Top Tips For Building A Great Content Plan

Top Tips For Building A Great Content Plan
sirtravelalot/Shutterstock.com
Summary: We are all aware that some clients may struggle to get their content plan off the ground.

Steps To Building A Great Content Plan

Are you ready to create an eLearning package? Fortunately, there are many reliable solutions with effective eLearning content plan that most businesses and universities can use.

First, Identify Your Learner

No eLearning content plan will reach maximum efficiency if you don’t understand who your learner is and what they want. Ask yourself why they’re going to choose your course, what they might expect from it, and how you’re going to deliver it to them.

During this time, you’ll also want to examine whether your candidate is internal or external. If they’re internal, you may have an easier time finding out how to shape your course. An internal candidate usually needs an eLearning package because you need to fill gaps in their knowledge with the aim of making their current skillset match what your company needs.

In contrast, an external learner isn’t as easy to shape in your mind. That doesn’t mean you can’t try, though. Examine why they may want to come to you and what their background is. They’re choosing your course because they have particular interests and requirements, so make sure you’re filling them.

Whether your candidate is internal or external, always ask yourself what their current knowledge base is. There’s going to be some gaps between what they know and what you want them to know, which is where your content comes in. And, ask yourself whether they’ve used a Learning Management System (LMS) before. If not, you should dedicate some of the content of your course to guiding them around one.

Next, Fill In Those Knowledge Gaps

Now you know who your learner is, what they know, and what you need them to know, it’s time to fill in the knowledge gaps. When doing this, look at how you’re going to build on their existing knowledge base. See their current knowledge as the foundations for your learning aims.

When creating a course outline, try to ensure each module follows a logical format. The first module should build on the prerequisites of the course, and each module should naturally follow on from them. At each stage, ask yourself whether the information you’re trying to introduce is easy to understand based on what the student knows and what you’ve already taught them. Although it’s acceptable to direct them toward external resources some of the time, you shouldn’t expect them to engage in a heavy volume of background work.

Each piece of knowledge you include should act as a larger part of the student’s jigsaw puzzle. By the end, they should have a complete picture that is as clear as possible.

Identify How You’ll Deliver The Content Of The Course

No two students work the same. Research shows us that humans have evolved to learn in a multisensory environment. This means they need a combination of text, images, videos, and interactive modules to succeed.

To provide that multisensory environment, you need to identify which aspects of your course are best delivered via each mode. For example:

  • If you want an internal candidate to learn more about the company’s financial background, consider using a graph. This combines textual and visual information effortlessly.
  • To break down large volumes of information on some concepts, you should include short video clips. They diversify how students learn, which then increases the chances of them remaining engaged.
  • To give students an insight into different cultures and environments, consider the use of pictures, audio clips, or video clips. Encourage them to reflect on what they’ve seen after.

Consider adding progress quizzes throughout your course especially if there’s a lot of content. It encourages students to remain motivated, and it allows them to measure where they’re at in terms of knowledge.

Measuring Knowledge Outcomes At The End

Although the progress quizzes of your eLearning course don’t need to count towards a final grade, you should measure knowledge outcomes at the end. In addition to ensuring you know whether students have passed or failed, it’s a reliable way to measure the efficacy of your course.

Once you have some data from your course, you should also issue a quiz for feedback. Send this quiz to students who have passed, failed, and dropped out. It’s important to identify which aspects of the course they found useful, why they chose to proceed, and why they decided to leave. When you have feedback, you can use it to develop an eLearning package that’s simpler to access and beneficial for both you and your trainees.

Identify Who’s Creating The Content Of The Course

When you know what your eLearning package should contain and how you’re going to measure its efficacy, you need to identify who will develop the content of your course. Allocate different individuals to take responsibility for various aspects, such as information, measuring outcomes, and incorporating branding.

When you know who’s taking responsibility for the different parts of your online course, you can provide students with people to go to when they need support. Additionally, if an element of the course isn’t performing as well as it should, you’ll know which stakeholder is best equipped to tackle the issue.

Introduce A Project Management Tool

Without the right Project Management tools, tracking the development of your course will become difficult. Create a timeline of which tasks need to be performed, who’s responsible for them, and identify who’s overseeing the whole process. In addition to tracking the development of your course, add in key marketing dates and your proposed launch date. Marketing is crucial if you’re trying to attract external candidates, as they’ll have a litany of courses to choose from. As such, you need to add marketing ideas and outcomes to the months and weeks preceding the launch date of your course.

When creating an eLearning course, performing research in an organized manner should always come first. From there, you can develop a course outline, identify how you’ll deliver it, and highlight the people responsible. Ideally, you’ll also use a Project Management tool to measure your progress throughout and make changes accordingly.

Originally published at darlodigital.com.