A goal is a clearly stated word, phrase or description of what you hope to achieve through your eLearning course. Without a goal or goals, users can quickly misinterpret the reasoning behind your course. They may ask themselves “Why am I taking this course?” “What was I supposed to be learning about?” You end up wasting people’s time and money creating a generic, poorly though out eLearning course. Not only that, but if you don’t take your goals seriously, your user’s aren’t going to learn a single concept.

Also on the development end, without a clearly structured set of goals you’ll have little to fall back on if you get confused or want to add a new topic or feature. With a solid set of goals you can refer new ideas and project process back to a clearly stated list of objectives. If your new idea or direction doesn’t match up to that list, chances are it would dilute the effectiveness of your course.

Creating a Project Goal

When creating your project goal, the end result should immediately show what the topic to be covered is, the purpose of the course, as well as what success in understanding the topic will allow a learner to do. In other words a goal will show:

Topic to be covered (Goal Overview)

Simply put, what is the topic? If your course is on engine repair, then the act of repairing an engine, or learning about engine repair is your topic.

Method of gaining comprehension (Goal Specifics)

How will the user learn about the topic? Perhaps you think the best way for users to learn about engine repair is through a virtual engine repairing simulation.

Reason for learning (Goal Reason)

Why does the developer or user need to learn this information? Remember back in grade school where teachers would tempt you with a gold star or some horrible piece of stale candy for doing a good job? You as a developer need a reason to be producing the course, and your user needs a reason to be taking the course. Whether it’s simply to gain general knowledge, better understand a situation, prepare someone for a real life experience, and so on. There are an infinite number of reasons to learn any one topic, you just need to find out what the reason is.

Development Goals

Continuing to play with the engine repair situation, here’s an idea of a development goal.

Goal Overview: Our goal is to develop a course on the maintenance and repair of small car engines.

Goal Specifics: We will achieve our goal through simulation, allowing users to interact with virtual tools in a garage-like environment where they will gain first hand experience on maintaining an engine.

Goal Reason: Upon completion of the course, the user will have better knowledge of the following: Changing Oil, Maintaining Spark Plugs. Once successfully completed, the user will be allowed to work in a real garage.

The reason I call the above a development goal, is that it reflects what you hope to achieve through the development process. Whenever you’re in doubt of whether a new topic, interaction or plot point will make sense in your course, refer it back to your goal. If it doesn’t make sense (for example: changing a tire would not fit under engine maintenance) then get rid of it!

Additional types of development goals stray a little off of the topic being taught, but can be equally important to the success of a project. These goals include but are not limited to:

Structural Goals: File naming conventions, production processes, work delegation.
Graphic & Layout Goals: Determining graphical styles, various layouts, color schemes, text sizes and fonts.
Usability & Target Audience Goals: Designing interface and content delivery systems with your target audience in mind.

User Goals

Your users don’t need to be aware of your full development goal; it’s a little too complex and unnecessary. To define your user goal, you can simplify the lengthy development goal from the engine example above into the following.

This course will guide you through various engine maintenance techniques.

There are other bits of information the user should know, such as time the course will take, will they be scored and so on, but the meat of the goal is clearly defined in one sentence. People tend to respond better and are more open to learning with a proper easy to understand introduction. Tell your user what they’re about to do, walk them through a situation, then explain what they just did, all centered around your goal.

If I think of eLearning as a means to immerse my students or employees in a topic, why wouldn’t I use it for all situations? For starters, eLearning, and especially the higher-end eLearning courses take a lot of time, energy and money to produce. eLearning is not meant to override proven learning methods, and I doubt you could ever beat real world experience as the ultimate teaching tool. So when and where should you implement an eLearning system? Let’s get an idea of basic situations where eLearning can be highly effective.

Lack of Access

The first area where eLearning can be highly effective is when you or your users have a lack of access to some form of physical item or situation. Let’s say topic being taught has a lot of costly materials associated with it.

When my business partner and I started a non profit company called Edheads.org, we polled hundreds of teachers and asked what subjects were most difficult to teach, and why. What we found out from this poll was the topics that needed costly supplies in order to be properly demonstrated topped the list, as not all schools had enough state funding for new materials.

We ended up creating an activity on simple machines, where kids could explore a game-like environment while learning about simple machines. The environment itself not only showed various forms of simple machines, it integrated them into familiar objects such as the family car, a staircase or even the toilet (many kid’s favorite). We provided a testing system, where kids thought out what type of simple machine the object was, and were positively (or negatively) reinforced whether they got the answer right or wrong.

