Designing eLearning

A learning methodology is a set of procedures composed of methods, principles, and rules for enhancing individual capacity and performance. Yet, some elearning designers only think of the technology and content, which normally leads to a “page-turning” design — the learner reads what is on the screen and then clicks the next button. While this can bring about knowledge, which is important, the design often fails to follow-up with the next step — performance — having the learners practice the skills in order to master them. While there are a number of means of achieving this, one option is using a design architecture composed of the “Five Types of Content in eLearning” (Clark, Mayer, 2007) and the six categories of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy:

Five Types of Content in eLearning

• Fact - unique data (e. g., symbols for Excel formula)
• Concept - a category that includes multiple examples (e. g., Excel formulas)
• Process - a flow of events or activities (e. g., how a spreadsheet works)
• Procedure - step-by-step task (e. g., entering a formula into a spreadsheet)
• Strategic Principle - task performed by adapting guidelines (e. g., doing a financial projection in a spreadsheet)

Bloom's Revised Taxonomy

Design Architecture Matrix

Putting the above two concepts into a matrix gives us an idea of what type of activities the learners need in order for them to learn the required performance skills. The chart below lists various activities and aids that can help increase the possibility of turning learning into performance. Since the chart will be cut off in the blog, this link will bring up the chart in a new window: eLearning Design Chart.

	Fact	Concept	Process	Procedure	Strategic Principle
Remembering (or being able to locate data by searching)	EPSS or mLearning for finding facts Multiple choice, puzzles, or Drag and Drop for learning facts	EPSS or mLearning for finding examples Demonstration Reading or podcast Social Learning Media - learning from others	EPSS or mLearning for finding the activities Social Learning Media - learning from others Demonstration (rich media) Reading or podcast Multiple choice, puzzles,or Drag and Drop for learning the events	EPSS or mLearning for finding the steps Social Learning Media - learning from others Demonstration (rich media) Reading or podcast Multiple choice, puzzles, or Drag and Drop for learning the steps	EPSS or mLearning for discovering the basic principles Social Learning Media for discussing principles Demonstration (rich media) Reading or podcast Multiple choice, puzzles, or Drag and Drop for learning the principles
Understanding		Matched example/non-example pairs Demonstration Reading with simple graphics	elearning, EPSS, or mLearning for demonstration (rich media) Social Learning Media - discussing and sharing Demonstration Reading with graphics Podcasts	elearning, EPSS, or mLearning for demonstration (rich media) Social Learning Media - discussing and sharing Demonstration Reading with graphics Podcasts	Social Learning Media - discussing and sharing eLearning - Interactive Scenario Case study followed by questions
Applying		Case study followed by questions Drag and Drop or puzzles Social Learning Media - sharing experiences Creating wiki entry or blog post	EPSS - list activities eLearning - Interactive Scenario Social Learning Media - sharing and receiving guidance Creating wiki entry or blog post	EPSS - list steps eLearning - Interactive Scenario Social Learning Media - sharing and receiving guidance Creating wiki entry or blog post	EPSS - list activities Social Learning Media - sharing and receiving guidance Creating wiki entry or blog post eLearning - Interactive Scenario
Analyzing		eLearning - Interactive Scenario Social Learning Media - reflecting and sharing	Matched example/non-example pairs Social Learning Media - reflecting and sharing	Matched example/non-example pairs Social Learning Media - reflecting and sharing	Case study followed by questions Social Learning Media - reflecting and sharing
Evaluating		Social Learning Media - sharing experiences and creating blog posts	Case study followed by questions Social Learning Media - sharing experiences and creating blog posts eLearning - Interactive Scenario	Case study followed by questions Social Learning Media - sharing experiences and creating blog posts eLearning - Interactive Scenario	Social Learning Media - sharing experiences Case study followed by questions and blog post or wiki entry
Creating		Social Learning Media - project interaction (chat, wiki, blog)	Blended Learning - elearning and face-to-face - Action Learning Social Learning Media - project interaction (chat, wiki, blog)	Blended Learning - elearning and face-to-face - Action Learning Social Learning Media - project interaction (chat, wiki, blog)	Blended Learning - elearning and face-to-face - Action Learning Social Learning Media - project interaction (chat, wiki, blog)

What tools are you using to to help ensure your learning platform goes beyond a page-turner?