Customized eLearning content development solution is not a new concept however, the effectiveness of customized learning is always under the radar.
The reasons are quite obvious. There is a lot of investment that happens in terms of time and money so it is natural to look for ROI from the learning program.
However, to understand custom eLearning development solutions it is important to understand the audience that are or will be consuming the content.
We are referring to modern learners who are informed, curious as well as impatient at times.
The skills that interest them or which will help them become a part of an efficient workforce is evolving at a rapid rate and these aspects define the need and nature of customer eLearning development solutions.
Custom eLearning has a lot to offer to these new age learners and turn them to active learners
Here is a list of 5 things that custom eLearning development solutions can offer to the modern, new age learners to encourage skill development
Independent learners: Modern learners want to know more in less time. They look for
flexibility in learning hours. That is why eLearning which is self-paced in nature interests
them more. They want to choose at what pace they want to learn and they also have their
preference for the mode of learning. Interesting custom eLearning solutions integrates a lot
of different ways to attract it’s learner base. Embedded videos, micro learning, resource
library, pro tips, checklist, assessments and more Learners feel happy when they have a
choice in the way they learn.
Learning Specialized skills: The need for unique skills have been rising. It enables a
professional to add value to his/her work and organization. Custom eLearning makes it
much easier to introduce a new skill. With clear focus on the industry requirement or profile
requirement it becomes much relevant to the learner. Relevant content with specific learning
objectives set by the organization or an individual will always have a higher appeal to the
learner.
Developing Expertise: It is one thing to be open to learning but it is also important that we are known for what we do best. Customer eLearning development solutions encourages and supports a learner with opportunities to better his skill-set on a particular area or more. Custom eLearning can be developed and blended with scenario-based learning and gamification for learners at all levels. With customized content the learners stand at an advantage because a course is not created with general skill level in mind but based on their current skill-set and their aspired skill-set level.
Diverse Portfolio: Modern learners are hungry for information. They are ready to experiment and take risks. They are always keen to explore and that is why while they want to be seen as expert, they want to learn specialized skill, they are not hesitant to expand their portfolio. Custom eLearning helps a learner to leverage on a course extensively. Custom learning is not just for orientation but for in depth understanding so while a learner is expanding his/her portfolio the knowledge or application level is not very basic thus giving the learner more confidence and also a competitive advantage
Understand organizational / industry need better: Customized eLearning helps an
organizational to directly talk to its people. Whether it is communicating it values, principle,
ethics or compliance standards. This is great for an individual too as it offers them more
clarity not only about them current workplace standards and the performance guidelines but
it helps them visualize things way forward.
Custom eLearning content development for active learning is an evolving area of learning
and will continue to offer more benefit to it’s learners.
If you have already chosen customized eLearning for your next learning initiative it is important to find the right learning partner. But will that be enough?
Of course, it is one of the critical aspects of a driving a successful learning initiative or intervention.
However, apart from the capability and reliability of your learning partner here are 5 factors that will make your learning program more effective as well as efficient.
These steps have been recommended by us based on our experience of having created various kind of courses for clients across industries.
The 5 best practices to drive eLearning effectively
- Involve functional stakeholders
- Reach out to the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
- Roll out in a control group first
- Focus on branding
- Build a strong implementation plan
01 Involve functional stakeholders
This is the first step before your learning partner even starts working on the content. It can be spread over more than one interaction at different levels but be mindful of the overall timeline you have set for the project.
Have an onboarding meeting with the key stakeholders to help them convey their expectations and reiterate the performance goal you are looking at achieving.
The expectations of the stakeholders are essentially the impact areas of the project. While the learner experience may be great, if a learning program does not meet the performance goal, the learning team loses an opportunity to add value towards the achievement of organizational goals.
This also gives an opportunity for your learning partner to share their approach and their goal. Don’t forget to send an onboarding email to all the stakeholders involved.
02 Reach out to the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
Once the expectation setting is done, the next critical step is to have the SMEs on board.
SMEs can be from one or more functions, depending on the topic and the target group.
It is not just important to onboard the SMEs but it is important to have their support and guidance throughout the project.
There could be times when your learning partner have to directly collaborate with the SMEs.
So, the big question is – what is th3e role of the SME.
SMEs provide insights about the topic which can be captured in the form of a case study, example, demonstration. They also provide necessary context and content which will make the eLearning course lot more relevant for your learners
03 Roll out in a control group first
Considering that the customized courses are usually exhaustive and have a specific goal to be met it is crucial that it is tested in various medium under various conditions among the learners and the stakeholders gradually before rolling it out in different locations or in a larger learner group.
This robust testing period allows your learning partner to fix any bugs, revisit any content that needs modification in message or design.
This also gives a first-hand experience to the stakeholders and the SMEs about the learner experience.
Even a working link where the course can be viewed is good enough for testing to save time.
04 Focus on branding
A customized learning intervention of any form, even if it is digital, requires a lot of effort by people within the organization and therefore the expectation is also probably higher.
However, the real consumer of the product are the employees who are going to be taking the course or rather the focus group.
Therefore, it is important for them to not only recognize the effort that has been put and understand the willingness of the leadership to invest in their learning but also know the value this course will bring in for them.
Learner need to take accountability for their learning. They need to make the best use of the learning opportunity and one of the most effective ways to do it is by building awareness towards the course.
Create a simple awareness campaign. This not only gets your learner excited but also helps them get prepared.
05 Build a strong implementation plan
All said and done. Onboarding, development, testing and branding. Now it is showtime.
Although your awareness campaign should be a good enough guide for the learners to understand how they can navigate through the course.
However, if required, incase the course is complex and is spread over a long period of time request your learning partner for a learner video.
Monitor your LMS metrices from daily to weekly basis. Seek feedback from SMEs incase they are facilitating the use of the course during a training program to have an understanding of the learner experience.
Identify a list of things that could improve the learner experience to talk to your learning partner about it. Try to sign for an AMC when partnering for courses like this.
This way it is fair for all.
Most importantly, drop a thank you note to everyone who have been a part of this learning journey. This should include the stakeholder, SMEs, learners and learning partners.
Lastly, don’t forget to pat yourself on the back
Conclusion
There can be more based on the nature of the intervention, you’re understanding with your learning partner and many more factors.
However, these are those 5 steps which are not to be missed.
The success of any learning initiative does not just lie in the Learning team or HR or the Learners. It is a collaborative process that can change the overall learning and development culture of any organization.
Reach out to us to know more about our approach to custom eLearning content development solutions.
