Seven Common Misconceptions of eLearning Content Development

As an eLearning professional, you’re probably barraged with self-serving messages that promise a quick fix and an easy solution to your content development needs. In the midst of so much conflicting testimony, it’s difficult to sort out fact from fiction. In the following list of misconceptions, we offer some basic guidance that will point you toward a sound content development strategy.

1. “If we have a learning management system, we don’t need to worry about content development.”

A learning management system (LMS) will give you the container to hold your eLearning content, but that container does not impart educational value to the items it holds. It simply retains and provides access to your content. Creating materials that are engaging, effective, and memorable is a skill that requires knowledge of learning principles and instructional design. Simply uploading existing documents—even those from the best instructor-led training course—into an LMS template will not magically create a meaningful educational experience for your learners.

2. “We can leverage our existing relationship with an interactive agency to handle our content development.”

It’s true that interactive agencies may have the right technical skills for producing animations, videos, slideshows, and other learning materials, but chances are they do not understand what works from the point of view of education, retention, and performance support. A successful eLearning program requires professionals who can instill instructional value into the content you create.

3. “If we buy the right content authoring software, it will be easy to create our own learning content.”

Content authoring software provides you with a tool for creating content but not the expertise for structuring an optimal educational experience. You need the input and expertise of someone who knows how to develop the main ideas and set the right pace, as well as how to design meaningful practice and appropriate assessments. Your goal is to efficiently transfer knowledge to your learners, not just to produce course materials.

4. “Subject matter expert + desktop authoring tool = eLearning courseware.”

Subject matter experts (SMEs) have deep knowledge in their area of expertise, but this does not necessarily mean they know how to communicate that knowledge to others. Organizing, structuring, and developing ideas so that others can truly grasp and apply them is a specialized skill. Your SMEs may need to work in partnership with a professional who can help them structure their knowledge into an accessible educational experience.

5. “If we add narration to our existing slideshows, our work is done.”

Reviewing existing materials and polishing them up for online access is a good first step in creating eLearning materials. But after ten minutes of listening to narrated slides your learners will start to tune out. Appropriate spacing, pausing, and periodic reengagement are as important as the content itself. Spending time and effort to turn your slideshows into learning modules that are the right size, delivered at the right pace, will make the difference between content that is used and files that are ignored.

6. “We’ll shoot some video footage, post it on YouTube, and call it a day.”

It’s easier than ever to buy an inexpensive video camera, create a do-it-yourself training video, and make it available online. But making training videos that are memorable and engaging requires more than knowing how to operate a camera. The content of your video needs to be concise, properly developed, and aligned with your learning objectives. You should invest time and effort to create a script for your video and then do appropriate postproduction editing of the raw footage. You will not achieve your training goals with videos that have not been carefully planned and edited to convey your message.

7. “If we create a course and no one uses it, this must mean that eLearning isn’t a good solution.”

Unfortunately, many organizations proceed down one or more of these misguided paths and, when the results are disappointing, they decide that eLearning is a failed idea. Poor results are often more directly related to missteps in the content development process than to any fault of eLearning as an instructional mode. Make sure that you give your eLearning content the attention and care it requires to support a successful educational program!

Whether you need expert advice or a team of experts to make your eLearning program a success, contact Lee Stayton—nSight's Vice President of eLearning Services—at 781-273-6341 or lstayton@nsightworks.com.