Course Development Process
A well defined path to e-learning development
A fast, low iteration methodology to developing e-learning courses
Our course development process is the product of years of learning, changing, and measuring the effect of our decisions. Our process can be thought of in 7 steps:
Our Kick-Off represents the start of the project. During this initial phase we will help you to define the goals and objectives that will be used to measure the overall success of the project. We will also work with you to define the team players along with identifying the project sponsors that will help ensure the success of the project.
Our Kick-Off phase yields the following outputs:
In our experience this phase is a crucial step in our process. During this phase we will work closely with your Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and Instructional Designers (IDs) to articulate the specific needs and vision of the project. We will work with you to create an overall "player" for your course as well as design the screens that will be used to present your material. By using clear documentation along with visual confirmation (mock-ups) we are able to ensure that we understand the scope of our goals and objectives. We will review storyboards, images, and any other assets you have compiled for use in this course. We are also able to identify any technological challenges we need to consider.
Our Analysis and Design phase yields the following output:
The best way to test the layout and design is to facilitate feedback from the audience. Our Design Usability phase allows us to talk to the students to show them our mock-ups and ideas for course development. We have the ability to identify potential design flaws that could be much more costly during later stages of development. We will work with your training team to administer and facilitate this phase. If we find that any of the design elements were ambiguous or unclear we re-define the HLDD to include any changes as a result for final approval.
Our Design Usability phase yields the following output:
Once we have a clear idea of what we're constructing we can start to demonstrate the how. The prototype phase allows us to demonstrate our ability to understand and execute on the items we have identified in our Analysis and Design phase. During this phase we build screens using a wide bank of screens designed to present different styles of content. The idea is to create a working version of the course that will explain our understanding and act as a milestone to measure our progress. This is an exciting phase as the course undergoes an evolution at this point going from a paper storyboard, to an interactive presentation. During this phase we identify any problems with functionality.
Our Design Usability phase yields the following output:
Development
At Netsmartz we have over 150 multimedia and development specialists. Once the project has been clearly defined and we have a working prototype our team is engaged. Our engineers will compile storyboards, images, audio, and any other asset provided to create your course. Our team consists of experienced professionals fully versed in e-learning technologies.
Our Development phase yields the following output:
Once we have deployed the course we want your feedback. We implement a change tracking system to facilitate a screen by screen review of the course. We allow you to identify changes or recommendations to ensure that we are hitting the mark and meeting expectations. During this phase we will talk about the changes and work through their impact to the overall project schedule. Changes are a fact of e-learning. There are very few courses that are developed and deployed without a degree of change throughout the project life cycle. We understand that and will work with you to overcome those obstacles. We will help you understand a big change v/s a little change so that project communication is clear and our budgets are met.
Our Change Management phase yields the following output:
Once all changes have been applied we move into a Final Delivery/Sign-Off phase. During this phase you will have an opportunity to review and finalize the final delivery. Once approved, deployed, and verified our e-learning course and our project can be considered closed.
Interested in our e-learning courses? Request a Quote
A fast, low iteration methodology to developing e-learning courses
Our course development process is the product of years of learning, changing, and measuring the effect of our decisions. Our process can be thought of in 7 steps:
- Kick-Off phase
- Analysis and Design
- Design Usability Test
- Prototype Construction
- Development
- Change Management
- Final Delivery
Kick-Off
Our Kick-Off represents the start of the project. During this initial phase we will help you to define the goals and objectives that will be used to measure the overall success of the project. We will also work with you to define the team players along with identifying the project sponsors that will help ensure the success of the project.
Our Kick-Off phase yields the following outputs:
- Team Roster
This document identifies the team members that will be a part of this project. We include all contact information as well as the role to be played on this document. - Project Goals and Objectives
This document will help us identify the basis for measurement of a project. The key is to identify measurable factors that will identify the degree of success.
Analysis and Design
In our experience this phase is a crucial step in our process. During this phase we will work closely with your Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and Instructional Designers (IDs) to articulate the specific needs and vision of the project. We will work with you to create an overall "player" for your course as well as design the screens that will be used to present your material. By using clear documentation along with visual confirmation (mock-ups) we are able to ensure that we understand the scope of our goals and objectives. We will review storyboards, images, and any other assets you have compiled for use in this course. We are also able to identify any technological challenges we need to consider.
Our Analysis and Design phase yields the following output:
- High Level Design Document (HLDD)
This document articulates the features, functions, aesthetic properties, interoperability requirements, and specifications for deployment of the overall course. - Overall Project Plan
Once we've been able to define the scope, we can begin to construct the plan for executing on that plan. We create an overall project plan during this phase to illustrate our vision of how the project will be completed. - Explanation of the steps in our life cycle
After this phase everyone involved in the project should have a clear understanding of our milestones and expectations for the project. - Instructions about our change management system
To facilitate issue tracking we employ an issue tracking system to ensure that we are documenting and executing on all changes through out our life cycle. We will explain how changes are executed along with the impact of changes to the overall impact of the project.
Design Usability
The best way to test the layout and design is to facilitate feedback from the audience. Our Design Usability phase allows us to talk to the students to show them our mock-ups and ideas for course development. We have the ability to identify potential design flaws that could be much more costly during later stages of development. We will work with your training team to administer and facilitate this phase. If we find that any of the design elements were ambiguous or unclear we re-define the HLDD to include any changes as a result for final approval.
Our Design Usability phase yields the following output:
- High Level Design Document (HLDD) - final
This document will represent the global functionality of the course and as well as how the course will be deployed.
Prototype Construction
Once we have a clear idea of what we're constructing we can start to demonstrate the how. The prototype phase allows us to demonstrate our ability to understand and execute on the items we have identified in our Analysis and Design phase. During this phase we build screens using a wide bank of screens designed to present different styles of content. The idea is to create a working version of the course that will explain our understanding and act as a milestone to measure our progress. This is an exciting phase as the course undergoes an evolution at this point going from a paper storyboard, to an interactive presentation. During this phase we identify any problems with functionality.
Our Design Usability phase yields the following output:
- A working prototype
This prototype should clearly demonstrate the items identified in the HLDD and act as a milestone for confirmation and sign-off. Once approved we have a blue print for the remainder of the project.
Development
At Netsmartz we have over 150 multimedia and development specialists. Once the project has been clearly defined and we have a working prototype our team is engaged. Our engineers will compile storyboards, images, audio, and any other asset provided to create your course. Our team consists of experienced professionals fully versed in e-learning technologies.
Our Development phase yields the following output:
- A working alpha version of the course
Based on our definition in the HLDD, we will host or deliver the course files to the location of your choosing for final evaluation and feedback.
Change Management
Once we have deployed the course we want your feedback. We implement a change tracking system to facilitate a screen by screen review of the course. We allow you to identify changes or recommendations to ensure that we are hitting the mark and meeting expectations. During this phase we will talk about the changes and work through their impact to the overall project schedule. Changes are a fact of e-learning. There are very few courses that are developed and deployed without a degree of change throughout the project life cycle. We understand that and will work with you to overcome those obstacles. We will help you understand a big change v/s a little change so that project communication is clear and our budgets are met.
Our Change Management phase yields the following output:
- Documented records of change in our tracking database
- Decisions to implement, or not implement changes
Final Delivery
Once all changes have been applied we move into a Final Delivery/Sign-Off phase. During this phase you will have an opportunity to review and finalize the final delivery. Once approved, deployed, and verified our e-learning course and our project can be considered closed.
Interested in our e-learning courses? Request a Quote