The last thing we did was explain why the simple machine acts as it does through text and animation. Once the project launched, teachers found that they could not only teach their students multiple concepts in a matter of minutes, but the students were absolutely engrossed in the learning environment, spending upwards of 10-30 minutes exploring the activity. The true success though, was enabling teachers to teach this concept of simple machines without having to make a monetary investment in new materials. We took the concept of ‘Lack of access’ and provided access to otherwise unattainable content. Problem solved!

Dangerous Situations

The next area for implementing eLearning is when your users need explore dangerous situations in a safe environment. This is not a new concept, anyone familiar with a flight simulator can quickly understand that it’s a lot cheaper to crash a plane in a simulated environment that it is to take a real plane out for a spin and potentially put yourself and others in danger.

Dangerous as a term can have some flex to it, too. Maybe the piece of equipment you’d like to demonstrate is very fragile, or really expensive. It can be dangerous from a financial point of view to let all those teenagers play with the new flux capacitor, so you recreate a virtual functioning version so all can learn it’s functions and uses without putting your bank account at risk.

Dangerous can be straight forward as well. Learning how to diffuse a bomb is much safer in a virtual environment. And of course anyone learning how to diffuse a bomb will have to work their way up to the real thing at some point, but a well built interactive version can prove to be a safe and efficient starting point.

Boredom or Lack of Interest

eLearning can also be put to use in highly boring situations. People just don’t learn if they’re bored. eLearning plus some mental innovation can provide a means to create a fantastic interactive environment to surround an otherwise boring topic.

Some people might not find investment or saving for retirement to be an interesting topic, but add an engaging situation for those people to connect to (whether plot, a game or point based reward system) and they’ll begin to find themselves interested in the lesson being taught.

Think back to when you were in school; can you even remember the names of the teachers who hated their jobs and didn’t give a **** about your mental welfare? Probably not, but most of us can remember the one or two great teachers who did make a difference in our lives, because they found ways to keep old topics fresh, give their classes a sense of discovery and reward, yet didn’t shy away from punishment either. Those are the situations people find they can’t help but pay attention in, because the experience will truly add something to their life. When people are personally engaged and care about a topic, amazing results can happen!

Various Age Groups

This is more of a ‘don’t worry about age restrictions’ point as opposed to an ‘eLearning works best with this age group’ point.

Although the concept of eLearning is mostly targeted at adults and the corporate environment, there are many variances (which will be discussed in depth later on) that apply to children, teens, adults and the elderly.

One of the most surprising facts I’ve learned is that a lot of adults have just as much fun and learn just as much while using an eLearning system built for kids. It’s not a far stretch to say the corporate (adult) environment can be dull and drab. It has gotten to the point where eLearning systems are entirely too dumbed down, in other words ’safe’, and are so concerned about not offending or making assumptions about someone’s intelligence level, that they totally miss the main point, which is to engage and teach something new.

I’ve seen adults ‘helping’ out kids in a usability session, and these adults remember through the process of helping how fun it can be to learn a new concept, or even be insulted while having a laugh at what a good or bad job they’ve done. The more usability testing sessions I attend, the more apparent it is that the right eLearning methods can transcend age and gender. Projects I’ve targeted at grades 3-6 end up being used by students in grades 2-9, more than double the targeted market of users. Not everyone’s goal is to target as wide a range of users as possible, but the fact that it does can’t hurt.

Variance in Complexity

eLearning solutions can be simple or complex, and this doesn’t directly relate to budgets or age groups. I tend to break up production into two categories. One is the backend, which includes interface and usability structure, quizzes and reporting, and all other programming or backend development. The other category is the front end, everything the user experiences including the plot, interaction style, graphical style and design, audio and navigation.

The backend work can be as beautifully structured or as much of a jumbled hack as you’d like, and the user really won’t know the difference as long as the program doesn’t break & performance doesn’t suffer. I tend to do a bit sloppier backend work for projects I know for a fact no other programmer will have to update (basically my own projects for internal company use), or for custom activities that don’t require upkeep. It’s not that I don’t take pride in clean work, but it speeds up development by almost 1/3 in some cases. I’m not promoting the idea of sloppy work, but like anything, each individual has their own methods of getting things done.

The front end work is where the real variances appear. Every single learning situation can have a full range of solutions from simple (simple plot, simple graphics) to complex (20 page script, personalization features, hundreds of custom graphics).

The majority of the work going into an eLearning system should be research, scripting and goal setting. The backend system itself can be totally independent of that content, or it can be customized to suit the topic at hand. I always find that the more basic and to the point your eLearning system is can help with making learning goals more attainable to your users.

In Conclusion

There really is a solution to every eLearning situation, and the great thing about the programs and technology that exist today, is that they allow developers like myself to really push the boundaries of what’s possible.

