Distance Learning, mLearning, Digital Education, Technology

Look no further. If you want to learn more about instructional design, eLearning and how people learn, here is an updated selection of books for you to browse. If you are already competent, there are a few books here that will expand your skills and understanding. In this updated article, there are a range of books, from the smaller less expensive ones to pricey graduate level texts.

“Inside Digital Learning” talked to numerous instructional designers and digital learning leaders on different-size teams for this article; most said they’re optimistic that institutions are starting to understand the importance of instructional designers as online programs expand.

For e-learning designers who face the challenge of creating quality modules that facilitate information retention and transfer it’s important to know how the brain works when it comes to attention – this being the first step in any learning process.

The question of whether e-learning is replacing face-to-face training is one of the burning questions of the moment in corporate training departments around the world.

Organisations are looking for ways to maximise the effectiveness of their training while reducing costs.

There are times when sequence and structure are the best approach. However, giving your online learners free roam of the eLearning course map offers a variety of benefits. In this article, I'll share 8 tips to promote Non-Linear eLearning Navigation.

The links and resources in this post include learning science, patterns and tips for branching scenarios, visual design principles, and some free resources. Learning Science.

Christopher Pappas: "The famous philanthropist and steel magnate, Andrew Carnegie, once said: "Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results." Seamless collaboration, a strong work ethic, and shared goals are the hallmarks of an effective eLearning project. In order to achieve this, however, you need a carefully selected eLearning team on your side. Each professional must play their part in the process to deliver an eLearning course that exceeds expectations and achieve learning objectives, on time and on budget. Here are the 9 key players of the eLearning Dream Team."

As online enrollments grow and many colleges ramp up their digital course and program offerings, the role of instructional designers -- staff members who work with instructors to adapt or build new digital courses -- is growing in importance.

But new data from Inside Higher Ed's just-released 2018 Survey of Faculty Attitudes on Technology suggest that instructional designers -- and colleges and universities that want them to play a central role helping instructors create high-quality, well-built courses -- have a lot of work to do in building awareness of their role.

Penn State’s Headless Authoring Experience (HAX)
As recently reported on Penn State News, the idea for HAX started on a white board about three years ago. As Ollendyke recently told Penn State News, “We needed a way to make it easier and faster to produce high-quality, accessible online courses. HAX is a course-authoring solution for faculty and staff that does not require them to know HTML to make pages, removing a barrier to participate and leveraging user experiences, such as those found using Weebly, Wix or SquareSpace.” So, how easy is HAX? Ollendyke and Kaufman use Lego pieces to explain it. Essentially, HAX builds the bricks but what one does with the bricks is entirely up to them.

As institutions expand their commitment to online education, many now recognize the value of dedicated staffers who assist faculty members in translating old courses to a new format and creating new courses out of whole cloth

Planning to use social media in your upcoming course?  It can be a great way to enhance social learning and improve engagement.  There are a variety of available platforms, and many creative ways that faculty are integrating social media into their teaching practice.

If a course is not intrinsically interesting, then adding bells and whistles in the form of games and adventures can only serve to improve its cosmetic value. The core content remains in the same state – boring and ineffective.

Earn Graduate Credits - Online Courses for Professional Development No travel to campus required. Meet your goals for professional development, continuing education, license renewal or to complete and transfer graduate credits to another university. The courses are approved electives in the Master of Science in Education online degree program.