3 things you need to know before implementing elearning

You've got a good idea of the benefits and effectiveness of elearning, but what do you need to know before implementing an elearning solution for the first time?

The good news for anyone starting from scratch is that you’re not tied to any systems or technology, allowing you to choose the best possible solution for your learners’ needs.

Our teams of developers have used all the most popular authoring tools to create modules which fit into any learning environment, as well as building our own Launch & Learn LMS from the ground up to offer maximum flexibility for our clients.

Time Scales

This is one of the most common concerns we hear from first time clients. The time from initial contact to the final delivered module depends on so many factors that there’s not a simple answer for everyone.

You should look for a provider that makes sure your staff have the best chance of completing the course effectively and within the time scale necessary by providing an engaging and responsive experience.

We create custom content and from the very first call we’re building a plan that ensures you get the best possible results from the course within your time constraints.

By taking the time to review and confirm your needs in the early stages, we can offer a realistic estimate of time scale involved with the project.

Jargon Buster

LMS

A Learning Management System (LMS) is a piece of software that holds all the elearning courses. It allows your staff to find and complete the modules, and allows you to track the results and completion rates for staff and courses.

There are many to choose from and you may already have one in place; the courses we create are compatible with all major LMSs, and we have our own Launch & Learn LMS available if you want ultimate flexibility or you need to get courses live quickly.

Responsive elearning

Responsive or multi-device elearning means any device, whatever the screen size or input method, can be used to complete a learning course.

Using a specialised authoring tool one course can be built which adapts it’s layout to fit whichever screen size your staff feel most comfortable using.  Ideally these kind of modules are built using industry standards which allow the results to be hooked into an LMS for tracking.

The Adapt framework is an open-source development package which Sponge helped to create; it allows developers to create responsive, compliant training.

SCORM

Sharable Content Object Reference Model or SCORM is a set of standards for elearning software. If your module is SCORM-compliant it will allow any conformant software to interact with it properly.

Just like any modern web browser can display this web page, any conforming LMS can track the results from a SCORM-compliant module.

Tin Can API, Experience API, xAPI

An Application Programming Interface (API) allows different pieces of software to talk to one another.

Tin Can API, also known as Experience API or xAPI, was launched in 2013 and it’s becoming more common to see elearning modules and LMSs that make use of it. It offers more ways of tracking learners’ progress and helps them to interact with the course and other learners more effectively.

SME

Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) work with the people designing the information and assessment contained in the elearning. They will provide the knowledge of the subject that will be passed on through the training.

Sometimes SMEs are completely new to elearning too, so it’s necessary to have a flexible approach to the relationship to get all the necessary material for a course.

Content requirements

Critical to all workplace training is the content itself. We have developed a proven workflow allowing our teams of experienced Instructional Designers to transform the resources you provide into effective, engaging elearning modules.

Sometimes the objective of a course will be clear from the outset, with existing training materials already available to base the content on.  We can work with any type of content to bring you a flexible elearning module.

Subject Matter Experts are one the best sources of content for elearning, but it can present a challenge too.

It’s important to understand that an SME will have a lot of demands on their time and expertise already and to work with them to make sure the information is collected as efficiently as possible. 

When creating elearning for healthcare for example, the raw information from a medical professional is turned into a structured module with a clear learning outcome. This is the task of the Instructional Designers and it’s one that takes a lot of skill and experience to do well.

Making the final product available

Not long ago it was much more important to get the fine details of deployment planned in advance to make sure all your employees could access the learning you provided.

With advances in the technology behind the courses, it’s now possible to create content that can be consumed by anyone, anywhere.

Using elearning tools like the Adapt framework and Launch & Learn, a suite of modules can be developed and published for your workforce to access from any internet connected device.

A translation service is available for all the content we create, so if you need to deploy across the world we can ensure a smooth roll out of your course to all territories with the same benefits of tailored elearning.

Whether you want to discuss the benefits of an elearning based course or go through the technical requirements or time scales, don’t hesitate to get in touch.