I had this thought to blog about how to design a course on a budget. The tools to accomplish this task would be mostly free and so the only limit would be in what an ID (instructional designer) knows and understands about adult learning theories and instructional design, along with the idea of limited technical skill. The “+” in the blog will be the tie-in of learning theory and instructional design to course design. The linked document (Course Design on a Budget +) discusses instructional design based on learning theories. The linked presentation (Free Course Design Tools) offers four different tutorials on free and readily available tools that can be used in digital course development. 
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I had originally begun writing this post “Course Design on a Budget +” to be placed into the blog, but when I finished writing it, the total number of pages was a little more than four pages. That’s why I’ve linked the “+” portion of the blog as a separate document. If it’s been a while since you’ve read through any learning theories, then it might be a good refresher to take a look at the article (that’s what I’m calling it instead of blog). The tie-in between the learning theories discussed in the article to course development is weaved throughout. I do not go in depth too much, but discuss how I develop a course based on learning theories. I’ve included information on the following:
The presentation, “Free Course Design Tools“ portion of this blog is four tutorials of various readily available and free digital tools. The tutorials guide the learner through download and set-up and then use of the tool. The tutorials do not go in-depth, but rather give the learner a running start. My thought is that the learner will be someone who has some technical knowledge and is ready to learn new things and how they might apply the new knowledge to what they do, which is why the tutorials provide enough information to complete a basic task, ie. record audio, save as an mp3 and then insert it into a PowerPoint presentation. It is up to the learner to then explore that tool and decide how they might incorporate it into their own course development.

After you’ve read through the article and followed the tutorials in the mini-course, then please take a moment to answer the questions posed in the mini-course and in the article. Below are instructions on where you may post your answers:

Instructions:  Answering questions from within the article and the mini-course:
  1. Write out the questions as they appear in the mini-course.
  2. Answer those questions in a Word document.
  3. Copy and paste those answers to the comments section of the blog.
Or
  4.   Go to the About tab of the Creative Palette website and send your answers through the comments form.

Lastly, I’ve linked the article, the mini-course, and the script to the mini-course below in various formats for ease of use:
  • Course Design on a Budget + [.pdf; .doc]
  • Free Course Design Tools [.ppt]
  • Free Course Design Tools, script [.pdf; .doc]
Resources: There are many resources available on this subject. Below is a list of maybe not even the tip of the iceberg…maybe just a snowflake.

Microsoft Tutorials
CNET software downloads
Rapid eLearning PowerPoint template kit
Articulate interactive elearning course development software
iSpring interactive elearning course development software
Adobe Captivate interactive elearning course development software
Instructional Design
Center for Instructional Development and Research


Cathy M Nunez
3/24/2011 03:00:24 am

Well, I just tested the .ppt on a different computer and it does not play the embedded audio, or the video. This is where being able to publish to some sort of course authoring tool would come in handy.

-Articulate Studio 09
-Captivate

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    I have been employing instructional design tricks of the trade since 1984, but haven't had the pleasure of the title until 2008. This blog is my way of sharing what I do to make the greatest impact with the information consumer.

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