Now that your e-learning program is up and running, you’ve evaluated it, made changes, and the organization loves it. Can you sit back and relax? Absolutely not. Your e-learning program requires a constant eye on various areas to ensure that nothing goes off track. One tiny flaw can create large problems, and with large problems comes a loss of users. Organizations have made the mistake of letting the e-learning program “ride”, only to find that one day no one is using it. Let’s discuss how you can monitor your program at all times.

First, continue to monitor user data. This data includes the evaluations that you’ve taken the time to create and integrate. But remember to monitor at a deeper level than the evaluations. Are your user numbers up or down? Are the evaluations themselves changing in trend or tone? For example, a course evaluation that was consistently a 5 on a 5-point scale that moves to a consistent 4 is not exactly failing - but is it as good as it once was? You can also see from this type of data if your audience is growing and becoming more Continue reading this post…

Your e-learning program has rolled out and has come under constant evaluation. What are you doing with the evaluation data? If you’re filing it away, that’s not quite enough. Every piece of data you receive, whether it seems small or not, can help you modify your e-learning program, keep it fresh, and move it into prominence with your organization. When you consider modifying your program, look at three common areas: system, course design and delivery, and marketing.

Remember that during evaluation you are looking at user data, evaluation data, and even survey data. When you look at modifications to your system, think about that data in system terms. Are users reporting problems with accessibility? If so, you may need to look at the number of users, the organization’s bandwidth, or its overall technical architecture. Any of these characteristics can show you specific and overall problems with the program. In specific areas, you may find that accessibility problems are caused by a slow running system, malfunctions in video streaming or interactivity, or overall system preparedness. If you determine that there are issues with your system, make a list of the problems. But don’t stop there. Make a list of the solution you’d like to see. For example, if the system is functioning slowly, know what the optimum time should be. Once you have a list of requirements and optimum functions, go back to the vendor or in-house IT department and present it. Continue reading this post…

Evaluation of your training programs should be occurring at all times. But keep in mind that e-learning evaluation is different; the goal may be the same but your methods will change slightly. When you evaluate your e-learning program, there are two areas to focus on: learner and content. Let’s look at ways to evaluate these areas effectively using your program itself and your delivery system.

The initial evaluation of your e-learning program can take place both at the beginning of the program and throughout its lifetime. In the area of content, the first thing you’ll need to do is evaluate the course content. Remember that e-learning is new to your learners and may even be new to the training staff, so discovering how the content is being viewed is critical. You probably conduct “level one” evaluations in your traditional programs, sometimes referred to as “smile sheets” Although this evaluation has a light name, the act should not be taken lightly. The first evaluation is sometimes very valuable. So how do you carry out this task in an e-learning environment? Your LMS may give you the option of putting participants into an evaluation before they get to a test on the material - or immediately after. The best option is to get the evaluation while the audience is “captive”. Otherwise, you may not get the evaluation at all. Continue reading this post…

Your content is ready to go. Your LMS is in place and ready to deliver quality online courses to your entire organization. Is the implementation simply a matter of flipping the switch? It can be, but that is not an effective way to change the organization’s mindset when it comes to online training. And a new e-learning program is certainly going to require a new mindset. When you’re ready to implement, you must market with a message - and look at changing how the organization thinks about training.

First, marketing is not reserved for the organization’s products. Marketing must occur with an e-learning implementation. You should determine how you want to “brand” your online learning. Do you want to use the organization’s brand and continue it into the program? Or do you want to create a secondary brand that’s used in-house? Either way, you may need to engage your in-house marketing department or an outside consultant to help you design the look and feel of the courses and their rollout. But overall, think about how e-learning is going to change the organization’s “life”: it’s learning that’s easy, effective, and a new and exciting way to meet learning requirements! Consider these aspects as you plan your marketing. Continue reading this post…

Your existing content has been converted and your new content is ready to be delivered. Now what? Your organization must have some type of delivery system for the online learning program, commonly referred to as a Learning Management System, or LMS. There are numerous questions to analyze and topics to consider before you choose a system. Let’s take a look at those topics so that you and your organization can begin asking the right questions in order to implement the right delivery system.

First, you must consider the origin of the delivery system. Will the organization choose a vendor to assist or will it go with internal expertise, namely the IT department? When considering this important decision, remember that there are benefits and drawbacks for both. A vendor-purchased system is typically made-to-order by a group that specializes in just that. You can give the vendor your organization’s specifications and they can come back with a system design and price. On the drawback side, the specifications can sometimes be costly - and changes can be slow and costly, as well. A homegrown LMS is fantastic if you have the expertise and resources in-house to build it. An in-house development team knows the organization, its growth, and its audience. Plus, a homegrown system may cost less in the long run. The potential roadblocks to this path are that the expertise must be present in-house - and they must be able to devote themselves pretty much full time to the project. If the department’s knowledge of LMS architecture is marginal, you may find more problems than you bargained for. Continue reading this post…

You’ve taken the time to assess your content, learners, and overall system requirements. The next step is to understand how to build and deliver e-learning content. In regard to converting existing content, the task is not as simple as dumping pages into an online learning management system or content builder application. The conversion takes careful planning and adherence to some general standards on content. The creation of new content is somewhat easier - as long as you know the standards. Let’s discuss content and delivery.

E-learning content, as we’ve seen previously, is a completely different concept than traditional learning material. First, online content should be brief and must not wander. “Wandering” content is somewhat more acceptable in traditional learning materials, because typically participants take the written materials with them as references. In online learning, the participant is going to learn what content is directed their way and they are probably not going to take anything with them. You can develop content in a brief format by trying to keep each frame to 70 words or less. With this guide, you can also be sure that your content is to the point, that is, in the realm of “need to know” versus “nice to know”. Training managers and instructional designers must exercise quite a bit of editorial license to prepare traditional materials for transfer to e-learning platforms. Continue reading this post…

Building an effective e-learning program is a seven-step process. The first step is to assess the current learning situation in three parts: content, learners, and systems. Before we discuss these elements, it’s a good thing to remember that e-learning in general is different than traditional learning interventions. E-learning is a different concept, with different conventions, rules, and delivery methods. So if you’re new to e-learning, wipe your mind clean while we discuss the seven steps of creating an effective e-learning program. Along these lines, assessing e-learning requires a different “eye” than assessing traditional learning. With that in mind, let’s discuss assessing the situation before you begin an e-learning program. Continue reading this post…