E-learning, referred to as sharing or transferring skills and knowledge through electronic means, is becoming the need of the hour due to the pandemic. Any e-learning platform to thrive needs to accommodate five major e-learning components. The main function of these components is basically to structure an online course. Here in this article, we are going to discuss the major components of the e-learning platform.
Audience:
From concept to the implementation of the final product, it is vital to have a target audience for the development of an online course. Everything must be created, designed, and structured by keeping the requirements of the target audience in mind. One of the first steps in the ADDIE procedure (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) is to analyse the target audience. When looking forward to building up an e-learning platform, keep in mind the below-mentioned points related to your target audience:
- Know their expectations
- Think about the learning capacity of the target audience.
- Know if the target audience is equipped with the right hardware and software.
- Know the job responsibilities of your target audience.
- Know about their preferences.
Course Structure:
When it comes to the course structure, it implies designing the course intended for e-learning. It performs a vital factor in how the potential learners will learn the presented material. In the design stage of the ADDIE procedure, you need to conceptualize how the presented course will be structured and organized. Consider the below-mentioned items when structuring the e-learning course:
- First, recognize the flow of the course you are going to deliver and then find how you are going to modulate the information.
- Make sure to choose the appropriate size of the modules. Try to limit the modules to 8 to 10 pages.
- The course structure must strategically incorporate interactive concepts.
- To clarify the presented course, it is advisable to use pictures and illustrations.
Page Design:
The design of the page is a very essential factor in the e-learning process. The structure of the page could hugely affect the learning experience of your potential learners. Keep the below-mentioned points in mind when formatting your course for e-learning:
- See that navigation is manageable and easy to use.
- Make sure that the structure of the course is simple, not confusing.
- Ensure that there is an appropriate balance between the textual information and graphics on the page.
- See that white space is utilized efficiently when designing e-learning pages. Also, use predictable fonts and text styles.
Content Engagement:
Since e-learning is a self-help procedure, it is imperative to create engaging content allowing the learners to associate with the information in the course. To make up for the absence of the educator, you can incorporate interactive activities and events inside e-learning. Keep the below-mentioned points in mind when trying to create engaging content:
- For additional concepts or definitions, use hyperlinks.
- Try to incorporate intelligent designs in the course.
- To make your course more interactive, leverage tests, quizzes, and skill assessment report into it.
- Interactive and fun exercises can make your course more engaging and interesting.
Usability:
In case your e-learning course does not work properly, it will not be well received by the learners. Once the e-learning course is developed, make sure to test it in an environment used by the learner to complete the course. Just make sure that all links, graphics, exercises, tests, quizzes are working properly and there are no grammatical or spelling mistakes.
So, these were the five major components that must be incorporated in the e-learning course.