10 Clues you might just be designing a job aid, not e-learning

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10. Your client hands over a 150 slide PowerPoint deck riddled with bullet points worse than Bonnie & Clyde’s Ford V8 and says “put this online for me”. 

9. You’re asked to “convert” an “employee manual” to e-learning, with no access to a subject-matter expert or a clearly articulated business goal.

8. You ask to analyze an exemplary performer to observe the desired skills and are greeted by blank stares.

7. Your budget for the development of the project is about the price of a couple of iStock images, a foot-long meatball sandwich at Subway, and a 12 oz. Coke.

6. There is no time for a front-end needs analysis, “just build us the e-learning”.

5. There are no meaningful examples of the behaviors or skills to develop, much less non-examples.

4. The objectives for the “e-learning” contain the words― understand, know, become aware of, realize, familiarize yourself, etc.

3. Your client says, “No, a skills check or assessment after the learners complete the e-learning module won’t be required.”

2. There is no baseline performance data to measure the results of any e-learning intervention to speak of.

And the number one clue you just might be designing a job aid is...

1. For source material/ content, your client asked you to “go buy a book” on the subject matter!

Alex Santos

Alex is a co-founder and Managing Member of Collabor8 Learning, LLC, an instructional design and performance management consultancy. His firm collaborates with organizations to enhance the way they develop  and train their people. To learn more about Collabor8 Learning, click here.

Alex can be reached at 786-512-1069, alex@collabor8learning.com or via Twitter@collabor8alex.