Ten Steps in the Rapid eLearning Development Process
Rapid eLearning refers to the development of digital learning materials or eLearning courses in a fast and efficient manner. It involves using rapid authoring tools and streamlined processes to create interactive and engaging online learning content. The goal of rapid eLearning is to expedite the development process while maintaining the quality and effectiveness of the learning materials.
Rapid eLearning typically relies on authoring tools that have user-friendly interfaces, pre-built templates, and drag-and-drop functionality. These tools enable instructional designers and subject matter experts (SMEs) to create eLearning content without extensive programming or technical skills. They often come with built-in features for incorporating multimedia elements like images, audio, video, and interactive assessments.
The advantages of rapid eLearning include:
Speed: Rapid eLearning allows for the quick creation and deployment of learning materials. It reduces the development time compared to traditional eLearning development approaches, which can be lengthy and resource-intensive.
Cost-efficiency: By leveraging rapid authoring tools, organizations can save costs associated with hiring specialized developers or outsourcing eLearning development. The tools provide a cost-effective solution for creating professional-looking eLearning content in-house.
Agility: Rapid eLearning enables organizations to respond quickly to changing training needs and evolving content. It allows for easy updates and revisions, making it suitable for industries or subjects where information frequently changes.
Collaboration: The use of rapid authoring tools facilitates collaboration between instructional designers, SMEs, and other stakeholders. These tools often offer features for content review and feedback, allowing for efficient collaboration and iteration.
Interactivity: Rapid eLearning tools provide options for incorporating interactivity and engaging elements into the learning materials. This helps enhance learner engagement, motivation, and retention.
The Benefits of Rapid eLearning for Corporate Training Programs
Rapid eLearning can bring several benefits to corporate training programs. Here are some advantages of using rapid eLearning for corporate training:
Time and Cost Efficiency
Rapid eLearning significantly reduces the development time and cost associated with creating corporate training programs. Traditional training development methods can be time-consuming and expensive, involving lengthy design and development cycles. Rapid eLearning allows organizations to create and deploy training materials quickly and at a fraction of the cost, enabling efficient scaling of training initiatives.
Agility and Responsiveness
In a rapidly changing business environment, organizations need to adapt their training programs swiftly. Rapid eLearning enables companies to respond promptly to evolving training needs, new product launches, compliance updates, or industry shifts. The agility of rapid eLearning allows for quick updates and revisions, ensuring that training materials stay up to date and relevant.
Consistency and Standardization
Rapid eLearning tools provide templates and design elements that help maintain consistency and standardization across different training modules. This ensures that the content, branding, and learning experience remain cohesive and aligned with the organization's objectives and guidelines.
Scalability
Rapid eLearning facilitates scalability by allowing organizations to create and deliver training content to a large number of employees or learners simultaneously. It enables efficient deployment through learning management systems (LMS) or other online platforms, ensuring that training is accessible to employees regardless of location or time zone.
Engaging and Interactive Learning
Rapid eLearning tools offer a range of interactive features, multimedia integration, and gamification elements. These engaging elements enhance learner interactivity and motivation, leading to improved knowledge retention and application. By making the training content interactive and enjoyable, rapid eLearning contributes to a more effective learning experience.
Performance Tracking and Analytics
Many rapid eLearning tools integrate with learning management systems or other tracking platforms, providing robust analytics and reporting capabilities. These features allow organizations to track learner progress, measure performance, and gather valuable data for evaluating the effectiveness of the training programs. Data-driven insights can inform future training strategies and help identify areas for improvement.
Flexibility and Accessibility
Rapid eLearning supports flexible and self-paced learning. Employees can access the training materials at their convenience, from any location and on various devices. This flexibility accommodates diverse learning preferences and work schedules, making training more accessible and inclusive.
Ten Steps in the Rapid eLearning Development Process
Here are the key steps involved in a rapid eLearning development process:
Needs Analysis: Begin by identifying the learning objectives and target audience. Conduct a thorough needs analysis to understand the learners' requirements, existing knowledge, and any performance gaps that need to be addressed.
Content Gathering: Gather existing content, such as PowerPoint presentations, documents, or videos that can be repurposed for eLearning. Work with subject matter experts (SMEs) to extract relevant information and identify any additional content that needs to be created.
Storyboarding: Create a storyboard or visual outline of the eLearning module. This helps in organizing the content, determining the flow of information, and designing the user experience. Include details about multimedia elements, interactions, and assessments.
Rapid Authoring: Utilize rapid authoring tools such as LMS Portals, Articulate Storyline, or Camtasia to develop the eLearning module. These tools provide pre-built templates, drag-and-drop functionality, and multimedia integration options to speed up the development process.
Content Development: Develop the eLearning content based on the storyboard. This involves writing concise and engaging content, creating interactive elements such as quizzes, simulations, or scenarios, and incorporating multimedia elements like images, audio, and video.
Visual Design: Apply a consistent visual design to enhance the aesthetics and user experience of the eLearning module. Use a color scheme, typography, and graphical elements that align with the organization's branding guidelines and ensure readability.
Review and Feedback: Conduct regular reviews and seek feedback from stakeholders, including SMEs, instructional designers, and potential learners. Make necessary revisions based on their inputs to improve the quality and effectiveness of the eLearning module.
Quality Assurance: Perform thorough testing to ensure the functionality, usability, and compatibility of the eLearning module across different devices and platforms. Check for any technical glitches, grammatical errors, or inconsistencies in the content.
Deployment: Once the eLearning module is finalized and tested, it can be deployed on the chosen learning management system (LMS) or other delivery platforms. Ensure that learners have easy access to the module and can track their progress and completion.
Evaluation: Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the eLearning module. Gather feedback from learners and assess if the learning objectives are being met. Use analytics from the LMS or other tracking tools to measure learner engagement and performance.
About LMS Portals
At LMS Portals, we provide our clients and partners with a SaaS-based, multi-tenant learning management system that allows you to launch a dedicated training environment (a portal) for each of your unique audiences.
The system includes built-in, SCORM-compliant rapid course authoring software that enables most anyone to build engaging courses quickly and easily.
We also offer a complete library of ready-made courses, covering most every aspect of corporate training and employee development.
If you choose to, you can create Learning Paths to deliver courses in a logical progression and add structure to your training program. The system also supports Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) and provides tools for social learning.
Together, these features make the LMS Portals platform the ideal rapid eLearning solution to support your corporate training program.
Contact us today to get started or visit our Partner Program pages