Blogs

Fast-track Online Content Development

by Craig A.

Posted on July14, 2021 at 10:50 PM

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When you know what you want and just need to get it from design concept to production?

With the use of our online intake forms and storyboard templates, we can fast-track the development of your online training product.

Once we know what you want and how you want it, we can dive right in to developing your training.

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  Online Intake Survey

  Complete the Intake Survey online providing us with essential information about the following:

  1. 1. Purpose of online training (What is the problem you are trying to solve?)

  2. 2. Desired outcome of training (What skills do you want students to achieve?)

  3. 3. Intended audience and their level of competence (What level do students begin with?)

  4. 4. Target date for completion (When do you need this training?)

  5. 5. Delivery method for training (Where will students get training?)

  
  

  6. Online Storyboard templates

  7. Provide your content ideas to begin designing your product. Online storyboard templates are available for download to help your organize your content.

  
  

  8. eLearning Rapid Development templates

  9. Once you have selected the eLearning template you want us to use, an Instructional Technologist will begin transforming your content and design ideas in our Rapid Development tool.

  
  

  10. View Beta Version

  11. Typically, within a week (project of approx. 20 slides), the Beta version of your product will be available for your review. An online QA feedback form is available online for you to document what you like and what changes you would like to see in your final product.

  
  

  12. View Final Version

  13. The final version of your online learning product is typically available within 3-4 days (depending on the extent of requested modifications) for your final review.

  
  

  14. Product Hosting

  15. Provide us with the names (email addresses) of your users and we can have your training available when you need it.

eLearning - What are Some of the Benefits?

by Craig A.

Posted on September 13, 2018 at 10:00 PM

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E-Learning, eLearning, or Elearning, trying to nail down the correct spelling is difficult enough, let alone trying to get a concensus on what it is and what it isn't. Depending on who you ask, eLearning can mean different things to different people. The most basic and broad definition of eLearning is any learning that focuses on improvement through the use of technology and digital platforms.

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  • Engaging Content

    Despite the complexity of the technology required, the most important factor in developing effective digital learning is the content. Many of the courses developed come in the form of “ready to go courses” that are off-the-shelf. A more tailored solution is referred to as "bespoke," which is customized to client's specific needs. This content needs to reside somewhere on the web so that it is accessible to users. Most often the hosting site for eLearning is a Learning Management System (LMS). The front end of the LMS provides a learning portal for users to take courses and the back-end allows an admin to manage training across an organization. It can also provide analytics and reporting functions.

    Accessibility

    Digital Learning or Computer Based Training has gone beyond the days of the old computer labs. Today eLearning is delivered via laptops, tablets and mobile devices using html5 content rather than flash, although there is still an alarming amount of flash based content that will soon become inaccessible. Mobile apps are increasingly playing a larger role in how learning is consumed in schools and in the workplace. Gamification of training (developing learning content that involves aspects of playing an online game) is growing at a rapid pace and will soon become the baseline for how all eLearning is developed.

    Cost Benefit

    Reduced cost is one of the biggest benefit of switching from traditional to online learning. Costs are saved because courses are shorter, and instructors are no longer required to be physically present to conduct the training. For example, British Telecom delivered e-Business training to 23,000 employees in three months at a cost of £5.9m, compared to £17.8m and a five year time span for classroom training (Evans, 2013)

    Time Saved

    Another benefit of eLearning is the time saved. Typically a 4 hour classroom module results in about a 1 hour eLearning course. Which must mean the learner is losing out if it’s so much shorter? No, not quite. Learner compression typically reduces the time it takes to learn due to: time elimination from other learners asking questions not relevant to the needs of the individual learner, less social interaction time, less time to start and conclude a lesson, and less travelling time.

    The Hudson Institute of Indianapolis has reviewed 20 years of research on e-learning and found an average of 40% time reduction. IBM, after rolling out an eLearning program for managers, found that participants learned nearly five times more material without increasing time spent training (Epic Performance Improvement, 2011). E-Learning can take anywhere from 25-60% less time to convey the same amount of instruction or information as in a classroom (Rosenberg, 2001).

