E-learning is here to stay, and it’s only getting bigger. 

Content development for e-learning is the process of creating educational materials specifically designed for online delivery. It involves analyzing learner needs, setting learning objectives, planning course structure, creating multimedia content, testing for engagement and accessibility, and measuring performance to ensure the content is effective. 

This process is essential for delivering educational programs, employee training, or any form of online learning in a structured, engaging, and scalable way.

Creating effective e-learning content is crucial for various educational contexts, whether it’s for academic institutions, employee training, or independent online courses. Effective content design doesn’t just save time and resources; it ensures a consistent and scalable learning experience. 

In this article, we’ll cover the essential steps for developing e-learning content and provide best practices for instructional designers and course creators.

Overview of e-learning content development

Before diving into content creation, we will explore the development process:

1. Analyze 
2. Plan
3. Create
4. Test
5. Measure 

Each step is an important part of the process and can determine the effectiveness of your e-learning content. Let’s take a closer look. 

Analyze 

Before you begin creating your content, you need to understand your why. 

Start by understanding your learners’ needs. What do they want to achieve, and what are their pain points? Put yourself in their shoes. 

At the end of this stage, you should be able to ascertain what your learners are struggling with. 

Plan

Based on these insights, set clear goals based on what your students need. Outline your course structure and begin planning content that aligns with your objectives. Then, start writing learning objectives, and consider storyboarding or wireframing to help you visualize the work. 

Create

Start developing content based on your goals and plans. Make sure your content is both engaging and interactive. You should try creating a variety of media, which we discuss more later on. 

There are many instructional design tools to help you with e-learning content creation. 

Test

Review your content from the learner’s perspective, whether you do it yourself or ask someone else to take a look. Ensure accessibility for diverse learners and check that all interactive elements function properly.

Measure

After the course is live, track key performance indicators (KPIs), course metrics, and overall learner feedback. Pay attention to each individual content piece. Are students scoring well on quizzes after a lesson? Are they participating in discussions and sharing their excitement? Have they provided any feedback? Assess how the content is performing, and optimize it where necessary.

8 tips for designing effective e-learning content 

Now that we’ve had a quick overview, let’s dive into some concrete tips on how to design the most effective content for your e-learning environment.

1. Use instructional design principles

Instructional design principles, such as scaffolding, are foundational in creating effective e-learning content. Scaffolding is the practice of building a learner’s knowledge gradually, providing support as needed, and removing that support as they become more independent. 

Applying this principle helps learners build understanding step-by-step, which is crucial for complex subjects.

Bloom’s Taxonomy is a great concept to practice to naturally scaffold learning. It is also a framework that can help you set course objectives and directions. It consists of six main categories, from lowest difficulty to highest: 

1. Remember 
2. Understand
3. Apply
4. Analyze 
5. Evaluate
6. Create

 An example of applying Bloom’s Taxonomy would be the following: 

• Introducing the learner to a concept 
• Quizzing the learner on the new concept 
• Opening a discussion forum for students for collaboration 
• Asking the learner to participate in an interactive project  

Using instructional design principles in your course will help you build a strong foundation for a course that works. For more information about creating courses using these principles, check out our free ebook: How to Build Your First Online Course Using Principles of Instructional Design. 

2. Focus on your goals

Goal-setting is crucial for course development, and you must always keep your course goals in mind. 

Go back to the first step of the e-learning content development process to refine what your learners need and how your course can help them achieve that. Your course goals should be clear and SMART: 

• Specific 
• Measurable 
• Achievable 
• Relevant 
• Time-bound 

Whether you’re developing modules, quizzes, or activities, everything should align with the course objectives. 

You can even set goals for specific aspects of your course, not just the final outcome. Set goals for yourself to deliver relevant content and assessments or to increase student engagement through e-learning content. 

By keeping your focus, you ensure that all content serves a purpose and contributes to the learner’s success.

3. Keep it brief 

The concept of microlearning has gained popularity due to its effectiveness. Microlearning involves breaking content into smaller, digestible chunks. 

Research shows that learners engage better with shorter lessons, which allows them to retain more information. In fact, one study reported that companies that employ microlearning saw a 130% increase in employee engagement! 

Designing e-learning content this way helps learners stay focused and absorb information efficiently. Microlearning can come in various forms, including: 

• Videos 
• Articles 
• Infographics 
• Quizzes 
• Audio 

The easiest way to implement microlearning in your course is to break up course material and keep them short. Aim for anywhere from one to 15 minutes.  

