Managing SMEs for Rapid e-Learning - Stories, Scenarios, Microlearning and Workflow Learning Platform

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Based on a study on Rapid e-Learning published by the e-Learning Guild, one cause of delays in e-learning development is the difficulty in working with subject matter experts (SMEs). I have interviewed and worked with hundreds of SMEs and one thing is clear to me: e-Learning developers don’t provide SMEs enough tools and guidance in producing the content efficiently and at the fastest time possible. Here are some tips I used and which have worked for me.

Most SMEs are focused on the completeness and accuracy of content. They are not necessarily concerned with what the learner needs to know to perform. Your role therefore is to convert the content into useful learning tools. Try to get an agreement with your SMEs on your respective roles.

Your focus is to convert content that allows learners to perform their jobs as quickly as possible. To achieve this, you need to introduce a process that will allow SMEs to provide you content to get your end results – learner performance.

The process needs to cover:

a.	Agreement of principles on why the process meets the best learning results, reduces cost, and speeds up delivery of the program.
b.	A set of questionnaire that you can use to interview SMEs with, or that SMEs can use as guide to write their content.
c.	Please see details of the SME Interview Guide (click here), SME Lesson Flow (click here), and SME Worksheet (click here).

Ray Jimenez, PhD
Vignettes Learning
“Helping Learners Learn Their Way”