End User < 100

Taking hints from the eLearning Uncovered eLearning Tips in 140 character or less Twitter campaign and HubSpot’s (In Under 100 Words) blog series here is my definition of an End User in under 100 words.

An End User is the resulted person(s) who will use a product; also known as your customer, audience, a sales persona, or a target market. In eLearning an End User should be identified at the beginning of the consultation period. Identifying a specific person or set or characteristics can help drive the assumed level of understanding, presentation techniques, usability and design. For example, if your end user is a doctor you can assume they have a high level of understanding medicine, want their information presented quickly and without flaws, and desire extremely usable and functional design.

**I'll be on vacation next week and probably won't be posting anything.  If you want to stay connected please come say Hi on my Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or LinkedIn. Happy Thanksgiving!**

Asynchronous Learning < 100

Photo Credit

Taking hints from the eLearning Uncovered eLearning Tips in 140 character or less Twitter campaign and HubSpot’s (In Under 100 Words) blog series here is my definition of Asynchronous Learning in under 100 words.

Asynchronous Learning is the method of using online resources to present learning material. This allows for easier access to material and the ability to self-reflect. However, it reduces the ability to curate learning experiences and relies on the learner to be in charge of their own learning experience often making it less arousing. This type of learning is often associated to virtual libraries or repositories, email, discussion boards, social networking, wikis and DVDs.


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10 Things Instructional Designers Don’t Like to Hear

Instructional Design and eLearning in general is a varied business. There are different sectors like business and education and purposes like sales and product training. The people can come from different backgrounds like SMEs, college taught IDs, teachers, department heads and graphic designers. It's no wonder that we can clash sometimes! What I find quite funny is that even if we're miles apart, working for completely different companies and have oppositely structured learning departments the complaints are still the same. So, this week the eLearning Challenge was to identify 10 things Instructional Designer don't like to hear. On top of things we don't like to hear we also have a knack for identifying a potentially troublesome client. Here are 10 examples of sayings, the people that say them and make me groan (while on mute of course) and remedies for the situation.

1. Deadline Diane

Deadline Diane is under stress to complete a project.  She got a late jump on this eLearning course and knows nothing about Instructional Design. So she asks for everything to be done in a week.

To deal with Deadline Diane break down the Instructional Design process into comprehensive chunks.  Explain the benefits of going through the evaluation and design process now instead of later and go over realistic expectations and follow up with Diana so she trusts the system. If not a gentile push back or compromise explaining company policies should do the trick.

2. Middle Man Mark

Middle Man Mark is in mid level management where he's in charge of directing people and initiatives. Instead of opening up the lines of communication between you and the SME he clogs the pipes with incorrect information and missed points. His worker just can't be bothered and he has to be involved in the project anyways, right?

Explain that once you have a kick off meeting with the SME that communication and conversations will become as minimalist as possible. Also explain that an SMEs knowledge and way of explaining a topic is invaluable and can make or break a project. Offer to carbon copy him on communications so he can monitor the amount of time needed to get the project completed and also be used as a gauge during later projects.

3. Outdated Oakley

Not only does Oakley love big hair, neon and MTV (the way it use to be) but she also loves her training nostalgic. Her design choices are obviously dated and anything presented that is modern she knocks down immediately.

Try offering main stream alternatives that can still offer a little flair to the project (fun neon accent color) or choose a theme for the project that brings out the learners inner rock star. Check out this article about doing a makeover on your course to include Heavy Metal. If all else fails include others in your meetings to drive home that her ideas will need to go to the wayside.

4. Linguistically Challenged Louie

Poor Louie has been thrown into course translations and doesn't know the difference betweet Inglés and English.

Working on a course doesn't necessarily mean that you need to be able to read the language it's written in.  Have a copy of the master open and take cues from it so that effects match.  Rely on the native speaker to differentiate language mistakes and misplaced content.

5. PowerPoint Pat

Can't you just make my PowerPoint pretty? questions PowerPoint Pat.

Explain to Pat that content comes in many shapes and forms (course, job aid, email blast, video). It needs to be analyzed, developed and designed to fit the need for the learner and department. If content will truely need to be in PowerPoint offer to jazz it up  and maybe chunk it down depending on length.

6. Control Freak Carl

Control Freak Carl doesn't want you to touch a thing.  He's irritated that his project has been handed over and loves the way his 100 slide PowerPoint captures the essence of the danger of food poisoning.  He doesn't want "animation", "fancy fonts" or "flashy images".  He just wants his good ol' original.

