How to Leverage Wordml for Online Training
The Instructional Systems Designer (ISD) is central to translating material supplied by the Subject Matter Expert (SME) into effective online training. As champion of the learner the ISD organizes content according to an educational model designed to maximize instructional quality. The ISD has an understanding of both educational theory and technology. It is important that all members of a training development team work to support the ISD.
Turning content into effective training is a creative process and we all work best using software that is familiar and full-featured. An ISD may work on dozens of projects in a year for dozens of clients. It is tempting to require ISDs to use company-supplied templates (such as Dreamweaver templates) or custom software (like a “tool” with pre-defined fields and limited word processing features). Such requirements interfere with the work of organizing content in any way other than that imposed by the tool or the template. Often an ISD must prepare training while learning a tool or template, which has a negative impact on training products. It is not uncommon for ISDs to learn a new tool for every other course they work on. We all can tell when training has been prepared by a data-entry person, or by an ISD constrained to do data-entry work.
Try this approach using Wordml, Microsoft’s formatting tags. ISDs can work in MS Word, and then save their course outline as XML that can be utilized again in MS Word storyboards, interactive applications or HTML web pages. ISDs retain the ability to open their original document in MS Word, make edits, and view those edits as part of an online course without additional steps.
Topics covered:
- MS Word Outline to XML
- XML Outline to MS Word Storyboards
- XML Outline to Flash
- XML Outline to HTML
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