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New to eLearning, Where Should You Start?

elearning getting started

Originally published on denverpost.com

Starting a new project always comes with uncertainty. We’ve been there – spending long hours researching often contradicting information online and putting our sweat equity and resources into developing our first online course hoping for a positive outcome. 

Well, since then, we’ve learned quite a bit, but we know that when you are starting an eLearning business or building the first internal course for your company,  knowing where to start is the most challenging part of the process. So, we’ve put together this guide to help you through the process of creating an eLearning course. 

How to start an eLearning course the right way? 

Step #1. Identify Your Learners

When starting an eLearning business, your goal is to get high ROI. Otherwise, you wouldn’t start it, right? So, you need to focus on people who will buy and take your course - your learners. 

Who are they? You can begin by creating perfect learner profiles (PLPs). Unlike the target audience, your learners aren’t a part of a specific demographic, but there is something that they have in common, and it’s their biggest challenge. 

To start, create a list of multiple challenges that you are solving with your program. It’s good to have all of the challenges listed, and your program may be solving multiple problems at once, but always focus on the biggest one.

There are a few reasons to focus on this biggest challenge. To start, it will have the most engagement because your learners will resonate with it easily. If your learners really want a solution to the challenge you’ve identified, they will engage with your eLearning program. 

Step #2. Create a Learner Transformation Statement

Now that you have your biggest challenge, the next part of how to start an eLearning course is to create the learner transformation statement (LTS). This learner transformation statement involves identifying two very important points for your learner - point A and point Z.

Point A is where they are before they take your course. At this point, they are facing their biggest challenge and might feel discomfort or pain because of it. Point Z is where they are after completing the course, once they have transformed and learned how to tackle that biggest challenge. Point Z is where your learners aspire to be, what they desire to have, and their end goal. 

If you have a marketing background, you can think of the learner transformation statement as the value proposition. Speaking of marketing, the LTS comes in handy when marketing your course, as you can use it in your advertising. 

Step #3. Build Your Milestones

The next part of how to start an eLearning course is to build out milestones. These are steps between points A and Z. 

What is the journey that your learners must take to get them to their desired outcome? Milestones are what your learners will achieve during the course on their way to their final goal of point Z.

Depending on the duration of your course; you may want to identify and create modules within the milestones. We recommend using microlearning for your eLearning and courses to keep information easily digestible. Each one of the milestones and modules you identify will include separate learning bits, such as microlearning videos, which you can easily script with this guide

Step #4. Integrate the Three Pillars

Finally; it’s time to integrate the three pillars into your milestones. These three pillars are content, technology, and distribution. Each pillar is equally important. 

When starting an eLearning business, remember that these are pillars, not steps. You work on all three at once, and you need all three of them for your course to be successful. If it helps, think of a stool with three legs and how it needs all three legs to support itself.

As you create your milestones and break them into modules, you want to keep the three pillars in mind. You should also remember to get your Learner’s feedback at every stage of your course development to make sure that you are creating a course that truly solves your learner’s challenges. 

Conclusion

Creating your first eLearning course doesn’t have to be overwhelming. To start yourself off on the right foot, always begin by identifying your learners’ biggest challenges in perfect learner profiles (PLPs). From there, create a learner transformation statement (LTS) that traces the journey of your learners from point A to Z. Then, you can break it up into milestones and build your course while keeping the three pillars of content, technology, and distribution in mind.

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