    Convenience

    One of the biggest advantages of eLearning is its convenience. Staff or students can take courses from home or from the workplace so no travelling is involved. This means that hours aren’t wasted getting to and from training centers and students or staff can concentrate on their work during working hours. This facilitates a reduction in cost as it cuts out both travel and accommodation expenses.

    Retention

    The Research Institute of America found that the eLearning experience increases the retention rate of learners by anywhere between 25-60% (W.R. Hambrecht & Co, 2001). There are a number of reasons why this might be. Learners can choose to do courses in their own time, they can go at their own pace, there is less social interaction time and course menus and navigation means that users can go back and forward to parts of the course they might be weak on.

    Record Keeping

    Learning Management Systems (LMS) are eliminating many of the problems associated with traditional training. There is a major reduction in administration costs as admins/managers can manage all of their students' or employees' training digitally. They can run reports to see who has taken a course, what their progress is and check their score results online. Completion certificates are now all digitized and can be stored so that completion data can go with the student or employee as they change organizations.

    Consistency

    Consistent training is also a huge benefit offered by eLearning. This is not always true when training takes place in a classroom where there are trainers with a different levels of experience, styles or personalities plus the various circumstances (personal, social etc.) affecting the performance of a training professional on any given day. Depending on the requirements of the online course, student may also be able to access a plethora of additional online resources to help them with their learning. They are no longer limited to the instructor or the text as their only source of information.

    Contact Us

    DLM Source is committed to helping you get started by finding out if eLearning is the right fit for your education and training needs. eLearning is our passion; we are ready to help, whether it is in the form of advice, a referal to another company, or developing a course for you. Send us a note through our contact page and we'd be happy to get the ball rolling.

eLearning - Keep it Simple...

by Craig A.

Posted on August 28, 2013 at 10:00 PM

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KISS…. Don’t overwhelm the learner with too much text, or too many visuals…break learning up into usable chunks…one discrete learning point per frame. Less is sometimes more.

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  • Use multimedia……Use a combination of graphics, audio, and text to enhance learning. Again, keep it simple. Don’t overuse multimedia. Too many bells and whistles can have the opposite effect. You want to gain and keep their attention without distracting them.

    Don’t crowd the page…. Have the right amount of “white space.” Too much space between related text and graphics makes it difficult to connect the information on a page. Not enough “white space” can overwhelm and confuse them. Pages that are too "wordy" are a turn-off. Finding the right combination of visuals and text is important. In today's world of news and information coming from social media sites instead of newspapers, learners are not going to be motivated to read through several paragraphs of text.

    Use visuals…..Try to use visuals to convey more complicated sets of information. For example, a chart is easier to make sense of than a lengthy explanation. Again, it's all about finding the right balance between text and graphics.

    Continuity and consistency in your design. A navigation bar that is easy to understand along with the same type of text and graphics on all of your slides or pages will help make moving around in your E-Learning activity easier for the learner. You want their focus to remain on the material being taught, instead of trying to figure out how to advance to the next frame or slide.

    Make it personal…. Learners will be able to retain more information and will be more interested if the types of activities mimic real-life situations, as opposed to the abstract. When learning is personal more information is retained because it is more relevant. Simple "rule of thumb," if it's important to the learner, there is a better chance that they will retain it.

Flash Support Finally Ends by 2020

by Craig A.

Posted on August 28, 2013 at 10:45 PM

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The Last Gasps - Flash finally dead by end of 2020

Already most modern browsers block Flash by default and only allow users to opt-in if they choose to. Adobe has announced that the final death throes of flash based content will be by the end of year 2020. Hard choices will have to be made by developers as to whether existing content will need to be redeveloped as HTML5 or to preserve .swf files as they they are now and just let them ride off into the sunset.

