Many roads are leading to Rome

An instructional designer has to make interesting choices. After a sound task analysis and other analyses he/she start to create the design of the learning solution.

The proverb used above makes clear that there are many ways to reach the learning objectives. As an instructional designer you can choose the different didactical approaches, different multimedia formats, different ways of collaboration and you can also choose what kind of delivery tools you are going to use to deliver the content (in any formats) to the learners.

Many different options

Content can be delivered by many different means. Some different variables; delivery can be done:

• online or offline;
• electronic format or non-electronic format;
• connected or stand-alone.
  

All the different tools and ways are having different characteristics and thus (dis)advantages.

The choice may depend on many things like:

• target group (not every group will learn the same way or have access to the same tools);
• learning objectives (some tools are more feasible for certain objectives);
• budget (video is more expensive to produce and to play compared to a picture show);
• infrastructure (e.g. not every network can offer podcasts);
• knowledge (some tools are more complicated to use, from a learner of developer point of view).

Example: podcast

Podcasting is quite a new way of delivering (educational) content. More and more companies and schools are using it.

If we look at the phenomenon it is smart to look at a clear definition.

Wikipedia is explaining what podcasting is: