Michael Allen's Guide to e-Learning, 2nd Edition

Chapter 7Seven Simple Success Strategies

I see my job as searching for the simplest, surest paths to instructional excellence and sharing the steps I've found along these paths in ways that don't require a graduate degree to decode. “As simple as possible,” as Einstein suggested, “but not simpler.”

So before you read further and we get into the details, you might want to review these simplifying principles that can help you achieve success with e-learning. You may find this is all you need to achieve the success you're looking for.

As Simple as Possible

I have some simplifying strategies to share. If these strategies work as well for you as they have for me with a wide range of designers, they will lead not only to better products but also to the comfort of knowing you're using time and effort wisely. Here are seven simple success strategies.

Simple Success Strategy 1

Ask, Would you want to learn from this?

It's a simple question—one I sometimes feel embarrassed to ask—would you want to learn from this? (I tend to ask this question of designers when I'm looking at a poor design and floundering to say something respectful and helpful. Even a poor product can take a lot of time and effort to produce. I know that. We grow a bit sensitive to criticism after investing a lot of effort. But effort doesn't necessarily make the product good, does it? We all need to ask ourselves this ...