6 Questions You Need To Answer To Successfully Move Your Corporate Training Online

How To Move Your Corporate Training Online
Summary: This article will feature the key questions that you'll want to ask in order to successfully move your corporate training online. From delivery methods to eLearning course format, I'll share some tips that will allow you to make the transition from face to face training to engaging and effective Online Training.

How To Move Your Corporate Training Online

Companies of all sizes are now beginning to see the advantages of moving their corporate training online (Is Corporate eLearning Really Worth The Investment?). However, if your company has been utilizing traditional training methods for quite some time, it may be challenging to even think from where to begin. How can you convert your corporate training into an online format so that your company can begin reaping the many rewards of eLearning? I hope that the following 6 Questions will help you to successfully move your corporate training online.

  1. What are your core online corporate training objectives?
    Before you begin the transition of your training, it's a good idea to take a close look at your objectives. Why did you originally create your traditional training materials? What skill sets should learners have acquired once they complete the training and which behaviors should they adopt as a result of the new online training program? By assessing your goals, you can move forward with a renewed sense of focus on purpose, which will allow you to have a clear idea of what you need to include and what you need to leave out from your online training.
  2. Which instructional design models/theories will you utilize?
    One of the most important steps involved in converting to online training is to research the various instructional design models and theories that you can utilize. By studying the models and theories, you will be able to design online training courses and modules that facilitate the learning process more efficiently. For example, if you design online training courses based on the cognitive load theory, you will focus on creating online training modules that are smaller and more digestible for the learners, which will help them to effectively acquire and retain the information that you are providing.
  3. Which online training course format should you use?
    Are you going to opt for an Asynchronous, Synchronous, or Blended Learning approach? Asynchronous learning allows learners to learn at their own pace via online forums, email, and other activities that can be performed without face-to-face instruction (7 Tips To Create an Effective Asynchronous eLearning Strategy). Synchronous learning, on the other hand, is carried out in real-time and is typically instructor-led (8 Tips To Create an Effective Synchronous eLearning Strategy). Live chats and video conferencing are examples of synchronous learning tools. Last but not least, is the blended learning approach, which, as the name suggests, is a mix of asynchronous and synchronous learning activities (7 Tips To Create an Effective Blended eLearning Strategy). Blended learning enables learners to enjoy the benefits of both self-paced study and real-time instruction. However, to choose the right eLearning course format you need to Effectively Analyze your eLearning Course Audiences.
  4. Which online training delivery methods should you use?
    The online training delivery methods depend on the online training course format, the types of interaction - Learner to Content, Learner to Instructor, Learner to Learner(s) - and of course the eLearning Software that you will use. There are a number of different ways that you can deliver your online training content and each has its own unique set of advantages. For example, you may include online forums (asynchronous learning, learner to learn interaction) and Webinars (synchronous learning, learner(s) to instructor interaction). Also, you may want to deliver your online training via mobile, which allows learners to access modules and resources on the go or even on-the-job (8 Steps To Create and Develop an Effective Mobile Training Strategy). Ideally, you'll want to think about designing online training courses that tap into the power of all of these delivery methods, as this will allow you to reach the most learners and gain the most benefit from your online training program.
  5. What is your desired level of online training interactivity?
    Next, you'll want to consider the interactivity of your online training. Ultimately, the key to choose the level of interactivity depends upon the goals you want to achieve and, of course, the subject matter itself. In other words, interactive components should not be integrated if they aren't relevant to the overall objective. Ideally, you'll want to have a good blend of group interaction and core content interaction. The learners should be able to participate in group collaboration activities while the online training module itself should be effective and engaging. Will eLearning scenarios help you make the eLearning course more immersive? Will interactive quizzes and tests help the learner to better retain the information? Will relevant videos appeal to your learners learning needs? These are all questions that you'll want to address in order to create online corporate training content that motivates your learners to learn while helping them to more effectively digest the knowledge/skills.
  6. How will you be assessing the effectiveness of the online training courses?
    Last, but certainly not least, you will want to consider how you are going to gauge the effectiveness of your online training courses once the transition takes place. Will you be conducting a survey at the end of each module to get invaluable learners’ feedback? Will you be assessing your learners via tests or on-the-job evaluations once they have completed the online training course? Knowing what is effective about your new online training course and what may need to be fine tuned, is essential to its overall success. Once you identify weak areas within your training strategy, you can then take action to make improvements and create the best possible learning experience for your learners. After all, an online training course that isn't enabling learners to acquire and retain information or skill sets isn't worth the investment. So, you'll want to be sure that it's living up to expectations and not falling short when it comes to learners’ development (6 Tips To Effectively Evaluate Your Corporate eLearning Strategy).

Last but not least, I highly encourage you to read the following resources:

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    One of the biggest challenges that eLearning professionals experience is demonstrating the return on investment (ROI) of their training programs. In order to attract project sponsors and to justify resources invested in the development of eLearning, projects need to prove that they deliver real benefit to an organization. This article discusses considerations that need to be factored in when calculating eLearning ROI.
  • The Ultimate eLearning Course Design Checklist
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