How to Use Instructional Design to Boost eLearning Results

In today's digital work environments, eLearning has become a cornerstone of corporate training. However, creating an online course that has a meaningful impact on employees’ skills can be a complex challenge. This is where instructional design comes into play. It is a systematic approach to developing learning materials that goes far beyond just presenting information. By focusing on how people learn and how knowledge is communicated, instructional design ensures that training programs are effective and lead to lasting results. In this article, we'll explore the fundamentals of instructional design, the role of an instructional designer, and how good design can significantly improve both learning outcomes and the user experience.

Instructional design is essential for creating effective learning experiences that address common challenges in training programs. Instructional designers carefully assess the learners and their needs, along with the desired learning outcomes. By gathering this crucial information, instructional designers can develop targeted and engaging content that resonates with learners. This strategic approach ensures that courses motivate learners and support their progress. Consequently, instructional design results in practice-oriented learning experiences that provide significant value to both learners and their organizations.

Poorly designed eLearning courses can create a host of challenges for both learners and organizations. The instructional design process helps eLearning authors design an effective learning experience. Without it, courses may leave learners feeling confused or unmotivated to complete the course. Ultimately, poorly designed training may fail to deliver a return on investment for the company. Instructional design tackles all of these problems at their roots, helping corporate trainers create engaging, relevant courses that meet learners’ needs and equip them with real-life skills.

Instructional design is an inherent part of any eLearning program – after all, all courses are designed. The question is whether the design is effective or not. Here are some best practices… and some you should avoid.

Effective instructional design uses established psychological and didactic principles to make learning more effective. 

The psychological principles include:

• Cognitive load theory – Emphasizes breaking down of complex information into smaller, more digestible chunks to avoid overwhelming learners.
• Constructivism – Encourages active engagement and reflection.
• Motivation and engagement – Ensuring that materials are relevant and that learners can exercise autonomy helps them stay motivated and engaged with the material.
• Feedback – Provides reinforcement and helps learners know where they still need to improve.
• Social learning – Allows learners to observe and learn from one another through collaborative activities, discussions, and peer feedback.

Didactic principles include: 

• Clarity and structure – Clearly structured and logically organized learning materials make it easier for learners to absorb and understand information.
• Active Learning – Discussions, hands-on activities, and problem-solving tasks promote better understanding and retention.
• Scaffolding – Provides support (the “scaffolding”) to learners while they are learning new skills, then gradually removes it as they become more competent. This helps to develop complex skills step by step.
• Diversity of learning styles – By incorporating a wide variety of learning methodologies such as audio, video, written, and visual materials, the course will cater to learners with different needs and preferences.
• Repetition – spaced repetition of key topics can help to solidify learning and aid in long-term retention.

The ADDIE model is one of the most widely used frameworks in instructional design. It provides a systematic process for developing effective learning experiences. ADDIE is an acronym representing the five phases of the model: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. Each phase builds upon the previous one to ensure that the learning program is well-structured, meets learners' needs, and achieves the desired educational outcomes. Here’s a breakdown of each phase:

In the analysis phase, the instructional designer identifies the learners’ needs as well as the course’s objectives and goals. This step involves gathering information about the learners (their knowledge level, skills, and preferences), the content to be covered, and any other important information. Key questions include:

• Who are the learners, and what are their learning needs?
• What are the specific goals or desired outcomes of the training?
• What constraints or resources exist (e.g., time, budget, technology)?

This phase lays the foundation for the entire instructional design process by defining what the learning solution should accomplish.

 

Once the analysis is complete, the instructional designer moves onto the design phase, where they create a blueprint for the course. This blueprint outlines the course structure, flow, and instructional methods to be used. It includes decisions on:

• Learning objectives and outcomes
• Content storyboarding and organization
• Instructional methods (e.g., teaching, activities, assessments)
• Media selection (e.g., videos, animations, interactive elements)
• UI design
   

The design phase draws on the field of Learning Experience Design (LXD) and ensures that the course will be suitable for the learners, meet the desired learning targets, and be structured to engage learners effectively.
 

In the development phase, the course materials and content are actually created. This is where the instructional designer collaborates with subject matter experts, graphic designers, and developers to bring the course to life. This might involve:

• Writing text-based content
• Creating multimedia assets (videos, graphics, quizzes)
• Gathering and editing “recycled” content from other courses
   

Building eLearning modules using authoring tools (e.g., Knowedgeworker Create)

In this phase, the course is finally rolled out to its target audience. In a corporate eLearning context, this means uploading the course to a learning management system (LMS) and sharing it with employees. The implementation phase also includes managing the logistics like scheduling, launching, and user support – good training management is key here.

Evaluation of the content is an ongoing process in the ADDIE model – as should be the case any time you develop eLearning materials. In addition, the finished course is assessed after rollout. This could involve gathering feedback from learners, testing their knowledge and skills, or measuring whether learning outcomes were achieved. Both forms of evaluation are crucial, as they ensure that the course is and remains effective and relevant.

An instructional designer is essentially a bridge between the world of educational theory and real-life learning programs. Their responsibilities include all the steps listed above in the ADDIE process, from analyzing learner needs and the desired learning outcome to designing the course, assisting in the creation of learning materials, and evaluating the results. The ADDIE framework helps them create and develop courses, curriculums, and training materials that engage learners and result in meaningful skill acquisition.