Explore
Needs analysis and ideation
The first step in bringing any digital learning to life is conducting a thorough needs analysis. This stage is crucial as it lays the foundation for all subsequent development efforts. Understanding the specific needs of your learners and the challenges they face is key to creating effective educational content and interactive activities.
During this stage, it’s essential to engage with stakeholders, subject matter experts, and potential learners to identify learning goals, highlight skills gaps and understand learner demographics.
At this early point in the process it is also important to think about what form the final solution will take, the technologies that will be used, and the user experience.
The result of this exploration phase is a project plan that aligns with both the learner’s needs and the broader goals of the organisation. By knowing exactly what success looks like, you can create a focused and targeted learning experience that is more likely to achieve the desired outcomes.
Enhance
Developing the solution
The next stage is to develop and enhance the initial idea into a fully-fledged digital learning solution. This involves storyboarding, writing content, specifying learning interactions and media asset development.
Depending on the nature of the solution, this phase may include programming, capturing and editing video/audio and generating 2D/3D artwork or animations. At this point consideration should be given to accessibility and whether any additional work needs to be undertaken.
The aim of this stage is to iterate through prototypes until a final version is completed and agreed by all stakeholders. Beta-testing and responding to feedback is key to this phase.
Engage
Evaluating impact
Once the digital learning solution is developed, the final stage is to engage learners by launching the program and gathering feedback on its effectiveness. A successful launch involves more than just making the content available; it requires a strategic approach to ensure learners are aware of and motivated to engage with the new learning opportunities.
Communication and support are key during this phase. This can include marketing the learning program internally, providing onboarding sessions, or offering incentives for participation.
After the launch, gathering feedback is essential to evaluate the impact of the learning solution. This can be done through surveys, focus groups, and VLE data/analytics to measure learner engagement, satisfaction, and performance. The insights gained from this stage are invaluable for making continuous improvements to the learning solution and ensuring it meets its objectives.
Next step?
Get in touch
By following the Explore, Enhance, and Engage approach, you can bring digital learning to life in a way that engages your learners and also delivers measurable results.
Whether you are looking to develop a new training program, enhance an existing one or create a bespoke educational application, this structured method ensures that your digital learning solution is effective and impactful.
If you have a digital learning project that you wish to discuss, please use the contact form to get in touch.
Paul Hammond
Digital Learning Consultant
paul@3elearning.co.uk
