A sudden cut on eLearning budget can generate a panic storm for the project lead. It bars access to choices — tools, resources, the types of content that can be created, and the work that can be outsourced to speed up the process. And hence, the actual time available for completing it. If you are in such a pinch, then know this: IT IS POSSIBLE to create quality eLearning courses on a shoe-string budget. It’s a matter of prioritizing your efforts, focusing the core learning objectives and deliverables, planning ahead, using toolkits, and reusing content. Here is a five-step process for delivering quality eLearning courses on a shoe-string budget.

“Responsive” is IN. It is the buzzword amongst web designers, website developers, and content creators. And it is time eLearning professionals learned it as well. Your learners have access to a host of devices with different display capabilities. After working hard to design and develop a course, you will want it to show up in all its glory and fidelity whatever the device it runs on. But wait… What is Responsive Design? In Responsive Web Design (RWD), the on-screen content realigns itself automatically depending on the size and resolution of the screen it is being displayed on. This ensures optimal viewing performance irrespective of the nature of the device. For instance, if you are viewing a course that features a Responsive Design, be assured that you won’t be made to pan endlessly or squint to read the text even if you choose to access it on your hand-held mobile device whose screen is smaller than that of your PC. The various graphical and textual elements will size and orient themselves automatically to match the dimensions of the screen. Similarly, you won’t have to resize the various on-screen elements if you choose to view the course on your laptop. See: 50 Examples of Responsive Web Design

What is Gamification? Most people describe Gamification as “the application of game elements to non-game contexts to increase user engagement". But we especially like Karl Kapp's definition: "Gamification is the cover to add the interactivity, engagement and immersion that leads to good learning".

Learning is mentally taxing. So, why would you assume that your employees want to spend additional time learning something, especially when you’ve labeled it "mandatory"? Here are some synonyms that are dancing through the minds of your employees as soon as they receive your email about the new “mandatory” training course: COMPULSORY; Unavoidable; ENFORCED; Obligatory; and a horde of other disfigured words dancing in the distance, chanting: “THERE IS. No. Escape.” Given your position, you may understand the significance of the course and its relation to bigger, strategic organizational goals. Your employees don’t. And your task is to pique their interest, engage them, and continuously compel them to keep on learning. This is only possible if you learn from the one trait that all ads, marketing content, and compelling stories have in common: they value their viewers’ time, their knowledge and capacity to absorb the content. Here are some simple tricks to get learners to buy into mandatory training:

Whether you are a training manager, learning & talent development consultant or an eLearning designer, it is now time to take a fresh look at your audience. They have changed! The Millennials are everywhere, and they make up the lion's share of your audience.

How do you liven up a dull room? You hang a painting or go in for a fresh paint job. How do you wear a staid-looking dress and not look like a plain Jane? You accessorize it with a colorful scarf, a designer clutch, or a pair of killer heels. How do you revamp your old eLearning courses so that your learners are not bored to death? You can follow the tips below.

When it comes to eLearning, every course will be unique. Hence, the purpose of your efforts needs to be defined before you begin to plan and develop the course required to meet that end. This is done by creating an overall strategy for the eLearning project.

As eLearning professionals we want to take our students on a learning adventure where they come out on the other side brimming with knowledge, inspiration and staggering awe for their superhero-like trainer. Ok, maybe these goals might be a tad unrealistic. Even the best eLearning designers can sometimes drop the ball when it comes to training because we forget that what comes easily to us might not come easily to our students and maybe, just maybe we might even overestimate our students’ abilities and interest level. In order to effectively train, we have to evaluate how we present information and make it easily accessible to both novice and expert learners. The trick is though; we can’t dumb down information to the point that it sounds condescending. Remember, at one point there was a time even you didn’t understand the techniques you are now training, keeping that in mind will help direct your training style.