Online Learning Design Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Learning and Development Managers, Instructional Designers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-EM-110

Before you join: Participants should have experience supporting, managing, delivering or commissioning training, education or staff development.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Online courses often fail not because the subject matter is weak, but because designers start with slides or platform features rather than job performance. Education managers must convert policy, product, compliance or operational requirements into learning that fits busy staff, supports varied access needs and produces defensible evidence of competence. They also need to coordinate subject-matter experts, facilitators, media producers and learning-platform administrators while protecting quality, accessibility and version control. This course addresses those decisions from initial request through evaluation and revision.

Participants use ADDIE, backward design, Bloom's revised taxonomy and constructive alignment to define audiences, write observable objectives and select valid evidence. They build course maps, lesson sequences, storyboards, scenarios, live-session plans, discussion protocols and assessment blueprints. The course also covers Universal Design for Learning, WCAG 2.2, accessible documents and media, Learning Management System configuration, SCORM, xAPI, quality assurance, pilot testing and Kirkpatrick evaluation. By the end, participants can specify an online course that developers and facilitators can build, deliver and evaluate without guessing at intent.

Instruction is instructor-led in a classroom or live online setting, using short briefings, case analysis, team design work, platform and content examples, peer critique and structured application planning. Cases can be drawn from public services, banking compliance, NGO field operations and corporate onboarding. Each participant develops a design pack for a current or planned online learning intervention: a design brief, aligned course map, storyboard sample, assessment blueprint, accessibility checklist and evaluation plan. The course runs for five days, 08:30–16:30, in more than 50 cities or live online, and includes a certificate of completion.

What you will be able to do

  • Diagnose learner, performance and delivery requirements using a structured design brief
  • Write measurable learning objectives using Bloom's revised taxonomy and performance criteria
  • Construct aligned course maps linking objectives, activities, assessments and learning resources
  • Design online lessons, scenarios and live sessions using evidence-based instructional methods
  • Create valid assessment blueprints, rubrics and feedback plans for online learning
  • Configure accessible learning content requirements using Universal Design for Learning and WCAG 2.2
  • Manage online course development through RACI, review cycles, pilots and quality assurance
  • Evaluate course effectiveness using Kirkpatrick measures, learning analytics and iteration backlogs

Benefits of attending

For you

  • A repeatable method for converting training requests into design specifications
  • Stronger course design decisions supported by objectives, evidence and learner analysis
  • Practical accessibility criteria for reviewing content before publication
  • Greater confidence working with subject-matter experts, developers and LMS teams
  • A portfolio-ready online course design pack for a workplace project

For your organisation

  • Online courses tied more clearly to job performance and operational measures
  • Fewer late-stage revisions through defined requirements, review gates and ownership
  • More consistent assessment quality across compliance, onboarding and technical training
  • Reduced accessibility risk through planned WCAG 2.2 and UDL requirements
  • Usable evaluation data for improving completion, capability and course maintenance

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can diagnose a learning request and produce a structured online course design brief.

  • Business goals translated into measurable learner performance and evidence requirements
  • Stakeholder interviews distinguish operational problems from training requests and assumptions
  • Performance consulting identifies knowledge, skill, process, and motivation gaps
  • Personas capture learner roles, prior knowledge, constraints, and technology access
  • Context analysis maps devices, bandwidth, work schedules, languages, and accessibility needs
  • Design briefs define scope, success measures, governance, risks, and approval gates

Participants can define measurable objectives and align them to a coherent course structure.

  • ADDIE decisions connect analysis findings to design, development, delivery, and evaluation
  • Bloom's revised taxonomy separates recall, application, analysis, evaluation, and creation
  • Observable objectives use condition, behaviour, and criterion statements
  • Constructive alignment links objectives, activities, assessments, and workplace performance
  • Backward design starts with evidence before selecting instructional content
  • Content inventories identify essential knowledge, supporting resources, and removable material

Participants can design structured online lessons and document them for development and delivery.

  • Chunking reduces cognitive load through purposeful lesson and screen boundaries
  • Gagné's nine events structure attention, practice, feedback, and retention
  • Worked examples sequence novice decisions before independent problem solving
  • Storyboards specify screen purpose, media, interactions, narration, and developer notes
  • Microlearning fits discrete tasks without fragmenting prerequisite knowledge
  • Scenario architecture uses roles, consequences, branches, and realistic decision points

Participants can design facilitated sessions and collaborative activities that sustain learner participation.

  • Adult learning principles connect relevance, autonomy, experience, and immediate application
  • Community of Inquiry balances teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence
  • Facilitator guides create prompts, timings, escalation routes, and debrief questions
  • Discussion protocols set expectations for contribution quality, response, and moderation
  • Collaborative tasks assign interdependent roles, shared outputs, and accountability criteria
  • Live-session design combines polling, breakout work, demonstration, and reflection

Participants can create valid online assessments and feedback processes aligned to course objectives.

  • Assessment blueprints map objectives, evidence types, scoring, and feedback points
  • Selected-response items avoid cueing, ambiguity, implausible distractors, and negative wording
  • Performance assessments use criteria, conditions, and observable workplace outputs
  • Analytic rubrics separate dimensions, performance levels, descriptors, and score weights
  • Feedback models specify timing, source, action, and resubmission opportunities
  • Academic integrity controls address identity, authorship, source use, and assessment security

Participants can specify accessible and inclusive requirements for online learning content and activities.

