PROJECT OVERVIEW
This project is an eLearning module built in Articulate Rise 360 accompanied by two job aids that trains learners how to use the mail merge feature in Microsoft Word.
Course Title: Mail Merge Made Easy
Training Objective: Learners familiar with Microsoft Word will be able to generate custom documents using mail merge after completing this course.
Programs Used: Articulate Rise 360, Camtasia, Genially, Adobe InDesign & Illustrator.
Experience the eLearning course.
View the job aids.
Problem Context
This training course provides a practical solution to a real-world problem. An academic incentive committee struggled to efficiently distribute rewards to students for exemplar grades and behavior due to logistical challenges. They needed to create personalized labels for each student, but only one teacher on the committee knew how to use Mail Merge. Educators are competent users of Microsoft Word, but many are unaware of the mail merge function and the possibility this feature offers to increase efficiency and productivity. Therefore, I developed a course on Mail Merge targeted for adult learners in order to empower them to create personalized documents efficiently and easily.
An infographic illustrates the types of documents a user can create with mail merge.
The cheat sheet is designed to be printed double-sided on letter-sized paper for easy reference.
Solution Journey
I knew that my target audience, educators, were already familiar with Microsoft Word, so I focused on creating a course that would build on that foundation. I also thought that a simple and widely available eLearning module on mail merge could be applicable to many professionals, so I broadened my target audience beyond educators.
I began with a course objective that acknowledged the familiarity of learners with Microsoft Word, and then broke it into three manageable pieces:
Identify types of documents you can create with a mail merge
Generate documents with mail merge
Apply this knowledge to create the type of documents your team needs.
After identifying desired learner outcomes, I created a project plan for the course assets, which would appeal to learners looking to enhance their productivity. I planned to create a multi-media course with a variety of media types to engage learners and reinforce key concepts. I structured the course to take less than 30 minutes in order to maximize learner attention.
I created a visually appealing infographic in Adobe InDesign that explained what mail merge is and included examples with icons designed in Adobe Illustrator. I also created a cheat sheet that illustrated simple steps to create a mail merge, and a Camtasia screen capture video demonstrating the mail merge process step-by-step. To reinforce key concepts, an interactive tutorial was also created in Genially.
Interactive tutorial created in Genially.
Finally, everything was brought together in Articulate Rise 360 to create a cohesive course that learners could work through at their own pace. Clear objectives were included that identified the types of documents learners would be able to create, and the importance of applying their newfound knowledge to create the type of documents their team needs was emphasized.
Results & Evaluation
While the course has not yet been implemented, I am confident it will provide many benefits to learners and the organization as a whole. By empowering professionals to efficiently create customized documents, they will be able to save time and improve organization. Additionally, the course will help to build a culture of continuous learning and development among the staff.
