Hello…I am a graphic designer that’s looking to enhance my skills. I have been working in the branding/design/marketing space for 20+ years, and use InDesign,Illustrator and Photoshop for nearly everything I do. My question is…to get into the e-learning space….do I need a different skill set? Do I need to learn Adobe captivate? I do a lot of digital layout…white papers, newsletters, e-books etc. that combine custom images with text, and I use InDesign for this. Does the e-learning community hire traditional graphic designers for this…or do I need some additional training? I’ve been consulting/contract designer for 10+ years, and want to be prepared for a “corporate” job sometime in the future. Thanks in advance.
My ideas, due to my past may be bit different. I am a civil engineer, but also a professional musician. I have been working in research, been a performer but also trained in a music high school, in a university college and was sent out a lot by college to train adults in the building sector as well. Looking out for any methodthat could improve the efficiency of training/coaching led me to eLearning authoring tools. After comparing tools I choose Captivate, never regretted that choice. It helped that I already was teaching Photoshop and other IT apps as well. I am an ACP but have no degree in ID, nor in IT.
To me a very important requirement for everyone involved in eLearning is the ‘pedagogical’ side which I find crucial! Design, tools expertise, theories will not lead to efficient eLearning assets if they are not supported by the real teacher intuition and empathy. If you have those talents, they can be developed, extended. If you don’t have that intuition/empathy, do not get into the eLearning world, you’ll not be happy.
Agree great question – I’m a Captivate Instructor and developer, but I also have an advantage of being an Adobe Certified Instructor / Designer having taught and worked with InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator and other tools in CC. Although I agree with Learning Plan comments above re eLearning, one of the things I feel that eLearning does not necessarily do well is graphic design. Most instructional designers are just that – instructional designers and most Captivate developers are developers. I think there is room for entry in the eLearning space as a graphic designer. I would be looking to partner / collaborate with a developer who is looking to elevate their work with well designed graphics and layouts. Most instructional designers do not have formal training in colour and design and I think there can be an opportunity for that kind of work, especially in the corporate space. Just remember, just like in the work you may have been involved with client’s do not necessarily appreciate or want to pay for good design. I would go ahead and learn Captivate to be familiar with the tool and some of its round tripping capabilities with Photoshop, Illustrator (not InDesign) but be prepared to learn a “different” Adobe interface. Best of luck in your endeavours
Hi Robyne, great question, and how long is a piece of string?
It comes down to whether you want to specialize or be a generalist. It would be a good idea to be across all the terms and acronyms and technologies that form part of the end to end e-learning development workflow.
You are part way there with your experience in Adobe products and being fluent in one of the e-learning authoring tools, like Captivate would certainly help your chances getting in to the e-learning space.
Understanding things like;
How LMSs (learning management systems) work
What is SCORM? (no need to dive too deep, just need to know when to turn in on and off)
Javascript (this helps take e-learning modules to the next level with extra interactivity and “smarts”)
HTML – All e-learning modules get published to HTML files
Understanding Instructional Design concepts and thinking
Recognizing and being familiar with the different Instructional Design models like; ADDIE, ASSURE, LXD to name a few . . .
There is lots out there, videos, blogs, channels, groups, forums.
Good luck Robyne!
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