Just like a solid foundation is a must for every structure, similarly, the key to every successful e-learning course is its storyboard.
E-learning storyboards make the e-learning design and development process much more simple and efficient, as they not only help the visual design team to illustrate their ideas but also help them and the rapid authoring team or the e-learning development team to deliver engaging and visually rich e-learning experiences to their audience.
The detailing of a storyboard will depend on the size of the project, who will be using it, what software you have, and the authoring tool you’ll be using to build the elearning.
Here are some key reasons why storyboard is important for an e-learning course development:
1) Provides a documented plan of action
Unlike in most of the cases where the concepts are just discussed verbally, a storyboard serves as the blueprint for the module to the stakeholders as well as the e-learning course development team.
For example, On one hand through storyboard all stakeholders especially the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) can see a planned outline and a detailed course flow of the online course before the final output is developed and delivered. On the other hand, the storyboard also defines various inputs like On Screen Text (OST), audio script, visual layout and images/assets for the developers. It also helps them to visualize the e-learning module screen by screen before starting the module development.
2) Timely delivery of the e-learning course
Storyboarding allows an e-learning project in- charge to put a realistic timescale on a project. The storyboard contains details of different stages involved in course completion.The project in-charge can get a sign off on the storyboard from the client and also keep him informed about the progress at each stage. This will help to cut down on any wasted time and speed up the content creation process resulting in timely delivery of the course.
3) Identifying errors at the beginning itself
Errors such as narration, irrelevant multimedia, the flow of content etc. can be identified and eliminated at the beginning itself. This saves the much necessary time, effort, and cost that could disrupt the production phase.
4) Reduces additional cost
The storyboard helps in visualizing what the final course will look like. If the subject matter undergoes any changes during the development stage, it is rather easy to modify the storyboard and get an approval from the SME at that stage so that it does not have a massive impact on the production budget.
It is important that all the stakeholders involved in the project take the storyboard stage thoughtfully and give their sign off on the storyboard so that overall project development cost and time matches the planned estimates.
A good storyboard is not only a helpful guide for the development process but also a record of the final project for post-production management.
