Has your business decided it’s time to make the jump into the world of e-Learning for employee training?
If so, congratulations!
e-Learning has revolutionized not only learning in general but more specifically corporate training.
Consider these benefits:
- When comparing e-Learning and instructor-led training, the use of a learning management system is easier to facilitate. Most of the logistical concerns that come with traditional in-person training are eliminated, including the necessityof gathering trainers and employees in one place. Training can take place anywhere and at any time, making it not only convenient for trainees, but for everyone in a business.
- Want to know how employees are progressing with training? With a learning management system, it’s easy to track training, look at progress, administer assessments, provide certifications and even to ask for feedback on training. There’s no complicated tracking system or long paper trails to keep up with. Everything is laid out simply and efficiently within your LMS dashboard.
- Does your in-person training tend to falter because you have employees that are on different experience levels or from different technology or educational backgrounds? In-person training tends to keep up with either the fastest or slowest learner, which means everyone else is having a less engaging and productive experience.
These are just three of the many advantages of making a move from traditional training to an LMS-based training environment.
So once you’ve understood and accepted these benefits, what are the next steps?
It’s time to make the move.
Shifting From ILT to e-Learning
No two businesses are alike, nor are their corporate training programs. Of course each organization is going to do things a bit differently when it comes to how employees are trained, but there are some generalized steps that can be taken when making the move from classroom or instructor-led training to e-Learning.
- Begin with a strategy. Just taking the written content from your ILT and moving it to e-Learning isn’t likely to work well. e-Learning is an entirely different animal from instructor-led training, and it should be treated as such. You’ll have to start strategizing by looking at technical elements, such as how e-Learning will be delivered, what learning management system you will use, and the general expertise of your employees. Your strategy should also include a realistic look at your budget and what you hope to achieve as a result of moving from ILT to e-Learning. Be clear and look not only at short-term goals but also long-term business objectives that you hope to achieve as a result of moving from outdated to modernized employee training.
- Think about what you need out of an e-Learning platform. Choosing an option like eLeaP that is completely customizable is your best choice. With an LMS like eLeaP you can start small and then grow your e-Learning endeavors as your business grows, or as your employees become more comfortable with this type of training. eLeaP can also grow with you in terms of budget, and it doesn’t require an internal IT infrastructure. eLeaP is fully hosted, so we take the technical worries out of the process for our clients.
- It’s not likely that your existing PowerPoint slides are going to make the transition from instructor-led training to e-Learning seamlessly. They may serve as a guide as to how you’ll structure your online training, but as mentioned, e-Learning is quite a bit different than classroom training. If you simply move hundreds of slides to an e-Learning environment you’re going to be gaining virtually no benefit from changing how training is delivered. Training will be dull, overwhelming and ineffective.
- Realize that with e-Learning you’re going to eliminating a lot of content used in classroom training—and that’s a good thing. With e-Learning it’s all about cutting to the chase and eliminating unnecessary information from the training experience. This isn’t a negative. Eliminating fluff from training is going to mean better comprehension and retention for employees, thereby improving effectiveness and your return-on-investment.
- Don’t be afraid to take advantage of the new options available to you with e-Learning. You have so much technology and so many unique features at your fingertips that can mean a richer and more engaging training experience for employees. Take your time and explore options including scenarios, new videos, the use of social media and sites like YouTube, and even elements like gamification.
- Before you dismantle instructor-led training, observe at least a few sessions. Record what’s being said by not only the instructor but also the trainees. Use these recordings as a guide for how you’ll develop e-Learning. This will give you insight into not only how information is being taught, but also how trainees perceive the training. Using these recordings as a guide for e-Learning development will be incredibly useful. You may find that instructor-led training has little to no value for employees. Even making that discovery is important, because it will show you that you need to completely start fresh with your e-Learning.
- Consider the value of blended learning. You may find that your organization can’t ultimately go without instructor-led training altogether. Combining elements of online training and instructor-led training is referred to as blended learning, and it can be an excellent training tactic for certain Work with your training instructors to develop online learning that will complement their plans for the classroom.
- Asking for and using feedback is crucial in these initial phases of moving from ILT to e-Learning. It’s important to understand that how people take in the information presented in online training will be unique from their experience in the classroom. Create a beta-style test run of your new learning content and have not only business leaders but also employees go through coursework and offer their insights and feedback.
Remember, while moving from ILT to e-Learning is incredibly exciting and advantageous, it’s not as simple as shifting content from one medium to another. It does take time to get it just right but using an LMS like eLeaP simplifies the design and delivery process as you take this important step.
How You Can Assess The Effectiveness of Your Training – Kirkpatrick Model
Check out the How to Foster Employee Engagement through E-Learning white paper
See how to Train People Who Don’t Want to Be Trained – Barriers to Training
Get the Top 20 Ways to Improve Mandatory Training in your organization.