Explanation of how to create your own e-learning materials and points to consider when creating them
Updated: January 28, 2022
Explanation of how to create your own e-learning materials and points to keep in mind when creating them
With the spread of teleworking, many companies are thinking of using e-learning for employee training and in-house training to provide employee education with their own training videos.
However, many human resource managers at such companies are probably wondering how to create videos and how to create videos with high learning effects.
In this article, we will explain in detail the three options for creating e-learning, how to create your own e-learning, and key points to consider when creating e-learning.
Click here for the Table of Contents
Three Options for Creating E-Learning
How to Create Your Own E-Learning
Points to keep in mind when creating e-Learning
High-quality in-house training videos by following the steps and key points when creating eLearning.
Three options for e-Learning creation
There are three main options for creating your own e-Learning: hiring a specialized vendor, using educational material software, or creating it yourself.
The functions available and the time and cost required for implementation vary greatly depending on which method you choose, so please select the most appropriate option based on price, past results, content, and suitability for your company.
(1) Requesting a specialized contractor
Outsourcing to a specialist firm is the most common method of preparation. By entrusting the work to professionals with specialized knowledge and years of experience, you can create high-quality training materials without spending a lot of time and effort.
In addition to filming and editing training videos, they will also listen carefully to your company's goals and plan the training materials, making it easier for you to get the best learning results from your participants.
Furthermore, some companies even provide follow-up services after the introduction of e-learning, so even companies that are introducing e-learning for the first time can rest assured that they are in good hands.
Although there is an initial cost, once materials are created, they can be used over and over again, so if you plan to use them over the medium to long term or distribute them to a large number of people, they are cost-effective. If the number of teaching materials you want to create is small, you will be able to reduce costs even more.
(2) Utilize educational material software, etc.
Tools such as e-learning material creation software and e-learning systems can be used to create educational materials that match the creator's image and objectives, without the need for specialized knowledge.
There are various types of software, from simple software that supports the creation of teaching materials to software with delivery functions. Some can be easily created by simply taking pictures with a smartphone, while others can handle multiple foreign languages.
In addition to original teaching materials, services that allow users to rent existing content are also attractive.
There are many low-cost services that can create high-quality videos. When using educational material software, it is a good idea to choose a reliable service with a proven track record of production according to your company's budget and objectives.
(3) In-house production
In-house creation is a method of creating videos from scratch without using specialized support tools. Depending on the skill and knowledge of the creator, PowerPoint and video editing tools are used to create the video.
The content and images of the videos can be planned and produced in-house, and the cost and number of materials to be created can be set according to the budget. This is a more cost-effective alternative to outsourcing or using educational material software.
How to create your own e-learning program
There are five main steps to creating your own eLearning. By understanding the process and the purpose and importance of each step beforehand, you will be able to improve the efficiency of your work and the completeness of your training videos.
The five steps and the important information in each step are divided into easy-to-understand explanations, so please refer to the following procedures to get started on creating your video.
STEP 1: Formulate objectives, targets, and goals
Purpose
You must clarify the objective of "what is the purpose of creating educational materials? By clarifying the purpose, it will be easier to plan what kind of learning content should be included.
Target
The target audience is defined as "who will use this material to learn. The overall image of the educational material will change depending on whether the target audience is young people such as new employees or the older generation such as managers, and whether women or men take the course most often.
Goal
It is also important to set "what is the goal of learning through the course material? By setting a goal, even if what you want to teach expands during the creation process, you can clarify the information and create teaching materials that are highly effective for learning.
STEP2: Designing the structure of teaching materials
Schedule
Clarify the schedule for each step in the e-learning creation process. The schedule items include requirement definition, manuscript preparation, design document preparation, content production, and inspection. Clarify who is in charge (roles) of each process as well, so that the process can proceed efficiently.
Titles
It is recommended that the title be decided roughly at the beginning of the process rather than at the end. By deciding on a title, you can reorganize what you are creating content about.
You can change it to a catchier title in the end, but it is better to keep it without any twists and turns at this stage.
Chapters and Sections
The most important step in structuring the document is to pick out the necessary items as "chapters" and "sections. The content and order of the items should be organized while considering how they can be easily conveyed to the audience. If there are too many items, it is a good idea to divide the content into sections.
