How to Utilize Remote ELearning

How to Utilize Remote ELearning
Summary: Take your training beyond traditional environments and constraints - benefits of remote elearning practices.

Benefits of Remote eLearning Practices

The business world is changing rapidly thanks to the digitization and automation of many processes within the enterprise. Portable computing is becoming much more of a realistic business choice and the proliferation of smartphone and tablet devices ensures that employees can be reachable and connected at all times.

When it comes to staff training and support there is little that can be more effective than elearning. Thanks to the cloud and more portable computing and connectivity options, staff that are travelling or simply away from the office can get on with their work. This increases productivity no end and it means that a business doesn't have to worry as much when it comes to getting all employees in the same place at the same time.

Remote elearning provides a business with the opportunity to continue training far beyond traditional learning environments and constraints. A forward thinking business knows that employee training isn't a finite practice and instead should run concurrently with the employee and their job role.

Remote elearning can have marked benefits for a business and its employees. It means that there is less down time when it comes to travelling and it increases the potential for connectivity. Let’s look at some areas of your business that could be greatly benefited by utilizing remote elearning practices.

First things first

Before you begin implementing elearning practices it’s necessary to define exactly what it is that your business hopes to achieve. When it comes to connecting with remote workers elearning provides great scope and opportunity but there are some things to keep in mind.

Make sure that you’re aware of the type of hardware that employees are using to connect with your business whilst out of the office. Bring your own device policies may be worth considering at this point so that you can meet your employees half way and on devices they already know well.

You really need to utilize and employ cloud-based options so that remote workers can easily access and learn from your elearning platforms. Cloud-based services mean that an employee can log into your elearning infrastructure from any internet enabled device. The only limitation in this scenario is the speed of the employee’s internet connection.

When it comes to audio-visual options a business needs to consider plugins to ensure that content plays successfully. The hardware that your business is utilizing will determine what you can and can’t do when it comes to remote access for employees.

So, determine what you want to get out of your elearning platforms and how you want to connect with remote employees first. Then consider your hardware and whether or not it needs upgrading to meet your learning objectives.

What do your employees need to learn?

This is perhaps the next step. Once you have the infrastructure in place it’s time to decide and determine the learning objectives themselves. It’s all well and good having a better connected workforce but there needs to be a clear mission statement with good actionable, attainable, and collective goals.

This will keep everyone focused. It can be a hard task but predicting the knowledge that your employees need in the future is an important consideration to make. Ensure that you've got the right tools and infrastructures in place to meet your objectives.

When it comes to learning materials and content it’s important to make sure that it’s engaging and stimulating. Break up large blocks of text with pleasing visuals and perhaps even consider using video lectures and lessons. A good mix of different learning mediums will keep your employees not only interested but also engaged with your course structure.

Use tests and breaks to ensure that employees are retaining the right information. It’s useful to have a metric to determine success and monitor how well employees are performing.

Be creative

There are plenty of ways to teach and reach employees. Traditional classroom settings are increasingly challenged and often outdated which is likely to be why you’re considering an elearning platform. When it comes to remote learners a classroom setting (in a geographical sense) is completely impossible.

Remote learners need a variety of content to keep them stimulated. Remember that they don’t have the same level of personal connection with you, your business, and other staff members. This can however be alleviated through good integration of social networks and gamification options.

The other thing to keep in mind is the content type that you've chosen. Make sure that if you've opted to focus on video lessons that you have someone that’s skilled and able to develop that content for you. Know where your content will come from and plan your budget accordingly. Is it something that you can do in house or is it something that you’ll have to farm out to a content agency?

You need the cloud 

When it comes to connecting with remote learners and workers there’s no way that an internal LMS will cut it. A cloud-based option will greatly increase your potential for connectivity and accessibility. Remote workers need an easy to access platform and the easiest way to provide that is through cloud alternatives.

If your business employs a lot of remote workers or workers that work around the world in different time zones then there’s not really a better option than the cloud.

Remote workers ensure that a business can save time, money, and increase productivity. Instead of travel costs and excessive training expenses, a business can reach and keep in contact with its employees through a centralized elearning platform. Ensure that you have a concrete plan in place before implementing any of the above and you’ll find a tangible increase in employee satisfaction, retention, and training.