How to Create an Online Training Course Like a Pro

The development of eLearning courses has been significantly simplified through the use of authoring tools. The capabilities and features of authoring tools have been improved to offer many powerful options to their users. Nowadays, even people with little technical knowledge can develop eLearning courses with ease without depending on programmers.

Also read: The Importance Of Learning And Development In An Ever-Changing World

However, before creating an online training course, it’s important for you to know the features of these elearning tools and the way they are used. All you need to do is follow some insightful tips to create online training courses like a pro. Let’s discuss.

How to make the Best use of Authoring Tools

1. Determine the Nature of your eLearning Content

When you want to create an online course, not only should you use the best eLearning authoring tools, but you also need to consider the type of content you would like to add, and there are five possible distinctive types: principles, concepts, facts, processes, and procedures.

Once you’ve decided the content type, you have to find out if the content flow contains any potential gaps, and this should be done in the stage of content analysis. Taking care of this will help you come up with a course which has a natural flow and at the same time, easy to understand.

2. Identify Audience’s Preferences

To properly cover all of your eLearning content, you should identify your audience preferences. You need to include the content that is engaging, interesting and easy to retain. Different people respond better to different types of content, they face different challenges and have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, you need to identify the skills your learners would benefit from the most, the best way to teach them those skills and how quickly they can pick up new information.

Some may respond better to video content, while some may prefer to have everything written down, and there are often some knowledge gaps that you aren’t even aware of. Spend some time learning more about your audience, and try to tailor your online training course according to their needs and preferences.

3. Find the Concise Way to Convey Information

While no two learners are same, there are still some general rules that make easier for the vast majority of the population to learn complex and new concepts quickly. One of the most important rules is to introduce each new concept in a straightforward manner, for instance, by offering visual aids like charts and graphs, avoiding technical jargon and drawn out sentences, and so on.

Use simple language and short informative sentences whenever you can, provide some practical examples and be clear about how each piece of the puzzle fits into the overall picture. A good practice is to go back and try to see if you can simplify some definitions or cover certain points in fewer words.

4. Make It Interactive and Offer Feedback

People learn best when they have a chance to ask questions and delve deeper into areas that are difficult, or they find most useful. This is why you should aim to add an element of interactivity by using e-Authoring tool features like FAQs, chat and content sharing.

Also read: How To Enable Continuous Learning And Development Using Technology

Allow the learners to reach out and offer constructive feedback to let them know whether or not they are on the right track and about what they need to pay special attention. A little bit of interactivity goes a long way, and your learners will appreciate the extra effort.

5. Understand the Tools you are Using

Generally, you choose an eLearning authoring tool out of several, once you confirm that it contains all the necessary features that you need to create your online training course. For instance, if the goal of your course is to train employees about how to use software systems, you must use the eLearning authoring tools that are capable of making software simulations. If you want to create an online course related to product or compliance training, it is recommended to use tools that will help you to roll out the courses quickly.

6. Consider the Budget and the Time

Cost and time are the most important factors to consider when you decide which approach you need to use. Before developing an online course, you should ask yourself whether you can use the default templates or need to develop the new ones, what kind of media and interactive elements to use, and the most important what the due date is.

Creating standard templates will enable you to reuse them and thus you’ll save your time and money. All you need to do is dedicate enough time to the course development, instructional design and review analysis when planning your course.

7. Have Regular Quality Checks

When you are trying to create an online course, numerous quality issues may arise and they need to be solved quickly. They can occur at any course development stage and can be eliminated easily if you perform quality checks on a regular basis.

To avoid any reworking and the occurrence of bigger and more serious errors, you should make a checklist for every stage of the course development. This will also help you control your schedule.

The Bottom Line

To conclude, it doesn’t matter how much experience in developing eLearning courses you possess, as the tips mentioned above and eLearning tools can suit everyone’s needs. Do your research, choose the tool that fits your objectives the most, and start creating awesome courses quickly and easily.