So things to consider before you decide to write e-learning content yourself.
I work for a company called Knowledge Anywhere that does (among other things) custom content development for e-learning. When we develop a course, content development is often a large part of the effort, and one key decision is who will write the content. Sometimes we write the content ourselves, based on source content provided by our clients, and sometimes our clients write content. Both approaches work well, and both approaches can be problematic. It depends on the situation.
So here are some things to consider if you’re working with a company like ours and aren’t sure who should write the content.
· Do I alone have the expertise to write the content? This is the key question, because if you have to write it, you have to write it. Generally, our clients need to write content if it’s highly technical or if a writer with the specialized knowledge required is not available or it would be too expensive to secure. (Writers with specialized skills can command high rates.) Or, the client may need to write the content if it relies on specialized knowledge available only within their organization; for example, an evolving go-to-market strategy for a new product. In some organizations only one or two people have this information and it changes frequently, which can be a tough environment for a writer.
· Do I have the time to write the content? Be honest. Most people don’t. Successful content writing requires focused blocks of free time, an uncommon commodity in most jobs. We frequently see clients volunteer to write content, with the best of intentions, then they struggle to get it done, because they don’t have the time. Writers block may be a factor as well.
· Can I write content that’s suitable for e-learning? In other words, can I write a course that flows, has interactivity that enhances the content and is within my organization’s capabilities and budget, has good assessments, etc.? Can I communicate with the team that will be coding the course? The type of course you’re writing matters here. It’s much simpler to write a PowerPoint that will be converted straight to e-learning using a tool such as Adobe Presenter then it is to write a storyboard for a highly interactive course. The expectations for the final product are lower, too.
· Do I have very definite ideas of what I want the course to be like? If you know exactly what you want, then you may want to write the course yourself. In the end that may be easier then iteratively working with a writer to get to the same point.
We consider these same factors when considering a project, because we don’t want to put ourselves in the situation where we can’t succeed.
