Custom eLearning development has taken on a strategic role within organizations in today’s ever-expanding business world. We’re seeing a major shift in how employees interact with training. Many of them already have the motivation to learn new skills but no one wants to spend hours being lectured at in a classroom. The solution is to provide eLearning solutions that engage employees and are accessible in the same way they access everything else they learn.
Consider this for a moment. A person will willingly watch a 5-10 minute video to learn how to cook a specific dish but are resistant to training from their employer. Why is that? There are a number of reasons but the most notable is that they simply don’t want to sit in a classroom and be bored to tears for hours. They’d rather watch a short video that engages them and doesn’t consume all their time.
So why not take something they already enjoy and create essential learning that ticks those same boxes? The fact is that the traditional approach of classroom learning is more costly and the employee doesn’t retain most of the information.
Custom eLearning development should be incorporated into your business strategy by approaching employees in ways that they prefer.
Key Characteristics that Define an Engaging eLearning Program
eLearning programs must take the culture, leadership, and business challenges into consideration. So, the key characteristics include:
- A learning plan that takes company goals into consideration.
- Company leaders and employees must buy into the program.
- Clear expectations of all parties involved.
- Internal promotion to raise employee awareness.
Let’s take a closer look at each of those characteristics in more detail.
Custom eLearning Development Plan
A successful eLearning program emphasizes the learner experience while also supporting the company mission. This is accomplished by carefully planning every step of the learning journey. Start by defining how eLearning will support your company mission. Then identify the skills that employees need to help achieve those goals. These goals will then become objectives within the eLearning plan. Here’s a general step-by-step look at how it’s done.
- List all the company’s goals, needs, and direction. Consider what the workforce needs to accomplish the company’s objectives.
- Compare that list to the current skills in the company’s workforce.
- List all the gaps in the current skills and those required to achieve the goals in step 1.
- Determine what training can be provided to close this skill gap.
This process will give you the general milestones for a training program. It will even show you several lessons to include for a virtual learning program to work.
Get Company Leaders and Employees to Buy In
Both leaders and employees must support a learning program if it’s to have any hopes of gaining traction. If they are resistant to it, then they will undermine it, so you need to strategize it in a way that gains support from both leaders and employees.
Start with the leadership since they are in a position to directly influence their employees’ careers. However, it’s important for employees to respect those leaders. Having management teams on-board also makes it easier to identify areas where specific department processes might not align with the overall company strategy.
Now let’s turn the lens to employees. They always want to know what’s in it for them. So, promoting a new learning program inside a company must take this into account. Assess if the overall goals within the company are connected. Individual tasks are usually part of a group initiative, even if many employees don’t realize it. This group initiative is part of the overall strategy of the organization.
At the end of the day, an individual employee’s contribution has a direct impact on their career. You have to help them see that impact. The way to achieve that goal is to help them see the company mission in context of what they do within the company. This will highlight the fact that both the employee and organization benefit from a new learning initiative.
Define all Expectations and Communicate them Clearly
All business endeavors achieve better results when everyone’s expectations are laid out and communicated clearly. When it comes to learning in the workplace, encourage employees to set personal goals and define their objectives both during and after the course. The problem is that most people tend to create superficial goals that don’t necessarily align with the company.
Leaders need to step up their game and work with employees to establish these expectations. Find common ground and work from there. Address things like:
- Key skills learned from the training course.
- How to apply these key skills to their job.
- Define how being better at their job will benefit them personally.
- Business objectives that the learning program supports.
By creating realistic expectations ahead of time, the learning experience is more likely to take root and improve their overall performance. Just remember that employees are working under the expectation of getting something in return for their time. Show them how learning new skills will boost their résumé and raise their relevance in the industry.
Raise Awareness Through Internal Promotion
There are two ways that companies get employees to participate in a new training program. The first and most common method is to make it mandatory. However, I recommend against that because it creates resistance. The other method is to use internal marketing to show them how the program will boost their career and get them to volunteer.
Internal marketing includes three phases – the launch, raising awareness, and sustaining their motivation. Companies that follow up with their employees after training get the best results. Habits are hard to break so many people will fall back to their old way of doing their job rather than incorporating new training.
Custom eLearning in Toronto
Custom eLearning development ensures that an organization stays on pace with the ever-changing market. By incorporating eLearning into your business strategy, you are setting your business up for future success. More importantly, your company will be better protected against future disruptions.
We specialize in eLearning in Toronto, all of Canada, and the United States. If you’re looking for custom eLearning development, then contact us today.
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