Carl is probably my least favorite contact. This type of person usually requires more time invested and more resistance during the process. Try to explain that not all learning is in PowerPoint's (see PowerPoint Pat). Make sure he's comfortable with all the changes you make and contently keep him in the loop. Small changes slowly will hopefully win him over.

7. Template Hog Taylor

Template Hog Taylor has grand plans for the course and wants to include social sharing, a marketing tactic and over sized logo to the screen not realizing she's taking up the whole space!

First and foremost, be sure that your company will allow these additions. If you get the go ahead, be sure to go over why Taylor wants to include the additions. Offer a sleeker version of the template that includes her elements with more working space for developing. If you don't get the go ahead, direct her to the person in charge and continue on as needed.

8. Design Freak Darrel

Design Freak Darrel loves making things in Paint and always has a funny video or clip art to add at the end of email.  He wants control over the design right down to the last detail because his "ideas are funny" or "imaginative".

While having design input during the process is very important it can also be counter productive if the choices don't add value to a course.  Sit down with Darrel and explain the reasons for choosing a font (better readability?) and pictures (clearly conveys the subject matter). Offer up a style guide to get the full picture of what you both want to achieve.

9. Clip Art Carol

Clip Art Carl and Design Freak Darrel like emailing each other in only emoji's. She loves looking for images using a Google or Bing searchs but doesn't know what copyrighting is. Eeeck!

Briefly give Carl a lesson on copyrighting.  Not many non-design professionals know that some images can't be used in every instance. Gently explain that the images she provided won't be used but the general idea of them will be. You can also point her to free non copyrighted material to get ideas and for presentations and resources in the future.

10.  Surprise Me Susan

What do you mean you don't know what you want?.....Surprise you?....Surprise Me Susan hasn't thought out her training and doesn't have a clear direction so she wants a surprise.

Surprises (in most applications) are not a good thing is eLearning. Can you imagine a course with one of those creepy rocking chairs and then the person pops onto the screen to tell you about compliance? Revisit the necessary steps for analysis and explain that in order for the project to be successful you both need a solid plan.

Shout out to Tricia Ransom and my favorite entry so far! This one bring back a lot of memories: http://patriciaransom.wordpress.com/2014/10/24/10-things-instructional-designers-well-me-anyway-dont-like-to-hear/

Zombie Zip Code

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Get your Gaming On

Credits

Have you ever sat on your couch just trying to beat that one last level..... All you need to do is this one last thing and something keeps you from putting down your phone/tablet/computer/controller. The next thing you know it's late at night and the "congratulations" music sounds. A huge wave of accomplishment washes over your body and you can finally continue on with your day or go to sleep!

A properly built game is addicting.  It has intrigue, interest, mystery or relate-able characters that wants us to keep coming back or download the next edition.  Trust me I can relate. I love my Xbox and can easily get sucked into playing video games way later than I anticipated. So naturally a recent trend in the eLearning community grabbed my attention; Gamification, the practice of using game elements and processes to enhance a learning experience with high levels of engagement.

I recently sat down with my old trusty PowerPoint slides and a piece of paper to finally get an idea for a game out of my head. My currently employer is a health software company and our primary focus is on product training. I had these ideas of grandeur for creating a game that would provide entertainment all while reviewing the product. A super hero comes swishing on the screen asking for you to help save people across the U.S. All you have to do is accurately complete a simulation of the software. It combined a lot of things I like to do (games, super hero's, graphic design) with something I deal with daily (my job lol).

 Let me tell you! There is some serious analysis and development (both graphically and software wise) that goes into a game.

So, to make it easier on everyone else I complied a list of things you need to know and understand before you get started and during the development phases. Since this topic is extraneous and I could go into a whole bunch of different tangents (neuroscience, engagement training, etc) I'm going to focus on the elements that you need to get started.

1. Identify a Goal

This goal will help drive you learner and should be the main focus of your training.  Like a course this could include elements of a learner objective but will definitely need to be more robust in order to account for the different angels a game can take.

2. Develop a Situation/Story

Now that a goal has been established you can either tie the situation in with the game (HR policy game with bad employee) or create a situation completely separate to create the illusion of fantasy. The situation should be created like a simulation that asks the who, what, when, where and why. Your situation/story should have a beginning, middle and end as well as a climax to help drive the learner. Conflicts really help to pull in the learner and establish a driving goal to complete the task.

