Today, those in the eLearning industry offer up either generic or customized courses. Each solution has its advantages and when generic courses aren’t available, custom content is created according to the needs of a company, organization or institution in order to offer a personalized training program.

Designing custom eLearning modules is a determining factor for a company, which is why it is important to offer the « custom » option to meet the expectations and needs. The respect of quality and deadlines are just as important.

For the sake of efficiency, it is important to follow the necessary steps in the creation of customized courses. This creation process is comprised of four stages:

At the point of the launch of the project, the subject matter and accompanying needs allow for all of those involved to go over all aspects of the project and agree on the definition of needs, priorities, learning goals and overall time frame.

The development then unfolds in a series of stages: conceptualization and scripting handled by educational writers and engineers, the creation of the graphic environment – which is when designers define their graphic parameters and then finally the mediatization stage which is when the eLearning module comes to life.

The implementation then allows for the verification that everything is operating as it should and that the applied methodology meshes with the corresponding needs. It is possible to run a “test course” with a limited group. Their comments can help lead to adjustments like removing or modifying content.

In conclusion, the evaluation and review stage allows for adjusting the first version delivered to the client in question according to their requirements. A control of all content (text and media), ergonomics and functionality is also done. Following this stage, the final version is delivered to the client.

This structured methodology requires work and an open ear to feedback that is received. It is also important to remember that custom modules can be modified and improved at any time.

Caroline Irrmann, web editor