One of the toughest challenges of launching an online course seems to be to define an eLearning path. "Where do I go?" seems to be a common query for those who may be taking an online course for the first time, and that's a very valid question. ELearning can be very disorienting.

One of the biggest tasks of an LMS is to provide a sense of an eLearning path albeit without imposing a pre-made structure. Some courses may have no deadlines. Some may have no form but be student-driven. Others may have a linear course structure. Others may branch depending on learner performance on pre-tests. Others may be modularized into smaller learning units. Some may have required interactivity such as group collaborations, synchronous discussions, real-time live lectures, and asynchronous message board postings. Some will be solo gigs, totally with learners interacting with the instructor. Others may be automated learning situations with a learner navigating through a pre-planned space with little deviation from a set track. Or the automated learning may be customized /personalized to the learner and may track their behaviors.

In designing online courses, instructors may fast make a hash out of it if there's no overarching plan of some sort. An early plan that involves the eLearning path would be helpful. Course policies should be designed. The various elements of the digital learning objects could be defined. The assessments should be planned. How the various pieces of the course will be branded is important. The digital parameters of the images (quality without too much memory consumption), slideshows, movies, and other elements should be clear. An accessibility plan (along with "universal design" principles) would be helpful as well - to make the learning accessible by a breadth of potential learners would enhance this. The labeling and organization of downloadable elements will be important. How materials will be co-located or how they will relate to each other will be important to define. The way directions are written should be clear. Student sample work may be selected to represent certain qualities and teaching points. These should be annotated clearly.

Course "signage" should help learners know what needs to be done first and what next. Learner expectations should be set.

The various elements of a course need to be consistent and not jarring. Defining a path early helps learners acclimate and attain "small wins" in their work. It builds learner efficacy. For the instructor, it helps them avoid headaches later on, and it lessens the "handholding" needed to get everyone on board early on.