Flirting w/ eLearning: The Ultimate eLearning Design and Development Checklist

Blogging about instructional design, eLearning, graphic design and more.

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Posted: 03.18.2012 | Author: Nicole Legault | Filed under: eLearning, Instructional Design | Tags: Best Practices, Checklist, Design, eLearning, Graphics, Instructional design | 7 Comments »

I have combed the web and compiled several e-learning, instructional design and web design checklists to create this ultimate e-learning checklist. Not every item on the entire list will apply to every project, however I think that altogether it covers a broad range of items. If you think there’s something important that I have missed, please let me know and I will include it in the list; ideally, I’d like this checklist to cover as much ground as possible.

View The Ultimate eLearning Design and Development Checklist in .PDF format.

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN Training needs analysis is complete Time and budget restraints have been identified Primary and secondary audience have been analyzed Task analysis and task listing are complete Various instructional methods are used Objectives are clearly stated Objectives include measurable criteria Instructional content relates directly to objectives Course objectives are met Content is segmented into small chunks Information is logically grouped Major headings are clear and descriptive One-third of the content is presentation Two-thirds of the content is application & feedback Feedback is provided for questions answered A maximum of 5-7 bullet items per slide There is a summary for every piece of content Glossary is used to define key concepts and terms Humor is used with care ASSESSMENTS & TESTS All assessments are relevant and complete Assessments are challenging and realistic Various quiz methods and types are used Assessments are used throughout Final assessment at the end Pass/fail marks are appropriate Feedback is adequate Feedback presented within reasonable time Post course assessment/evaluation is included New content is not presented in assessments or in assessment feedback GENERAL DESIGN Total design is uniform in appearance Branding/identity guidelines have been followed Use of logos is appropriate Colors used are consistent and suitable Color schemes chosen for visibility & contrast Navigation is consistent throughout Horizontal and vertical scrolling is avoided At least 50% of the screen is white space Graphics/icons used to signify important concepts Patterns and textured backgrounds do not interfere with legibility FONTS Maximum of or three fonts used throughout Decorative fonts are only used for headings Body text uses sans serif fonts Appropriate line spacing is used Paragraph length is appropriate Font sizes are appropriate and easily readable Font colors visible against background color Styles and colors are consistent throughout Emphasis (bold, italics) is used sparingly Body text is left justified TESTING E-learning has been tested in multiple browsers E-learning has been tested in various resolutions All links and buttons have been tested Accessibility features have been tested All audio has been tested All videos have been viewed in entirety

TECHNICAL Project load time is reasonable Shortcut keys have been defined FAQ document has been created Hardware requirements have been identified Software requirements have been identified Dimensions are optimized for target audience The course is viewable in all web browsers Pages are easily printed Total time to complete has been timed Contact information available for questions ACCESSIBILITY Entire course can be navigated with keyboard All ALT tags are used Text is provided for all non-text elements Video files have associated script or dialogue Captions are provided for audio conveying content No flashes faster than 3 times per second No colors used to convey information No fine motor skills required (large clickable areas, large field labels) NAVIGATION Main navigation is easily identifiable All navigation is correct sequence Hyperlinks are clearly identified All hyperlinks work Minimum use of external links Backward links to navigate to previous screens Number of navigation icons is reasonable Table of contents used to lay out the content E-learning has guided tour and/or map for further explanations VIDEOS & ANIMATION Use of animation and videos is appropriate Files are compressed/optimized Videos and animations are consistent in quality, size and type Videos are legally owned AUDIO & NARRATION Narration is not exact text on the screen Narration is clear and concise Audio quality is high (not fuzzy or scrambled) Narrator sounds confident and knowledgeable Audio synced to the content Audio can be paused Volume can be muted Volume can be controlled by user TEXT CONTENT Language is clear and concise Spelling has been checked Grammar has been checked Language is culturally appropriate Tone is consistent throughout Tone is appropriate for the audience Text is gender neutral Content is not plagiarized Date formats, measurements, are consistent SME has verified text content Facts, statistics, data are accurate Facts, statistics, data sources are identified Correct capitalization applies to units/acronyms Correct capitalization is used Punctuation is appropriate Complex sentences are avoided Content has been localized for all required languages GRAPHICS Images are meaningful, have a purpose Images/graphics are resized and compressed Images use appropriate file type Photos are consistent in quality, size, type Images are all legally owned System screen captures are up-to-date Screen captures do not contain any personal information