On-Demand Training Content Overview
The following information is required for building on-demand trainings and the record keeping associated with offering the training. On-demand trainings are built with the following blocks:
- Trainer Information
- Training Information
- An Introductory Module
- 1-3 Content Modules
- A Wrap-Up Module
- A Resource Module
Here’s an overview of the building blocks of an on-demand training. Scroll down for details on what’s required to build an on-demand training.
Below, you’ll find details about the information required to build an on-demand training.
Trainer Information
The following information is required:
- Name
- Address
- Mobile Phone
- Resume
- Photo (square head-shot, at least 500×500 PX, JPG or PNG format)
- Bio (short and descriptive, primarily used for promotions)
- Social Media And Website Links (any and all you want to share)
Submit this information with your first training and then only when information needs updating. There’s no need to submit it with each training you submit.
Training Information
The following basic information is needed for each training session submitted.
Title
Start with an informative and attention grabbing title. Short and Sweet is best. You may find this article useful: 7 Tips To Create Attention Grabbing eLearning Course Titles
Description
The description should both provide an overview of the training and sell it to potential attendees since it will be used for marketing the session. Short and sweet is best, but include as much detail as you feel is necessary. Aim or 25-100 words. Consider starting with an attention-grabbing opening sentence and following it up with what will happen in the training.
Related Tags
Share a few words or short phrases describing the session. Please use all lowercase text and separate tags with commas.
Level Of Learning
Who is the intended audience–is it an introductory, intermediate, or advanced training?
Learning Objectives
Each training needs three Learning Objectives. Each should be a single sentence starting with “Attendees will…”
Learning Objectives should:
- Focus on what attendees are expected to learn in the training
- Be clear, realistic, and measurable
- Help attendees understand the content
- Assist the trainer in assessing attendee’s understanding of the topic
- Serve as building blocks for the trainings content
| Define | Compare | Observe |
| Examine | Acquire | Understand |
| Learn | Leave with | Deduce |
| Recognize | Demonstrate | Research |
| Produce | Differentiate | Organize |
Age Group Focus
What age ranges does your training focus on? You may select all that apply from the following options:
- Infants (birth to 12 months)
- Toddlers (12 months to 36 months)
- Preschool (36 months to 5 years)
- School-Age (5 years to 12 years)
- Adult
Target Audience
Who would benefit from your training? You may select all that apply from the following options:
- Program Administration
- Center-Based Staff Family/Group Home Providers
- Unlicensed Providers
- School-Age Staff
- Consultants
- Parents
Aim to keep training length in the 60-120 minute range. A session’s length is based on how long it takes the average attendee to consume the content and answer reflection questions. Topics should be broken into multiple parts if longer than two hours.
Introduction Module
The Introduction Module gives a short overview of the training that lets attendees know what to expect. Welcome attendees to the training and provide a brief text description or short (15-90 second) video overview of what’s to follow.
Boilerplate text about how to proceed through the training and how to reach out for technical help will be added to your introduction.
Content Modules
Content Modules are the core of your training. Submit information for each of your training’s Content Modules via the Content Module Uploader and submit video for your lessons with the Video Uploader.
ModulesÂ
Your training can have 1-3 Content Modules–each consisting of up to four Lessons.
Lessons
Lessons are the blocks of content that make up a Training Module. They can contain text, video, photos, and audio components in virtually any combination you see fit to share.
Lesson Length
Make individual lessons bite-sized. Ideally, attendees should be able to consume a lesson in 30 minute or less. Bite-sized lessons helps combat shortened attention spans, busy schedules, and other distractions as well as screen fatigue.
Adult Learning
Lessons should take into consideration the following things we know about adult learners:
Adult learners:
- Adult learners are internally motivated
- Adult learners are goal oriented
- Adult learners are practical
- Adult learners bring their life experience to every learning experience
- Adult learners expect to be respected
Media
Here are some general notes about the different types of media you can use to build your trainings. Don’t let any of the talk about video rendering, file types, or pixels splash mud on your ice-cream. Part of my job as publisher/editor is to help with those things. Have questions? As them.
