What is SCORM? | Infographic
Visual introduction to SCORM
Blog posts
Sensei | A Learning Managment System for WordPress | WooThemes
Wrodpress plugin with some basic LMS functionality. User registration, course and lesson creation, quizzes, tuition, analytics. No SCORM compatibility (although that's planned for the future).
eLearning on WordPress: Comparing WP Courseware and LearnDash
Comparison of two Wordpress LMS/course management solutions: WP Courseware and LearnDash
I Came, I Saw, I Learned...: eLearning: Determining the Best Size for Today's Lessons
recommendations for Captivate screen sizes including for YouTube
Five free Microsoft Project alternatives - TechRepublic
Free options for managing projects. Some are open source. I've had mixed results with GanttProject in the past, but I may try some of these others.
Gantter - web-based project scheduling made easy
Web-based project management tool. Can import/export to MS Project. Integrated with Google Drive.
Learning CSI: Learning Needs Investigation | Learning Rebels
Approaching needs analysis as an "investigation" without assuming that a course is always the right solution
Free Open Source LMSs are like Puzzles « E-Learning 24/7 Blog
Nice metaphor for working with free LMSs. Moodle can work "out of the box" for some small instances with limited needs but this description is a fairly typical experience of customization.
The Top 20 Most Popular LMS Software Solutions powered by Capterra
Capterra's analysis of top LMSs by customers, users, and social media popularity. Many people only review 2-3 LMSs before making a decision. This list gives people some additional choices to review while still being a manageable list. The explanation of their research is linked below the infographic.
BranchTrack
Free tool for creating branching scenarios. See a sample course by Cathy Moore here. http://blog.djangolabs.com/scenarios/autoloon-ethics-training/
Answers To Instructional Design Career Questions
Connie Malamed shares her answers to a number of ID career questions she's received from readers, including transitioning from teaching, getting a second master's degree or certificate, and getting a first job in ID.
How to Share Your E-learning Course for Free With Google Drive - E-Learning Heroes
Step by step directions on sharing Articulate courses in Google Drive. This would be great for a portfolio. I haven't tested it, but the directions probably work for Captivate or other tools as well. An alternate (slightly simpler) set of directions for getting the hosting URL are here: https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2881970?hl=en
The 50 Most Socially-Shared Learning & Development Blogs
I'm on the list for being one of the L&D blogs most often shared on social media. #41 of 50, but that's still on the list. :)
Understanding the Many Different Roles of an Instructional Designer
Description of instructional design roles: engineer, manufacturer, craftsperson, architect, artist. One person may fill multiple roles.
Timid Instructional Designers Deserve What They Get
When clients ask for crappy e-learning or provide unreasonable deadlines that don't allow for quality development, we need to push back. Being timid doesn't makes us team players, just pushovers. This is one of the benefits of freelance work for me--I can set boundaries and turn down the crappy jobs to focus on more rewarding work.
Storyline Templates – WorkBright eLearning
Free Articulate Storyline templates including games and a scrolling timline
Totara vs Moodle - Moodle For BusinesseseLearning Experts | Paradiso Solutions
Screenshots and overview of Totara's features that can make it a better fit for businesses than default Moodle.
Simulation Tools for Every Budget
Tools for branching scenarios, from free and simple to expensive and complex. PDF, PowerPoint, BranchTrack, Inklewriter, Twine, Storyline, and SimWriter.
Online Course Development: What Does It Cost? -- Campus Technology
Time and cost estimates for online higher ed. The article and research are from 2004, and I expect these ratios have gone down in the last 10 years. The estimates here say it's a 10:1 ratio for faculty time and about $25K per credit hour.
Given the current campus infrastructure, personal knowledge tools, and the availability of digital content such as course cartridges, online cyber problems, and test banks, a recommended planning number today for experienced faculty is 10 hours per hour of instruction.
13 Questions to Ask When Scoping a Learning Development Engagement
A solid list of questions for prospective clients to help develop a proposal and determine the scope.
The ALL NEW Adobe Captivate 8 Blends Authoring Ease with Game-Changing Mobile Support « Rapid eLearning | Adobe Captivate Blog
Adobe's summary of new features in Captivate 8, including responsive design for mobile learning and a major user interface change
My review of Adobe Captivate 8 - dbr-Training EN
Review of Cp8, focusing on the interface changes and new features for mobile learning
How storytelling in training changes people. 5 elements of an effective story. | Training x Design
5 elements of a story structure: a beginning, middle, and end; a main character; the main character faces a challenge, the main character struggles, and the main character changes.
Flipping the conversation at ElNet Workplace Learning Congress | Explorations in learning
Tanya Lau's detailed explanation of her presentation on "Flipping the conversation" to performance and performance support rather than focusing only on formal training content. Includes notes on how she recorded and edited video on her smartphone for the presentation. She gives credit to my post on "Selling Storytelling" as part of the inspiration for her presentation because of how I scripted conversation around business objectives and measurement.
Lectures Aren't Just Boring, They're Ineffective, Too, Study Finds | Science/AAAS | News
Break up lectures every 10 minutes with active teaching techniques to improve student outcomes.
Advances in Physiology Education
Open access journal with a number of articles on active learning, blended learning, problem based learning, etc. (My sister-in-law is the copy editor.)
8 Books To Read Before Your Next eLearning Project
A different reading list than many I've seen, with several selections outside of the main learning field. I've only read one of these eight books.
Report Card: Gamification in Learning (What Works?) by Carol Leaman : Learning Solutions Magazine
Lessons learned on what works for gamification: multiple levels, fun, variety, leaderboards, tangible rewards, virtual coaches, progress tracking, social connectivity.
Updated E-Learning Authoring Tools Comparison - E-Learning Uncovered
Diane Elkins (E-Learning Uncovered/Artisan E-Learning) ranks tools based on price, ease of use, graphics, animation, interactivity, quizzing, power/flexibility, ADA, mobile, and software simulations.
RANDOM.ORG - True Random Number Service
Random number generator. Enter a min and max. Good for making sure your correct answers in multiple choice questions actually are randomly distributed (not always C) and for generating random distractors for numeric questions