3a. Develop a Character

Your character should have characteristics, thoughts, feelings and certain attributes.  How will they handle defeating the bad guy? Do they speak in a certain way? Does it matter if it's male or female? What does the character look like?  Why does he/she dress that way? Adding all these elements creates a multidimensional character that is both realistic and relate able. Certain character choices can also help carry themes through a person with ratty clothes and dirty skin to show poverty. You should always have at least one character in a game but can include as many as you feel fit into the goal you've established.  Creating a villain offers the opportunity to put good against evil and create opportunities of struggle and triumphs.

3b. Develop the World

Similar to the character a world should take into account the specific characteristics, thoughts, feelings and certain attributes you wish to convey. Where is this world? What is it's history? Where are we going? Why do people act a certain way?

3c. Develop the Interface

This is where I have been struggling lately. A beautifully designed interface means different things to different people so establishing the specifics can be a bit tricky.  I've been researching this topic and honestly can't find a common ground.  Sure some have timers while others have progress bars.  You might have your characters collecting coins or lives.The only solid advice I was able to take away from my fact finding mission is to take into consideration the story, goal and final output.  If you have any comments or article suggestions please feel free to post them below or tweet me @jvalley0714.

4. Establish rules

Rules help to establish a certain level of understanding while playing the game.  Showing how and why you'll recieve points, lose a life or advance to the next level. You rules should help drive the goal, simulation and character while working in your particular world and interface.

Do you like playing games?  What system or game? Do have a great example of eLearning game? Share below or tweet me @jvalley0714 :)

SME < 100

Taking hints from the eLearning Uncovered eLearning Tips in 140 character or less Twitter campaign and HubSpot’s (In Under 100 Words) blog series here is my definition of an SME under 100 words.

Subject Matter Expert (SME) is a person who is considered knowledgeable on a topic or procedure that is consulted during the analysis and development process of elearning. SME's are usually employees holding a position within the company that is volunteered or chooses to help in learning projects. SME's should NOT be used for a typically brain dump. Instead, a meeting should be held to pull out the scope, audience and elements of the process or topic. The most important question to ask is "Why do we need this training".  The need should drive all decisions.

eLearning Challenge #6

The problem:

For elearning Challenge 6; using the source files provided, create a clean, flat, medical design theme. Try to work within the provided color requirements (included in the forum thread and the source files) and comp out 2-3 slides for this design.

The solution:

A flat designed course using the required color palette.  I started reading over the content trying to get a better idea and felt the need to rearrange, group and otherwise mess with the content.  It actually got to the point where I had to tell myself to stop because I was getting far too in depth lol I don't claim to know anything about GPO's or IDN's so there's a good possibility that the content is not correct.

Download it here

Should your LMS include an Org Chart?

"Who does (insert name of random person at your company) report to?"

How many times have you heard that question?  If your company structure isn't properly outlined or even transparent then it may not be a simple question to answer. An organization chart is usually the quickest and easiest fix when information lacking in this area. But are organizational charts beneficial? Here's a list of four pros and four cons to consider before creating and posting an organization chart onto your companies intranet or LMS.

Pros:

• Transparency
• Controlled structure
• Explains Relationships
• Shows reporting

Cons:

• Slow decision making
• Reduces cross department collaboration
• Less flexibility
• Silo effect

Example:

Download it here

This example was created in response to a previous eLearning challenges. eLearning Challenge #43 asked us to create an interactive graphic to introduce an organization’s team members or key players. I decided to venture outside my normal design aesthetics (geometrical, block colors) and do something I normally wouldn't in a regular every day project. (Enter the cheesy spagehetti western trumpet laced music). This PowerPoint theme uses wood, cowboys and a simple chart including what my ideal learning team would include. The background is an image I got off a free stock photo site and filtered using the paint brush effect in PowerPoint.  The cowboy graphics were found on a free vector site. The wanted poster was an open clip art I found while Googling. The fonts used are Bleeding Cowboy and Gunslinger.  Both downloaded from dafont.

That Was Refreshing

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E-Learning Challenge #48: Storyboard Templates for E-Learning

This weeks eLearning challenge is all about storyboards. I really enjoyed this challenge since my current job is pretty cut and dry on the options we have for presenting material. The same software is used, the same audience attends and the goal is usually pretty similar. So I put on my thinking cap and dusted off some old resources.




I always love when there is questions to answer. I feel like I'm getting interviewed. So, here we go:

Q: How do you define scripting, storyboarding, and prototyping? Which method do you prefer?

A: I define scripting as the pre-work related to audio and video elements.  I feel storyboarding is more for spelling out a course such as the content, branching and assessment.  A prototype is very rough draft example made similarly to a storyboard but including loosely based examples of content.  I prefer to storyboard (Download) and script (Download).  I usually do both separately so I can go into more detail on each.  

