This is the third article of a 3-part article series about storyboards and how they can be utilized in creating elearning courses.
In the past two articles, we discussed how a storyboard can assist in making e courses easier. In the first article, we highlighted how this tool makes content creation easier. Since it serves as a guide, it allows elearning course developers to smooth out any issues that may arise during the actual creation of the course. In the second article, we gave tips on how you can create a storyboard for online classes like a professional.
In the last part of this series, we will be discussing how you can use a storyboard without wasting your time. After all, this is an additional step in a long list of tasks that you need to accomplish before you can deliver your elearning course.
Some developers think that a storyboard is a waste of time. Instead of heading on to create e courses, why is there a need to map out the details?
Think of it this way. If you want to cook more efficiently, wouldn’t it be easier to prepare all your ingredients before you do the actual cooking? Sure some cooks can cut, slice, wash, and prep the ingredients while cooking but there are some who find it easier when everything is ready to be dumped into the pot.
A storyboard will help you create e courses easily because it gives you an idea about what lies ahead of you. It provides you with a roadmap of what you need to do and what you have to prepare to complete the tasks more efficiently and effectively. Even if creating the storyboard itself will cost you precious time, it will still help you finish the course creation faster. It beats doing the course, realizing the technique is wrong, and then re-doing everything.
Of course, you will only save time with a storyboard if you know how to do it correctly. But even if it does take you a bit longer to create the course now, think about the time that you can save for your future e courses. This storyboard does not have to be for one course only. You can set it up in such a way that will benefit future elearning courses that you will create.
Here are some tips that you can use to allow you to create a storyboard that will benefit the courses you will make in the future.
- Start with a format. It helps to create your storyboard in a spreadsheet so you can see everything in one glance. List the elements that you need to identify to help you create the e courses faster. Usually, you need to identify the title of the lesson, text, images, and other multimedia tools that are needed for every part of the course. Below is a table for your reference:
- Make it simple but make sure all the details are complete. Storyboards are not supposed to be detailed, but it has to cover everything that you need to complete the course. In the sample that we discussed, the storyboard is simple but you can see everything that needs to be done. When you start creating the e courses, you can simply copy the text.
- Create it in a platform that will allow you to make changes easily. Since you want this to be available for future use, make sure that you can revise it as needed. One of the platforms that you can use is a spreadsheet. It is also readily available so it should be easy to use.
The great thing about creating a storyboard that you can use for future e courses is that you can be consistent. This is great for courses that are part of a series.
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