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Our eLearning Development Process

Initial Consultation/Discovery Process

  • Client provides answers to “ eLearning Development Questionnaire ” such as primary audience, desired production level (page turner vs. interactive), etc.
  • Client and Production Team meet to exchange contact information.
  • Review key terms and discuss the eLearning development process. See the "Key Terms Job Aid".

Initial Content Review/Template Comps

  • Client supplies Production Team with all of the existing source material including previously created training material such as PowerPoint files, Word documents, videos, royalty-free or otherwise legal imagery, etc. See the "Source Material Job Aid"
  • Production Team reviews content and develops comps for player interface and style guide for lessons, interactivities, etc.
  • Development elements include:
    1. Content Player : The shell that plays the content movies and includes Back/Next buttons, clickable table of contents, narration button, glossary button, volume control, etc. The Content Player usually includes the organization's official logo, name, and branding.
    2. Content Movies : These are the actual movies that are loaded into the player. These may include a watermark, colors that match the player theme, on-screen text formatting (fonts, colors, bullet styles, etc.), pointers and highlights (for labeling images, components, etc.) and more.

Comp 1
Comp 2

 

Prototype Development

  • Production Team develops a brief proof-of-concept including a sample lesson, interactivity, custom branded player interface, etc. The prototype is an excellent way for the client to be trained upon the full eLearning development process including SME advising, storyboard/script reviewing/editing, sign-off process, and more.
  • Upon acceptance, client is given source Flash (FLA) files for the player technology and content movies. At least one introduction page, two lecture pages, two interactivities, text transcript, glossary, and one quiz will be developed for the purpose of this prototype. This prototype will be a thorough representation of what the client can expect by way of course look and feel.

Project Plan and Cost Estimate

  • Client and Production Team work together to build out a complete Table of Contents, storyboard outline, estimated media run-time, and total estimated work effort. See the "TOC Job Aid"
  • A project plan is built incorporating client-side deadlines based upon client availability, etc.
  • Client accepts the contract and proposed development timeline.

Project Kick-off Meeting

  • Client and Production Team confirm that all source materials have been delivered by client.
  • Production team advises Client of all URL, logon credentials, and other information necessary for uploading, downloading, reviewing, and otherwise accessing files.
  • Project plan deliverables are reviewed once again to confirm dates, client availability, etc.

Instructional Design/Writing Process:

  • A weekly project review meeting will be conducted throughout the life of the project unless some other schedule is mutually agreed upon.
  • Deliverables:
    1. Instructional Design Document : Client and Production Team work closely together to develop the IDD which defines the learning objectives, table of contents, page types, etc. This document governs the course development process. Client acceptance and sign-off are required in order to proceed .
    2. Storyboard Drafts : Storyboards will be submitted to client-side beta reviewers weekly. Client is expected to return storyboards with edits/comments within 5 business days upon receipt or sooner. Client must ensure that both the narration and the media instructions accurately convey concepts. Client acceptance and sign-off are required in order to proceed to script/audio production.

    NOTE! Delays in the review cycle or submission of ambiguous or non-actionable feedback commonly result in increases in time required to complete the project and or increases in total development costs.

Script and Audio Production

  • Narrative text is stripped out of the storyboard and formatted in such a way as to be easily read by a professional in-studio voice talent.
  • Client reviews storyboard and provide phonetic notes where appropriate as well pronunciation for acronyms, unique industry terms, and other elements that may be mispronounced by someone not familiar with the subject matter.
  • Audio is recorded and edited in the studio. Breaths are removed, voice talent stumbles edited out, files are rendered to WAVE format, etc.
  • Deliverables:
  • i. Professionally narrated and edited audio files ready for insertion into Flash movies.

Media Production

  • Audio files are inserted into Flash files.
  • On-screen text and images provided by client are inserted and synchronized with audio.
  • Custom illustrations, animations, and other graphical elements are developed, inserted, and synchronized with audio.
  • Alpha Review : Client reviews the multimedia and confirms that the media developed conforms to the approved storyboards and provides edits as necessary.

    • NOTE! Requests to changes in audio, photographs/images, and other items that should have been addressed during Storyboard Review cycle may result in increased time and cost required to complete the project.

  • Beta Review : Client reviews the multimedia and confirms that those items requested during the alpha review have been accurately addressed.
  • Gold Review : Client signs-off on the multimedia as conforming to the storyboards and to edits requested (within scope and/or as agreed to by Production Team).

Implementation and Testing

  • Courseware files are bundled into SCORM-conformant package, uploaded to client LMS, and confirmed launchable and tracking.
  • Source files are delivered to client on DVD.