4. Prioritize accessibility

Accessibility is key for ensuring that all learners can participate fully in your course. Follow standard accessible design principles when branding your course, and try some proven tactics like the following: 

• Add subtitles and transcripts 
• Use inclusive language 
• Include alt text on images 
• Prioritize microlearning 
• Consider blended learning 

The right platform can help get you started and lays the foundation for accessibility. You can try a specific learning management system, like LearnDash LMS, or customize your preferred platform.  

5. Spend more time planning

We discussed planning as the second step in the e-learning content development process, and this isn’t a step you should gloss over. You should spend even more time planning. Go in as much detail as possible and take more time if needed. Investing this additional time will help guide you through a seamless content development process. 

Here are some ways you can make your planning stage more effective: 

• Outline the course 
• Storyboard or mind map 
• Gather feedback in the early stages 
• Imagine how the course will flow 

As you plan, consider which formats and delivery methods work best with your content to meet your objectives and create a plan for how you will develop such content. 

6. Offer mobile learning

With the rise of mobile usage, offering mobile-friendly learning is essential. It also has many benefits, including: 

• Increased learner motivation and engagement 
• Saves time and resources 
• Offers flexibility and convenience for learners 

Learners should be able to access course content on their phones or tablets, ensuring they can engage with materials anywhere, anytime. Your LMS platform should support mobile learning with responsive design, making it easy to deliver courses across devices.

7. Make it fun

Engagement is a major factor in successful learning. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to make the course more interactive and engaging. Try the following: 

• Cohort-based learning: Depending on the course material, your students may benefit from being in a cohort where they go through the course together and work on the same course content at the same time. One LearnDash customer, Mellor Financial Training Academy, has had great success with this approach. 
• Blended learning: Instead of having your course completely online or in-person, try both with a hybrid course. Blended learning pairs well with cohort-based learning, and helps if your learners would benefit from traditional instruction. 
• Gamification: Gamifying your course is easy with a platform like LearnDash LMS, and it can greatly increase overall learner satisfaction and engagement. Create a leaderboard, reward learners with badges, and offer course certifications. 
• Discussion forums: In online learning, collaboration is valuable to learner success, and discussion forums are an excellent way to get learners together. 
• Live sessions: If you like the idea of blended learning for live instruction, you can do so online with a virtual classroom or webinar. Host office hours or a live course to get learners excited about real-time learning. Be sure to provide plenty of time for discussion and questions. 

Learners who are actively engaged retain information better and are more likely to complete courses.

8. Mix up course media

Variety is key to keeping learners engaged. Incorporating different types of media can enhance the learning experience. 

Plus, learners learn differently, which is why multimodal learning is so popular. This approach recognizes that individuals have diverse learning styles and preferences. By incorporating a range of stimuli and activities, multimodal learning caters to the needs of different students more effectively. 

There are multiple types of multimodal learning. Here are different ways you can address each type in your course to make effective e-learning content: 

• Visual: Images, diagrams, charts, and videos 
• Auditory: Podcasts, videos, and webinars
• Reading and Writing: Books, essays, articles, and word games 
• Kinesthetic: Hands-on projects, experiments, and field trips 

Using a mix of media helps cater to different learning styles. Be sure your LMS can accommodate these. LearnDash LMS supports a wide range of media types, like infographics, images, documents, articles, audio, visual, third-party media, and more, allowing you to create dynamic and interactive content to keep your learners engaged.

Create a high-impact course with LearnDash

Designing effective e-learning content requires careful planning and the application of instructional design principles to ensure an engaging and accessible learning experience. By following steps like analyzing learner needs, setting clear goals, and using a mix of media and interactive elements, course creators like you can optimize content for success.

When developing e-learning content, using the right tools can streamline the process. LearnDash LMS offers many features to assist with course creation, including its intuitive drag-and-drop interface and premade modules. 

Plus, LearnDash LMS makes it easier to implement the best practices we’ve listed. Its features—such as gamification, mobile learning support, and robust analytics—allow you to create courses that not only meet learner needs but also adapt to the latest instructional design trends. Learn more about LearnDash from a customer to see how this LMS operates in action.

If you’re ready to build a high-impact course, try the LearnDash demo today and experience firsthand how this platform can elevate your e-learning content.