7 Steps To Creating An Effective E Learning Program

Staff Session
White Paper Release

7 Steps to Creating an Effective
eLearning Program
Financial Training Solutions © 2010 Page 1

Staff Session
7 Steps Creating an Effective eLearning Program

7 Steps Creating an Effective eLearning Program
Table of Contents

1 Assessment

2 Convert and Create Content

3 Online Learning Systems

4 Implementation

5 Evaluation

6 Modification

7 Regular Monitoring


Staff Session
7 Steps to Creating an Effective eLearning Program
Step 1: Assessment

Building an effective e-learning program is a seven-step process.

The first step is to assess the current learning situation in three parts: content,
learners, and systems. Before we discuss these elements, it's a good thing to
remember that e-learning in general is different than traditional learning
interventions. E-learning is a different concept, with different conventions, rules, and
delivery methods. So if you're new to e-learning, wipe your mind clean while we
discuss the seven steps of creating an effective e-learning program. Along these
lines, assessing e-learning requires a different "eye" than assessing traditional
learning. With that in mind, let's discuss assessing the situation before you begin an
e-learning program.


Staff Session
Step 1: Assessment

The first element of assessing e-learning is to look at content, both existing and
future. Before you look at your existing content, decide what is appropriate for e-
learning. In many cases, informational course material is the best way to start with
an e-learning program. This type of material can be made easily interactive and
lends itself to participants who are not in a classroom. Tutorials, pre-work, and some
collaborative exercises such as case studies may also be good candidates for
transformation to an e-learning platform.

As far as your future content, you've got a blank slate. One way to see what content
is being used and in what contexts is to go out to major Learning Management
System vendors such as Learn.com, GeoLearning or CapitalLMS and ask for a free
tour. You'll see that e-learning possibilities are very broad and are only limited by
your audience and possibly your budget.

Next, you should assess your learners. On the surface, this may seem like an easy
task. You know where your learners are located, how many exist, and what jobs they
hold. But to successfully implement an e-learning program you must go deeper into
the learner's skills and abilities as they relate to technology. In fact, that's the first
question. Are your learners "tech-savvy"? Do they have exposure to computers and
computer programs every day? Some parts of your organization may have this
exposure, while some may not. It all depends on your industry and your specific
organization.

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Step 1: Assessment

Do you think the learners will be able to learn via online programs? This question
extends past ability and into environment. For example, skilled workers who are
members of a union may have to have special time and permission written into their
contracts. With this question comes the question of management: will you be able to
train the management to give their groups time to complete online learning
programs? Are your learners adaptable? Let's face it: some groups are not
necessarily the most ready to accept change. But then again, if the organization is
ready to modernize then it may be time to separate the change champions from the
status quo.

Once you've assessed your learners, you must assess your organization's
requirements. The first requirement is simply a question of budget. How much
money will you have to spend on e-learning development and delivery? Once you
have an idea, take a look at the vendors again to see what they have to offer - and
at what cost. But before you ask for a demo, decide what "bells and whistles" your
system will have. Do you want or need to use streaming video or will a simple
platform with basic graphics suffice? Do you have a large number of learners, let's
say, over 1000? Finally, determine what technology is already out there - and decide
if these computers and equipment stand up to the test of modern e-learning
software and applications. We will discuss systems in more detail in the third step of
our seven step series on the successful implementation of e-learning programs.

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Step 1: Assessment

This three-step assessment is probably only the beginning, but you will answer
some of the basic questions that can point you toward the right staff, systems, and
e-learning content. You'll also have a good idea of what requirements to hand over
to your vendors or your IT department, depending on who will help you roll out the
new e-learning program.

Once you've taken the time to assess, you're ready to move to step two, converting
and creating content.

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Step 2: Create and Convert

The second step in the creation of an effective e-learning program is to convert and
create your content. You've already assessed, so let's look at the general framework
for e-learning content and delivery.

You've taken the time to assess your content, learners, and overall system
requirements. The next step is to understand how to build and deliver e-learning
content. In regard to converting existing content, the task is not as simple as
dumping pages into an online learning management system or content builder
application. The conversion takes careful planning and adherence to some general
standards on content. The creation of new content is somewhat easier - as long as
you know the standards. Let's discuss content and delivery.

