Motivation / Self-Determination Theory: Motivating Learners in Online Courses
Learners keep going when a course helps them feel capable, in control and connected. In a self-paced course there is often no teacher to provide that, so the design has to.
Formative assessment / Formative Assessment Examples for Self-Paced Online Courses
Most lists of formative assessment examples assume a teacher who can see the class and change course mid-lesson. In a self-paced course, that decision has to be designed in advance, and that changes which examples work.
25 AI tools for learning design, and how to use them well
Which tool for which job, a prompt to try for each, five role starting kits and a buying checklist.
Instructional design / eLearning Script Writing: How to Write Narration That Sounds Human
A good eLearning script is written for the ear, works with the screen rather than reading it out, and is tested aloud before anyone records it. Here's an eight-step way to write one, with the research behind each step.
Careers / Instructional Designer Salary: What the Data Actually Shows
There's no official instructional designer salary. Government wage data and a large practitioner survey show a wide range, set mostly by sector and experience, with corporate roles paying more than universities.
Learning pyramid / The Learning Pyramid: Where the Famous Percentages Came From
The learning pyramid's retention figures have no study behind them: they began as a folk saying and gained numbers along the way. Its instinct, that learners should do something with what they learn, is sound.
How we evaluate
Every platform, scored the same way. In the open.
We build a real course on each platform, and score seven criteria from 1 to 5. Learning design counts for more than business tools.
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Online Learning Trends for 2027: Seven Shifts in the Data
Library
All library →What Is Elaborative Interrogation? Getting Learners to Explain Why
Asking learners to explain why a fact is true, or how a step works, helps them understand it. But the explanations take time, and wrong ones can do harm, so a course has to be built to catch them.
Are Learning Styles Debunked? What the Research Actually Shows
Microlearning Defined: What It Is and When Short Lessons Work
Characteristics of Effective Feedback: What the Research Says
Dual Coding Theory in Education: Making Visuals and Narration Work
Cognitive Load Theory in Instructional Design: What Fits in a Lesson
Guides
All guides →Online Course Completion Rates: What the Data Says and What Moves Them
The low completion figures quoted everywhere mostly come from free MOOCs and count everyone who clicked enrol. Measure your own course properly first, then fix the start, the length and the fit.
Bloom's Taxonomy Examples: Using It to Design an Online Course
Writing Multiple-Choice Questions That Teach as Well as Test
How to Storyboard an eLearning Module, Screen by Screen
How to Create an Online Course That Sells (and Teaches)
How to Write Learning Objectives Learners Can Actually Meet
Entry-Level Instructional Design Jobs: What Employers Ask For
Instructional Design Jobs for Former Teachers: Where Skills Transfer
An Online Course Design Checklist, Grounded in the Research
Trends
All trends →Thinkific Layoffs, Flat Creator Sales and a Move Upmarket
Thinkific cut 96 jobs in September to focus on Thinkific Plus, its offer for larger organisations. Six years of filings show why: creators' sales have stopped growing, and Plus is where the growth now is.