The most exciting prospect of eLearning is the ability to produce nearly any dangerous, or complex situation and provide access to anyone who has the skill to click a mouse. There really was nothing like the time I had a fashion major friend of my wife user test the Virtual Knee Surgery simulation before launch.

Here was a person, who pretty much knew how to check email, and after 10 minutes of slicing and dicing, felt completely capable of performing major surgery in her own home. To hear her response and excitement over having just done surgery was inspiring, as I’d given someone who would have never in their life cut someone open, the ability to take on the roll of a med student with $400,000 in school loans, all in a 10 minute simulation.

The greatest aspect of simulation is the way you can inject novices into an otherwise dangerous or expensive situation and let them run wild. Want to go on an archaeological Dinosaur Dig? Want to drive drunk and see what happens to your reaction time? It’s all possible in eLearning simulation.

I feel there’s a good resource for inspiration (besides the real world of course) and that is the video game industry. Whether boo’d or cheered video games have been able to transport people from their sometimes stagnant lives and insert them into a fully realized world of story, roll playing, danger and overcoming huge challenges. Video games, at least these days, are also pushing tens of millions of dollars in budget size (which makes me wonder why there are so many bad ones out there… then again throwing money at something doesn’t always make it better! Uhh oh.. digression).

Simulations are definitely the top tier eLearning experience, as you really have to break out of the box to successfully pull them off. There’s nothing pre-planned or methodical about production, as these types of projects tend to be 100% custom (and therefore expensive, which is usually the deciding factor of whether a project goes forward or not). The results though, can be amazing.

I am personally tired of Virtual Knee Surgery, but it is the project that has helped define my career in this industry. Within one month of launching we had over 200,000 uses of the activity. We had to upgrade our servers just to handle the load, and the great thing is, it hasn’t slowed down since. That project was launched all the way back in 2003 or 2004 and now averages around 500,000 launches each month, and around 800,000 page views with zero ($0.00) spent on marketing… ever. Why is it so popular? I believe it’s simply the cool factor. That activity doesn’t give you a step by step guide to surgery; it invites you into the operating room, gives you the scalpel and lets you the user do the slicing.

For the most part kids and adults aren’t allowed to interact with these sorts of situations, that’s why we watch them on TV or see Bruce Willis drive a semi on 2 wheels while being shot at from a harrier jet as it bombs out the overpass as he’s eating a ham sandwich with a blindfold on.

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As mentioned earlier, one of the biggest barriers to entry into simulation based eLearning isn’t on the user’s end, it’s from a production standpoint and more specifically the cost involved. These types of projects include:

• Multiple professionals to fact check
• Around 7 teachers
• User testing with 200-300 users
• Pre and post testing
• Writing of user manuals
• Around 2 months of time

And that’s not even mentioning the amount of work that goes into Instructional Design, animation, Audio and general production and marketing. It really is a lot of work, but it has an amazing payoff. Right after I send a budget estimate off to my potential clients, and right before they never call me back (it’s a joke! Laugh, people!) they really need to consider ROI or return on investment. I believe Knee surgery in all was upwards of $60,000+ all said and done, but over the years the number of site visitors who come to use the simulation end up costing something like 1/10th of one cent each. So for the price of a magazine advertisement, you’ve now got a project that needs almost zero maintenance, which doubles in popularity each year. Once you get past the price it all starts to make sense, and the results can be amazing.

Good news for low budgets out there as well, as another great form of simulation is role playing. This form of simulation might take on what would be a more straight forward (no explosions) situation such as sales training, or ethics issues in a corporate environment. The trick is that people respond to other people, it’s hard wired in our brains. One of the best ways on a budget to engage your user is to invite them into an environment (say a background photo) and have a narrator (again, could be as simple as a photo of a person) talking over course objectives, pointing with hands and using expression and tone of voice to convey emotion, praise and encouragement. Digital cameras are very cheap these days, so a great simulation can possibly come down to the quality of the script writing and a couple hours in a photo editing program.

What? You want examples? Here are a few goodies eLearning blogger Cathy Moore has found (Hey! I’m not being lazy, it’s just that she’s done such a great job compiling a list

Click here for all sorts of eLearning samples including simulation.

When you think of eLearning, what comes to mind? Is it a technological advancement created to rid the world of teachers and the traditional classroom environment? Is it a term you use in your job description to impress parents and colleagues?

I have spent the last ten years creating educational content using Flash, and six of those years were spent creating eLearning activities. The reason being, I had never heard the term eLearning until 2000 or so, and it truly wasn’t a life changing event as I simply kept on doing what I was doing, whether it had a name or not. eLearning, the word and concept itself, can be defined in numerous ways. Just like asking the question “is this normal?” No one can really define ‘normal’ as each person relates the concept to their own personal experiences.

