How Custom eLearning Can Radically Transform The Way You Deliver Training
eLearning has never been more present than it is today. It has become a crucial component of learning programs due to the fact that it allows for greater reach and easier accessibility overall; independent of location and time on a device that suits the learner. eLearning, however, can have mixed results. More often than not, an L&D team will feel tempted to purchase ready-made, off-the-shelf content to satisfy their training needs because they are relatively inexpensive, and available almost immediately. They will have fallen into the so-called trap. After all, this strategy works for generic training. However, it poses a considerable knowledge gap when operational features are involved. For example, whereas the implementation of soft-skills as a general topic for employees would be efficient, process training and skill enhancement training would not be practical, nor effective with a one-size-fits-all approach. This is where custom eLearning could play a crucial role.
About The eBook: Developing Custom eLearning That Results In Efficient Corporate Training Delivery
So, let's say, you decided to go ahead with custom eLearning and you have decided to adopt it as a strategy. You realize that custom eLearning provides you with the power to create a learning experience specific to your training needs. You get to fine-tune the training to such extent that your courses align with your company's mission, vision, and overall USP. You can put the emphasis on the content that you would like to teach, and what you feel has the most importance. You can adapt to the language of your employees. But, amongst all these amazing possibilities and options, it needs to be clear that implementation is not easy.
Customizing your learning program allows for great power. If you want to introduce the concept of custom eLearning you have to be sure that you’re teaching your employees using relevant content. As mentioned before, your organizational values need to align with your company's mission, vision, and overall USP. And, you need to be certain that your tone of voice accommodates, as well as you can, to the language of your employees. In short, your customization should follow the training requirements of your business.
Aims Digital proceeds to explain that identifying the training need before opting for an off-the-shelf learning piece is a common process. However, a customized learning module needs a more nuanced approach and specialized strategy. You need to get to the heart of the matter and ask the right kinds of questions. Why do you need to train your employees on that specific topic? Is it something which is entirely new to them, and does it come with a steep learning curve? Is it something that they have been attempting to do for a while? How have they performed whilst attempting to learn the new topic? Are you seeking to increase efficiency in an incorporated process by including some tweaks? Or are you holding onto old methods of working and outdated protocols? Most importantly, how much impact would there be on the outcome to justify the training? Outline the high-level learning goals and create a plan for your training program.
Aims Digital recommends 5 additional steps:
- Perform a cost-benefit analysis
Optimize your training plan to reduce the impact on costs. - Study your audience
The better you know your audience, the better you can customize the learning program for them. - Determine the learning outcomes
Defining the desired learning outcomes is the key to developing an effective eLearning course. - Establish the rubric for evaluating the outcomes
Have a list of points to measure the outcomes and pit them against the desired outcomes.
Toward the second half of the eBook, the authors look closely at how you can enhance your L&D strategy by offering us a few eLearning trends that can do just that:
- mLearning
- Informal learning
- Invisible learning
- Microvideo
- Content curation
- Gamification and game-based learning
- VR and AR
- AI
All the steps in the Aims Digital's eBook are designed to instruct you on the optimal development of custom eLearning.
eLearning is always exercised with a certain purpose. The purpose could be to achieve a particular performance outcome or to bring about specific behavioral changes. In either case, unless you define the expected outcome before developing a course, you will most likely end up with a random result! The first step, then, is to determine the outcomes that are desired. To do that, you need to outline your training plan and be very specific about what is required to be completed. Then, divide the overall outcome into smaller chunks—where each measurable action becomes an independent outcome. Now, ensure you have the content to map each of these desired outcomes. There you have it—a perfectly good set of desired learning outcomes!
Taking A Giant Leap In The eLearning Field
As you can tell by now, there are lots of elements that need to be kept into account when you intend to look into custom eLearning. Armed with a very basic knowledge of the requirements, you can start seriously considering the implementation to see if it fits the goals of your company. If you are looking for someone to help develop custom eLearning for you, there are a few factors to consider while selecting the right partner. Download the eBook: "Developing Custom eLearning That Results In Efficient Corporate Training Delivery" to get lots of insights that can guide you throughout the whole process or watch this webinar to discover more about the power of custom eLearning development in corporate training.
