choosing an e learning provider combined edits 092413 (final) (1)

Choosing an

eLearning Provider

800-566-3159 | ej4.com

A quick history lesson.

In 1995, just 4% of U.S. companies used online learning.

http://info.shiftelearning.com/blog/bid/247473/18-Mind-Blowing-eLearning-Statistics-You-Need-To-Know

By 2011, that number had climbed to over 77%.

And it’s growing rapidly.

Corporate training is nearly a $200 billion dollar industry.

eLearning is $56.2 billion of that.

And its effectiveness hasn’t gone unnoticed.

eLearning increases knowledge retention from 25% to 60%.

After transitioning to eLearning, IBM trimmed the cost of training by over $400 million dollars a year.

http://www.workforce.com/articles/a-second-act-for-e-learning

It’s cost effective.

85% of every dollar used in traditional classroom training was spent on just delivering it.

Not to mention…

41% of employees will look to leave their job within one year if the training program is poor.

http://www-304.ibm.com/jct03001c/services/learning/za/pdfs/ibm_white_paper-value_of_training.pdf

So, as a company…

Where do you begin?

What should you be looking for in an eLearning provider?

From course selection…

To course length…

To course functionality and much more…

Here are 6 things to keep in mind as you select an eLearning company.

1. Try Before You Buy

You don’t buy a car without a test drive, so why should you take on an eLearning provider without a thorough demo?

Request a Demo

As you watch, does each course provide a clear training narrative from start to finish?

Are the speakers communicating the message in a clear and coherent manner?

Do courses effectively communicate the goals for the learner and offer quick recaps to help them retain the information?

Does the LMS track the metrics you need it to?

Does the LMS work seamlessly? How quickly can any outstanding issues be corrected?

2. Must Be Easy to Administer

Not every employee will be under one roof.

You might have salespeople telecommuting to their next meeting right now, and let’s say they need a refresher on the latest updates to your product.

Or a salesperson just closed a deal with a new sales tactic, and wants to share with their manager and the team?

In either case, you want a training platform that allows your staff the ability to…

Record.

Upload.

And share content among the team with ease.

Furthermore, can employees assign courses or create their own groups for select individuals or departments within the company?

3. Is Content Updated Enough?

Are compliance courses on discrimination and anti-harassment current?

What about the latest tips on sales, leadership development, or new courses on product knowledge or motivational techniques?

Get a feel for not just the course library, but how relevant the courses are to your learners.

4. Options?

What about the variety of learning tools?

Can you customize courses specific to your company’s needs?

How large is the off-the-shelf library?

Can you personalize that off-the-shelf content?

What about business book summaries?

Determine the resources, and how they’ll contribute.

5. Average Length of Courses

Companies already deal with time management issues across the board.

A recent Salary.com study found that 69% of employees waste time at work, with 34% of that group admitting they waste nearly 30 minutes a day.

http://www.salary.com/2013-wasting-time-at-work-survey/slide/2/

So having a time management course that runs an hour long or more doesn’t make sense.

eLearning courses must be concise.

A good measuring stick for how long a course should be?

10 Minutes or less.

Don’t try and push content that’s longer than that – especially with the employee’s current workload.

6. Instructional Design Credentials

You want a company that can work with you and help put together the right performance improvement tools.

You need a company that can help research and create consistently engaging courses from start to finish.

Are design and graphics aesthetically pleasing and consistent throughout?

Do bullet points and other visual cues complement the content and speaker?

Do custom course outlines identify real needs that will resonate more with the learner?

Because eLearning is about helping your employees achieve more success. It’s training that identifies problems and provides effective measures.

And it’s training that’s made to help your company achieve a better ROI.

See how our eLearning tools can help your business today.

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