Check out my blog posts on audio/scripting and video.

When I use my storyboard I start by asking questions which will help me determine what the client needs.  eLearning is not always the answer and creating ineffective training is the bane of all Instructional Designers existence.  I use the method of asking the 5 w's; who, what, when, where and why. I find that it gets me exactly what I need and opens the conversation up for more in-depth conversations. I like to go into more detail if the client wants a video, audio or scenario since these take the most time to develop. Since not all training is linear I like to include the opportunity to talk about branching and since not all training can be delivered at once I have a spot to talk about chunking as well. I have an area for resources such as images, fonts and color samples and a section if an assessment is necessary.

Q: Do you use different types of storyboards? When do you use each? 

A. I use two different types of storyboards. For a more complex problem that I'm meeting with a high end SME or group I like to bring out my fancy pants PowerPoint.  It offers the feeling of a formal meeting and includes all the basic information to analyze the problem and come up with a game plan. The other type I have is literally a notebook and pencil or pen. I use this for most of my projects and while it's not my most preferred method it's the quickest and easiest way to launch a project.  I'll ask questions and jot down the answers, write down references to internal and external material as well as examples mentioned and create a quick outline of the project.

Q: How do you storyboard interactivity?

A. I storyboard interactivity by taking good notes.  Most of the time I'm completing the development and know know what to write down so I remember. Scenarios are a little bit more in depth because I'll ask for specific ideas on what characters to use or what the feeling/tone of the scenario or voice will be used.

Q. What are your top three storyboard tips for new course creators?

A.

1. Courses are not always the answer.

2. Take the extra opportunity to practice and find the method that works the best for you.

3. Be prepared to vary your method depending on employer, SME or working situation (virtual).

Call Center Challenge

This past week's eLearning Hero Challenge (#47) was to create a call center interaction and I gladly answer the call with a simple plot, pics and PowerPoint (my favorite P's!). I figured I would do quick post on how and why I did what I did. 

What I wanted:

• Create a simple interaction in between an incoming sales rep and a customer
• The customer is happy and compliant to show how smoothly a first level of interaction can go (hey a girl can dream, right?)
• Capture employee's basic "need to know information"
• Proper introduction
• What client information to collect
• Follow up (Plugins/Upgrades?)
• Use characters and background images to differentiate in between roles and locations (Credit) 
• Go between characters and questions in a logical manor

What I came up with:

Download it here!

Did you submit something? Would you have done something differently?  Don't forget to comment, find me on Twitter (@jvalley0714) or Google+. Sharing is caring!

Scenarios < 100

Taking hints from the eLearning Uncovered eLearning Tips in 140 character or less Twitter campaign and HubSpot’s (In Under 100 Words) blog series here is my definition of a scenario (in relation to eLearning) under 100 words.

A scenario is a realistic situation in which a learner can relate to a character in a familiar setting that is presented with a problem and is required to find a solution. The learner is presented with information (the set up) and then is asked to make a decision (the crossroad) on how to handle the situation. Feedback is given (the result) which tells the learner if they are performing the actions correctly or explains what tactics and information should be used correctly work through the problem.

Keep your eye out for a post on a call center scenario for the eLearning Hero's challenge of the week.

Graphic < 100

Taking hints from the eLearningUncovered eLearning Tips in 140 character or less Twitter campaign and HubSpot’s (In Under 100 Words) blog series here is my definition of a graphic (in relation to eLearning) under 100 words.

A graphic is a visual representation of a concept or process that when placed in a course provides value.  A graphic can be created using design software, document creation software or a camera.  Images can be purchased or found on stock photography, commons or free graphic websites. They can take the form of an image, animation or digital art. The addition of the image should help to represent/organize/rationalize/interpret/decorate/support a message/process/feeling. To provide value to a course the graphic should follow the principals of design (balance, proximity, alignment, repetition, contrast and space) and maintain a consistency through the course.

97!

Source:

http://elearninguncovered.com/2014/05/e-learning-tips-140-characters-less/

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/social-selling-definition-under-100-words

http://info.shiftelearning.com/blog/bid/284694/Graphics-for-eLearning-Which-One-Should-I-Use

http://www.j6design.com.au/ClientArea/6fundamentalprincipleofdesign

http://www.infoprolearning.com/tips-to-choosing-graphics-for-elearning-development/

What does the graphic in this post represent/organize/rationalize/interpret/decorate/support? What is the message/process/feeling? Hint: It has nothing to do with this article.  Did you find it distracting?