E-learning has revolutionized the approach to learning which has made the process of learning easier. It has simplified and made the learning interesting at the same time. If you are new to eLearning, there is a huge bundle of knowledge that can be grabbed. Course creation and delivery have come a long way in the past decades. Now, the learning styles are blended by using all the possible avenues ranging from brick-mortar classrooms to digital tutorials. The instructional design plays a crucial role in the development of the course in eLearning.

The instructional design is a systematic approach to developing the learning courses and designing them accordingly. You can find enough information on the internet about theories, models, and approaches toward eLearning. A newcomer has to figure out the useful information from this ocean of the information available.

Starting from the basics of instructional designing, the first step is to make the course effective and engaging by keeping the learner’s perspective in the mind. Here are the basics of instructional design, which can help you to get an idea for developing an effective eLearning course; that can help your learner to understand the lesson clearly.

• Analyze the audience:

The instructional design needs lots of studies and analysis before developing the course. Your primary focus should be on the learner, who is going to learn the lesson. Try to understand the needs of the audience and figure out if the need satisfies the development of the course.

There are many checkpoints in the audience analysis such as; if your audience/learner is tech savvy, what experience they hold, age groups and so on. Knowing and understanding the background of your audience helps the instructional designer in developing the content that meets the expectation of the learner.

• Follow the basic structure while creating the module:

Everyone can develop an eLearning course but the best course can be developed by designing the basic structure of the module. The module should not be designed only for the sake of educating the learner. To ensure that the learning process goes smoothly, one should run it systematically. It is always the best idea to start with a welcome note followed by instructions on the navigation of the course. Don’t forget to mention the goals and objectives for the learners.

Avoid the complexity of the content as it can confuse the learner and they can quit the course in between. The interactivity adds plus points to the course. Add games, assessments, and quizzes as it will give a better experience to the learner. Add the instructions on how to go to the next lesson and exit the module.

• Gain recognition of the learner:

To make sure that your module turns out to be successful, add all the interesting elements that will keep the learner engaged till the end. It is a great idea to start a lesson with a short introductory video narration; of what the learner will get from the course.

• Takeaway

 As eLearning is totally an online platform, so making your learner comfortable should be the first priority. With eLearning, it should be assured that the learner gets the best experience by omitting the complexity of the module. If the module is developed without taking care of the learner, it might be a blunder that an Instructional Designer can commit.