This online certificate program starts April 5, 2012

Instructor:
Ray Jimenez, author, 3-Minute e-Learning, Scenario-Based Learning: Using Stories to Engage e-Learners and Do-it-Yourself e-Learning: 100 Ways to Simplify Design and Development. Ray is the systems architect for www.vignetteslearning.com and www.trainingmagnetwork.com .

Certificate Overview:

Discover the step-by-step process of designing and developing effective e-learning programs that help your audience learn faster and at lower costs. This certificate program focuses on effective and economical design and development – rather than theories or software use.

How do you know what E-learning program design meets the need of your audience and organization? What type of courses are best delivered in an e-learning format? Do you need interactivity or multimedia? How do you construct a good e-learning program that engages learner and deliver the results? And how do you measure the results?

This program will answer these questions and more. Conducted entirely online, this certificate program focuses on effective and cost-effective design and development - practical and useful, not theories or software use.
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Pre-Certificate and/or Interim Assignments:
Most certificate sessions require a minimum of 30 minutes of pre-work.

These sessions are intensive as they allow you the opportunity to select additional (optional) small projects as a "proof-of-concept."

These projects are hands-on applications of your learning ideas. These optional projects may require several hours of preparation, and are excellent ways to learn, work and kick-off specific projects. Each meeting will last 4 hours. The first two hours of each session are instructor-led. During the remaining two hours, you will have the opportunity to do your projects and homework on your own. An online collaboration tool will be provided to share from everyone's projects and interactions.
 
Program Details:
Approximate topic coverage in each session. The topics may change depending on the profile and needs of the group.

NOTE:  During this certificate, Ray will offer suggestions regarding available authoring tools and provide links to  free demos and trials for these tools. However, participants may select and use their own software or other authoring tools and software to complete their prospects.

Day 1
Design e-learning where it counts the most - identify where, how, and when to design an e-learning program that matters to your organization and learners.
Design for different types of learners – design e-learning programs that appeal to different learning styles of different learners.

• Setting up e-learning strategies of your organization.
• Conducting an inventory of challenges and opportunities with learners within business, technology, leadership, culture, financial and implementation teams.
• Prioritizing your plan of action.
• Applying the decision process on what courses should be in your e-learning format.
• Selection of mini-workshop project.
• Analyzing e-learning behaviors and impacts on design.
• Applying the full cycle of the e-learning production process.
• Applying e-learning instructional design.
• Exercises and activities to apply ideas.
• Four levels of e-learning design.
• Basic design elements for e-learning lessons.
• Converting traditional content from classroom or new content into e-learning.

Day 2
Construct lessons - learn how to use a streamlined approach in the step-by-step conversion of your classroom training or new training programs into e-learning format.
Use rich media - learn how to use different multimedia approaches, i.e. video, audio, images, animations, etc. and make your learning more effective and interesting.

• Developing hierarchy of modules and lessons.
• Developing storyboards.
• Designing basic page layout, interface design.
• Incorporating multimedia (audio, video), text, graphics.
• Applying e-learning feedback, assessments, evaluation.
• Creating links, references, documents, resources.
• Constructing basic lessons – theory and exercise.
• Exercise and application of the above ideas – you will spend time on your own mini-application project.
• Continuation exercises and application of ideas in constructing modules, lessons, and pages.
• Assessing and applying simple software for simple lessons and courses.
• Exercises using basic authoring software (software exercises are designed for non-techies and are simplified.)

Day 3
Engage and Involve learners – learn how to write programs that combine activities, exercises and discovery which help learners transform learning to on-the-job applications.

• Adding simple interactivities using exercises, discovery, self-assessments, and basic scenarios.
• Applying interactivities into mini projects – exercises.
• Continuation exercises and application of ideas in constructing modules, lessons, pages, applying interactivities.
• Designing that extends to blended solutions with classroom, on-the-job training, coaching and also mentoring, apprenticeship programs.
• Applying publishing courses to an LMS (Learning Management System.)
• Exercise in publishing simple courses to an LMS (software exercises are designed for non-techies and are simplified.)

Day 4
Create blended learning – design e-learning that blends, supports, extends or enhances classroom programs, coaching sessions, OJT, and other learning activities.

• Continuation exercises and application of ideas in constructing modules, lessons, pages, applying interactivities.
• Designing that extends to blended solutions with classroom, on-the-job training, coaching and also mentoring, apprenticeship programs.
• Applying publishing courses to an LMS (Learning Management System.)
• Exercise in publishing simple courses to an LMS (software exercises are designed for non-techies and are simplified.)

