Just 15 years ago, eLearning was an experimental way of teaching very technical subjects. Today, educators across all fields use online training to teach just about anything; it would be difficult to find a school or training department that does not incorporate eLearning into its programs in some way.

Let's make a memory exercise and remember biology class. What is a cell? The cell is the basic unit of every living being whether human, animal or plant. We could say that the cell is the beginning of life. 

Today it is almost more likely to find companies pursuing eLearning than it is the traditional course in education. This makes good designers of eLearning programs a necessity. As a designer, you want to be able to stand out from the crowd and become known not as simply a good designer, but as a great one. You want your students to be able to learn and to see that they are progressing and you want to be sought out for your knowledge and skill in designing.

Every eLearning project is different, and comes with a different set of demands. However, when it comes to slide design, there are some best practices that fit all or nearly all situations. Following these basic tips ensures a clear and effective lesson, while still leaving room to customize and add your own personal touch.

What to know before you start: Don't begin an eLearning course without a clear path in mind; like any other effort, planning is key. For that purpose, a storyboard can come in very handy. What's a storyboard?  The term "storyboard" comes from movie production, where creators sketch out a film in a series of still images. An eLearning storyboard is the blueprint of the course, like a lesson plan - except a storyboard doesn't describe just general content, but everything else as well, from graphics to video. Start reading these helpful articles: Storytelling Basics for eLearning by Jane Bozarth 8 Steps for an Awesome Storyboard [Infographic] Best Practices for Designing a Storyboard for eLearning Why do I need one?  Storyboards provide many benefits, of which these are just a few: Sequence instruction and show how different elements relate and fit together; Generate a clear plan for project management; Make sure you, clients, and team members are all on the same page; Document changes and previous ideas.

We’ve all met them. Ask about online courses they’ve taken, and they’ll roll their eyes. Current eLearners are bored and can’t wait for their courses to end. Whoever put together these courses - was it you? - didn’t have the right recipe for eLearner engagement. In the past, most professionals who designed, taught or coordinated eLearning courses needed to understand how learning occurs and a bit about brain-based learning tips resulting from neuroscience research. That’s no longer enough. You need to know the key ingredients required to effectively engage eLearners by engaging their brains.

Here’s a news flash: If you want to be really great at eLearning design, you need to know more than how to come up with an attractive look and content that gets attention. What’s the secret? Becoming savvy about psychology and behavior. Why? Psychology plays an important role in creating content because it’s all about your learner’s emotions and perception. Simply put, as designers, we have to build effective eLearning courses based on needs and emotions to instill feelings in eLearners. Knowing a bit about social patterns doesn’t hurt either. Design Based on Psychology The whole point of taking psychology into consideration is the end product: individuals who are happier and who will probably experience effective eLearning. Take a peek at some thoughts on the psychology of design: "Psychology is the science of behaviour and the mind. When design and behaviour match, the design will be superior." Simon Norris, NOMENSA.  "A great-looking design isn’t always a great working design and often design without psychology is a source of dangerously misapplied effort." Paul Davies  "Designers are actually psychologists who can draw." Paul Davies 

It’s time to enable the social learning mode! When it comes to successful eLearning design, everybody should agree that there’s no such thing as too much information about how the human brain operates. It’s wired for social learning. Our respective environments actually shape our brains and the rest of our bodies. An interesting three-minute video by Paul Burow discusses the application of neuroscience to organizational development. It covers six social learning needs we think can be applied to eLearning. Targeting these needs will result in more effective eLearning courses.

"Training doesn’t help one jot if people can’t remember it in the real world"  —Teresa Ewington Our biggest goal in training is to get students to remember the material. In order to do this more effectively, it helps to understand exactly what causes the mind to forget things. By understanding what makes a person forget, we can incorporate things into our programs that help counteract those causes.  Forgetting is an important function. It helps a human filter out trivial things that would clog the brain and override important information. Forgetting helps ease pain of tragedy and enables a person to continue living without constant sadness. There are times, however, when we not only need to remember, but need to do so at a time when the information is useful. Let's take a look at the five most common reasons your corporate learners forget your training.

You've worked hard and are creating your best eLearning course to date. But do you wonder if people will remember any of the content a few weeks down the road? Fostering effective eLearning requires understanding how memory works. Beyond that, we need to master crucial ways to help learners encode new principles in their brains. This requires a grasp of five premises.