Resources

Welcome to our Resources page. On this page we will share links to other webistes that have good information about the Theory, Trends and Techniques of Elearning and Blended Learning. Please feel free to leave us a comment, and to propose other links.

After the introduction, which provides links to sites about the history and theory of instructional design, this page will follow the traditional "ADDIE" steps of instructional design as the organising principle. So you will find links to Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation of elearning.

All the links here point to sites whose authors have made them available freely, and have shared them on social media. Please respect their copyright instructions. If you are the owner of a site to which we provide a link and wish the link removed, then please email base.elearning@gmail.com, and we will take it off. If, on the other hand, you wish to contribute a link, then use the same email address, or use the comment field below.

Introduction to learning with technology

These links will take you to sites about the background to instructional and learning design, as well as to sites about the theories of teaching and learning with technology. The readings are a blend of insights ranging from pre-school, through formal schooling, other forms of schooling to higher education and training in its various forms. This page is essentially about making learning happen regardless of the context in which it occurs, which is why it attempts to give as broad a background as possible.

Orientation

The links presented here provide a selection of readings about the past, present and future of Instructional Design and Technology. We present them here because it is useful to know where the field comes from, where it is currently and where it is going. That way we can learn from the mistakes of the past, see what our peers are doing, and plan our own way ahead.

What and why?

In this section we try to answer two questions: What is learning? and Why should we be including technology in our learning plans? These questions are important because without having a good point of departure we may end up engaging in elearning, blended learning or whatever strategy we follow, just because we thought it was a good idea, or just because the boss told us to. The readings in this section will assist you in developing a strategy document in which you define what your elearning route will look like, and in which you can defend the strategies you follow.

Analysis

There are those who say that up to half of our time as instructional designers should be spent on doing various analyses required. On the other hand there are those who urge us to avoid "analysis paralysis" and just to jump in and develop, fixing it up as you go along. We believe that there is merit in both approaches - quick and dirty, and long and lasting. Here then are a number of issues to look at, either before you start, or as you go along. Firstly you need to know what the goal is - what is that "warm fuzzy" thing that we want to achieve, and how do we make them explicit, so that we overcome the envisaged obstacles?. Then, what is it that we really need to get where we want to be? Who is our audience, what do they need and what assets do they have already? What media should we use? and finally, what is the content that we want learners to master?

Goal analysis

The purpose of a goal analysis is to make the intangible goals of our learning programme tangible and measurable.

Needs analysis

The purpose of the needs analysis is to find out what the "gap" is that we need to fill. We need to know this because sometimes training is not the answer - it may be necessary to chage the environment, or to engage in other support activities. Also, it is important to distinguish between what the customer wants, and what the customer needs.

Target-population analysis

It is important to know who the learners are and what drives them. However there are some pitfalls, such as assuming that certain "generations" prefer certain ways of learning, or assuming that adjusting to "learning styles" or other preferences will lead to increased learning. This section gives an overview of those debates.

Media analysis

So, which is the right way to go? Video, Audio, Text, Classroom training? And how should we be delivering it?

Content analysis

This section provides links to some discussion about content - where to get content, how to classify content. We then have a number of links to examples of content that is already out there.

Useful pre-designed elearning content

Design

The design phase is the decision-making phase. It's where we decide what goes where, when and why. This section will first look at a number of design processes or paradigms, such as AGILE design and design thinking,and then continue with an exploration of design genres, such as tutorials, stories, drills, simulations, and games.

Tutorials, Stories, Drills, Simulations and Games

Development

This section covers resources and techniques of assembling the actual product.

Implementation (and use)

Implementation methods and strategies

Evaluation (and assessment)

Although Evaluation is the term used in the ADDIE model, one of the most important aspects of evaluation is the assessment of learning. This section will therefore commence with assessment of learning, before considering other aspects of evaluation of learning programmes.

Assessment

Evaluation