As learning developers and administrators, you have (at times) the difficult task of not only keeping abreast of the latest trends and technologies in eLearning but also creating effective content. Below we have compiled a list of 20 different FREE eLearning resources to help make the eLearning inspiration, management and creation process a little easier for you.
Design Inspiration
1. Articulate Community
Articulate is known for being an eLearning course authoring tool, but did you know they also have a great online community where you can find eLearning design and course inspiration? Check out what other developers are creating around the globe and see if these examples jumpstart your own creative juices.
2. eLearning Superstars
This website curates eLearning examples and puts them in one easy-to-find collection. They update their examples on a weekly basis and even allow for design submissions to be featured.
3. Slideshare
Slideshare is a great free resource to see what presentations people are viewing and sharing most. These presentations can serve as fodder for your own eLearning presentation designs from how content is laid out to colors, cool elements and more.
4. Pinterest
Believe it or not, Pinterest can be a great resource to find inspiration for your next eLearning course. Just search for related terms like ‘eLearning design inspiration’ and browse through the related pins.
Podcasts
5. The eLearning Coach
One of the best podcast resources available specifically for eLearning Connie Malamed. Connie shares from both her own wealth of knowledge as well as that of other key industry experts to bring actionable strategies about all things eLearning. Topics include eLearning design, psychology, how-tos, strategies and so much more.
Available on iTunes
6. The Learning Revolution
This 21-episode series covers not only insights and tips on creating effective online training programs but also how to monetize them, which is great for those businesses who are selling their courses outside of their organization.
Available on iTunes
7. E-Learning Academy
Though the last podcast was released in 2014, there are 46 different episodes to listen to in this series. These episodes are tailored for the corporate learning practitioner and offer tutorials on a variety of learning technologies and best practices.
Available on iTunes
8. eLearnChat
eLearnChat is actually a video podcast series run by two eLearning and media professionals, John Rick Zanotti and Linda Joy. Each week they feature a new eLearning or training influencer to speak on any number of related topics such as eLearning, multimedia development, project management and so much more.
Available on Vimeo
Stock Photos
9. Pexels
If you’re looking for some free stock photos to use in your courses then Pexels is a great place to look. The best part about Pexels (and all the stock photo resources we’ll list below) is none of the pictures on the site require attribution!
10. Pixabay
Pixabay is another free stock photo source, but in addition to stock photography they also include a selection of vector images and videos.
11. Stocksnap.io
Stocksnap.io is very similar to Pexels in the style of photos it features, however, it has some nice search and sort features at the top that allow you to sort photos by date, trending, views, downloads and favorites.
12. Unsplash
The photo collections on Unsplash are beautiful and sure to add a nice touch to your eLearning courses. You can sort photos by featured, new and their various collections in addition to the main search function.
13. Picography
Another stock photo curation site with beautiful photos and the option to get new photos sent straight to your email each month.
14. Finda.Photo
This is a unique free stock image site that allows you to search pictures by color. If you have strict brand guidelines or prefer to keep a consistent color scheme throughout your course then this would be a great place to look.
Music
15. Open Music Archive
Music can add a nice element to your eLearning course and Open Music Archive has curated music from a variety of genres that have fallen out of copyright and need no attribution.
16. Musopen
This site offers mostly classical music from a variety of composers throughout history. All music is available through the public domain so you are free to use it in your training courses.
17. DL Sounds
If you’re looking for a wider range of music then DL Sounds may be a good resource to check out. They offer free royalty free music along with samples and loops. There are also some very affordable ($1.50 each) songs that you can pay for, if you so choose.
Other Helpful Tools
18. Canva
Canva is a free graphic design tool that makes creating graphics, infographics, logos, presentations, etc. quick and easy. They have predesigned templates that you are able to modify to fit your branding along with free graphic elements.
However, some templates, graphics and photos do cost money and are marked by a “$” sign in the bottom corner of whatever element you hover over. Though, most cost only a dollar if you decide to use them.
19. Asana
Often times there are multiple people involved in creating an eLearning course or program. It’s at times like these when a project management tool becomes a great way to keep everyone on task and deadlines top of mind.
Asana’s free account allows up to 15 users to manage tasks, visualize goals and track time within the system.
If Asana isn’t exactly what you’re looking for then we’ve also got 9 other free project management tool options.
20. Feedly
Feedly allows you to easily see a variety of content (publications, blogs, YouTube channels, keywords, etc.) at a glance. Just simply sign up, choose the content that matters most to you by searching specific titles, URLs or hashtag topics, and follow the feed!
No matter if you’re looking for design inspiration, tools and resources to create your content or a way to manage it all, we hope compiling these 20 free eLearning resources has helped make creating your next training course easier and more effective.
Do you have any go-to free eLearning resources that help you when creating new content?
(Note: Some resources may require you to register for a free account before accessing material.)
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