With the advent of technologies like Artificial Intelligence, RPA, Process Mining, IPaaS, etc. more and more businesses are looking to optimize and automate their processes. And that means there's a growing demand for people who are skilled in Process Automation. And that's where training providers like us, the Automation Academy, come in. We offer a wide range of digital courses for the needed skills of our customers. So how do we go about creating these learning pieces? Read on!
Behind the Curtain of the Automation Academy
At our Academy, we are dedicated to creating digital trainings that will help you take advantage of new technologies in the sphere of Process Automation. But it's not just about creating courses; it's about creating meaningful work for everyone involved.
We believe that everyone has something to contribute to the overall business and that by freeing people from repetitive work we can create something truly special.
Creating didactical concepts for cutting-edge technologies and on different skill levels can be challenging. But we're up for the challenge.
Common Steps ensure lesser Tears
We have collaborated with over 20 different trainers on a variety of topics to create E-learning courses for our Automation Academy. From the outside, these trainings look polished and easy to navigate, with funny memes and attractive designs.
But here’s what we – as creators of these courses – really go through:
- Where is this button coming from?
- Does this graphic belong here?
- The audio is not understandable. We need to record that again!
- Is this concept too high level?
- Do we need to include that topic as well?
- Didn’t the other trainer say the complete opposite?!
Our dedicated creators put a lot of thought into their work. The following are just small excerpts from their musings.
However, there are some common steps that can be followed to ensure a successful outcome and fewer tears.
Step 1: Research
We dream up an interesting topic. This can be inspired by us keeping up with the latest trends and developments. Or it could come from users who request a specific topic. Or it might come from experts suggesting a topic they're knowledgeable about.
Step 2: Validation
We need to make sure the topic is valid, and then we can move on. How does it compare with the other modules in our current portfolio? Are there any topics that overlap with other modules? What kind of background knowledge is required? Who is this module relevant to? Once we have answered these questions, we continue.
Step 3: Concept
Together with the trainer, we work out which learning goals we want to achieve in the course and how we can implement them best through content and methods. At the end of this stage, both sides agree on a teaching concept that meets the needs.
Step 4: Co-Creation
During this phase, both parties work together to shape the content of the course. Let it be a presentation, a video, infographics or plain text. We will make sure that everything meets our content, didactic and design criteria. To do this, we use a number of professional tools to make sure everything looks and feels the way we expect it to. This phase usually takes the longest and oftentimes harshly depletes our supplies of coffee and sweets.
Step 5: Reviewing
Before going live, the E-Learning and all corresponding materials will be reviewed by didactical experts, content experts, design experts, and test users. Here, the last bugs - hopefully - undergo a final pest control.
Step 6: Implementation
Time to shine! This is where the module gets implemented into our portfolio and made accessible for all our academy users. Phew – what a ride! Wait, why is this button still here?
And that's just the beginning of a newborn course's lifecycle! What follows is a never-ending cycle of adaptation and improvement.
The End is just the Beginning
Yes, creating courses for new technologies can be challenging and even tough sometimes, but we love what we do! These phases are what we live and breathe for.
We're always looking for ways to improve and expand our courses so that they are more valuable and relevant to our users.
If you are missing a course or topic in our portfolio that we need to cover, feel free to contact us.