The definition of eLearning can be as dry as a means of electronically delivering information, or as exciting as a first hand experience in educational immersion. I myself think of eLearning as a path to educational immersion. I don’t want to simply describe the feeling of being wet; I want to pour a bucket of water over your head so you can find out for yourself! There’s a big difference, and not surprisingly, the path I have chosen takes a lot more effort, thought, testing and commitment than the simpler concept of making content available through an electronic means.

A lot of organizations feel the need (or pressure) to incorporate eLearning into their work environment; they just aren’t sure what the best way of achieving results would be. In the end, results are directly related to profitability. If you invest in a cheap computer, it may die prematurely, destroy your information, and cost you additional time and money to replace. Relate that to an employee being poorly motivated, trained, and have the potential to quit their job or get fired. eLearning is just one of those things where the amount of effort and clarity put into it at the beginning can exponentially translate into better employee retention, more intelligent employees/students, and a better overall work/school environment for everyone. Anyone in need of knowledge can be better served through a great eLearning system.

The most important thing you can do when starting a career in eLearning is to define your concepts, state your goals and find out what works through constant testing and improvement. There is rarely a single simple answer that can solve multiple issues. The trick is to know your options and know when best to use them.

One thing I’ve noticed over the last couple of years user testing eLearning activities with kids, is that the present adults tend to underestimate their kid’s abilities. I’ve watched adults play through the same activity and become hopelessly lost or stuck, not because the activity was broken, but more like their way of thinking had long settled into its routine of adulthood. When a kid gets stuck I’ve seen them do everything from randomly click everything on the screen, to socializing with a neighbor, collaborating to find out the answer. The adults just tended to give up or bottle in their frustration.

I really feel that fear, and more specifically, fear of consequence is a learned skill that a lot of adults grow to accept, and for good reason. When I was a kid I enjoyed setting things on fire… you know, cups of gasoline, WD-40, it was great fun! As an adult, understanding fear and consequences I now know that playing with such materials could have blown off my hand or burnt down my house. Now I am extremely responsible around such materials, and actually take the time to read warning labels. How boring! It’s like I’ve learned my place, had my fun and have settled in for a long and mundane ride.

That semi-analogy compares to adults in most eLearning environments. Because you are an adult expectations have been cut in half. Kids get to run wild, experiment, destroy, fail, grow, learn and all without judgment, while adults get straightforward courseware with little entertainment value and the understanding that management was in the next room basing your pay scale on the results of the learning exercise.

What exactly is the big difference between eLearning for kids and eLearning for adults? The most obvious I can think of is the following:

eLearning built for kids is usually going to end up being sold, and in return will make a profit. It is the developer’s job to make their “product” as enticing as possible so schools, parents and kids will buy into their ideas and purchase the game or software. It’s also a general rule that when developing for kids you need to have movement, sounds, interaction and in other words fun! If the kids are bored, you won’t sell your product.

eLearning for adults is more of a means to an end. You’re not exactly trying to entertain the adults, just simply train them by getting to the point quickly as possible in a specific budget. For the most part eLearning courses for adults are developed privately for intranets, by the companies with the employees. They deal with budget restraints, management teams of 10 different people all wanting to input their ideas, that in turn create a learning experience with all the excitement of reading a 500 page user manual. Simply put, adult eLearning usually isn’t intended to directly turn a profit, so why spend all that extra money on creativity and interaction?

For kids, the experience is the experience. They do it for the sole fact that there’s no reason not to.

For adults, the experience is generally forced. A manager was sued for sexual harassment, now everyone in your department is forced to take a two hour long ethics course with 50 threatening questions at the end to make sure you get the point.

I used to teach on the side, six hour days where we’d cover a single program like Excel, Word, Flash or Fireworks, (this was for an adult technical training company) and you could always tell when people were sent in by their managers or bosses against their will. Lack of engagement, boredom, dirty looks; it was all present and aimed at me because it was a forced learning situation. My high school had a physics teacher who once or twice a year would take his students to an amusement park to show them physics in action. Sure they had to bring their calculators and notebooks to work out some problems, but the solution to the learning experience wasn’t to force some form of regurgitated learning experience, it was to physically have fun in a real world environment while learning.

In the end, I think it all comes down to kids having no expectations, and adults having low expectations.

Or, it may just be that management needs to understand that their adult learners need to have a little fun, too, and that the little bit of extra creativity, experimentation and budget might pay off in big ways with a happier more educated employee.