Ways to Create Impactful E-Learning for the Workplace Learner

E-Learning courses are being embraced by industries worldwide to address their training needs.

But the challenge that the e-learning industry faces is to make e-courses truly effective.
E-courses should be able to engage the learner thoroughly in order to be impactful.
If the learners are bored, e-learning fails to make an impact.
The result is that the learner does not assimilate learning and this spells the failure of the entire training endeavor. The solution is to map the e-learning process carefully - keeping in mind the needs of the learner.
The process should ideally have 5 major steps: Assessment, Design, Development, Delivery and Evaluation. Assessment: The first step to successful e-learning is to identify learner needs as well as learning objectives identified.
Stakeholders within the organization as well as managers should take a close look at the training needs of the learner group.
They should then share these with L&D managers within the organization. Training managers then assess the available resources and chart out the timeline by which the next stages have to adhere to.

If resources within the organization are not enough to create e-learning as per the need of the learners, hiring external e-learning development resources might be a good idea for creating custom e-learning courses, continually and on demand.

Design: Designing the e-learning course begins with interacting closely with Subject Matter Experts to understand the topic well. The process of SME interactions is crucial to the design of the e-course.

It needs to be fast and efficient but the quality of knowledge download cannot be compromised with.

Most L&D managers swear by ready-to-use templates in familiar formats such as Word docs or PPTs - which the SMEs can fill themselves. This makes sure that the pertinent information is gathered in a way that is easy to understand by all. This also helps the information to be transformed into an effective e-course in the development stage. Development: This is the longest stage of e-earning development. While the information download from the SME is done, a storyboard is duly created to etch a path that the e-course is going to take.
Rapid authoring tools can be employed to adhere to restrictive timelines.
Templates used for SNE download can be utilized to create e-content faster.
Existing learning resources - like documents and presentations can also be utilized to create e-learning.

Contrary to popular belief, using the rapid authoring tools, we can also build in interactivity into e-courses as well as include elements like audio, graphics and video to make it even more impactful.

Delivery: For a smooth delivery of e-learning, the platform of learning delivery needs to be implemented across an organization. For most organizations, Learning Management Systems are long-terms investments. Choose an LMS well and it can help you deliver training continually over time - to achieve positive ROI.

In addition to the learning platform, it is also important to make sure that the learners have the necessary hardware to access learning.

If they do not have access to computers or internet at the immediate workplace, a separate learning environment can be created for them to come and learn.
These learning environments are suitable for blue collar learners or sales staffs who do not spend too much time in the offices.
Evaluation: Evaluation is the last but crucial step in e-learning development.

Once a training course is rolled out, it needs to be evaluated by learners, managers as well as L&D managers. This will make sure that it has the desired training impact. Over time, as and when learning needs change or evolve, the e-course also needs to be revised or refurbished to cater to the changing needs of the learner.
Different organizations can refine these 5 steps to suit their needs and create impactful learning for the workplace learner.