?

eLearning professionals often create instructional videos with different scenario branches, a form of learning that is similar to a “choose your own adventure” book. The learner makes a decision in the course—choosing an answer, clicking a call-to-action button—which causes the video to unfold in a unique way.

Do educational videos have to be serious?

An educational video doesn’t have to be completely serious. Your audience will appreciate a few jokes and visual gags here and there as a light break from the lesson. For example, you might use a pun in your lesson name or create a funny character to be the narrator of the lesson.

What is a prototype in eLearning?

A prototype defines the representative look-and-feel and functionality of the entire course. It also is used to test out technical functionality. This allows eLearning designers to create and discard multiple versions quickly to get the best fit before wasting too many resources on designing the whole course then finding out something doesn’t work.

Why is elearning important?

It will also show gaps in current training and how you can close the breach and get results. This also prevents you from throwing eLearning at a problem it can’t solve. Elearning is perfect for addressing gaps in skill or knowledge but is typically not an effective cure for lack of customer satisfaction or a job design problem.

What is an instructional video?

An instructional video is any video that demonstrates a process, transfers knowledge, explains a concept, or shows someone how to do something. Creating instructional videos isn’t limited to instructional design professionals. At least, not anymore. Anyone, in any industry, can (and probably should) create instructional videos.

How to make an intro for a video?

To create your own video intro, add some space at the beginning of your video. Hold the shift key on your keyboard and drag the playhead to the right. Then, open your media bin and select the Library tab.

How long is a tutorial video?

Tutorial videos are the go-to instructional method for teaching a process or providing step-by-step instructions. Usually between 2-10 minutes long, tutorial videos may leverage multiple instructional methods. Sometimes referred to as “how-to” videos, the best ones are carefully planned and have a professional touch.

Why do companies create training videos?

Companies often create online training videos to cover interpersonal topics, such as compliance and harassment training, or job-related topics, such as hardware and software training. Training videos often use footage of real people to connect the trainer and trainee.

What is a video intro?

A video intro leads your viewers into your content, but don’t get too crazy. Keep your intro simple and to the point. Viewers want to get to the meat of your content. They don’t care about anything other than what you promised to teach them.

How to make a record button?

Step 1. Determine and get to know your audience. Before you even think about hitting the record button, get to know your audience and understand why they need help. If you have a product or service, talk to your customers about how they use your product and where they struggle.

WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN?

A good place to start is to think about needs. First, consider the needs of the people who’ve asked you to create the eLearning course. This should be done to make sure that a course is actually necessary to achieve their goal. Sometimes it’s best not to create a course at all.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CONTENT CREATION AND DELIVERY

The first thing beginners usually mix up is content and platform. A platform is also called Learning Management System (LMS), Learning Experience Platform (LXP) and other names.

HOW TO CREATE E-LEARNING CONTENT?

Ok, we have now covered what an LMS (platform) is and how to select it if you need to, and, to be honest, in 9 cases out of 10, your organization already will have an LMS (platform), be it Moodle or any other, so you can manage users, and see their progress.

The rise of the authoring tools

So, the question was how to develop e-learning more affordably, faster and allow non-technical developers to participate in the process? Welcome to the world of authoring tools.

Responsive elearning

Before we go further I wanted to clarify one more thing regarding e-learning content – Responsive courses. What the heck is that? Well, it’s quite easy actually. Historically, I mean 10-15 years ago, when we were developing e-learning content for usage on computers only, everything was very simple.

Elearning templates

Returning to our discussion on how to build e-learning, building from scratch sounded fun, if you are a techie, using authoring tools, much easier, but still quite a lot of effort.

TIME FOR SOME INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN

Once you know how your eLearning course will be produced and where it will be hosted, it’s time to start working on content.

How long does it take to create an eLearning course?

The idea behind rapid eLearning is where you use every tool and strategy you can to potentially create a course in 2 to 3 weeks instead of taking several months. So within your lessons, outline the exact content you will cover.

What is the purpose of an outline in a course?

Creating an outline that serves as a guide to the course is useful for both learners as well as for you so you can develop a more effective course .