Day 5
Controlling costs of development and implementing e-learning successfully – learn basic but very valuable cost control practices and methods in the design and development of your e-learning programs.
Assess learning – learn to assess the effectiveness of e-learning and showing results to your organization. Learn how to work with others including in-house clients, Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), graphic artists, writers, instructional designers, software developers, project managers, etc. in order to produce your projects on time and on budget.

• Using cost control tips: using templates and reusable tools, building libraries.
• Developing a plan on tracking results, ROI, assessment reports for leaders and managers.
• Reducing the costs of time with SMEs and other stakeholders.
• Assessing impacts of e-learning projects on the job.
• Selecting software; learning tricks and tips to avoid high costs in purchasing tools and software.
• Continuation exercises and application of ideas in constructing modules, lessons, pages, and applying interactivities.
• Adding simple interactivities using exercises, discovery, self-assessments, and basic scenarios.
• Exercise in publishing simple courses to an LMS (software exercises are designed for non-techies and are simplified.)
• Applying e-learning project management methods and practices.
• Successfully working with graphic artists, SMEs, software developers, writers and Instructional designers.
• Avoiding the high cost development of e-learning programs.
• Implementing rapid e-learning development.
• Review and presentations of mini-projects.
• Review of all learning and applications.
• Conclusion.

Online interaction opportunities and long term online and live references
You will have the ability to interact with facilitators and co-participants by using the Training magazine social learning and collaboration tool. Online and live references of exercises, demos, actual projects will be provided to you before, during and after the session.

Who Should Participate:
This certificate program is for:

• Subject-matter-experts who are responsible for implementing e-learning.
• Instructional designers who must convert content or create e-learning
• Instructors moving from in-person classroom training to the online learning.
• Documentation and technical writers creating content for online delivery.
• Managers who must lead and manage design and development of e-learning. 

Prerequisites:
To participate in this program, participants are required to have basic web browsing skills and have some minimal experience in participating in online events. It is recommended participants have attended an e-learning program and is involved in the design and implementation of an e-learning program.

This course is comprised of five (5) live online sessions. Plus there will be approximately 2 hours of pre-work before the first session. Each session is a combination of presentations by the instructor, previews of demos and examples, individual and group activities and applications, discussions and sharing.

Course Dates:
Session #1: Thursday, April 5, 2012
Session #2: Thursday, April 12, 2012
Session #3: Thursday, April 19, 2012
Session #4: Thursday, April 26, 2012
Session #5: Thursday, May 3, 2012
RAIN DATE: Thursday, May 10, 2012 (The 'Rain Date' is a date to reserve on your calendar. It will be used in the unlikely event that an earlier schedule course can not run as planned due to technical difficulties or a speaker emergency.)

Course Times:
All sessions will last 4 hours. The first 2-2.5 hours of each session are instructor-led. The remaining time will consist of self-driven time where you will have the opportunity to do your projects and homework on your own, or stay online and work with/ask questions of your instructor and peers. An online collaboration tool will be provided to share from everyone's projects and interactions.

Here is the time of the sessions listed for various time zones:

• 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Pacific Time (PT)
• 11:00 am - 3:00 pm Mountain Time (MT)
• 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm Central Time (CT)
• 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm Eastern Time

For times in other cities, visit this link. Live sessions will be recorded for those who wish to go back and review or who must miss a live session.

Live sessions will be recorded for those who wish to go back and review or who must miss a live session. Participants are expected to participate in every meeting plus perform the pre-workshop activity.

Registration details:

Register for this certificate program now to reserve a virtual seat. See below.

Early-Bird Registration On/Before March 5, 2012: US $1,145
Registration after March 5, 2012: US $1,295

Train as a Team and Save!
For questions on group discounts, call 612.340.4742, or contact Leah@Trainingmag.com for details.

Course Equipment (IMPORTANT)
You'll participate in online and collaborative activities in a number of ways, each designed to provide a unique means to interact and learn from experts and colleagues. All course delivery software operates at Internet connection speeds of 56.6 kbps or better, on PC, Mac and Unix platforms. Programs will use teleconferencing or VoIP (voice over Internet Protocal.) The login instructions emailed to you approximately one week prior to the start of the course will outline platform use as well as any headset requirements or suggestions. Each registrant must provide their own laptop or desktop computer and other equipment (such as a headset) in order to fully and successfully participate in the course. Please test your login information a minimum of 48 hours in advance on your course start date on the computer you will be using for the course.