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E-learning content, as we've seen previously, is a completely different concept than
traditional learning material. First, online content should be brief and must not
wander. "Wandering" content is somewhat more acceptable in traditional learning
materials, because typically participants take the written materials with them as
references. In online learning, the participant is going to learn what content is
directed their way and they are probably not going to take anything with them. You
can develop content in a brief format by trying to keep each frame to 70 words or
less. With this guide, you can also be sure that your content is to the point, that is, in
the realm of "need to know" versus "nice to know". Training managers and
instructional designers must exercise quite a bit of editorial license to prepare
traditional materials for transfer to e-learning platforms.

The content must be learner-directed, as well. Think about a traditional textbook,
with "pop outs", tables, exhibits, and references. In e-learning, you can turn
appropriate "extras" into a bit of an adventure for the participants. For example, your
content can say, "for more information about X, click here". When the participant
clicks, you can show a "pop up" or callout with more information. That information
will make a special impact in the learner's mind, so use this type of learner-directed
concept wisely.

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Along the lines of learner-direction, e-learning content should be interactive. Have
you ever seen an online course that was simply like turning the pages of a virtual
book? Learners can read handouts that are emailed just as easily as logging into
your learning management system, so create a way for the learner to interact every
few frames. This interaction may be as simple as a review question, a callout, or a
quick interactive exercise. In more sophisticated delivery systems, the interaction
could be a collaboration with other learners, a video, or even a tutorial or simulation.
The idea is to keep your learner's interest by asking them to interact every few
minutes.

One of the final things to keep in mind on e-learning content is that modules should
ideally be thirty minutes or less. You already know how hard it is to keep an adult
learner's attention in the classroom for more than an hour at a time, especially when
those learners have jobs, e-mails to answer, and goals to satisfy. Don't make the
assumption that an e-learning audience is captive. Keep content brief, learner
directed, and interactive.

What special guidelines apply to e-learning delivery? In addition to the usual adult
learning principles, such as applicability and timeliness, e-learning content should be
the "need to know" content. A fun course is great as long as the content serves a
purpose. The quickest way to fail your e-learning program is to use it as a catch-all.
Learners will begin to question why they are taking their valuable time to complete
courses that make no difference in their jobs.
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In addition, e-learning content delivery should be accessible. Don't make it too hard
for learners to sign in, take a course, and have a grade recorded. Along those lines,
the accessibility of programs is a great place to begin questioning a possible vendor.
The content should be "book-markable", that is, the learner should be able to exit
the course and go right back to where they left off. Your courses should always
begin with a set of instructions on how to use the course, how to advance, how to go
back, and how to bookmark. Make this section something that the learner can opt-
out of, but have it available anyway.

When you start creating and transferring content for your e-learning programs, keep
these guidelines in mind in order to make the experience a good one for all of your
learners.

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Step 3: Online Learning Systems

The third step in creating an effective e-learning program is the development of a
system that will deliver the online training program. Let's look at an overview of
topics to consider when implementing a learning management system.

Your existing content has been converted and your new content is ready to be
delivered. Now what? Your organization must have some type of delivery system for
the online learning program, commonly referred to as a Learning Management
System, or LMS. There are numerous questions to analyze and topics to consider
before you choose a system. Let's take a look at those topics so that you and your
organization can begin asking the right questions in order to implement the right
delivery system.

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First, you must consider the origin of the delivery system. Will the organization
choose a vendor to assist or will it go with internal expertise, namely the IT
department? When considering this important decision, remember that there are
benefits and drawbacks for both. A vendor-purchased system is typically made-to-
order by a group that specializes in just that. You can give the vendor your
organization's specifications and they can come back with a system design and
price. On the drawback side, the specifications can sometimes be costly - and
changes can be slow and costly, as well.

