Rapid eLearning Development – Part 1
Rapid eLearing is a 3 Step Development Process
- Analyzing and Categorizing Content
- Developing Lessons Pages
- Selecting the Methods and Tools
Analyzing and Categorizing Content
Analyzing and categorizing content is a three part process:
- Structure of the Content
- Analyze the Content
- Identify the Nature of Content
Note:
A lesson is a unit of knowledge that contains an understandable body of information. Before you start analyzing your content, break down your course into an outline with modules and lessons. Lessons contain small or granular ideas, snippets or vignettes of your content. Create an outline of what content you plan to teach and structure these into lessons–not just a list of objectives or outcomes but the actual topics of the content. If you have a well defined set of outcomes, that’s great; we can use those also. In this step we are going to analyze the content as well as the corresponding outcomes.
Part 1 – Structure of the Content
Categorize modules and lesson content in the following order:
- Performance outcomes, principles, key ideas
- Process, tasks, steps, procedures
- Tools, references, forms
- People relationships and coordination
The benefits
What benefits can be gained from discovering the structure of your content and focusing on performance outcomes?
- It allows you to prioritize content and teaching activities that have higher impact on learning.
- It helps learners focus quickly on learning that truly matters.
- It allows you to save time. You can use the right e-Learning media, tools and solutions to match the type of content.
Part 2 – Analyze the Content – Identifying “MUST LEARNS”
The next step after categorizing the content is to determine and isolate the “MUST LEARNS” content from secondary, reference or detailed knowledge. This is applying the 80/20 Rule: 20% produces 80% of the results.
After you have identified the performance outcomes, key principles and key ideas, test these to verify that they are “MUST LEARNS.” “MUST LEARNS” are content that has very high impact on results, for which the learner needs the skills or “working proficiency” knowledge. Note that not all performance content are “MUST LEARNS.”
Criteria for “MUST LEARNS”
Value – Do these topics impact learning? These are outcomes that could make a big difference.
Errors – Do these topics help learners avoid major errors?
Difficulty – Do these topics cause so much frustration because they are hard to learn?
The Benefits
Discovering the “MUST LEARNS”:
- Helps you further isolate those content items that impact learning.
- Allows you to focus on the 20% of content that creates 80% of the results.
Part 3 – Identify the Nature of Content – “Mechanics” and “Organics”
The nature of content consists of “Mechanics” and “Organics”. Differentiate “MECHANICS” of the content. i.e. factual statement, description, functional, and structural from the “ORGANICS,” i.e. stories, anecdotes, testimonials, examples, cases, and metaphors. Identify and discover the “organics.”
Criteria for good “Organics”
1. Real Life – is it based on experience?
2. Emotional – does it move people or touch people emotionally?
3. Concrete – is it observable and verifiable?
4. Credible – is it believable?
5. Colorful, humorous – does it inject the sense of ridiculous and fun and entertainment when appropriate?
6. Meaningful – does it allow people to relate to the content?
7. Contextual – does it help people to apply the mechanical information or perform a task?
Methods for “Organics”
1. Stories – relating of incidents or events; a statement regarding the facts pertinent to a situation in question.
2. Anecdotes – usually short narratives of interesting, amusing or biographical incidents.
3. Case studies – recording of history, environmental and relevant details of a case especially for use in analysis or illustration.
4. Examples – parallel or closely similar cases especially when serving as precedents or models.
5. Illustrations/demonstrations – to provide with visual features intended to explain; to make clear.
6. Metaphors – figures of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them.
The function of “Organics”
Good “Organics” and the appropriate methods can help learners immediately apply knowledge, ideas and principles. “Organics” elevate the “Mechanics” into meaningful and easily applicable knowledge, ideas or skills.
Methods of “Organics” match type of learning required
The chart below illustrates the possible relationships that exist between the type of learning required and the methods of “Organics.” Note: In each type of learning required, one dominant method may work best. However, a combination of methods may overlap to create good “Organics.”
