Online courses for employee training programs have significantly increased in the last decade. It has proven to save both time and money for modern companies. Apart from this, there are many other advantages of online training, employee feedback. Employees usually prefer online training methods since it gives them the liberty to learn at their speed whenever it fits into their schedule. Most companies have adapted to online training methods rather than traditional methods.
switch from traditional to online training
Although online training is easy and convenient, it may become quite difficult for companies to switch from their traditional methods of online training. It is important to prepare for every situation to avoid unexpected challenges. In this article, we will explore some of the basic points to remember when switching from traditional to online training.
1. Run a training needs analysis:
Before switching to online training, you must ensure that you understand what your training needs are. What is it that is making your current strategy not work? What are the knowledge and skills that your employees currently lack? How can you improve employee productivity rate? To understand this, you must run a complete training needs analysis to evaluate the weaknesses and strengths of your training program.
2. Choose the right eLearning tools:
Choosing the right eLearning tools for your training program is the most essential step to creating an online course. Research various LMS vendors, the features they provide, and decide what suits you best for your training needs. You can also look for online reviews for the LMS you are planning to choose. Most organizations make the mistake of setting up their online training program as quickly as possible and try to cut costs in the process. This usually ends up being more expensive as they are not satisfied with the limited features that are provided to them.
3. Evaluate your training goals and objectives:
When switching from traditional training methods to online training, your training goals and objectives also change. It is important to know where you want to go with this online training program. Training goals and objectives are always changing for organizations and their employees. It is best to keep re-evaluating them from time to time and stay updated with your needs when making an online training course. For example, training objectives that were at the top of your priority list last year may no longer be relevant in the current situation.
4. Explore different online training resources:
There is a new technology coming up in the online training market almost every month. You must regularly explore these technologies and pick up ones that help you make your course even more engaging and interactive. It is perfectly ok to use PowerPoint presentations for your training, but it won’t give you access to the modern tools being used in LMS that can help build the interest of your employees. Evaluate your online assets and determine how modern technology can make them even more interesting for your employees.
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5. Include gamification tools:
Almost every LMS provides you with a set of gamification tools that help you to make your online training more engaging and interesting. Tools such as quizzes, reward points for completing a particular topic, scoreboards that indicate which employee has completed maximum topics help in motivating your employees and thus increase their productivity rate. This is arguably the biggest advantage of online training as compared to traditional training methods. You can explore these tools online or ask your LMS vendor to make you familiar with all the features that they provide.
6. Make an effective L&D team:
The people you put into your Learning and Development team have a huge role to play in the online training methods. It is recommended that you put one employee from every department into your L&D team. The L&D team handles all the data migration, content repurposing, and other such essential tasks for your online training program. You may also put in a subject expert and some experienced eLearning professionals into your L&D team. You may also provide them an eLearning Project Management tool that will gather all data in one place and help them stay updated.
7. Seek employee feedback:
Employees should play an integral role in your online training program, whether it is online or offline. Get them involved from the beginning, so they can offer their feedback and help you develop a training program that is relevant from the employees’ point of view. When making a switch from traditional training methods to online training, create focus groups to help you understand how your training courses will be received. You can also carry out assessments and surveys from the employees. This will personalize online training resources to address employment gaps and areas for improvement.
8. Create content for all:
The best advantage of switching from traditional training methods to online training is that you no longer have to train employees from every department on the same topic. It is known that the needs of every department and every employee are different. Your online training must accommodate the needs and work responsibilities of every employee in your organization. Implementing learning technologies can help you create content for all. You can also create multiple chapters on one topic to avoid overloading employees with too much information. This makes the topic more memorable and easy to access.
To sum up of switch from traditional to online training:
Switching from traditional training methods to online training is not easy for any organization. However, keeping up with modern technologies gives you a competitive advantage in the market. If you keep these points in mind while creating your training program will help you make a smooth transition from traditional to online training. We hope this article was helpful to you. Thank you for reading, stay safe, and all the best!
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