There is no “I” in the word team. When building a house there are many people who specialize in different fields that come together to complete the project. In the eLearning industry, you can’t go it alone either. Behind any good eLearning experience, is an amazing team.
Project Manager
Every ship needs a captain. A project manager (PM) leads your team and ensures that a project runs smoothly. The PM is responsible for setting and keeping your team on schedule. He or she will have regular check-ins and meetings to keep the team up to date with progress. If the team falls behind schedule, then the PM will create a plan to ensure that deadlines are met.
The project manager serves as the main point of contact within the team and even at times with the client. If there are problems, then it’s their job to discuss possible solutions. And probably equally important, the project manager is there to inspire and motivate their team.
Instructional Designer
The instructional designer (ID) is responsible for planning out the course that your team will be creating. Using their knowledge of learning theories, design principles, and analyses that they’ve conducted, the ID will outline how to address knowledge gaps and objectives to meet the needs of your learners.
In some cases, the instructional designer will be familiar with learning management systems (LMS) and authoring tools. Their goal is to provide a vision for an engaging and informative learning experience.
SME
SME stands for subject matter expert. Your team may have more than one SME and their job is as the name states; to be an expert in the subject that you are building your course around.
For example, there is no need for anyone on your team to know everything about nursing, just because you have to build a new training program for nurses. That’s where the SME comes in. The SME will provide expert content information on nursing (or whatever field they’re in) for the instructional designer and anyone else on the team who requires it.
eLearning Developer
This individual may wear several hats because the eLearning developer must take the vision of the instructional designer, and make it into a concrete interactive course. This may require skills in graphic design, coding, audio, video, LMS infrastructure, course authoring tools, and more.
The eLearning developer combined with the instructional designer and project manager can quickly produce learning solutions for a course. All while using the latest and most effective technologies, effective ID methodologies, and project management skills to meet your team’s learning and development goals.
Quality Assurance Tester
Your quality assurance (QA) tester is last on your team, but certainly not least. Once your course is complete, it is the job of the QA tester to check everything with a fine-tooth comb. We’re talking about typos, navigation errors, outdated content, ineffective hyperlinks, and other technical glitches. After all that hard work of creating a great course, if it’s not user friendly then your learners will lose interest very quickly. The QA tester is really your last line of defense.
No one said creating an eLearning course was a simple process, but having a well qualified and dedicated team can make it easier. Like any other team, each member plays a certain role. No one is able to complete the project alone without the others. So, take your time in how and who you pick to be on your team. It will certainly pay off in the end.
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