Learn the HARPER Method, a step-by-step process on how to properly design an eLearning course from scratch

In the online learning environment, the syllabus has become the contract between learner and instructor, laying out the terms of course interactions -- the expected responsibilities and duties, the musts and don'ts of behavior.

Whatever kind of participation you expect in your online course, you should make that explicit in the syllabus.

Storyboards plot out eLearning course content, structure, and the overall flow.

Building a storyboard is great practice when determining what media to utilize in your course as it gives you the opportunity to think about how and where elements will fit into the course.

It will also help you with determining whether you have considered all necessary content to include in your course.

Far too often, too many assumptions are made about learners.

Instructors often assume that they already know how students learn, what motivates them to learn, what their attitudes are toward learning.

One of the first steps in creating effective learning experiences in any learning environment is to gain an understanding of your learners.

It is important in the beginning of the instructional design process is to (a) either define a goal statement or verify the accuracy and appropriateness of a goal statement given to you by your client; and (b) analyze the goal and identify key components of the goal.

If the goal is unclear, subsequent planning can become unclear and ineffective, and learners may have difficulties discerning the overall purpose of the instruction.

It is also important to determine what your target learners must know and be able to perform the goal.

In addition, research suggests that students perform better in instructional situations if they have a clear understanding of what is expected of them.

Instructors should communicate to students what they are expected to know and be able to do as a result of the instruction. Such statements are known as Learning Objectives.

The writing of objectives is probably one of the best known components of the instructional design process.

When selecting a learning management system for the first time, or if the current one you are using isn't meeting the needs of your learners, choosing the right platform can be very critical for your eLearning strategy.

It can get very overwhelming because there are a vast amount available to choose from.

Using a good authoring tool is imperative when designing an eLearning course.

Incorporating ideas normally taught in a face-to-face setting by adapting them into an instructional video gives learners a refreshing breather from more traditional methods of instruction.

Explore the process of making instructional videos from start to finish and explore some of the other benefits of using this technology in the online learning environment.

Learn about some of the most popular frameworks that you can use when selecting your own materials for your online course.

With the vast amount of continuously developing digital tools available in online learning, a new level of complexity is being added to learning when compared to traditional face-to-face courses.

One of the more complexities is assessing how the selected materials are impacting your learners’ abilities to grasp the learning objectives and course goals.

Despite the fact that technology helps learners learn, there is often a lack of theoretical practice from instructional designers and course creators when it comes to measuring if and how learning is actually occurring.

Gamification in eLearning provides an effective learning environment, leading to a more engaged learning experience that facilitates better knowledge retention.

Gamification is a vastly growing trend in eLearning and is being adopted by very large universities. It is simply the use of game elements and game techniques in non-game contexts.

Learn about why and how you can use gamification in your own online course.

Learn about why you should use gamification in eLearning, how to implement gamification into an eLearning course, elements in gamification, and 6 steps to designing a game in eLearning.

Clear communication is an essential strategy in eLearning because of the fact that text is the most accepted form of communication in online courses.

It is very frustrating for learners when you don’t ensure directions are clear.

It takes time and effort to carefully plan out an online course to avoid too much confusion.

Effective communication in eLearning can improve student outcomes and satisfaction.

Learn about 10 strategies that will help you develop a strong connection with your learners via online learning.

All of these suggestions will work in supporting the online learning process.

In an online learning environment, learners need to be given many opportunities to collaborate with their peers.

Research suggests that social interaction with other learners helps validate his or her understanding of course content by gauging the comprehension of other learners.

Having a sense of connectedness with other learners has been proven to increase effective learning outcomes, especially in eLearning.

Learners should be given numerous forms of interactivity through online discussions, working with partners, and in teams.

Learn about four aspects that are necessary to providing effective social interactions in an eLearning course.

In the online learning environment, learners need to feel a personal connection with their instructor.

One of the biggest problems that online learners face is often feeling isolated, which leads to a loss of motivation.

Instructor presence is the idea that learners’ perceptions of instructor involvement as a central factor in learning.

Learn about why instructor presence is important, 8 tips on how you can increase instructor presence in your online course, and tools to help you increase online presence.

Formative assessments help you track learner progress throughout the duration of a course and offers your learners feedback to use to improve their eLearning experience.

You are able to identify areas that might need improvement and pinpoint strengths DURING the eLearning course.

Learn about 4 different types of formative assessment and 8 tips on how to use formative assessment in eLearning.

Learn effective solutions for assessing as well as strategies on how to encourage collaboration in an eLearning course.

Many theoretical and empirical analyses emphasize the importance of active participation and collaboration among learners in promoting the effectiveness of online learning.

However, in most online courses, traditional instructor-centered examination remains the primary means for assessing learner performance, and collaborative learning is undervalued and so marginalized.

This is largely because the assessment of collaboration requires a radical rethinking of assessment methodologies.

The purpose of summative assessments is to determine whether or not a learner has achieved the desired level of proficiency of given learning objectives in a module or at the end of the eLearning course.

Summative assessments provide learners with how well they are doing, in contrast to formative assessments, which identifies specific areas that are needing to be improved DURING the course.

Learn about 4 different types of summative assessments as well as 3 tips on how to integrate them into an eLearning course.

Building an eLearning course can be a great deal of work.

It is super important that you determine the effectiveness of all of your hard work. eLearning course evaluations provide you with the effectiveness of your deliverables.

They also help you continuously improve the course in order to offer learners the most influential and memorable eLearning experience.

Learn when to use course evaluations, how to use them, and best practices.

Storytelling is one of the most effective way to convey content in eLearning by getting the learners to care more deeply about the information.

The technique makes the content more relatable, helping you establish a genuine connection, while increasing engagement and comprehension.

Learn about why storytelling is important, techniques, and tips on applying it into an online course.

When creating eLearning courses, it can often be difficult selecting activities that fit your students’ realistic needs.

Scenario-based learning is an excellent instructional strategy that help improve learner engagement, immersing the learners in real life or situational learning experiences.

Delivering content in contextual settings provides students with opportunities to develop skills or information that they can not transfer into future real life situations.

In this training you will learn about:

• What scenario-based learning is in an eLearning context
• Why you should use scenario-based learning in eLearning
• 5 steps to applying scenario-based eLearning

Case studies and examples help online learners relate to the subject matter and see how it ties into real world situations.

They are also good for teaching more complex knowledge and experiences.

They are necessary to ensure that learners are able to make sense of illustrated concepts.

Specifically in an eLearning course, it is essential to ensure that the examples and case studies that you provide to your students aren’t just text blocks thrown onto a page.

It is important that you create the content so that it is interactive and engaging for your online learners.

Otherwise, they will get bored and not even review it.

In this training, you will learn about 8 tips on how to create engaging case studies and examples in your eLearning course.

Many of today's contributors to this massive web of online information are teenagers or younger. That is why podcasting in training is so important. It is a medium that can be utilized by both instructors and learners.

The educational uses of podcasting and podcasts are limitless. The technology, as well as the process for producing and publishing a podcast is fairly simple and inexpensive.

In this training, you will learn:

• How using podcasts and podcasting with learners benefits them
• How to create a podcast in four steps:
• Planning for your podcast
• Preparing to record your podcast
• Producing your podcast
• Promoting your podcast to your online learners