Things to consider when creating remote eLearning
While many of us are now taking eLearning and digital training from home and other locations it is important to consider that this training might be taken on a wide variety of devices. In the past eLearning was primarily taken on laptops and PCs but now could also be taken on laptops, smartphones or tablets.
Below are some things to consider when developing eLearning and digital training for a variety of devices.
1. Offline
As learners are now taking eLearning from a variety of locations and not just the office this means there is a high chance that their internet speeds will vary. As eLearning is hosted online it requires a connection to the internet in order to work, if you live in a city this may not be an issue as high speed internet is more readily available, however if you live further outside of the city or are in a place with a slow internet connection this can impact you ability to take digital training. When developing your eLearning consider having a download option for your courses, for learners with a poor connection this means they will be able to download your course and take it how it is intended with limited interruptions.
2. Responsive
Responsive learning is not new and is very important when creating eLearning and digital training. The concept of responsive learning is creating a course that will work on a variety of devices, as mentioned earlier, learners will most likely be taking eLearning on a variety of devices and therefore the training will need to adapt. Even if the course works well on one device this does not mean it will work on others well. For example on a laptop screen you have the luxury of a lot of screen space, buttons and on screen elements can be spread out, however for a smartphone you have a much smaller screen size and as a result you may have to reconsider how buttons are displays or use click and reveals for content.
3. Multimedia
When creating eLearning for mobile devices or if you have learners that are taking eLearning from a variety of locations you need to keep in mind how the media you use in your courses can impact them. When creating an eLearning module it can be tempting to use lots of video and animations to make your eLearning look as slick as possible, but this can cause issues. As mentioned earlier not all learners will have access to a fast internet connection which means that learners who have a slower internet connection will have a tough time loading and taking your course. This isn’t to say not to use any videos or large media files at all but just consider the frequencies of how often they are used and if it enhances the course.
