Elements of Effective e-Learning Design

Link to article (By Andrew R. Brown & Bradley D. Voltz)
"Preparing and developing e-learning materials is a costly and time consuming enterprise. This paper highlights the elements of effective design that we consider assist in the development of high quality materials in a cost efficient way. We introduce six elements of design and discuss each in some detail:

1. Activity - Students are asked to undertake activities that provide an experience likely to lead them to the desired new understanding.
2. Scenario - An interesting context or scenario can assist the activity to have meaning.
3. Feedback - Experience becomes knowledge through reflection, which is enhanced by timely and appropriate criticism.
4. Delivery - Appropriate delivery to reach its full potential (e.g. PowerPoint, Multimedia Courseware, PDF, Excel, Breeze).
5. Context - Elements of activity, scenario, and feedback need to take into account the users? profiles and the delivery element needs to consider the technical infrastructure.
6. Influence - Extent to which the content benefits the user.

These elements focus on paying attention to the provision of a rich learning activity, situating this activity within an interesting story line, providing meaningful opportunities for student reflection and third party criticism, considering appropriate technologies for delivery, ensuring that the design is suitable for the context in which it will be used, and bearing in mind the personal, social, and environmental impact of the designed activities. Along the way, we describe how these design elements can be effectively utilized by contextualizing them with examples from an e-learning initiative."