A homegrown LMS is optional if you have the expertise and resources in-house to
build it. An in-house development team knows the organization, its growth, and its
audience. Plus, a homegrown system “may” cost less in the long run. The potential
roadblocks to this path are that the expertise must be present in-house - and they
must be able to devote themselves pretty much full time to the project. If the
department's knowledge of LMS architecture is marginal, you may find more
problems than you bargained for.

Once you've made the decision to go internal or external for the build-out of the
delivery system, you can begin thinking about the features you'd like to see. Do you
want the system to track completion and record grades? Do you want to use those
features to register and track your traditional learning programs, as well? Should
learners be able to print a certificate of completion for their online courses, no matter
where they are located?
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On the technical side, does the LMS need to have the capability of creating complex
video streaming, interactive modules, and collaboration? If so, how is the existing
hardware able to accommodate the LMS? On the design side, would you like to see
a built-in content development engine, where content developers can essentially
"dump" information into the LMS and create effective courses? Or are you going to
have a team of technology designers who can take the content, develop it in Flash
or HTML, and upload it to the LMS? We'll discuss staffing in a moment, but these
technological specifications should be part of your systems discussion from the
beginning.

There are some other considerations, as well. What population is going to be
accessing the delivery system? Can the organization's infrastructure and bandwidth
handle the influx of users? What about access? Do you want users to be able to
access the system from the Internet, that is, from anywhere, or just within the
confines of the organization's firewall? When thinking through these considerations,
be certain that a vendor can offer you all of these options. Add-ons, as we have
discussed, can be very expensive. If you're going with an in-house construction,
consider pulling an IT person to become the administrator of the online delivery
system. Someone will need to make changes as the e-learning program and the
organization continue to grow.

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Along those lines, what are your staffing needs for the system itself? Typically a
person (often more than one person) is needed to administer the system, even if it is
purchased from a vendor. Your decisions about the structure of the technology may
also affect your staffing. If you are going to design courses outside of the LMS, you'll
probably need content designers, who write the material, and graphic designers who
can create the course framework, the interactivity, and the testing pieces. And keep
in mind that setting up course roadmaps, course schedules, and maintaining the
recording end of the LMS may take an administrator, as well.

Now that you have quite a bit to think about when implementing an e-learning
system, take the time to answer your questions thoroughly. You'll be glad you did.

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Step 4: Implementation

The fourth step in creating an effective e-learning program is the implementation.
Let's look at the best way to do this.

Your content is ready to go. Your LMS is in place and ready to deliver quality online
courses to your entire organization. Is the implementation simply a matter of flipping
the switch? It can be, but that is not an effective way to change the organization's
mindset when it comes to online training. And a new e-learning program is certainly
going to require a new mindset. When you're ready to implement, you must market
with a message - and look at changing how the organization thinks about training.

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First, marketing is not reserved for the organization's products. Marketing must
occur with an e-learning implementation. You should determine how you want to
"brand" your online learning. Do you want to use the organization's brand and
continue it into the program? Or do you want to create a secondary brand that's
used in-house? Either way, you may need to engage your in-house marketing
department or an outside consultant to help you design the look and feel of the
courses and their rollout. But overall, think about how e-learning is going to change
the organization's "life": it's learning that's easy, effective, and a new and exciting
way to meet learning requirements! Consider these aspects as you plan your
marketing.

The presentation of the message and marketing is equally important. Consider
creating informational emails or memos that market the learning program and
encourage learners to check out the new system. Along those lines, consider going
on "road trips" to various groups in order to plug the new and improved learning. If
your organization is already technologically advanced, put your marketing into every
virtual location, such as blogs, online collaboration, e-newsletters, and Intranet
articles.

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In addition to marketing, it is a necessity to obtain buy-in from the executive level in
the organization. This group must be ready to get behind the online learning
program and sing its praises at every opportunity. In more advanced organizations,
the executives even go out on the road trips to talk to the populations. In these
organizations, training personnel sometimes test the LMS and new courses on
executives. A high-level testimonial from someone's favorite CFO is a great
marketing tool and should be used to every advantage. When it comes to marketing
the e-learning program, remember that you are pushing a new product - and you
need "buyers" for it.

