How eClarity Helped Me as a New Instructional Designer
I was new to the world of Instructional Design when I started at KnowledgeNow in 2022. Although I had worked in post-secondary education for more than a decade and had lots of experience with teaching and learning, some instructional design terminology and methods were new to me. If you’re interested in learning more about my journey of becoming a senior Instructional Designer (ID), read my blog post My Instructional Design Journey: Five Lessons Learned.
When I began at KnowledgeNow, I was immediately introduced to a software tool called eClarity. It’s a Learning Design System (LDS) built by KnowledgeNow. We use it to guide ourselves and our clients through the process of designing and developing a course. Because I was new to instructional design and eLearning, eClarity made the process easy for me. It quickly became an essential part of my toolkit at work.
Image Description: The image shows a young woman with long, dark wavy hair, smiling as she works on a laptop. She is seated in a bright, comfortable room with a bookshelf in the background. On the left side of the image, there is a screenshot of an online course module titled "Module 1: Getting Started: Understanding Accessibility." The module lists tasks like "Define accessibility," "Explain why accessibility is important," and "Identify barriers." The overall impression is of someone engaged in learning about accessibility in a relaxed home environment.
Being able to screen-share the eClarity platform with my clients during meetings is an effective way to help them learn how to design an eLearning course. We use an agile ADDIE model at KnowledgeNow which begins with the analysis phase. Using eClarity, I’m able to ask my clients key questions about their learners, what solutions their training or course is expected to provide, and other important questions that assist the design and development of their project. All the questions I need to ask during this phase are right there for me, and eClarity captures all the client’s needs.
Once the analysis phase is complete, I can easily begin to map out how the modules of the course will be structured using the Macro Design feature of eClarity. The system easily generates course learning outcomes that I can accept, reject or edit. Once the Macro Design is complete, I can move to the Micro Design. During this phase, I determine the topics and subtopics for each module, as well as their learning outcomes. Once my clients and I are satisfied with the way the course and modules are designed, I can generate a script for each one. Then the writing process begins!
Image Description: The image shows a woman with shoulder-length dark hair, focused on her laptop. She is wearing a peach blouse and gold earrings. In the top right corner, there’s a box showing a course titled "King Air Recurrent Ground School Training," marked as "Active" and updated by Gillian McLean on August 9, 2024. The image suggests she is working on or reviewing this training course.
One of the many things that I appreciate about eClarity is that it houses all of my projects in one space. I don’t have to spend time trying to find a spreadsheet or other learning design materials—it’s all in one place. Additionally, my clients can access the eClarity portal, so they can easily review their course designs and add comments for me to review.
These are some of the things that make eClarity a Learning Design System (LDS) and an integral part of my instructional design toolkit.
Looking back at the last 2.5 years I’ve been with KnowledgeNow, I can safely say that eClarity has been an essential part of my journey to becoming an effective ID.
Gillian McLean
Gillian is a Senior Instructional Designer at KnowledgeNow. Her role is to lead clients through all aspects of a project—from analysis to implementation. Gillian believes in empowering the learner to make choices and create their learning journey. She has over 15 years of experience with education and training in the post-secondary education system and as an ID.
In her free time, Gillian enjoys spending time with her family, and working in her ever-changing garden. Her garden has been one of her longest and most influential teachers!