STEP3: Content Creation
Slide Show Creation
From the initial draft of the e-learning program, a slideshow is created to share the final image of the content with the people involved. We recommend using PowerPoint to create the slideshow.
Drafting
When creating a draft in PowerPoint, it is common to have one screen of content per page of slides. The detailed design process focuses on organizing the content of the slides and the explanatory text in the notes section.
It will be difficult to concentrate on the study content if the terminology and expressions used are not consistent, so be sure to organize the content well at this stage.
Filming
When filming, it is important to have an idea of the location of the performers and equipment in advance to ensure efficient filming.
Since it tends to be dark when filming by amateurs, lighting equipment must be provided to provide sufficient light. Rehearsals are also necessary, so be sure to allow enough time before shooting.
STEP4: Confirmation of the finished product
After the filming is successfully completed, we will check the finished product for any bugs in the study content and video.
Since it is easy to overlook typographical errors and omissions, multiple people should carefully check the video. Having a third party check the video allows for a more objective evaluation, leading to improved quality.
STEP5: After completion
If there are no problems with the completed product, conduct the actual training within the company or at other locations. Get feedback from the participants by taking questionnaires, etc. By clarifying the evaluation of each item, such as whether the video was easy for the learners to view and whether the length of the content was appropriate, it will be useful for future improvements.
Points to keep in mind when creating e-Learning programs
By following some key points when creating e-Learning videos, such as inserting narration and adjusting the length of the content, you can create videos that are more effective for learners and easier for companies to operate.
If you are unfamiliar with the tools you are using or if you are creating a video for the first time, it may take some time. The points outlined here will help you create the best possible video for your company.
Inserting Figures, Tables, and Narration
Inserting figures, tables, and narration can enhance the learning experience by providing visual as well as audio information.
Keep text such as the ticker simple, and make it easy to read by varying the color, itself, and size. It is also a good idea to select the type of material to be inserted in consideration of the position and age range of the target audience.
Introduce the lecturer himself/herself or his/her avatar.
While it is best to keep the information on the slides simple, simply inserting figures, tables, and narration may be too simple and may not attract the interest of the audience.
By having the instructor or his/her avatar appear on the slide, you can increase the appeal of the presentation to the participants and help them understand more effectively. By skillfully combining the instructor or avatar with the slide display, you can create a structure that will not bore the audience.
One content should not be too long.
If a single piece of content is too long, participants will not be able to concentrate. Consciously omit unnecessary content.
If the video is too long, it is best to divide the video into parts and summarize the main points you want to convey in about 30 minutes. At the most, keep it within one hour.
Design for ease of updating and modification.
Information on the content you will be learning through e-learning evolves daily, and in the beginning, you may often find improvements and make revisions over time. It is also possible that changes, revisions, or glitches may occur in the system you are using even after the content is released.
By designing the site to be easy to update and revise in anticipation of changes that may occur, it will be easier to work with later.
Design for ease of updating and editing" means that the structure of the document is organized so that information is presented in a straightforward manner on each slide, and that materials such as figures, tables, and illustrations are stored in separate files.
Making it easy to find areas for revision and anticipating the need for updates and revisions will make a big difference in the efficiency of later work.
Devise ways to maintain motivation.
In creating high quality educational materials, it is important not only to make them easy to understand, but also to make sure that knowledge is retained and motivation is maintained.
In addition to simply having students listen to the material, incorporating mechanisms such as quizzes or tests to check comprehension, incentives, and Q&A time will enhance learning efficiency.
Utilizing a function to view progress and correct answer rates, and setting a passing grade line should also be discussed and implemented in the planning and design stages.
High-quality in-house training videos by following the procedures and key points when creating e-Learning
When creating your own e-Learning videos, it is important that they are easy for participants to understand and that they keep them motivated, rather than being self-satisfying on the part of the creator. No matter how much effort has gone into the creation of the video, if the knowledge is not retained, it cannot be said to be a good teaching tool.
By paying close attention to the points explained in this article, you can create effective original content. We hope you will make use of this information.
We also recommend this! Also read "Introducing e-learning-based internal training for new employees."