Partner Article

Global eTraining - 10 Perils of eLearning

At Global eTraining, we have helped many organizations overcome the perils of online training. In our years providing online, on-demand Autodesk and BIM training for the AEC industry, we have learned that success is only a few proactive steps away. Navigating the perils is a matter of knowing what they are and how to avoid them. You can download our article here.

1.Neglecting the Human Element

No matter how professionally prepared or thorough learning material is, if it doesn’t reach the people using it, it’s not much good. Properly designed online training will make learners feel as if they are working with a top-notch instructor.

This must, at the very least, involve senses a live class participant would be using—sight, hearing, hands-on work. Well-written text that is more than step by-step instructions; even in the parts that actually are step-by-step instructions. Audio recorded by someone who does more than just read the script. A course design that feels natural and welcoming; engaging the user in ways they might not even recognize at the time. And video demonstrations of step-by step processes, with a face on them. Users feel like they’re coming home to an old friend when they see the familiar face of their instructor, or hear their teacher’s voice. Because a well-designed online course incorporates the human element. At Global eTraining, we have helped many organizations overcome the perils of online training. In our years providing online, on-demand Autodesk and BIM training for the AEC industry, we have learned that success is only a few proactive steps away. Navigating the perils is a matter of knowing what they are and how to avoid them.

2.Not Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Application

Traditionally, education has emphasized theory as the primary learning objective. The lecture-based learning method requires learners to connect the dots on their own. In recent decades this has been challenged, however, due to the growing importance of immediately applying knowledge successfully in the workplace. Learner engagement increases significantly when they are taught why they are learning the concepts and how those concepts can be used in real-world projects. Practical application of software skills depends on training that frames them in the context of actual design and construction projects, such as through hands on exercises.

3.Forgetting How People Learn

Individuals differ in how they learn. This is referred to as a learning style, or an individual’s natural or habitual pattern of acquiring and processing information. According to the VARK profiles developed by educator Neil Fleming in the 90s, every learner is a visual, aural, read-write, or kinesthetic learner; or a combination of two, three, or even all four of these styles, with at least one dominant style. An online learning interface should incorporate sound and narration; video, graphics and images; text; interactive picks and clicks; and hands-on exercises. This type of interface, appropriately compiled into a streamlined learning path, has the best chance of successfully training a diverse learner population.

4.Obsessing About Initial Cost and Immediate Output

A key motivation for putting training online is to save on the costs associated with instructor-led training, namely travel, instructors, and venues. The peril lies in compromising learning objectives to save money in the short-term, or giving up on the system too soon because you haven’t seen immediate returns. The corporate training team must identify existing skill gaps and then set learning objectives, matching them closely with outcomes such as project-readiness or certification. Online training provides immediate accessibility and depending on the system, reportability, which does translate to cost savings and a faster training rollout, if you commit to the timeframes you set in the first place. Your eTraining provider should be your guru in guiding you through this process.

5.Letting the Tail Wag the Dog

Until recently e-learning wasn’t much more than a narrated PowerPoint presentation, a passive instructional tool that assumes all people can learn the subject matter by watching and listening. We know this is not the case. However, with the advent of greater interactivity in online learning, the temptation is merely to dazzle the learner with interactive features. This is known in the online learning world as “click click bling bling,” or seductive details that look impressive but do not advance learning objectives. Real eTraining does look good, and is engaging and interactive, but with a solid educational foundation of steak to the sizzle.

6.Failing to Challenge, Engage and Motivate

Online training requires the learner motivation. An instructor can read a waning engagement level in his classroom by observing body language. He can respond by using enthusiastic gestures and tones, asking more questions and switching focus to a more dynamic instructional device. Too many online learning interfaces have not developed methods designed to maintain engagement, challenge learners and motivate them to stick with tithe key to navigating this peril is to make eTraining challenging, engage learners through implementing an engagement program, incorporate innovative engagement techniques, and motivate learners to continue being enthusiastic about the training over time.

7.Not Measuring the Right Data

If anyone tells you that learning and development benefits cannot be represented on the balance sheet, they are missing the big picture. Learning and development must (and can) prove their value in financial terms. Performance-enhancement must translate to increased revenues or higher margins. If training improves employee engagement or retention rates, this can (and must) be measured in terms of costs or production rates. The steps from learning to revenues might be numerous, but they still need to be identified and understood. A proper eTraining system must come with a fully functional learning management system that gives you the information you need when you need it. And support team that makes sure it works for you.

8.Trying to Do It All Yourself

Keeping online learning content updated is a costly and time-consuming exercise. The investment you make in an independent learning and development team might be better utilized engaging the right vendors, whose background and community of consultants may be more extensive than what is achievable for your internal team. Your power users may be software aces, but they aren’t necessarily the best teachers. Or they may be effective at instructor-led training and excellent mentors, but they may not be able to effectively teach online. A dedicated eTrainingcompany is likely to have a time-tested solution to your eTraining needs, and the best will have one that can be customized to your specifications, freeing your power users to champion skills and standards you want everyone to achieve.

9.Forgetting to Brand Your eTraining Internally

Learning is a cultural initiative. We know that learner engagement is a delicate formula requiring careful planning and strategic management. All people in leadership positions must demonstrate support for the program the same way they do other elements of the company’s brand, such as the mission and values. Once you have implementation and engagement plans in place, you have to share your objectives with your learner population. This is done through an internal marketing campaign, which is designed and delivered like any marketing campaign: by identifying your target audience, messaging, and media channels. Your eTraining provider must be ready to work with you to ensure the highest levels of implementation and uptake.

10.Ignoring the Learner’s Need for Beauty

Art and aesthetics are important components in any human interaction. As discussions of online learning have developed, however, little attention has been given to the aesthetics of designing online learning environments and the extent to which this plays a role in improving learning opportunities. Emerging web development technologies are making it possible to integrate diverse forms of aesthetics into the online experience, yet their adoption remains stifled by the fact that experts in art are not included in the discussion. A well-designed eTraining program is a well-designed eTraining program. Your Training provider should take as much pride in the first-impression reactions to their courses as you do in your own office, reception area, or boardroom.

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For more information on our programs or to request a consultation and demo please contact Rachel Rowling, Global eTraining Strategist, MBA or Connect to Rachel on Linkedin.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Rachel Rowling .