  • Universal Design for Learning offers multiple engagement, representation, and action options
  • WCAG 2.2 criteria guide text alternatives, contrast, keyboard access, and captions
  • Plain-language editing improves instructions, headings, terminology, and reading load
  • Accessible documents use heading styles, reading order, tables, and descriptive links
  • Media transcripts and captions support access, search, translation, and review
  • Inclusive examples avoid stereotypes and reflect relevant learner roles

Participants can specify platform, content and media requirements for an online course build.

  • LMS configuration aligns modules, release conditions, groups, gradebook, and notifications
  • SCORM packages track completion, scores, status, and learner interactions
  • xAPI statements capture learning experiences beyond a single learning platform
  • Authoring-tool selection weighs interaction needs, maintenance, publishing, and accessibility
  • Media production plans set formats, scripts, review cycles, and ownership
  • Quality assurance checks links, settings, assessment logic, devices, and permissions

Participants can manage course development through clear ownership, review controls and pilot testing.

  • Project plans sequence design, build, review, pilot, launch, and maintenance
  • RACI matrices assign accountable owners for content, approvals, technology, and support
  • Subject-matter expert reviews distinguish factual accuracy from instructional suitability
  • Version control records changes, decisions, source files, and release dates
  • Pilot protocols collect usability findings, learner reactions, and completion barriers
  • Risk registers address late content, platform failures, approvals, and accessibility defects

Participants can evaluate online course performance and prioritise improvements using evidence.

  • Kirkpatrick evaluation questions separate reaction, learning, behaviour, and results evidence
  • Learning analytics track enrolment, progress, completion, assessment, and engagement patterns
  • Completion data is interpreted alongside audience, access, and assignment conditions
  • Item analysis identifies difficult questions, weak distractors, and scoring anomalies
  • Evaluation dashboards connect course measures to agreed business performance indicators
  • Iteration backlogs prioritise fixes using evidence, impact, effort, and urgency

Participants can assemble an implementation-ready course specification and action plan.

  • Design specifications consolidate audience, objectives, sequence, media, assessments, and accessibility
  • Course maps show module flow, prerequisites, estimated effort, and release rules
  • Quality Matters review criteria test alignment, instructions, resources, and learner support
  • Peer review identifies unclear instructions, gaps, overload, and inconsistent feedback
  • Implementation plans schedule communications, facilitator preparation, enrolment, and learner support
  • Personal application plans set a first project, milestones, sponsors, and measures

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Online learning design brief template
  2. Constructively aligned course map
  3. Lesson storyboard and scenario model
  4. Assessment blueprint and analytic rubric
  5. Accessibility and quality assurance checklist
  6. Kirkpatrick evaluation and iteration plan

Who should attend

  • Learning and Development Managers — responsible for commissioning and assuring online learning programmes
  • Instructional Designers — need a repeatable method for designing aligned digital learning
  • Education Managers — oversee curriculum quality, delivery standards and learner outcomes
  • Training Managers — convert classroom programmes into structured online or blended courses
  • Subject-Matter Experts — contribute accurate content while working effectively with learning designers
  • LMS Administrators — need to understand instructional requirements behind platform configuration

Skills and tools covered

Online course architectureLearning objective writingAssessment designAccessible learning designLMS content managementLearning evaluation

Tools and standards

ADDIE, Bloom's revised taxonomy, Universal Design for Learning, Quality Matters rubric

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course combines concise instructor briefings with case analysis, group design tasks, peer review and facilitated critique. Participants analyse realistic online learning requests, draft design decisions, test alignment between objectives and assessments, and review examples of accessible content, LMS structures and evaluation data. Simulated stakeholder discussions develop practical judgement around scope, evidence and quality standards. Individual application planning helps participants adapt the methods to a current course, conversion project or new learning programme.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have experience supporting, managing, delivering or commissioning training, education or staff development. Familiarity with common online learning formats, such as webinars, self-paced modules or Learning Management Systems, is useful. Participants should be able to describe a real learning need from their workplace and review written course materials critically. No prior instructional design qualification, programming experience, graphic design skill or specialist authoring-tool certification is required. The course teaches design methods rather than mastery of a particular software product.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should have some experience in training, education, staff development or learning programme management. You do not need a formal instructional design qualification or advanced technical skills.

Bring a laptop if attending in person and, where possible, a current course, training request or learning challenge from your workplace. Participants can use supplied templates if they do not have an active project.

The course suits learning and development staff, education managers, instructional designers, training managers, subject-matter experts and LMS administrators. It is particularly useful for people responsible for designing, commissioning or reviewing online courses.

This course focuses on instructional decisions: learner analysis, alignment, lesson structure, assessment, accessibility and evaluation. It explains how platform and content standards affect design, but it does not teach mastery of one specific LMS or authoring application.

You will develop a design pack that can be used for a new course, a classroom-to-online conversion or a quality review of an existing programme. The templates support conversations with subject-matter experts, developers, facilitators and senior sponsors.

Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. The programme progresses through ten connected modules, with time for design work, case analysis, feedback and application planning between instructor briefings.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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