The best learning outcomes result from engaging workplace training courses; ones that fit around how and where employees work and are designed to meet clear business and development objectives. Online courses provide a convenient way of learning and help maintain learners’ interest by supporting a range of content types. With a Learning Management System (LMS) comes a range of tools, that can be used to elevate the quality of courses, as well as optional support to help course designers effectively leverage these tools.
There are occasions when the time is right to explore what a Next-Generation LMS has to offer:
- Developing new learning modules or a whole new training course
- Expanding a training programme to deliver something that is both scalable whilst meeting the needs of a wider and more diverse set of learners
- New course owners want to become more familiar with the LMS
- Course content needs to optimised for mobiles and other devices to keep up with the digital revolution.
It may be that course content in older formats such as text-based slides, was originally transferred into the LMS and that as a result, courses aren’t taking full advantage of the new digital platform.
Even users who have been delivering workplace training for some time on the LMS can end up curating stale content. Course leaders may feel that long-standing templates have become over-used and as result, courses have become too familiar and uninspiring. At this point, it could be time to benefit from a fresh set of eyes for a new perspective and enhanced learning content.
Our learning platform can help you create engaging workplace training courses.
Designing more engaging training courses: getting started
When starting out, consider:
- What do you want to develop?
- How long will the training take?
- What are your programme objectives and required learning outcomes?
Effective courses are about more than just great design; it’s important to identify the learning objectives and be clear about what courses need to achieve. Defined learning outcomes help determine which content and activities to include. However, they must be specific so course leaders and learners can see what’s been achieved at the end of the course.
The goal may simply be more visually engaging content. In some cases, insight from online course analytics or learner feedback may reveal stumbling blocks that could be overcome with a revised layout, simplified content or more interaction within the course. Effectively utilising core functions in the platform can bring a new dimension to courses, for example, checklists to keep learners motivated by signposting the position in their learning journey and recognition tools that reward the attainment of goals.
It may be a case of reviewing existing content and determining how best to segment and present it in a more engaging way. With a Next-Gen LMS, there is the opportunity to include activities like mini-quizzes, and clickable links within content to further explore the subject.
With design support, enterprises can make the most of a learning platform and help employees as well as learning & development teams meet training goals. With HTML templates that reflect branding, consistent layout and styling elements, it then becomes simple for in-house teams to manage their own updates and develop new courses in the future.
Written by
Sara Munoz is Director, International Marketing & Business Development at D2L, where she provides multi-channel integrated solutions to drive awareness and demand generation across the region. With over 10 years’ experience in consumer and B2B marketing, she has developed her expertise in branding and identity, customer relations, PR and event organisation in a variety of industries and roles at ShopperTrak, Six Senses Resorts & Spas and XPLANE. As a Spanish native, Sara is fluent in 3 languages including English, Spanish and French. She has a Digital Marketing Course and Executive MBA from the IE Business School and an honours degree in International Tourism Management from the University of Brighton.
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