Rapid eLearning Design

Develop a Rapid Resolution Plan based on the ADDIE Model

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Analysis

• Summary of action steps: Identify knowledge gap and purpose of course, understand the learning audience and their existing knowledge through survey or pre-assessment, define course goal and learning objectives, plan administrative logistics including timeline and necessary tools or technology.
• Rapid resolution: Agree on purpose, goal, and objectives of course with client or stakeholder, incorporate a very brief tutorial or explanation of any baseline knowledge learners need to complete the course to account for knowledge or skills gaps learners may have, plan for a short timeline and lean budget and work with what tools and technology are already available instead of seeking out new tools that may require time to learn how to use.
• Examples: Identifying the purpose and goal of the course by discussing needs and desired outcomes with a client or stakeholder is a critical step that cannot be skipped. Having a clear and agreed-upon purpose and goal from the beginning will minimize time spent on back-and-forth conversations with client/stakeholder or having to redo parts of or the whole course to match expectations which is costly and time-consuming. Use the Understanding by Design (UbD) or backward design model to determine the course goal and desired outcomes that your client/stakeholder is expecting to meet before designing any of the course.

Design

• Summary of action steps: Create an outline or storyboard of the information, activities, knowledge checks, and assessments in the course; determine what tools or resources are needed to create your course; design a mock-up of theme and aesthetics and get client/stakeholder buy-in.
• Rapid resolution: Create your course using a pre-approved template.
• Examples: If you don’t have any templates ready to use this may require more time and work upfront, but it is a one-time investment. You can design templates yourself or buy them. Reusing templates not only speeds up the course creation process but also promotes continuity and quality consistency.

Development

• Summary of action steps: Plan to use a Learning Management System to deliver your course and make sure your course is compatible with it and with all devices your audience may use to access it, test all user flows (including unexpected click paths) to ensure a smooth learner experience, edit course for spelling and grammar and check that design aesthetics including color scheme and font choices are consistent throughout.
• Rapid resolution: Use a pre-approved template, have your client/stakeholder review course to catch any bugs, and give final approval and sign-off before launch.
• Examples: Same as the design stage, templates are the best way to streamline the development stage. Using a template you have used for previous courses means you know it is compatible with your LMS and it is less likely to have bugs or issues.

Implementation

• Summary of action steps: Consider launching a pilot course for final testing and feedback, assign your course through an LMS and utilize notifications to learners, create space for learners to ask questions or get help with technical issues and connect with each other to promote collaboration and engagement.
• Rapid resolution: Provide contact info for getting help with bugs or technical issues and include a post-course survey for learners to submit feedback, present learners with the real-world benefits and consequences of taking or not taking your course so they are more likely to comply, and set up a due date and reminder notifications to ensure learners complete the course on time.
• Examples: If you don’t have time to test your course with a pilot group, make it easy for learners to submit feedback and report technical issues so you can iterate after launch. One way to get this feedback is to incorporate a survey into the end of your course (could be built-in using your course development software or embedded or linked from another tool such as Survey Monkey, Google Forms, or Microsoft Forms).

Evaluation

• Summary of action steps: Reflect on the experience of creating and delivering your course; review qualitative and quantitative results from surveys, quizzes, and attendance and engagement metrics, return to the beginning of the ADDIE process with the feedback you collected and continue to iterate on your course.
• Rapid resolution: Reflect on your experience and review feedback to make improvements and fixes as soon as they arise, make any necessary changes to your template and process so you are better prepared for your next course.
• Examples: Be prepared to monitor incoming feedback as soon as your course is launched so you can make fixes as quickly as possible. If using a survey tool, you can set it up so responses are emailed to you as soon as they are submitted. If your company uses a ticketing system, you can have the system admin or your IT team add you to tickets from learners who seek assistance with technical issues.