From the operational standpoint, first consider if the rollout of e-learning will be one
large act or a phased-in approach. Do you want to hit the entire organization with a
few excellent courses, or do you want to roll to a smaller group to get them up and
running first? There is really no wrong answer here. It all depends on your
organization. Along with this, be sure that you know what the initial headcount could
be. You don't want your delivery system to crash because you underestimated the
number of users who will be acessing it in the first day, week, or month. A final word
on operations: test the system before you roll it out. You can begin testing within the
training organization and then expand. Have everyday users go to the courses and
evaluate content, ease of access, wait times, and recording. If the test on a small
scale goes well, you know you can expand and roll out to a larger number of users.

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Finally, remember that implementing e-learning is a change in the mindset of many
organizations. It's not just a new system and a new way to take classes - it's a new
way of life, one that will make things easier for all involved. But with this new way of
life comes new opportunities. For example, managers must learn to schedule
employees for training, even if that employee is sitting at his or her desk. The
temptation is to call them back into action before they are finished, simply because
they are present in the workplace. Plus, someone has to be held accountable for
getting learners on the system and allowing them to complete their courses.
Typically that accountability also goes to organizational managers. Along with these
considerations, remember that if employees are able to access training at home,
there may be issues with pay, unions, and maximum work time requirements. The
best thing to do with "mindset" is to make a list of all of the considerations, from buy-
in to accountability to hourly pay - and decide how the organization will work with
each. This way, no question will go unanswered during the implementation phase.

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Step 5: Evaluation

The fifth step in creating an effective e-learning program is evaluation.

Evaluation of your training programs should be occurring at all times. But keep in
mind that e-learning evaluation is different; the goal may be the same but your
methods will change slightly. When you evaluate your e-learning program, there are
two areas to focus on: learner and content. Let's look at ways to evaluate these
areas effectively using your program itself and your delivery system.

The initial evaluation of your e-learning program can take place both at the
beginning of the program and throughout its lifetime. In the area of content, the first
thing you'll need to do is evaluate the course content. Remember that e-learning is
new to your learners and may even be new to the training staff, so discovering how
the content is being viewed is critical. You probably conduct "level one" evaluations
in your traditional programs, sometimes referred to as "smile sheets" Although this
evaluation has a light name, the act should not be taken lightly.
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Step 5: Evaluation

The first evaluation is sometimes very valuable. So how do you carry out this task in
an e-learning environment? Your LMS may give you the option of putting participants
into an evaluation before they get to a test on the material - or immediately after. The
best option is to get the evaluation while the audience is "captive". Otherwise, you
may not get the evaluation at all.

The content of your evaluation can cover traditional bases, that is, did the learner
find the content useful and engaging. But instead of talking about an instructor,
substitute the system itself. What was the learner's immediate reaction to the
accessibility of the system? Did he or she encounter problems with the navigation or
have trouble understanding the instructions? Did the learner encounter long delays
while waiting for a video or an activity? If you think about what the learner is seeing
and doing at the time he or she is in the course, you'll be able to come up with an
effective evaluation.

The learner data, aside from what you can deduce from evaluations, can also be
obtained from the system itself. Look at the number of participants you were
expecting, or the number of participants who are required to go to certain courses.
How many of them accessed the system and the courses? How many of those
actually finished the course, took an evaluation, and received a grade? You can also
look at initial learner reaction outside of traditional means, especially if e-learning is
new to the organization. For example, consider sending out emails to a "test group"
of learners in order to get their candid and unstructured feedback.
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Step 5: Evaluation

As the e-learning program progresses, consider calling users on a random basis or
even having local users attend focus groups. Just because the training intervention
is online does not mean that you can't evaluate it in person. Be creative and
remember that many members of your audience are more than willing to help you
out.

Once you're past the initial rollout, remember to continue taking initial reaction
evaluations -and to continue looking at the results. But what else can you do to
ensure effectiveness of content and system when it comes to e-learning? Consider
using online evaluations at 30 or 45 days after the course is completed. This
technique often works in traditional training, so why not take a look at it for your e-
learning program? You can find out if the learners found the content useful. And you
can evaluate their reactions after they've had time to think about it and take other
online courses. Some LMS systems may even "tickle" the user based on his or her
login, that is, it may remind them that they need to take an evaluation on a course
when they sign in to take another one.

