Quickly Deliver A Variety Of Training Topics
So you’ve just spent thousands of dollars on a new learning platform for your organization. Now all you need is content to fill it with and you will be on your way. But developing your own content takes a lot of time and often quite a bit of money as well. And when you’ve just spent thousands on the new platform, your remaining budget may not be very big. What can you do?
Relax, this is where off-the-shelf eLearning content libraries come into play.
Ready-made, off-the-shelf content is the quickest and most cost-effective way to get the content you need so you can fill your new platform and get your training program off the ground in a matter of days.
Benefits of off-the-shelf courses include:
- Wide selection of topics
- Variety of learning formats
- Proven to get great results
- Continuously updated
Let’s take a closer look at the advantages of using off-the-shelf content in your learning platform:
1. Wide Selection Of Topics
If you're just getting your training program up and running, you probably have a long laundry list of topics you need to get training content for, like compliance and safety. The nice thing is that for most of these topics, someone out there has already built something they are willing to share.
Most content providers will provide content on a variety of popular topics. When you are vetting your content provider, you’ll want to check their list of topics against the list your organization needs and see which provider best meets your needs.
If you don’t already have a list, here’s a short list of some of the most common topics I’ve seen from off-the-shelf content providers:
- Workplace diversity, inclusion, and sensitivity
- Preventing discrimination and harassment
- HR compliance
- Workplace safety (OSHA)
- Leadership and management
- Sales and service
- Soft skills
- Business skills
- Professional certifications
- Employee wellness
- Technology
- Information Technology
- Software
- Cybersecurity
- Industry-specific topic (e.g., banking, restaurants)
2. Variety Of Learning Formats
Not all off-the-shelf courses are next-driven, stuffy formal learning. These prebuilt learning experiences can come in a variety of formats, from interactive eLearning courses to smaller microlearning modules. They are built in such a way that they play well with most learning platforms and typically are designed to be taken on any device—from your computer to your mobile device. Most even include assessments or quizzes to test learners' knowledge and job aids to reinforce learning out in the field.
Having so many learning formats at your fingertips allows you to create custom, personalized learning paths that best suit the needs and preferences of your learners. Your field sales team may prefer mobile microlearning while some of your older employees may be more comfortable with a formal online course.
3. Proven To Get Great Results
To reinforce knowledge, most off-the-shelf courses include quizzes, surveys, polls, or reflective questions that help recall essential information and reverse the forgetting curve. Plus, online courses and microlearning can be easier for busy employees to fit into their schedules than in-person training.
According to research conducted by Training Industry, when companies of 500 employees replaced over a quarter of their Instructor-Led Training (ILT) sessions with off-the-shelf video microlearning content, they gained a significant Return On Investment (ROI)—in excess of 380%—from the integrated off-the-shelf library.
4. Continuously Updated
The best off-the-shelf courseware libraries offer regular content curation, so that content is always timely and adheres to current best practices. This is a great benefit of off-the-shelf content for smaller organizations that don’t have the Instructional Design staff to continuously update content as regulations or procedures change. When comparing off-the-shelf content libraries, be sure to ask how often they update the content or remove poorly reviewed courses.
Are There Any Drawbacks To Using Off-The-Shelf eLearning Content?
There are a few drawbacks to off-the-shelf content, as, as the name suggests, it is usually very general and is not always customizable to fit your organization or industry. So it’s best to use off-the-shelf content to build out the basics of your learning program and add custom content to your platform to teach things that are more specific to your organization or industry.
However, the benefits in terms of speed and affordability make off-the-shelf courses a great way to get your training program started and offer additional professional development opportunities to your team.
