eLearning Hot Topics from 2011

I enjoy “year in review” type articles. It prompts a bit of reflection, and it highlights a publication’s best articles and posts, which helps me make sure I’ve seen the best stuff from the year. So, it seems fitting that we’d look back at our 2011 posts and create one for this blog.

Based on the number of hits the various posts on our eLearning blog received, there were three particularly hot topics for the year. How do these compare with your own eLearning hot topics from 2011?

--1-- Storyboarding.

The post with the most views in 2011 was Practical Storyboarding – Not Just for Developers. This post makes a case for storyboards as a useful tool for ensuring your eLearning design meets business and learner demands before starting development. It also suggests some additional uses and benefits of creating a storyboard prior to eLearning development.

Another practical use for storyboarding is explained in Building eLearning Scenarios in Working Sessions with SMEs. This post suggests that partnering with a subject matter expert (SME) to write dialog for training scenarios results in scenarios that are more robust and realistic than what an instructional designer is likely to create without a SME’s help. It suggests using a storyboard to set up the structure of a scenario prior to meeting with a SME, so that the time with the SME can focus on content.

--2-- eLearning Authoring Tools.

The most popular tool-specific piece this year was Snap! By Lectora Review, which posted in July. The post introduces Snap! and goes on to describe its advantages and drawbacks.

We have also featured several tool-specific, how-to posts on the blog this year. If one of your new year’s resolutions is to enhance your eLearning development skills, check out what’s relevant from the posts below.

Do you develop in PowerPoint?
- Custom Branching Navigation with PowerPoint
- Editing Images with PowerPoint
- Creating Transparent PNGs in PowerPoint

Wanna become a Lectora power user?
- Using Custom Progress Bars in Lectora
- Creating a Smart Next Button in Lectora
- Custom Lectora Video Controls
- Slide in Text with Lectora

Interested in other tools?
- Modal Windows, Overlays, & Boxes, Oh My!
- Using Captivate to Create Cool Text Animations
- Crafting Feedback in Articulate
- Recording Audio in Adobe Presenter
- An Overview of HTML5

--3-- Scenarios.

Earlier this year, we used the blog to propose a new year’s resolution: Remove the Fluff from eLearning. Turns out we focused on doing that through recommending the use of realistic and relevant scenarios and stories.

From Making Scenarios Realistic to 5 Ways to Tell Stories in eLearning, several 2011 posts talked about how to design eLearning with scenarios and stories as well as the benefits of doing so. You can also get advice from George Orwell for writing eLearning content and learn how to avoid boring eLearning.

You can use the following links to get a list of our posts about scenario-based learning and storytelling.

What are your hot topics?

What topics did you talk about most in 2011? What are you most interested in learning more about in 2012? Please share your reflections!

Interested in looking back on 2010? Check out Looking Back on 2010 with ADDIE. Happy New Year! Cheers!