What Really Goes Into eLearning (And Why It’s More Than Just Instructional Design)
eLearning often gets lumped in with instructional design—but anyone who’s actually built a course knows: eLearning is a whole different beast.
While instructional design focuses on the what and why of training, eLearning involves the how and how well it’s built, delivered, and experienced. It’s not just slide decks and quizzes—eLearning requires full-scale production, interactivity, technical specs, and sometimes, creative artistry.
If you’re new to this space or thinking of creating your own eLearning courses, here’s a breakdown of what really goes into it—and why it takes more time and planning than most people expect.
The Layers of eLearning (Beyond Just Content)
When you build an eLearning course, you’re not just delivering information—you’re creating a digital learning experience. That means:
- Instructional Design: Defining learning objectives, chunking content, structuring flow, and creating engaging activities.
- User Experience (UX) Design: Ensuring navigation is intuitive, screens aren’t cluttered, and learners know what to do next.
- Multimedia Production: Recording, editing, animating, and syncing audio and visuals.
- Technical Integration: Making sure your course plays well with Learning Management Systems (LMS) and meets SCORM or xAPI standards.
That’s a lot of hats for one person to wear—which is why eLearning design is often a team sport (or a full-time job if you’re a one-person show).
Common Mistakes That Make Courses Fall Flat
- Poor Flow
Jumping from topic to topic without transitions or logical sequencing can confuse learners and kill engagement. You need clear signposts, consistent formatting, and guided pacing. - Content Overload
Packing too much information into one screen or module leads to cognitive fatigue. Use microlearning strategies: keep lessons bite-sized and focused. - No Interaction
Static slides with “Next” buttons don’t keep people engaged. Add decision points, scenarios, clickable visuals, and knowledge checks. - Bad Audio or Video
Tinny microphones, unedited voiceovers, or clunky animations can destroy credibility. Quality counts more than you might think. - Lack of Testing Across Devices
What works on your laptop might glitch on a phone or tablet. Always test your courses on multiple platforms before launch.
🛠 Tools You’ll Need to Build and Launch an eLearning Course
If you’re planning to go from idea to upload, here’s what your eLearning toolkit might look like:
📦 Authoring Tools (SCORM-compliant)
- Articulate Storyline: Great for custom interactions, branching scenarios, and detailed control.
- Articulate Rise: Perfect for sleek, mobile-friendly modules with faster turnaround.
- Adobe Captivate: Robust for software simulations, VR, and responsive design.
- iSpring Suite: PowerPoint-based and beginner-friendly with SCORM export.
🎨 Design + Animation
- Canva or Figma: For creating visual assets, templates, and slide backgrounds.
- Vyond: Drag-and-drop animated videos to make scenarios and explainers more engaging.
- Blender (advanced): For 3D animations or complex motion graphics.
🎬 Video + Audio Editing
- Camtasia: Beginner-friendly video editing and screen recording.
- Adobe Premiere Pro / After Effects: Professional-level video editing and motion graphics.
- Audacity: Free, reliable audio editing software.
- Adobe Audition: For high-quality voiceover and sound clean-up.
🧪 Testing + LMS Integration
- SCORM Cloud: Use this to test if your course tracks and reports correctly before uploading to your LMS.
- LMS Platforms: Moodle, TalentLMS, LearnDash, and others—each have specific requirements for SCORM, Tin Can (xAPI), or AICC formats.
Why I’m Creating Guides for eLearning Beginners
I’ve been on both sides—first as the instructional designer who had to stretch my brain to solve problems, hit deadlines, and train junior developers on consistency and authoring tools; then as the eLearning developer who wore every hat: capturing video, starring in it, editing sound and footage, using animation and even pulling off some pretty advanced interactive effects. That’s why I’m putting together easy-to-follow guides for anyone who wants to break into eLearning production—whether you’re a teacher, a freelancer, or a corporate trainer.
These guides will help you:
- Understand which tools are right for your goals
- Avoid common design pitfalls
- Build your first SCORM-compliant course
- Create media that looks and sounds professional—without a film degree
Summary
eLearning design isn’t just about knowing the content—it’s about knowing how to deliver that content in a way that teaches, engages, and sticks. It’s more complex than traditional instructional design, but with the right tools and guidance, it’s absolutely learnable.
If you’re ready to dive into eLearning or want to level up your course production skills, stay tuned. I’ll be adding new digital guides and templates to my shop very soon!