Have you ever began storyboarding an e-learning course, looked at a particular topic and thought, "how on Earth an I going to accomplish this?"
Either there's so much jargon that it might as well be a foreign language, or the subject matter expert (SME) is assuming you can create a three-dimensional hologram to illustrate the script. To make matters worse--getting rewrites authorized and accomplished at this stage of development can be a real hassle.
In order to avoid these pitfalls, it's critical that the instructional designer (ID) be familiar with the subject matter. It's not as if you can master every subject area; so the sensible thing to do is involve yourself in the planning process at the earliest point possible, and participate in conversations between your project manager (PM) and the SME. There are advantages to taking this approach to course development.
First, it's much easier to keep informed regarding the project schedule; and any snags or delays that might be heading your way. More importantly, you'll be able to help minimize delays by providing insight from the ID point of view.
Second, you'll become more familiar with the subject matter as you interact more with the SME during the planning process. For example, you'll have a better understanding of the field's acronyms and jargon. You'll also have a better idea, in a conceptual sense, of the material you have to animate.
Finally, helping the PM and SME plan the course from the very start gives you an opportunity to help shape the script itself. The advantage here is you'll avoid any unpleasant surprises because you've collaborated with the SME to design elements that have the potential to be real problem-children; such as diagrams, charts, graphs, and interactions.
Depending on where you work, it's sometimes the case that the PM is the only person to communicate with the SME; once the course is ready for animation, the ID sees it for the first time. If you find yourself in this situation, have a conversation with management to explain how your early participation could streamline the process.
By getting involved early in the design process, you, as an ID, can kiss goodbye that "how on Earth" moment.
Great summary Don... understanding the instructional designer's role in the life-cycle of a learning project is critical to successful design, development, and deployment.
ReplyDeleteMost other roles are satellites. Although critical to the overall movement and formation of the overall project, they rotate around the ID (the person and the implementation).