As you move forward, continue to look at the user data, as well. Know what your
beginning numbers were and compare them to the numbers you're getting on a
monthly basis. You may see small fluctuations in the number of users, but the basic
trend you're looking for is an increase in users over time. If that increase doesn't
occur, dig deeper using more targeted evaluation methods.

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Step 5: Evaluation

The best thing to remember with evaluation is that you should use all of the data you
collect in order to modify your program - and make it effective for the organization
and its learners.

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Step 6: Modification

The sixth step in creating an effective e-learning program is modification. Let's look
at how to take your evaluation data and make effective changes.

Your e-learning program has rolled out and has come under constant evaluation.
What are you doing with the evaluation data? If you're filing it away, that's not quite
enough. Every piece of data you receive, whether it seems small or not, can help
you modify your e-learning program, keep it fresh, and move it into prominence with
your organization. When you consider modifying your program, look at three
common areas: system, course design and delivery, and marketing.

Remember that during evaluation you are looking at user data, evaluation data, and
even survey data. When you look at modifications to your system, think about that
data in system terms. Are users reporting problems with accessibility? If so, you may
need to look at the number of users, the organization's bandwidth, or its overall
technical architecture.
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Any of these characteristics can show you specific and overall problems with the
program. In specific areas, you may find that accessibility problems are caused by a
slow running system, malfunctions in video streaming or interactivity, or overall
system preparedness. If you determine that there are issues with your system, make
a list of the problems. But don't stop there. Make a list of the solution you'd like to
see. For example, if the system is functioning slowly, know what the optimum time
should be. Once you have a list of requirements and optimum functions, go back to
the vendor or in-house IT department and present it.

The next area to look at is course design and delivery. In evaluation, you've looked
at the number of users per course, how many of those users finish the course, and
how many leave the system without a course completion. If the system is functioning
well, then you should consider the possibility that the courses are not presented as
well as they could be. Remember our discussion on e-learning guidelines. Are the
courses too long? Are individual frames covered with text and little interaction? Is the
content appropriate for e-learning deployment? Are certain courses used
infrequently? If so, consider taking them offline to create space for more critical
courses. A training organization must always have a thick skin, but now is the time
for the group to look at its output very critically for the benefit of the learners. The
key item to remember about course design and delivery is that changes must be
made consistently, especially if courses are required at certain time periods.

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For example, if the entire organization must go through compliance training each
year, consider making changes to the appropriate courses each year. Learners will
appreciate the effort and will always be on top of mandated learning.
In the course of modifying your program, don't forget to look at the marketing and
message of the program itself. If user numbers are low, think about the message
and how it's being broadcast. Send out surveys to see if learners received marketing
information - and what they did with that information. Ask them how they reacted to
the message that new training methods were available. Along those lines, find out if
learners are being given ample time to complete training - or if they are being pulled
back to work before they've had time to take courses. The idea here is to also take a
critical look at how the program is being marketed - and to be bold in asking for
changes to that message.

Modification of the e-learning program should be gradual, however. Some
organizations have been known to pull large parts of the program offline in order to
modify it. This may not be the best way to take care of changes. Determine which
areas need the most attention and work on those first. But avoid taking whole pieces
of the program offline at all costs. Modifications should be so gradual that the learner
notices the small changes each time he or she logs in to the system. Your
modification should be a "no shock" plan.

Remember to use your evaluation data to make constant modifications to your
program.
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Step 7: Regular Monitoring

The last step in creating an effective e-learning program is a combination of all the
steps: monitoring your program.

Now that your e-learning program is up and running, you've evaluated it, made
changes, and the organization loves it. Can you sit back and relax? Absolutely not.
Your e-learning program requires a constant eye on various areas to ensure that
nothing goes off track. One tiny flaw can create large problems, and with large
problems comes a loss of users. Organizations have made the mistake of letting the
e-learning program "ride", only to find that one day no one is using it. Let's discuss
how you can monitor your program at all times.

