To make your custom training program effective, you have to answer a few basic questions. These inquiries will not only help you create the overall design of your elearning course, it will allow you to get to know the people who will access the course. With the knowledge that you will get from these questions, you can create a training program that is not only effective, more importantly, valuable to those who will learn from it.
When a course is deemed to be valuable, you do not have to exert much effort into engaging or capturing the interest of the participants. They will naturally pay attention because it is something that they know they need to improve their performance in the workplace.
Here are the 5 questions that you need to ask yourself before you start working on the custom training program for employees.
- What is the problem that created the need for the elearning course? You will not create a course or training program if there is no need for it. Why waste your time on something that does not have a purpose? This is why you need to identify the problem that made this course a necessity. This will help you identify the right goals for the training program. Sometimes, the different qualities of a training course might push you off track. It is best to be clear about your goals because it will guide you when it comes to the various decisions you will make as you create the course. When you know the problem it is easy to pinpoint the exact goal of the custom training.
- What knowledge or skill is needed to improve the learner’s capabilities? This is the part that will force you to get to know the employees that will benefit from the course. You need to know the skills or the knowledge that the participants will need to answer the problem that you identified in the first question. It should not be any skill or knowledge. Any improvement may seem like a good thing but it will not meet the expectations of your learners. If this is not something that employees can use to make their daily responsibilities easier, they may not be too enthusiastic about succeeding training programs you will create.
- How much time can the learners commit to learning? Another important question involves the time of employees. A custom training program is usually intended for people who are in the midst of a career or project. That means they have a hectic schedule. You want to make the learning experience light by being considerate of the other responsibilities that they have to take care of while training. This will help keep the stress level low and at the same time, allow them to concentrate on the course. If they can only commit a short time, you can opt to use microlearning. If they can afford to allocate hours each day, you can make the course a bit longer.
- What platforms / devices can the learners use to access the course? Since elearning is usually done online, you need to be aware of the platforms and devices that the employees are capable of using. This will help you identify the layout, format, and tools that you can use to make the course more interesting and engaging. For instance, if the employees know how to use YouTube, you can create a video-series that they can view. Since everyone is into social media, this is another platform that you can use for learning.
- How do employees view elearning? Another way to get to know your learners is to ask them how they view elearning. Most of the time, the custom training program will take on the shape of an elearning course. If they view it in a favorable way, it would be easy to make them feel engaged or interested. They will put their trust in the course and will not view it as a waste of their time. In the end, this perception will set the learning pace for the employees who will go through the program.
- What is their preferred learning environment? Finally, you want to ensure that you can meet their learning experience expectations – which is highly influenced by the environment that they prefer to learn in. Some people want a quiet place to help them concentrate. Others are constantly on-the-go – which means they need a course that can help them study even while they are in the field. This question can help you finalize the method that you will use in the training course.
Creating a custom training program does not have to be too complicated. You just have to know the answers to certain questions to help you understand what course you will give to trainees.
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