Are you thinking about converting to E-Learning as a new training strategy? If so, there are a few things to consider. E-Learning can come with a few nuances, but if you’re aware of them beforehand, you’ll stand a much better chance of working around them.
What Are The Benefits of E-Learning?
E-Learning is beneficial because it allows you to train a large number of employees within a relatively short amount of time. For instance, it wouldn’t be feasible to schedule a classroom training session for your entire sales force. Why? Because you would need to accommodate each one of their timelines and hectic schedules.
E-Learning provides both improved training costs, as well as decreased material costs. Few can argue that producing learning content, be it online or not, can be a time intensive process. However, the time spent upfront to develop the training modules, far outweighs the time and money spent on classroom style training. Also, E-Learning courses generally don’t require travel, as they are accessed online, which can ultimately save you time and money. In addition, E-Learning reduces training material costs. For instance, the cost to develop and print employee handbooks and training materials will be nullified by online learning. Also, training that would typically involve expensive equipment or dangerous situations can be done in an online simulation in the web based training.
Simple Solutions for Overcoming Pain Points
Overcoming these issues is not a daunting task when you take the time to work through them up front. For starters, utilize an internal marketing program to notify your audience of the new training and keep them involved. Also, providing incentives and rewards for their performance is a great way to keep engagement high. Utilizing gamification elements, such as badges and leaderboards, will additionally help keep learners engaged and excited about your training.
Another issue to think about is when the learner will be doing the training. If the learners are to complete the training at work, it may be a good idea to set aside time for them to do so. However, if employees are to do the training on their own time, from either home or office, it is important to provide incentives to keep them engaged and working through the training.
As a learner works through an E-Learning module, interacting with virtual scenarios and simulations, they may have questions or clarifications regarding the training material. To ensure your learners get the most of your web based training, a blended learning program may be a good method to help learners work through the course or answer any additional questions they may have. Also, in a blended learning environment, group discussion can occur following a simulation or experience in the E-Learning module.
Below are a couple more challenges that you might encounter when attempting to implement your E-Learning course:
- Unfamiliarity: One challenge you might face is employees and managers being resistant to this new form of learning, seeing “nothing wrong” with the current classroom style training and/or being unfamiliar with E-Learning. Also, there may be unfamiliarity with technology. To mitigate this, ensure your E-Learning doesn’t require users to learn the software, only the course material. Furthermore, by using scenarios and modeling them after a real environment, you make the modules familiar with your learner, and thus, easier to comprehend.
- Lack of Motivation: One advantage to running a classroom-style training course is that you can provide accountability and supervision. Therefore, a big challenge with E-Learning programs is learning how to keep employees focused while they are completing the course. Some simple solutions for this include offering incentives (like certifications or accreditations) and using gamification to engage and reward the users for their efforts. Also, utilizing internal marketing programs and project champions can get employees hyped about your E-Learning project.
Launching an E-Learning course comes with unique nuances that you should be aware of. If you follow the tips and advice presented above, it should make the transition into E-Learning much smoother for both you and your employees. To learn more about converting your training to E-Learning, contact us today!