Rapid eLearning

One of the things that I have learned in my current job (I think this applies to most situations) is that no matter how hard or fast you work, there is never enough time or resources to get done all that needs to be done. This fact is quickly becoming a critical issue in the world of instructional design. Technologies are advancing so quickly that it is virtually impossible to develop training fast enough to keep up. Traditional instructional development methods can take months to implement. By the time the training is ready to use, the technology is often obsolete. As a result, the idea of "Rapid eLearning" is becoming a mainstream concept within the corporate training community.

One definition given for Rapid eLearning given on the Rapid eLearning Blog is: "The ability to create the highest quality course in the shortest amount of time."

Rapid eLearning encompasses both special tools and methods. There are several different software packages that are designed to simplify and speedup the development process. At work we use Articulate. This program allows the developer to take a PowerPoint presentation with animations, embedded flash and other learning objects and create a flash movie that is SCORM complaint and can be loaded directly to an LMS (Learning Management System). There are several other programs available that perform a similar function.

I have subscribed to "The Rapid eLearning Blog" (http://www.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/) and hope to learn ways to implement both the tools and methods of Rapid eLearning more effectively in my own work setting.