Video
- Framing should be horizontal
- Pay attention to audio quality
- Original ‘Talking Head’ video of the trainer should be shot with a neutral background that does not distract from the speaker
- Make sure you have permission to use original video of kids at play and similar video featuring people who are not the trainer
- Original video should be rendered at 640×360 pixels
- Existing video (from YouTube for example) can be embedded in lessons
- Avoid videos over 20 minutes in length–shorter is better in most cases
Photos
- Make sure you have the rights to all photos used in your trainings
- Add photo credits to the images metadata when possible
- Photos should be at least 400 pixels wide–bigger is better
- In lessons, photos can be displayed individually, in gallerias, or in photo slideshows
Audio
- Audio should be processed at 96kbps mono
- MP3 or WAV file formats are preferred
Slide Shows
- Can be image-only or have audio voice-over
- Limit the use of transitions and animations
- Ideally, PowerPoint and other slideshows should be rendered as video
Text
- Capitalize all words in titles and headings
- Avoid fancy formatting in the text you submit. Formatting from document files sometimes makes things glitchy when pasted into webpages. Best to leave the fancy formatting out of the original text and wait to make things pretty when the training webpages are built
- Hyperlinks can be included in text
Links And PDFs
- Can be included in lessons, but use should be limited
- They involve a lot of clicking around and can distract from the flow the online experience
- It may be best to quote from these sources in your lesson and include these things on the trainings Resource page
Design Aesthetic
A few notes about the look of your on-demand training.
In an effort to both bring some cohesiveness to the aesthetic of the trainings we offer and best meet the needs of attendees, trainers should try to create content with a crisp, clean, minimalist look. Attendees should pay more attention to your content than your font choice.
This aesthetic has a practical purpose as well. Reviewing training evaluations for the last year, I found that a large percentage of attendees consume our trainings on smartphone or tablets. The minimalist aesthetic tends to make for easier consumption on small screens. In addition to this, not everyone has high-speed internet access and the pared-down look also tends to require less bandwidth.
This aesthetic doesn’t have to be boring, the work of presentation guru Garr Reynolds is an example:
Technical Support
When it comes to training development, I’m here to help as much or as little as need as you work through the process. For example I can,
- Help with topic selection
- Proofread
- Help with video/audio recording via zoom
- Help with slide design
- Listen to/look at test recordings
Branding
Avoid too much personal branding in your training sessions. A small and tastefully located logo or web address in the corner of a slide or photo is fine if you like, but don’t include much more than that.
That said, I want to push people to your personal content and help grow your tribe. All you links will be included on both the session’s registration page and resource page to push attendees in your direction. You’re also welcome to contribute original content to the Playvolution HQ website where each of your posts would have an author box with you social media links and links to your trainings.
Questions
Each lesson may includes up to four questions designed to assess learning and understanding. The following six question formats are possible:
- Multiple Choice
- True/False
- Fill In The Blank
- Short Answer Open-Ended Question
- Long Answer Open-Ended Question
- File Upload
Every training should include at least a couple open-ended questions that attempt to get the attendee to reflect on the material in your session. While they are open-ended, please avoid ‘Why?’ questions. They can come across as accusatory, leave people feeling defensive, and limit the openness and depth of the response we’re trying to draw from the attendee.
Wrap-Up Module
Share any final thoughts on your training topic and thank the attendee for completing the session.
A paragraph or two of boilerplate text about the logistics of completing the session evaluation and receiving a certificate will be added to your wrap-up.
Resource Module
Each on-demand training includes a Resource Page accessible after attendees completing the session. Please include links to books, articles, videos, and other materials you fell would be helpful to those interested in implementing ideas shared in the training.
Links to your social media and other sessions you’ve created will also be shared on this page. Links to related resources from the Playvolution HQ site may also be added.
In addition to the resources, attendees can use the Resource Page comment area to ask questions and share thoughts. I’ll monitor comments and share them with trainers as necessary.