How To Make E-learning Accessible To All Employees

Viren Kapadia April 14, 2021
How To Make E-learning Accessible To All Employees

The online training system for employees was developed to make an amusing and engaging learning experience for employees. Online employee training platforms aim to make sure that employees end their training only when they become successful. One of the most interesting advantages of eLearning is that it includes DOING more than KNOWING and that’s what a learner needs the most! Online employee training platforms guide employees to know where they lack and when they need to make the necessary improvements. There are uncountable benefits of eLearning for employees but the main question is whether every employee can enjoy these benefits or not.

Not every employee is the same and not all of them have the privilege to enjoy eLearning courses without any trouble. For example – learners with disabilities find it very difficult to fully access resources related to the internet. In such a situation, web accessibility becomes A MUST, especially in workplaces. A good learning management system is available for all (People with abilities and disabilities). So before you claim that your employee training platform is the best, ask yourself if it’s accessible to all of your employees or not. When the eLearning material is available for all your employees, it becomes easy for them to fully understand, navigate, perceive, and interact with the functionality of your online training platform.

A high portion of the world’s workforce contains people struggling with dyslexia, color blindness, etc. so it is most important to ensure better accessibility of eLearning for employees along with its usability. An organization that demonstrates inclusivity becomes successful in a true sense as it manages to develop faith in its employees as well as its customers. If you are wondering how to make eLearning accessible to all your employees then this blog has you covered! Let’s explore various ways to achieve a competent and easily accessible learning management system for employees:

A Simple and Universal Design

With the ever-evolving technology, nothing is impossible now! If you want all your employees to get full access to your eLearning material then make sure that a single version or design of your course fits the needs of everyone. One single version of the eLearning course developed by you should be understandable and easily comprehendible for all your employees including people suffering from various disabilities. With the universal design, all the employees get an equal opportunity to learn without any customization or adjustment to your employee training software. In addition to providing flexibility in the ways the information is presented, an organization should also make sure that they provide flexibility in the ways employees respond and demonstrate knowledge.

Easily Accessible Content

In addition to the design, the eLearning content should also be accessible to every employee. Creating content that is accessible from a corporate device only is of no use. You need to make sure that the eLearning content developed by you is responsive to all employees’ devices as well. The eLearning content should have built-in HTML so that your employees face no problem while accessing it from their devices and also there should be no space for add-ins.

Include Audio and Video

Not everyone prefers learning through text especially learners with disabilities. To make eLearning accessible to all of your employees, make sure the audio and video content is also available. If you are providing training through audio and video, make sure you include closed captions or transcripts so people with hard hearing or deafness can understand it without any trouble. Always make sure that the video content is compatible with assistive technology.

Keep a Check on the Color Contrast

The readability of text matters a lot. A text easily readable for one employee can be very difficult to read for the other. So, make sure the color contrast of the text is high. Using different tones and colors also helps in improving the readability of the text. Placing a text on a background image should be done very carefully as people with low eyesight find it very hard to read what’s written in the front. Placing text over busy backgrounds should be avoided and also color tints should be used to make the text stand out and easily readable.

Use Accessible Interactions

One of the most important points to make eLearning accessible to all employees is the use of accessible interactions. Not all employees use similar devices to access eLearning content. Some use desktops or laptops with a mouse while some use only the keyboard for navigation. Avoid including drag and drop sort of activities which can be done only with a mouse as it will exclude the employees who are navigating with their keyboard. If you are using image explorer, you should make sure that the hotspots are visible to all. Avoid icons and start using text labels so every employee can read and understand them. Also, if you are using videos to train your employees, just make sure that the videos can be paused and played both with mouse and keyboard.

Include Read More Tag With Flash Videos

Putting videos or .gif with flash can be harmful to the eyes and should be avoided unless it is very important. Before posting flash videos, make sure you put them with a warning tag. Include “read more” link with the videos of these kinds so your employees can view what’s inside them and avoid unforeseen scenarios that might harm their eyes.

So now you have understood that creating eLearning content with easy usability is NOT enough, it should be easily accessible too. An organization with an inclusive environment takes care of every employee and climbs up the ladder of success faster. Gyrus is a platform that provides competent employee training software keeping the needs of all employees in mind especially the disabled ones. Its training system for employees has all the features that are required for a better understanding of employees. Gyrus has simply designed software with plain-sailing functionalities so that your employees can focus on learning only rather than wasting their time to understand how exactly the system works!