How to successfully set up your own e-learning programme

We can no longer do without e-learning these days. According to Easy-LMS 90% of organisations use some form of online learning and this is likely to grow another 8% in the next five years. To give you some perspective, in 1995 this was only 4%. That’s a huge amount of growth. In the business world, these platforms are used for a wide variety of purposes including onboarding, skills training and product presentations – making them all the more attractive. In fact, some businesses take it upon themselves to draw up their own programmes using the knowledge they want incorporated.

Do you want to get started and successfully set up your own e-learning programme? Then be sure to read on and discover what user feedback can mean for your e-learning programme.

In this article, we will provide you with tips on how to ensure that your e-learning programme meets the personal needs of the participant. Participants do not want to waste time on modules that are not relevant to them. They want a learning environment that is tailored to their personal needs. Therefore, start with a questionnaire or quiz to map the level and needs.

Establish the structure of the e-learning programme

You have a lot of information to share and questions to ask. A good structure is necessary if you want to prevent your programme from becoming an incoherent mess. Of course you do not want participants to drop out halfway through because they do not understand or see the point of it. You always start your own e-learning programme with a clear plan. So it’s important to think about the following:

• What are the learning objectives?
• What are the different learning paths?
• What information should be included?
• Testing and feedback
• ‘Fine-Tuning’

Now let’s take a look at each of these individually…

What are the learning objectives?

An e-learning environment often has several learning objectives. Not everyone has the same knowledge prior to starting the programme and not everyone has the same reason to participate in your programme. So start by determining what your participants should have learned after each lesson. When you have determined the different learning objectives, you will then start looking at the different learning paths.

What are the different learning paths?

It is now time to map out the different routes. What steps does a participant take to successfully reach the end of the training? Some learners will remember new information by reading a piece of text, while others learn faster by – for example – watching an instruction video. So it is very important that you create different learning paths that suit the different learning styles.


Source: E-Learning Power

What information should be included?

Now that you know what the different learning goals and learning paths are, you can get started with the content. It is important that you play around with the content and keep it varied. For example, try breaking complex issues into small, clear pieces (microlearning) and alternate individual assignments with group assignments. Nowadays there are many ways to present content in a fun and interactive way, such as videos, infographics, animations and virtual reality. Keep surprising your participants and ensure a style that not only suits your company, but also the subject.

Additionally, it is important that you also incorporate the same pieces of information several times. In general, something only sticks well when we have seen it more often and in different ways.

Tip: If you want to make sure that someone has understood the essence of a concept, throw in a short test or quiz. This way both you and the participants know how they are performing.

Testing and feedback

Your e-learning programme is ready. Your programme is well thought-out and all of the information is there. Now it is time for others to go through and test the programme. Try to select a group of diverse participants. Do not choose the safe route, but look for testers with a different background and knowledge of the subject of your training. The more diverse the better.

During and after the test phase you can collect user feedback from this group of participants. Why? Because not only do you want to know how your e-elearning environment functions technically, but also how the content scores. Read all about the benefits of user feedback for e-learning here.


Example of a Customer Effort Score feedback form


Source: Mopinion

You can collect feedback by asking specific questions at different times during the e-learning programme. Each test participant follows the program in his / her own way. Our advice? Try not to steer the user too much, because then you can more easily discover how differently everyone deals with the curriculum. In the Mopinion Marketplace you will find useful feedback form templates. So first, determine what you want to find out with the feedback and ask the right questions.

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‘Fine-Tuning’

You have reached the final stage! The feedback has been collected and after a thorough analysis you can put the finishing touches to your e-learning platform.

It is wise to leave a number of feedback buttons in the training. If the real participants do run into something, they can easily leave feedback for you.

Extra tips for a successful e-learning environment

1. Start with a clear instruction. Explain or show the participant what he/she can expect.
2. Help participants achieve their goals. You can measure this at the end of each lesson by asking a few short questions and providing a summary.
3. Recognisable. Make sure that the layout, navigation and house style are recognisable to the participants and that the participants can see the most important buttons at a glance.
4. Microlearning. This is essentially offering teaching material in small pieces, always aimed at achieving a goal. The power of microlearning lies in the creative way in which the information is handled, such as GIFs, videos, quizzes or podcasts. Microlearning consists of small, manageable pieces of information that are aimed at achieving a certain learning goal.
5. 5. Suitable for all devices. That sounds obvious, and yet we still see things go wrong far too often. E-learning is only really valuable if the participants can work anywhere, anytime. Whether on a mobile phone during a long train ride, on the computer in the office or on the tablet from a garden chair.

Getting started…

We hope these practical tips will help you on your way and don’t forget that setting up a successful e-learning program takes time. Stay open to feedback and improvements, because that is how you keep learning.