How long should a microlearning lesson be?

Depending on how far down the path of microlearning you are going, lessons might only need to be a couple of minutes up to 10 to 15 minutes in length. There's not too much content in a 2-minute lesson so you really need to get at the heart of the topic and do so quickly if you're going that route.

What is the best tool to use to outline a project?

These are great, but with most, you will have to manually re-type your ideas into other software to use them later on. However, if you're a visual learner, mind mapping is probably the best tool for you. You can also use Trello or other productivity software to outline and manage your projects.

What is the lesson in Module 1 of Marketing?

Module 1: Marketing. Lesson 1: How to choose the right marketing strategy for your business. Topic 1: Why choose Facebook marketing. By using the modules, lessons, and topics for each new idea, you will create a system that is simple for your learner to follow.

Why do you need a script for a video lesson?

You don't want to lose your audience because you are rambling from topic to topic with no clear direction. Outlining will also help with lesson planning.

Why is it important to have an outline?

Having an outline allows you to organize these topics in a way that will make sense to your students. In addition, it prevents you from forgetting to add critical information that is relevant to the topic. Writing out what you plan to cover will also help you generate ideas.

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🗓 Before Week 1

  • Introduction
    In this module, you will introduce yourself and get to know the other participants. You will also set some personal goals and reflect on what motivates you. Before continuing to the next module, you will learn about the ADDIE process which serves as the backbone for this course. ∙ The ADDI…
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🗓 Week 1

  • Analysis
    During this module, you will learn about various considerations for the analysis phase. You will also conceive learner personas and discover why they are a valuable tool for empathizing with your expected audience. Finally, you will learn about the value of working with subject matter ex…
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🗓 Week 2

  • Design
    Using what you have learned from the analysis phase, you will create a course outline during this module. The concept of backward design will help you align learning outcomes, course material, and assessments. ∙ Selecting a learning environment and approach ∙ Backward design and feed…
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🗓 Week 3

  • Development
    After learning about fundamental principles such as chunking and writing best practices, you will develop a didactic learning component and an assessment based on a learning objective. ∙ Best practices for developing learning material ∙ Creating assessments ∙ Creating rubrics ∙ The value …
  • Conclusion
    After engaging with your peers for nearly three weeks, you will reflect on what you have learned together. This final module also gives you an opportunity to review the goals that you set during the first module. You will then create an optional ongoing learning development plan that will hel…
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🗓 Optional, Self-Paced Modules

  • Implementation
    This module will detail the considerations for implementing your online course. You will populate an action plan that allocates tasks before and during the presentation of your online course. ∙ Preparing stakeholders for your course ∙ Technical considerations ∙ Discuss which stakeholders …
  • Evaluation
    How do you measure the success of your online course? This module discusses various criteria that you can use to evaluate how well your course met its objectives. ∙ The Kirkpatrick model ∙ Evaluation methods ∙ Participate in a workshop about course evaluation ∙ Submit an evaluation …
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What Does An Instructional Design Document do?

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The Instructional Design Document provides a framework that guides all key individuals involved in the eLearning development process. An Instructional Design Document answers questions such as: 1. What is the purpose of the course? 2. What are learners expected to know/do at the end of the course? 3. Who is the au…
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Why Is The Instructional Design Document Important?

  • The process of eLearning development involves several people –project owners, project managers, trainers, Subject Matter Experts, learning design experts, authoring tool experts, technology specialists, translators, audio narrators, and more. How do you ensure the efforts of everyone involved are directed in the same direction and purpose? How do they have the same u…
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An Outline For The Instructional Design Document

  • So, we can create an Instructional Design Document using either MS Word, MS PowerPoint, or any other tool that works for the team. The key is to prepare it and get it vetted by all key stakeholders of the project and get their buy-in. Here is a sample outline that consists of the key information required to prepare an Instructional Design Document....
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Final Thoughts

  • The format and structure of the design document may vary, based on the way it works in your organization. However, essentially, the above outline will help you ensure all key information is captured before the development of the course. You can customize this outline based on your specific needs. Investing time in preparing the Instructional Design Document ensures that ther…
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