Most organizations will have their own instructional design process which they use to create course materials for their employees. If the developer uses a non-standardized, haphazard way of creating courses, then the quality of training provided to the employees will suffer. Below, we look at five things you need to keep in mind with regard to instructional design processes.

Creating an Instructional Design Document (IDD)

The first thing you need to do is to create an IDD which will specify the approach you will be using to develop the strategy of the learning program. The basic purpose of an IDD is to standardize the entire course, from both visual and instructional perspectives. Without standardization, it would be impossible to create a proper learning program that can be equally accessed and understood by everyone. IDD usually covers every aspect of the course, giving detailed information as to how the curriculum must be structured at every level.

Finalizing the Content

Next, you will need to decide the content of the course. Both audio and text content have to be finalized during this stage. While text content will give you an idea of how the content of the course material will be visually presented in the course, along with the format and fonts, among other elements, deciding the audio content will help in finalizing what the tone and treatment of the course will sound like. Additions like sound effects and background music must also be decided – but not yet added (see ‘Adding Audio’ below).

Creating a Prototype

During the instructional design process, it is necessary to create a prototype once the content has been finalized. A prototype typically contains a few screens that will display the global strategy which you wish to use for the course. Usually, a prototype will include elements such as backgrounds, characters, audio, interactivity, and the like. This phase enables a course developer to focus on and finalize the technical aspects of the course presentation, including branding, image sizes, animation quality, and so on.

Adding Audio

Once the prototype has been approved by the client, you should now move on to the process of adding audio. Make sure that all aspects of the course have been thoroughly checked during approval. If the client points out some changes, then implement those changes, get a second approval, and only then move on to adding audio. If you blindly add audio to the course without getting full approval from the client, and they require you to make some changes to the content of the course, then you may have to redo parts of the audio all over again, which can be a waste of time and money.

Ensuring Compatibility with your Learning Management System (LMS)

Be sure to do a thorough test of the course so as to make it compatible with your LMS. Check if the final quiz or assessment section of the course can be tracked in the LMS. If you find any glitches or other technical issues, get it sorted out and retest the course to ensure that there are no issues.