Is eLearning the right training platform for your company?
The company you work for is hiring en masse for an upcoming huge project, and you’re tasked with coming up with a plan for an immediate training proposal for the new hires. Choosing a pedagogy program is not a walk in the park, there are many things to consider before finally deciding on a particular training system. Your colleague suggested e-learning, well, it is ideal for fast and cost-effective learning, but before you write your proposal plan for such a methodology, think about it first. There are many factors to consider before offering eLearning for your company’s training program.
Gather information about the company’s guidelines for the training program. Ask questions like, “How large is the number of learners?” “What kind of training content is needed?” “How long will the training program last?” “Does it require a lot of demonstrations or hands-on lab work?” By answering these questions, you will have a complete idea of the requirements of the company’s proposed training program. All you need to do now is analyze whether computer-based training is the right teaching tool for your company’s mass hiring and training.
First determine the number of learners. If the number of learners involved is quite large and most of them are in different locations, then perhaps a virtual classroom is the right learning tool you need. However, if the target audience has very different needs, then computer-based training with prior knowledge may not be the solution for the company’s training program. If the curriculum requires learners to study a certain level of content, implementing online learning can be a long and exhausting process. Another thing to consider is the content that will be delivered; if it is text-heavy, then learners will find it difficult to learn. Imagine continuously reading a text-heavy educational module on a computer, learners will get tired of reading those modules, making the learning process inefficient.
Now if the training aims to motivate or encourage the target audience apart from improving their skills. Online learning may not be the right system for the project. Since learners will be learning in the virtual classroom where there is no physical or personal interaction, changing their perspective or attitude will be extremely difficult, if not impossible. Machines are emotionless contraptions, what makes you think they can teach emotional change? Another thing to consider is whether the content requires a lot of live demonstrations or hands-on lab work. If this happens, you should consider other methods. A simulated video version of a live demo cannot beat the real thing, no matter how accurate and/or how good it is.
There is no perfect teaching or training method. As history has proven, each of them has its pros and cons. E-learning is the same; but you can change it to suit the needs of the company. It doesn’t have to be entirely text-based, including animated clips, videos and other multimedia components can enhance its effectiveness.
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