Granular Thinking for LMS Content Design

Granular ThinkingThe Building Blocks for

Efficient, Reusable, and Sustainable LMS Content

Existing OC FOH-MIT Program

• 5 Critical Management Functions• Hospitality Culture for Managers• Responsible Alcohol Service• Guest Relations• Reducing Waste• OC Business and Work Philosophies• Safety & Risk Management• Fundamentals of Managing People• Managing Inventory

Most likely, no one would think it was a good idea to put all of these topics into one “piece” of e-learning content.



Instead, they would break up each of these into a lesson. The idea being that lessons that are common between brands can be “plugged” in to multiple programs.




At first glance, we might think all but one of these is a reusable lesson.




If that was true, we might think we could plug in lessons like this.


New OC FOH-MIT Program

New GBFOH-MIT Program

New RBFOH-MIT Program

• 5 Critical Management Functions

• Hospitality Culture for Managers

• Responsible Alcohol Service

• Guest Relations

• Reducing Waste

• OC Business and Work Philosophies

• Safety & Risk Management

• Fundamentals of Managing People

• Managing Inventory




• Guest Relations

• Reducing Waste








• Guest Relations

• Reducing Waste







• Guest Relations

• Reducing Waste







• Guest Relations

• Reducing Waste







• Guest Relations

• Reducing Waste






Woohoo! It looks like we only need to make unique content for lessons on GB and RB Business and Work Philosophies!








• Guest Relations

• Reducing Waste








• Guest Relations

• Reducing Waste








• Guest Relations

• Reducing Waste







• Guest Relations

• Reducing Waste







• Guest Relations

• Reducing Waste







• Guest Relations

• Reducing Waste













• Guest Relations

• Reducing Waste








• Guest Relations

• Reducing Waste








• Guest Relations

• Reducing Waste







• Guest Relations

• Reducing Waste







• Guest Relations

• Reducing Waste







• Guest Relations

• Reducing Waste







…but, first glances can be deceiving.

The principle of reusability in e-learning means that one instance of content in the LMS can be used in multiple places without any modifications at all.




So, we must think at a more granular level to be sure that we have created truly reusable content.




If we look at the lesson on Managing Inventory at a more granular level, we might see things a bit differently.




Perhaps the Managing Inventory is made up of all these parts.

• Managing Inventory Placing an Order Receiving an Order Key Drops or Dark Drops Maintaining Inventory Levels Best Practices Approved Vendors




In terms of reusability, let’s say the first five “pieces” of Managing Inventory can be 100% the same for all brands.

However, let’s say each brand has different vendors. So, the last piece cannot be the same for each brand.




What to do then? Here is where many instructional designers who are not thinking about their LMS architecture make a mistake.


Here is an ill-advised path that many IDs go down:• Create an “OC Managing Inventory” course in their e-learning design software (like

Storyline) that includes all six parts• Make a copy of that Storyline file and then modify the last part to fit GB• Make another copy and then modify the last part to fit RB




• OC Managing Inventory Placing an Order Receiving an Order Key/Dark Drops Maintaining Inv Best Practices OC Vendors

• GB Managing Inventory Placing an Order Receiving an Order Key/Dark Drops Maintaining Inv Best Practices GB Vendors

• RB Managing Inventory Placing an Order Receiving an Order Key/Dark Drops Maintaining Inv Best Practices RB Vendors


Why is that ill-advised? • Even though each brand’s Managing Inventory lesson content is rough 85% the same,

we have put three separate copies of the matching content in the LMS.• If anything changes or needs editing in the Placing an Order, Receiving an Order, Key

Drops or Dark Drops, Maintaining Inventory Levels, or Best Practices sections, we will have to modify, republish, and upload three separate Storyline files to effect one change in content across all brands’ MIT Programs.

• Each time we put duplicate copies of the same content into the LMS, we make long-term LMS maintenance and administration less efficient. Thus, more resources go toward LMS maintenance and take resources away from developing new content and training.


















The better path for IDs to go down is this:• Create one “Managing Inventory” file in Storyline that includes the first five parts that are the

same for all brands. Load that course into the Craftworks level of the LMS.• Create three separate “Approved Vendor” Storyline files, one for each brand, and upload

them into the LMS in each brand’s appropriate campus.• Order the content in the MIT Programs so that learners in all brands see the shared

“Managing Inventory” content first, and then each sees only the “Vendor” content for his/her own brand.

• OC Approved Vendors • GB Approved Vendors • RB Approved Vendors

• CW Managing Inventory Placing an Order Receiving an Order Key/Dark Drops Maintaining Inv Best Practices





Why is this better?• One edit, republish, and upload of the single “Managing Inventory” Storyline file updates the

shared content across all brands’ MIT content.• This reduces the chances of missing information that needs an update. With each separate

instance of the same content/information in the LMS, we increase the likelihood that the information that needs an update will be missed in one spot or another.



In e-learning jargon, we call each one of these individual pieces of content a Learning Object (LO). • OC Approved Vendors • GB Approved Vendors • RB Approved Vendors


Learning Object

Learning Object Learning Object Learning Object

Principles of Reusable LO Design• Each LO should be designed to BOTH teach a complete concept or skill on its own AND fit neatly

into multiple sequences of LOs that make up larger “lessons” or programs• The goal is to design as many LOs as possible that work across as the maximum number of

brands and roles• As much as possible, no two LOs for the same organization should have matching content.

Where there is much overlap, there is an opportunity for a shared LO



Learning Object

Learning Object Learning Object Learning Object

Enemies of Effective Reusable LO Design

• Rushing into LO content development before analyzing which brands/roles will need the same or similar content.

• It’s hard to design an LO that works for as many audiences as possible if you’re only thinking about one audience when you write it.

• Make a list of all your organization’s planned learning programs. Use it to determine where LOs will be shared and to inform the design of the shared content.

• Forgetting to leave out the small things (i.e. brand-specific or role-specific images, word choices, or other design elements)

• Don’t put images of one brand’s logo in an LO that could be shared across brands• Document design standards for Shared LOs and make sure everyone involved in content

development is using the standards

Granular ThinkingThe Building Blocks for

Efficient, Reusable, and Sustainable LMS Content

Documents

Granular Thinking for LMS Content Design