How to create an eLearning course: step by step

Do not begin with slides. Begin with the work. Ask what people need to do differently after the course, what currently gets in the way, and whether training can realistically close the gap.

Separate a knowledge or skill gap from problems caused by unclear processes, missing tools, workload or incentives. eLearning is useful when people need consistent knowledge, decisions, demonstrations or practice. It cannot repair a broken process.

Write a short design brief containing the audience, business need, desired behaviour, constraints and evidence of success. This becomes the test for every content decision later.

Turn the desired performance into a small number of outcomes. Prefer observable verbs such as identify, choose, calculate, demonstrate, diagnose or respond over vague verbs such as understand and know.

A useful outcome combines the action, relevant conditions and an acceptable standard. For example: “Given three customer scenarios, choose the correct escalation route in every case.”

Then decide what evidence would convince you that the learner can do it. This creates alignment between the outcome, practice and assessment. See the outcomes and assessment guide for a deeper method.

Collect source material from policies, SMEs, existing courses and real workplace examples. Then sort it into must know, useful reference and background. The course should contain what learners need to make the target decisions or perform the target tasks.

Move detailed reference material into job aids where possible. A shorter course with a useful reference is often more effective than forcing every policy detail into memory.

Map the course before polishing screens. A practical sequence is: relevance and context, essential explanation, worked example, learner practice, feedback, assessment and a concise summary or job aid.

For each section record the purpose, key message, learner activity, media needed and how it connects to an outcome. Storyboarding exposes gaps before they become expensive authoring changes.

Use the eLearning storyboarding guide for a complete example.

Use headings, short paragraphs and progressive disclosure so learners can see the structure. Use visuals when they explain relationships, processes or examples—not merely to decorate empty space.

Give learners meaningful decisions. A scenario, worked problem, sorting task or short retrieval question should require thought related to the outcome. Avoid interactions whose only purpose is making the learner click.

Build accessibility in from the start: keyboard access, visible focus, useful alternative text, captions, sufficient contrast and instructions that do not depend on colour or position alone.

If the outcome is to recognise a hazard, ask learners to recognise one in a realistic example. If the outcome is to choose an action, assess a decision. A recall-only quiz cannot demonstrate an applied skill.

Write plausible distractors based on genuine mistakes and explain why an answer is right or wrong. Decide the pass mark, attempts and completion rule before publishing.

Read how to design eLearning quizzes for question-writing examples.

Run three reviews: accuracy with the SME, learning-design quality with someone who was not immersed in the source material, and technical QA in the delivery environment.

Test links, media, keyboard use, mobile layouts, scoring, completion, resume behaviour and error states. If publishing to an LMS, test the exported package using an ordinary learner account.

Completion is not the same as effectiveness. After launch, examine assessment patterns, learner questions, support issues and—where possible—the workplace behaviour the course was intended to influence.

Keep a source version and release record so corrections are controlled. Treat the first release as the beginning of the improvement cycle rather than the end of the project.

When you are ready to package for an LMS, follow the SCORM publishing guide.