What is an SME?
SME stands for Subject Matter Expert. This is the person who actually knows everything about the topic you want to teach. For example, if you are building an online course on cybersecurity, the SME might be a senior ethical hacker or a data protection officer.
The Dance of Collaboration and Validation
Building an online course is a team effort between two main players:
• The Instructional Designer (The "How"): Knows how people learn, how to write quiz questions, and how to make the course engaging online.
• The SME (The "What"): Knows the actual facts, rules, and real-world scenarios.
Validation is the process where the SME reviews the online course materials to ensure everything is 100% accurate, safe, and up-to-date.
Best Practices for Smooth Teamwork
• Respect Each Other's Roles: Let the designer design and let the expert provide the facts. Avoid letting the SME try to design the whole course layout if it doesn't fit good teaching practices.
• Set Clear Checkpoints: Have the SME review content in stages (outline first, then script, then final video). It is much cheaper and faster to fix a mistake in an outline than to re-record a video.
• Keep Jargon in Check: SMEs love technical terms. The designer's job is to help translate that heavy jargon into language that normal learners can easily digest.
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