John Thompson
Whether breathing life into your existing eLearning or starting from scratch to develop content and courses, I specialize in creating custom and captivating learning experiences tailored to your needs.
Innovative
Embracing online education from its early stages and adept at transforming instructor-led courses into engaging eLearning modules, I consistently seek diverse avenues to create exceptional learning experiences.
Versatile
I’ve created curriculum, training and eLearning on topics ranging from cybersecurity and eCommerce to video editing and big game fishing. Let’s see what I can create for you!
Resourceful
Proficient in rapidly acquiring new software skills, adapting to innovative instructional methods, and adeptly sourcing valuable resources even within budget constraints.
Featured Work
Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint Standard
This project involved the comprehensive update of an existing instructor-led training course for the Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint Standard cybersecurity product. In addition to incorporating the latest release updates, we successfully transformed the course from an instructor-led format into an engaging eLearning module.
Responsibilities: Storyboarding, eLearning Development, Simulations
Tools: Articulate Rise and Storyline 360, PowerPoint, Miro
Overview: In recent years, VMware faced challenges in keeping up with the frequent updates to their Carbon Black Cloud cybersecurity products. The instructor-led training courses, taking around seven months to build and schedule, lagged behind the product updates occurring every six weeks. To streamline the training process, we made the decision to convert the instructor-led courses into efficient eLearning modules. Our project team comprised myself and another instructional designer responsible for course creation, with input from our manager, a project manager, and two Subject Matter Experts.
The Process: I collaborated with my manager and design partner to develop the Action Map, identifying project needs. After outlining the project requirements, I crafted the storyboard using Miro. Subsequently, visual mockups were created in Articulate Rise, incorporating scripts for review by Subject Matter Experts. Upon completing the review, I developed the course using Articulate Rise and Storyline.
Storyboard: Building on existing training course outlines, I used Miro to create a storyboard of modules. New features were seamlessly integrated, with major additions forming their own dedicated learning modules.
Miro facilitated effective team collaboration, allowing input from various team members and efficient division of module authoring tasks.
Visual Mockups: Adhering to VMware’s strict corporate branding guidelines, I made design decisions to maintain visual appeal and accessibility. I edited a Rise template and shared screenshots with the team, ensuring alignment with corporate policies.
Scripting: Given the project’s technical nature and numerous updates, a script was crafted for each module, providing information in a conversational tone. The script, reviewed solely for technical accuracy by SMEs, included updates from release notes and product user guide changes. Sample illustrations were also created, with SME feedback incorporated for corrections.
Full Development: After refining the template, the course development commenced. Each module underwent review in Articulate 360 by SMEs, the manager, and an editor, ensuring compliance with grammar and company language standards. Notably, Articulate Rise’s interactive features and Storyline simulations effectively recreated “hands-on” experiences, addressing the challenge of transitioning from a lab environment in the original ILT course.
Results and Takeaways: This project marked a significant achievement, transforming the training into an eLearning format for enhanced update efficiency. Future training update times are expected to decrease dramatically, shifting from 7-8 months to a matter of days. The successful transition from traditional PowerPoint slides to Articulate has laid the foundation for streamlined and accessible future Carbon Black Cloud product trainings.
View the video walkthrough of a course module below:
This walkthrough was created with Camtasia.
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