What’s in this article<\/h2>\n
We\u2019ll give you an overview of the process, including the practices and principles that guide us through it. Then we\u2019ll outline each stage of our process, detailing key steps and revealing how the magic happens.<\/p>\n
What is the eLearning development process?<\/strong><\/p>\n Maestro\u2019s step-by-step process<\/strong><\/p>\n The process of developing an eLearning course is comprised of five key phases: the discovery and working session, outlining and storyboarding, design, development, and reflection and delivery phases.<\/p>\n This undertaking requires not only a step-by-step strategic approach, but also a collaborative, creative, and concerted effort from a range of learning experts across a variety of disciplines\u2014all of which we have in-house, on the Maestro team.<\/p>\n Before we dive into the nitty gritty of each phase, it\u2019s essential to outline the players integral to our multidisciplinary team\u2019s eLearning development success:<\/p>\n Learning Strategist<\/strong> – Develops overarching strategy with the client and executes the vision as the project progresses.<\/p>\n Project Manager (PM)<\/strong> – Responsible for overseeing the project, managing timelines, and keeping the project on track and on budget.<\/p>\n Media team<\/strong> – Producers, animators, and filmmakers who create beautiful, high-quality in-course media assets, including videos, animations, and motion graphics.<\/p>\n Quality Assurance (QA) team<\/strong> – Detail-oriented professionals that conduct quality assurance before final delivery.<\/p>\n Design team:<\/strong><\/p>\n Our Learning Principles<\/a> constitute our foundation\u2014the reasons we do what we do and the blueprint for how we do it. But they aren\u2019t the only integral practices and principles guiding us through our eLearning course development process.<\/p>\n At Maestro, each and every team also has its own set of guiding principles that inform their unique work discipline. These principles are developed and defined by the teams themselves\u2014after all, they\u2019re the experts in their domains. For example, our Design team follows its unique design principles<\/a>, such as \u201cUncenter Yourself\u201d and \u201cMake it Special,\u201d while our PM team follows these four project management principles: Cultivate Client Relationships, Elevate Creative Thinking, Trust Your Instincts, and Advocate for Your Team (And Yourself).<\/p>\n But it\u2019s not just our explicitly laid-out principles that make us stand out.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also the way we work.<\/p>\n Our principles, practices, and company culture guide us through everything we do, whether that\u2019s developing eLearning or any other learning experience. These principles and processes make for a smooth and transparent undertaking that cultivates a rewarding customer experience. Here\u2019s a quick overview of what it\u2019s like to work with us.<\/p>\n Now that you know everything you need to know before entering into the Maestro eLearning course development process, let\u2019s dive into the specifics.<\/p>\n An important part of our process is determining the right deliverables to meet your learning goals\u2014if that deliverable is eLearning, here\u2019s an overview of what you can expect from our eLearning development process.<\/p>\n This phase tees up the entire process while helping ensure we\u2019re all on the same page.<\/p>\n First and foremost, we discover everything we need to know (and more) about you, the client.<\/p>\n Our team reviews relevant materials, studies your brand identity, and gains invaluable insights that will guide our future decisions.<\/p>\n We\u2019re well aware that we can\u2019t possibly be more of an expert on your content than you are! And we own that, which is why we conduct thorough SME interviews and put in extensive work to review existing content<\/a> and learn the material inside and out.<\/p>\n During this stage, we\u2019ll also have our foundational working session. This marks the first time most of our team members hear directly from the client while setting the tone for the whole eLearning course development project.<\/p>\n Here, the entire team listens, asks clarifying questions, and brainstorms collaboratively. We present our transparent and organized process. And weekly or bi-weekly live client connects\u2014which our clients often call their favorite meeting of the week\u2014begin here and continue through delivery.<\/p>\n Our multidisciplinary and multifaceted process has an information-rich, genuinely collaborative, and authentically inspired foundation.<\/p>\n But that\u2019s not all.<\/p>\n Throughout this first step, we really build personal relationships\u2014an essential ingredient in the special Maestro sauce. We don\u2019t simply take orders and develop a traditional vendor relationship\u2014one that just throws non-strategic solutions at the wall in the hope that something will stick. Instead, we till the seeded soil and allow a true partnership<\/a> to grow. Our clients often call us up when they\u2019re stuck on a learning challenge or need a sounding board\u2014and we always answer.<\/p>\n The outlining and storyboarding steps set the stage for the production and development phases soon to come. These steps are critical for getting aligned on content details and design direction. We use Google Docs every step of the way to maintain a collaborative and streamlined review process.<\/p>\n In this phase, our IDs use the information we gleaned in the working session to create a first draft of the outline. Then we achieve alignment on the framework, structure, order of content, and featured topics for our eLearning course before getting too far into the project.<\/p>\n Next, we conduct more brainstorming with our entire internal creative team. Our multidisciplinary team focuses closely on the learning problem at hand, developing ideas for a course experience that will best serve learners. We approach the eLearning development process from a highly informed perspective, one that emerges from our Learning Principles and incorporates learning theory, instructional-and-visual-design expertise<\/a>, and integrates an array of innovative modalities.<\/p>\n As a result, our approach and strategy are defined and finalized, and our whole design team is on the same page regarding what to expect. Then we send the draft to the client for review, validation, and feedback.<\/p>\n Much of the pre-storyboarding work happens in the discovery phase, especially when the subject matter is complex or highly technical. But once the researching and brainstorming activities are complete, we begin storyboarding<\/a> in a shared Google Doc with our tried-and-true template.<\/p>\n In this guide, 16 Key Questions to Ask a Potential Learning Partner, we\u2019re sharing the most important areas to discuss with a potential partner to help you decide if they\u2019re the right fit. We\u2019re delving deeper than the typical checklist and sharing ideas and questions you likely haven\u2019t considered before so you can find a partner who really gets it (and you).<\/p>\n\nGet the free guide\u2192<\/i><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Throughout this step, we internally review everything from a myriad of unique disciplines and perspectives, discuss specs, and work collaboratively every step of the way.<\/p>\n More specifically, an ID writes a storyboard draft that defines content, tone, and target audience characteristics. One of our visual designers reviews it, making sure the design and production suggestions are feasible. The learning strategist reviews it, referencing the overall vision to make sure the content is solving the problem we\u2019re intending to. The PM also reviews the storyboard, keeping in mind client needs, logistical nuances, and branding specifics.<\/p>\n The thorough IR completed by our entire internal project team helps ensure a squeaky-clean final product. When the time comes, we send the storyboard to the client for review so they can validate all of the details, make change requests, and ask questions.<\/p>\n Everyone\u2019s always eager for the design phase to begin, but we know from experience that it\u2019s key to get the outline and storyboard right before going further into the eLearning development process. By identifying the optimal content and structure, and conducting a rigorous, multidisciplinary internal review, we emerge with a robust blueprint for the course\u2014in other words, we do the heavy lifting for you.<\/p>\n All in all, this phase represents our obsession with checks and balances; our belief that everyone should have a role in \u201cowning\u201d each project. It also helps ensure that we\u2019re delivering with exacting quality; designing the right thing and designing things right<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our tried-and-true process in this early stage is why we\u2019ve been able to successfully tackle eLearning module development and entire course creation on complex topics ranging from Bitcoin trading to the inner workings of complex medical imaging devices.<\/p>\n The fun continues in the design phase, an innovative rapid elearning procedure that culminates in a design preview.<\/p>\n Our incredible designers start bringing our carefully constructed plans to life, elevating ideas and concepts while tirelessly tailoring everything to the client vision. First, they create a moodboard in FigJam<\/a> to determine the visual look and feel of the course and review it with the client.<\/p>\n Then the real design preview work begins. Our Design team builds key course elements in Figma first, in order to activate our creativity, design freely, and push ourselves beyond the limits of what an authoring tool (for us, that\u2019s typically Articulate Rise or Storyline) alone can do.<\/p>\n Next, our team starts designing the preview in Rise or Storyline, through a creative and cooperative process. This preview might be the first chapter of the course or a collection of branded components. Think knowledge checks, scenarios, and drag-and-sort activities. (Pssst! Do you love Articulate Rise as much as we do? Then you’ll love Mighty, our Chrome extension for doing more in Rise. Ditch the hacks and workarounds\u2014Mighty does it all for you! Learn more here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Once the design preview is done, the client can review it and easily provide feedback. They will also have the opportunity to evaluate it alongside the final storyboard to see the course taking shape from both content and visual perspectives.<\/p>\n The PM, the Strategist, and the Design and Media teams all play significant and collaborative roles in this phase. And as soon as it\u2019s complete, we start working on the VO recording.<\/p>\n Because we have the capability to build a diverse range of learning and eLearning solutions\u2014unlike many traditional partners\u2014we have a better capacity for determining and creating the best solution for each kind of learning challenge. If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail\u2014but we have every solution at our fingertips as we design, so we don\u2019t have to resort to simply throwing one type of solution at every problem.<\/p>\n We create our design preview through a multi-step and multidisciplinary design approach, pulling in the right tools to unleash creative freedom. We do this because Articulate Rise and Storyline are incredible tools, but limited with pre-designed authoring elements\u2014we\u2019re committed to pushing our courses beyond the typical cookie-cutter look. We\u2019ve learned to push the bounds of Articulate tools, to consistently create things others thought were impossible, and better satisfy our clients\u2019 steepest aims.<\/p>\n\n
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What is the eLearning development process?<\/h2>\n
![\"eLearning](\"https:\/\/maestrolearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Post-image-1.png\")
<\/p>\nKey players in the eLearning development process<\/h3>\n
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Practices and principles<\/h3>\n
Principles<\/h4>\n
![\"PM](\"https:\/\/maestrolearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Post-image-2.png\")
<\/p>\nHow we operate<\/h4>\n
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Maestro\u2019s step-by-step eLearning development process<\/h2>\n
Discovery and working session<\/h3>\n
![\"Brainstorming](\"https:\/\/maestrolearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Post-image-3.png\")
<\/p>\nKey steps<\/h4>\n
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The Maestro magic: Genuine relationships<\/h4>\n
Outlining and storyboarding<\/h3>\n
![\"Storyboard](\"https:\/\/maestrolearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Post-Image-4.png\")
<\/p>\nKey steps<\/h4>\n
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Outlining<\/h5>\n
Storyboarding<\/h5>\n
16 Key Questions to Ask a Potential Learning Partner<\/h5>\n
The Maestro magic: Sharpening your ax<\/h4>\n
Design<\/h3>\n
![\"Our](\"https:\/\/maestrolearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Post-Image-5.png\")
<\/p>\nKey steps<\/h4>\n
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The Maestro magic: Innovative capabilities<\/h4>\n