Getting started with online learning

How do you choose what’s right for you and your company when it comes to developing new training programmes in this age of virtual learning?

There is a dizzying array of learning platforms and technology solutions available to companies. New solutions are being developed all the time, especially in the mobile learning space, and it is easy to get lost in the maze spending time and energy investigating a solution which might not be the most appropriate for your needs.

Web-based training applications provide an online environment that blends interactive virtual classroom learning with meeting and webinar capabilities to enable online learning and collaborative web conferencing throughout the world.

Sounds great doesn’t it?

But there are some key considerations to bear in mind:

1     Cost. This is an obvious one. Your budget will probably dictate the range of learning technologies you can choose from.

2     Infrastructure. The infrastructure of your organisation’s systems and that of your learners will also play a part in deciding what will work for you or what won’t.

3     How learners access the training. Will students be accessing from work or from home? Are they expected to undertake their training in work time, personal time or travelling time? For either, their time for training will be limited so make sure that you produce clear and short text, visuals that grab attention (remember the idiom “A picture is worth a thousand words”). You have to capture and keep their attention so videos, case studies, work-based examples, games and so on help keep the content as inspiring and engaging as possible.

4     Organisational issues that arise. If learners are expected to undertake training in work time (for example, watching a webinar, attending a virtual classroom session) which would be normal, discussion and agreements may be needed to ensure that managers allow the ‘student’ sufficient time to complete their programmes. In many companies it is hard enough to get managers to release people to attend face-to-face training but even more so to allow their team members to participate in online learning.

5     Using a learning management system. Do you need LMS attached for tracking and reporting? If not you could go for a simple learning platform that delivers content and allows learner to track their own progress but doesn’t allow a trainer or manager access to their performance.

6     Time pressure on learners. Help learners assimilate learning quickly especially when this is self-directed. Divide sessions into bite-sized chunks that they can access whenever and wherever they have the time. Avoid lengthy text blocks or cluttered pages.

Yes, there are other issues but these would get you started! What do you think?

Kate

www.thelearningdesignstudio.com