E-learning and Microlearning Storyboard Templates

Plan every screen of an online course or short training video before anyone builds it, with three guided templates and a complete worked example for each.

Who it is for

• L&D and HR professionals who want a consistent storyboard format for every course they hand to a builder or a vendor.

• Small-business owners building the first online course for the staff, with no training person to ask.

• Managers and shift leads who have been asked to turn a process into e-learning or a short video.

• Supervisors in the field who want to film a short video on how a job is done well.

• Freelance course builders who need a clear sign-off document before they start building.

The problem it solves

Building e-learning is slow, and changes during the build are slower. Most rework comes from the same few causes: nobody agreed on the content first, the narration was written last, the quiz tests memory instead of judgment, and the builder had to guess. A storyboard fixes that by putting every screen, every word of narration and every interaction on paper, where changes take minutes. Blank storyboard templates are free online. This pack explains what goes in each field, why it matters and how to do it well, then shows a finished storyboard for three different kinds of course.

What is inside

Part 1: The guide (5 pages)

• What a storyboard is and why it saves time, with a five-step process (1 page)

• The fields of a storyboard frame: what goes in each one, why and how (1 page)

• Writing narration and captions, with a before and after rewrite (1 page)

• Interaction ideas: ten interaction types, when to use them and what to avoid, plus accessibility (1 page)

• Common mistakes and the fix, and variations for different settings (1 page)

Part 2: Click-through course (6 pages)

• Guidance and a screen flow that works (1 page)

• Click-through template with course information block (1 page)

• Worked example: Labeling and Storing Prepared Food, a nine-screen course for a restaurant kitchen (4 pages)

Part 3: Scenario (branching) course (8 pages)

• Guidance: the parts of a scenario and how to keep branches under control (1 page)

• Scenario plan, branch map, decision frame and consequence frame (2 pages)

• Worked example: Two Clients, One Chair, an eleven-screen scenario for a hair salon with three decisions and three endings (5 pages)

Part 4: Short video microlearning (4 pages)

• Guidance: a structure for short video and how to film on a phone (1 page)

• Video plan and shot list template (1 page)

• Worked example: The Three-Minute Job Site Walkthrough, a 90-second video for a heating and cooling company (2 pages)

Part 5: Review and handoff (2 pages)

• Storyboard review checklist and review log (1 page)

• Filled-in review log and handoff checklist (1 page)

Editable files

• Word document with the full guide and every template (30 pages)

• PowerPoint with blank storyboard frames for each course type and every worked example screen as a slide (40 slides)

How to use it

1. Read Part 1 once. It takes about fifteen minutes.

2. Choose the course type: click-through to teach a process, scenario to practice a judgment call or a conversation, video to show how a task looks when it is done well.

3. Read the worked example for that type.

4. Open the Word or PowerPoint template and fill in the course information block, then each screen.

5. Review it with the checklist, send it to your subject expert, and hand it off with the handoff checklist.

Formats and file types

• PDF guide, 27 pages, US Letter, printable

• Microsoft Word (.docx), fully editable, 30 pages

• Microsoft PowerPoint (.pptx), fully editable, 40 slides, 16:9

• Works with any authoring tool, or with no authoring tool at all (the PowerPoint file can be used to build a simple click-through course)

Frequently asked questions