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  • The beginning of the end started more than 7 years ago with Apple deciding not to support Flash on its i-cult products. The steady decline continued with devices running Android OS. Edge, Chrome, Safari, and Firefox no longer support flash content and require the user to enable flash if the they want to run flash ads or video.

    Even though the death rattle started some time ago, the majority of web-based learning material is still locked in legacy code and can only be modified with Flash products. The dilemma being faced by many in the eLearning business is whether to try and rewrite legacy AS 2 and 3 code using Adobe Animate or to start from scratch.

    Animate can preserve the timeline and layers but not any of the interaction. One advantage that old Flash developers can use to convince curriculum departments into rewriting the old code is their familiarity with the timeline based IDE used by Flash and continued with Animate.

    My choice, since I never became enamored with the timeline anyway, is to start fresh using HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. Take advantage of the JS libraries for sound and animation and are already out there. Instead of relying on layers, frames, and keyframes that unnecessarily obfuscate the process and keep you hooked on clicking and dragging objects on a timeline, write code.

Online Tools for Young Learners

by Craig A.

Posted on August 28, 2013 at 10:45 PM

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Information Literacy is essential and has everything to do with achieving an essential set of skills needed to be able to navigate through available sources and to decide on the relevancy and accuracy of the materials, however it resembles more of a mission statement or a goal and not really a concrete of example using technology to achieve a specific learning goal. When given the choice of working with concepts or practical examples, I will always choose the “practical” over “the theoretical.”

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  • The examples of technology learning tools, or “Content Objects,” as they are called in this module, I have chosen are mobile apps that are geared towards early learners. Since I have 2 young boys in preschool, I am interested in the kinds of apps that they can utilize to enhance what they are learning now at home and at school. I have chosen 4 apps that are cross-platform ready and teach young children the basics in Reading, Phonics, Beginning Math, and Science.

    Dragon Box Numbers
    The first app I explored is called “Dragon Box Numbers.” This app introduces kids to basic number concepts with 350 guided activities in the form of cute creatures, called “Nooms” that represent numbers. The “Nooms” eat each other when forming bigger numbers; which most kids will enjoy, although some parents might find this a bit troubling. Kids can learn addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, as well as general number sense. It helps kids develop their thinking and reasoning skills as they relate to numbers, general math, and problem solving.

    Read Me Stories – Children’s Books
    The next app I explored is called “Read Me Stories – Children’s Books.” This app is a collection of e-books and songs. Preschoolers can choose to read on their own or be read to. The narration that is included also has sound effects, and some interactive features.
    With this app youngsters can learn Language and Reading. They have the chance to practice the mechanics of reading as they follow along as the narrator reads aloud. Once they are able to do so, they can try reading by themselves. By making the stories fun with animation and graphics, kids can develop the habit of reading every day. The only criticism is that some users felt that the content could be better.

    Wonster Words – spelling with ABC and phonics by Puzzingo
    “Wonster Words – spelling with ABC and phonics“ introduces spelling, word families, phonics, and new vocabulary words to young learners. This app allows kids to drag letters into place to spell and sound out words. It organizes letters according to their sound. There is also audio available to help kids as they sound out words and sounds.
    Kids learn letter and word recognition, phonics, reading, and vocabulary. They gain phonetic awareness as they group letters together to form sounds and words. By exploring a series of words with the same letter sounds they can identify new words. This app has a good rating among parents and has features that other phonics based apps are missing.

    Monkey Preschool Explorers
    “Monkey Preschool Explorers” combines several subjects into one app for early learners. Kids can learn language, reading, letter or word recognition, numbers and shapes. Basically, it includes many of the basic skills that kids would learn in preschool and kindergarten. This app teaches kids to recognize shapes, colors, numbers, and capital and lowercase letters. It also teaching them important critical thinking and reading skills. The activities are short and focused, just right for preschool attention spans. The allows parents to include a profile for up to three kids and set specific skills for each.

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