Get SMART about e-Learning

SMART is an acronym for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time bound. You may or may not use this methodology in association with other types of planning. Often times when developing training many don’t take the time to fully map out their objectives or take that extra step of setting SMART goals. We at esus e-learning have found that a few hours spent on identifying training objectives can pay off exponentially in cutting down the development time of a course. When you have clear objectives you are able to build a solid framework and foundation for your course material.

If you simply approach your e-Learning development as being a method to deliver material, you will quickly find that your training is ineffective in terms of becoming an impetus for change. Whether you are revamping existing training or developing new courses, starting out with a needs assessment helps to define and prioritise issues within your business that you aim to improve such as performance, quality, or operational efficiency. Then take each of those issues that you have identified and further develop them as SMART goals to determine what should be included in your training.

Taking this approach is a bit like looking into the future and then working backwards to your present task of developing your programme. This also provides a clear map of your desired outcomes which you can reference at each stage of course content development. So get SMART about how you develop your e-Learning!