The+Road+Map+To+E-Learning

= E-Learning started off being used mostly for businesses, and there are multiple guides with regards to how it should be implemented. However, e-learning is now being treated as a valuable tool in the educational sector. But how does one go about implementing e-Learning in education? =

The following image shows a basic road map to creating an e-learning course for education.



Create a basic course outline
In the initial stage of the process, planning is the key to success. The learning objectives of the course must be decided at this stage, as this should be the starting point to all other decisions made.The basic structure of the course must also be decided upon - will the course be a standalone course, or will it be an accompaniment to a taught course? Will the course have a linear structure or will it use branching, where students have different possibilities of the order in which they do the course? The strategy in which the course will be delivered, standards to be followed and the technologies used to do so should also be discussed.

Identify the User Groups of the System
Recognizing the different user groups is a key stage in designing any system. In an educational environment, the key users are usually the students and the teachers. At this point, the roles of the members should be defined - what will each user's responsibility be? Will the course have instructors continually monitoring and updating the system, posting new material and correcting assignments, or will they prepare the materials and assessments in advance for a fully automated system? Another important factor to take into consideration is the technological ability of the different users in different groups

Run a Tester Course
A short pilot course should be offered to a sample audience from the different user groups, so as to assess the work done u to the moment. The course should have the same structure of the planned final outcome and should use sample course materials reflecting those which will be offered in the system. Feedback should be obtained from both the students and instructors and should cover the interface, course materials and overall structure. Any issues encountered and suggestions from the users should be dealt with at this stage.

Create the Course Materials
Creating the course materials includes also deciding on certain logistics of the course, such as whether the course will have specific start and end dates or whether there will be a maximum time frame in which the course must be completed. Assessment methods must be chosen and deadlines and time frames (should they exist) must be decided upon.

Launch the Course
The course is finally ready to be launched out into the world.It is essential that there is constant monitoring throughout the duration of the course to ensure that the learning objectives are being met and the students are having a positive educational experience.

Update and Improve the Course
For a successful educational system to exist it needs to be updated so as to remain relevant. The course materials should include recent information with examples and case studies of current events. The system and interface itself should also be improved according to the student and teacher recommendations. This should be a continuous process to ensure a long life span pf a successful educational e-learning system.

=References= Moore, K. (2008). Your Roadmap To Performance Improvement. TiER1 Performance Solutions. Retrieved from http://tier1.wordpress.com/2008/04/03/your-roadmap-to-performance-improvement/