Who’s on a manufacturing Elearning Dream Team?
It’s the skills that matter in assembling an eLearning team
Development of a successful e-learning course is a process that takes a talented team with a variety of skills. The ‘Dream Team’ (the team described in a textbook) most likely is not available to you.
The reality in most industrial settings is that human capital is in short supply. You’ll most likely have to take on the project with fewer personnel than you’d prefer. But course development is not about body count; it’s about achieving a goal by sticking to a process.
Outlined below are the players needed to perform the tasks to produce your training module. Although you may not have the resources available to field a full roster of players, you can still accomplish your goal. Make sure you have people that can wear multiple hats in order to provide all the skills required to develop a successful training module.
The skills that the Dream Team possesses are those of the:
Project Manager
The project manager leads the project team and is responsible for defining the project requirements, scope, deliverables, and communication amongst all stakeholders. A key responsibility of the project manager is making sure the project comes in on time and within budget. This task is often taken on by the instructional designer.
Instructional Designer
The instructional designer is the person responsible for making sure the training module meets its objectives. They will know how to use adult learning theory and apply best practices from the field to develop successful instructional learning experiences.
The process they use makes the learning experience more efficient, effective and appealing. They work hand-in-hand with a Subject Matter Expert and the scriptwriter to develop a storyboard for the programming team.
Subject Matter Expert
A Subject Matter Expert or SME is the person who is most familiar with the technical aspect of the content: the manufacturing, inspection, installation, service or operation of the product. This is the person that will be providing the bulk of the technical content of the program and ensuring its integrity.
Scriptwriter
The scriptwriter is responsible for taking the content developed by the subject matter expert and turning it into a working e-learning script. They will work with the instructional designer to ensure that proper adult learning techniques are being used and the programs’ objectives are being met. A good eLearning scriptwriter will be able to edit the SME’s raw content into a concise, engaging, targeted script.
Graphic Designer
The graphic designer will develop or customize a graphic interface and graphic style for the program. They will ensure continuity with other programs, make sure good message design techniques are utilized and that brand standards are being adhered to. They will also develop custom graphics as needed for the module.
Programmer
The programmer will work with the Instructional Designer to bring the storyboard to life. They will work within the authoring software to program all the content, media, features and functionality into a working module.
Media Production Specialists
Most eLearning courses include some media elements. Animators, video producers, videographers, editors and audio engineers may be part of the team and should be informed of project requirements, scope, deadlines and goals.
You can field a Dream Team for eLearning development without having a full roster of players. Concentrate on the skills that are needed and keep in mind that it’s OK in the real world to wear multiple hats.
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