It is always a good idea to have a clear process when you want to develop something both effectively and accurately. Of course, there are different approaches to how you can tackle the development of an eLearning module, but through a series of posts, we will discuss what we have found here at Pathways, to be a best practice for programming eLearning modules. Storyboarding This part is essential, and builds the foundation of a successful eLearning module. Just like algorithms

Since I’ve started at Pathways, we’ve had great projects and we’ve had difficult projects; some that made us rethink our project management system and how we’ve been communicating with our clients. At our team meeting yesterday, we hashed out some things to help us deliver great results even on problem projects, and to ideally prevent projects from becoming problematic to begin with. 1. Have better definitions of review cycles for our clients. In the past, we’ve been stuck in

Where is the future of training headed? Is it gamification and will we be taking training where it feels like we are playing a video game or is the future in virtual worlds where we will actually have simulations so real, that it feels like we are actually there? Current eLearning courses are more engaging then they were 5 years ago and videos, animations and well-deigned learning activities are engaging learners more then ever before. However, where is the future going – i

Gamification is a hot new buzz word in corporate training departments. Despite this hot new trend, few companies are actually applying gamification to learning. So what is gamification? According to Kevin Werbach from Penn University, the definition of gamification is the application of game elements and digital game design techniques to non-game problems such as business impact and social challenges.* According to recent studies, learners retain more information when gaming

One of the interesting things about being a vendor, is trends in the marketplace become evident quickly. Over the last 6 months, we have had multiple requests from clients to develop learning portals. Just like the google interface, a learning portal can be used to access all of a company’s training information. It can be cloud-based or can be attached to a company’s learning management system (LMS). With learning portals, when you do a search, bite sized training informati

3 Tips for Designing it Right and 3 Traps to Avoid Mobile learning is the new buzz-word and although there seems to be a lot of talk about this new trend, few companies are actually doing it. As mobile learning is so new, there are a few things you need to consider in order to effectively instructional design for a mobile learning experience. For those of you who are considering this new medium, here are some tips you need to consider when designing learning for mobile. Desi

An effective technique for ensuring your learners are truly absorbing your content in an elearning module is using a storytelling approach. When your content is wrapped up into a story it becomes more memorable and relatable to the learner than simply stating the facts and hoping that something sticks. The key is to make the story relatable to the learner so they can see the correlation and apply what they’ve learned to real-life situations. Walkthroughs and tutorials can be

During a recent trip to work on the commuter train I was made the unwilling participant in a conversation between two young professionals (one male, one female) who, based on the topic of their discussion, worked for a downtown law firm. The conversation went something like this: (Note, names have been changed) Male…”Can you believe that, like, Mr. Robards wants me to, like, interview his client before their court date Friday? When he told me I was all like, wow, for sure, no

Is it necessary to use virtual reality in eLearning? Wouldn’t it be cheaper, faster and easier to continue using traditional methods – classroom learning, textbooks, online eLearning courses? In this article, I would like to explore the benefits of VR in the field of eLearning, and how to decide when it’s useful and appropriate. I will make the assumption that the reader is already familiar with what VR is, and how it works. An important consideration to using VR in eLearning

Here's a quick look behind the scenes at Pathways' process for building an eLearning module. For more on how you can apply this process to the eLearning you're creating, or more great infographics like this one, visit us at our blog and website at www.pathwaystrainingandelearning.ca. #torontoelearningvendor #developingeLearning #instructionaldesign #Development #Canadiantraningcompany #PathwaysTrainingandeLearningInc #TorontosleadingeLearningcompany #infographics #eLearningve

Pathways provides customer service training for many organizations. Contact us today to learn more at info@pathwaysinc.ca or 1-888-961-6011. #eLearningcoursedevelopment #torontoelearningvendor #PathwaystrainingandeLearningvendors #eLearningvendors #topelearningcompanyinCanada #CanadianeLearningcompany #TorontosleadingeLearningcompany

Let’s continue from where we left off on the previous post, but first let’s do a quick recap on things we have already discussed regarding translation of eLearning modules: Account for space, meaning that always keep in mind what languages is the module going to be translated into, when designing the layout Export the text by using the feature provided in Storyline And don’t change the formatting of the exported text, to avoid any undesired issues when reimporting the transla

I always thought translating eLearning modules into different languages was a big deal, and it seemed to be a more complicated task than actually programming a module from scratch. But that was before I got to work with Storyline. From my experience, I would say that Storyline reduces the time spent on translating the eLearning modules at least in 50%. I could be exaggerating, but I was blown away when I learned how to do it with this software. However, there is more to it th

Evaluating Your Learners The end goal of a learning initiative is to effectively transfer information to learners in a way that is engaging and allows for the retention of the information that is delivered. How we tie in objectives to content is often based on the key takeaways that we would like learners to have from the learning. Being able to assess the efficacy of a course can often be a difficult task. However, there are some best practices that can be followed to help e

There are many, and I mean many opinions on what makes a good manager, with no shortage of information on the subject easily available through numerous resources. Go ahead, scroll through your LinkedIn news feed and see for yourself how many of your connections have recently posted something about managing, leadership, competencies of a strong manager, etc. I just did this exercise myself and must say the posting that depicts a “boss” using an employee like a golf club

While most authoring tools do have some options for premade interactive buttons, often a particular module job or client will call for something with a bit more care and uniqueness when developing an eLearning module. I would like to share a simple walk-through which I use to create unique reusable buttons for use in any eLearning authoring tool. STEP 1 – DESIGN I begin in Adobe Photoshop. Create a canvas with a transparent background, that snugly fits the desired shape. Be s

When developing eLearning modules, developers often work with Instructional Designers. These experts ensure that the course content enforces the learning objectives in the most effective way. But sometimes the documents and storyboards provided to the programmers may not be the most creative, from a developer perspective. As a developer you have the power to supplement creativity to further enhance user engagement beyond what has been established in the instructional design.

As an eLearning developer who does work for a wide variety of clients, you can imagine that I am often forced to use a variety of authoring tools, despite Storyline 2 being the industry standard. While I definitely use Storyline 2 the most authoring tools such as Lectora and Adobe Captivate are a close 2nd and 3rd. Transitioning to a new authoring tool for the first time is never a smooth process but here are a 3 simple tips that have allowed me to effectively jump into a new

DEVELOPMENT PHASE 1ST PLAYABLE This stage is about programming the skeleton version of the game. At the end of this stage we have functioning versions of all of the games features. Graphics are being developed. PROGRAMMING Program the game to meet the specifications detailed in the GDD. Program the functionality of all features. Use proxy or placeholder graphics for visual representations. Use test environment to develop basic functionality and features. ART DEVELOPMENT Graph

PRE PRODUCTION PHASE DESIGN DEFINITION Once the Client has decided on the game concept that they would like to see realized. We can move towards sign off. Based on the decided Game Concept Document (including any agreed changes requested by the client), the Game Designers and instructional Designers will write the GDD Game Design Document. Conceptual art begins to be made for development and visual aids in the GDD. DOCUMENT DETAILS The Game Design Document outlines all of th