Does your e-learning need to be updated?
No product is 100% timeless. At a certain moment, the design or the functionality must be renewed. This also goes for online trainings. But what’s the optimal moment for an update?
When the content of your e-learning is outdated, you’ll obviously update this immediately. Most of the times it isn’t that easy. It helps to have a checklist with demands which the training must meet. Evaluate your training frequently based on these points. Does the training still meet them? Such evaluations are essential. Why? We explain this further in this blog.
Besides your own checklist & the actuality of your content, there are some other signals that can point out your online training needs to be refreshed. The four most common are discussed in this blog.
Low completion percentages
When users lose their interest during the training, there’s a big chance they won’t finish the e-learning. When this happens consequently, it points out something’s wrong in your e-learning. Questions you can ask yourself are:
Is the course too long?
Is the course too technical (full of jargon)?
Are there too many long pieces of text?
Is there enough interaction (quizzes or assignments)?
Is the progress insightful for users during the training?
The reason why users don’t complete an e-learning can have various reasons. Perhaps the content is too boring, the exercises too difficult or the link between the training content and the daily job isn’t clear. You must know which reason applies to your case, so you can address it efficiently.
When a training is compulsory, users won’t quit premature. So, in that case this indicator doesn’t work. Pay attention to other signals. A lower interaction at discussion fora and a slow response at the submission of assignments are also signs that your training doesn’t match its goals.
Less involvement of users
High involvement is present at an effective online training. Users ask questions frequently and discuss among each other. When you started of with high interaction, but this level decreases, it’s a sign you don’t have the undivided attention of your users anymore. That’s a shame! Keep an eye on your LMS so you can check if your involvement levels truly drop. This way you can react quickly. And you can check which information or support your users need and edit the content where possible.
Negative feedback
The most efficient way to evaluate if your e-learning matches the needs of your users is by direct feedback. Use therefore an evaluation form to ask users what they thought of the training. This provides you with the feedback you need to improve e-learnings. Look at what’s being said at social media, your Learning Management System and the evaluations your users give you in their reviews on your website. Take negative feedback seriously. Potential users will look at these reviews before signing up. Negative reviews lead to less subscriptions at optional trainings. And users have lower expectations of compulsory trainings, which influences their effort.
The behaviour of the participants doesn’t change
After an effective online training you’ll see progress in the capacities of your employees. This must be visible in the daily practice of their job, for example in better customer’s service or in using the new software correctly.
Do you see (too) little change? This can happen due to the content or form of your training. Perhaps the structure and content were sufficient when the organization was smaller, but need to be edited now the company is bigger.
Moreover, you can also work on the support after the online training. Think of assigning a mentor or coach, or short repetition trainings.
Improve online training results
In short, it’s important to recognise signs of a less effective e-learning. This way you can research the cause and take steps to restore the efficiency of the training. You can create optimal involvement by making use of among other things various content forms. In general, you should keep your online trainings short, interesting, relevant and based on clear learning goals. This way you’ll create the biggest efficiency.
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