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First, continue to monitor user data. This data includes the evaluations that you've
taken the time to create and integrate. But remember to monitor at a deeper level
than the evaluations. Are your user numbers up or down? Are the evaluations
themselves changing in trend or tone? For example, a course evaluation that was
consistently a 5 on a 5-point scale that moves to a consistent 4 is not exactly failing -
but is it as good as it once was? You can also see from this type of data if your
audience is growing and becoming more sophisticated. If so, you should consider
going back to the modification stage to grow with the audience. Be sure to look at
the tests that accompany your online courses, as well. Are certain items being
missed or skipped on a regular basis? Those items can point to a poorly written
question or a malfunction in the interactivity of the item.

Next, be sure to look at your system data. One of the often-forgotten pieces of data
for LM Systems is, believe it or not, cost. Once the budget is entered, billing for
certain things on an LMS becomes automatic. Be sure that someone is looking at
cost for upward trends. For example, the number of users may drop to a point where
each one costs more. Or, higher bandwidth use may begin costing the organization
more in terms of the overall communications cost. Don't let the cost get away from
you.

Another way to look at system data is to find out how many technical troubleshooting
calls are made. Whether you are taking calls internally or sending them out to the
vendor, you should be able to monitor both number and subject.
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If users begin showing problems with course access, for example, you may need to
tweak your instructions. Whatever the issues, your call information should be able to
help you categorize and identify potential opportunities. Also, take a look at the
transcripts or records that are being kept by the system. Are learners barely
scraping by or are they all making high grades? Are learners being added to the
system quick enough to get them going while they are still interested? This
information can be monitored on a regular basis and can give you a great deal of
insight into your e-learning delivery system.

Course data is also an important monitoring point. You can look at evaluations
regularly to see if courses are appropriate. But be sure to compare courses to each
other. In other words, what common characteristics are shared between the courses
that are being used more often? Do you have a high number of users on required
courses only, while job or promotion-related courses are being ignored? Remember
that a course evaluation is only going to occur when someone takes that course.
Use the data that you can mine from your delivery system to make comparisons -
and to make changes to course offerings as needed.

Finally, don't forget to monitor the training staff. It's easy to assume that once the
program is up and running the staff will have less to do. This is a common
misconception with e-learning programs. As much as we would like the program to
run itself, it just won't happen.

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Is the administrator spending too much time on clerical tasks, like creating course
"shells" or entering course descriptions? If so, consider bringing in an assistant. Are
course content designers consistently making changes and taking those changes to
the graphic designers? Or is there time to turn a course content designer into a
combined content and graphics person? Can your marketing be taken over by
someone who resides within the training organization? All of these questions will
help you monitor your staff and make changes in order to keep things efficient.

An effective e-learning program saves money and time and creates an effective
platform to educate the workforce. When you follow these seven steps, you'll have a
guideline to creating the best e-learning program possible.

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White Paper Release

Bryant Nielson is a Director of FinancialTraining Solutions, Inc. Bryant has a long
About the Author: developed reputation for Corporate University (CU) development and training within
the financial space. He is the author of dozens of e-books on Corporate Training and
over 300 articles on training, leadership, elearning and corporate training.

Bryant brings to FTS a clear understanding of the strategic development of program
curriculum and a client approach that integrates training programs into the client’s
business objectives flawlessly. He can be reached via email at:
bnielson@financialtrainingsolutions.com

About the Company: FinancialTrainingSolutions is a training company that specializes in providing solutions
to firms within the financial space. The firm is comprised of 15 individuals who
collectively offer over 100 years of training experience and 100 years of Wall Street
expertise.
ti

The people of FinancialTrainingSolutions have experience delivering training programs
and products to companies on a global basis. To learn more about the company,
please feel free to visit our website at: www.FinancialTrainingSolutions.com

US +(917) 447-3221 | UK +44(20) 3356 9935

You can download a copy of this White Paper at:
http://www.financialtrainingsolutions.com/whitepapers.php


7 Steps To Creating An Effective E Learning Program

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