Converting your training sessions into e-learning may sound intimidating, but with a bit of research, you’ll soon have an engaging course ready for your learners. The challenges of converting VILT/ILT to e-learning are numerous but can be easily overcome. Creating e-learning courses from your existing ILT will help you effectively grow your business while reducing the costs of training large groups of learners. Read on to find out how to overcome the challenges of converting your training business.
Three Challenges of Converting VILT/ILT to E-Learning
1. Engagement
While the benefits of converting your content far outweigh the negatives, it’s still imperative to be prepared. E-learning requires different strategies than ILT. Removing the human element means losing different levels of engagement with your learners. The biggest challenge is the most obvious: there’s no longer an instructor present to hold people’s attention.
2. Translating Text-Based Training
You should also be careful when converting text-based documents, like class handouts, into part of your course. Creating text-only pages within your training can make information difficult for learners to remember or even pay attention to. Additionally, since there are no in-class activities, learners lose the opportunity to interact and work with peers.
3. Technical Issues
Depending on your comfort with tech, converting VILT/ILT training to digital could be tricky. Take the time to find out what specific tools you will need and familiarize yourself with them. Alternatively, you can hire a professional to take care of the more technical aspects of converting your training.
Overcome Conversion Challenges: Make a Plan
To begin, analyze your content and decide on a design framework. Once you’ve chosen one, you can start creating and adding content. Ensure that you follow best practices for e-learning course building. For example, chunk your content so it’s broken up into more manageable pieces. This strategy is ideal for both you and the learner. You can easily update or move content around, and the learner can better digest smaller pieces of content.
To make course building more manageable for you, use a system like ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) to lead your process. This method is popular because it’s highly flexible and dynamic. It’s also a non-linear approach to instructional design and focuses on reflection at each stage. Using ADDIE can lead to incredibly effective e-learning.
As part of your process, find ways to make virtual learning more engaging. Always use research-based methods, such as adding a video-in-video of the instructor speaking while showing course content. This can help learners feel more engaged in the materials. You should use a mix of videos, text, and audio so there is variety in the course.
You should also create additional activities and games within your courses. Gamification in e-learning is an increasingly popular method of building engagement.
Tools and Resources to Help You Convert
Choose your tools wisely; make sure to use the best e-learning tools for your business and situation. These will depend on your budget, your level of comfort with the technology, and the type of content that you are building. Here are a few of the best options on the market:
- Articulate Storyline: Build interactive courses with assessments, a large stock asset library, and a review app.
- Articulate Rise: The tool with the shortest learning curve, Rise makes it easy to build responsive courses with drag-and-drop quizzes, knowledge checks, and interactive elements.
- Adobe Captivate: Quickly create mobile-friendly courses with automated branching, ready-to-go slides, and interactive PowerPoints.
- Lectora: This is a popular course builder with ready-to-go course frameworks and interactive wireframe templates
- iSpring: Design professional, interactive courses and assessments with ease.
You also need many resources to get started, including getting support or buy-in from stakeholders. Ensure that everyone gets a chance to voice their opinions and ideas and that most can agree on how to move forward with the project. You should also hire or appoint a project manager, who can direct and manage the project from start to finish. They will keep your design process on track and within budget.
Conclusion
Overcoming the challenges of converting VILT/ILT to e-learning is simple once you’ve gained more knowledge and worked out a plan. The benefits of turning recorded sessions into e-learning courses include scalability and cost efficiency, as well as making learning easier and more efficient for your learners. Prepare for your business to grow and thrive!
Here at Firmwater, we don’t just sell an LMS for training providers. We partner with them, giving them the tools and insights that they need to implement the best practices in e-learning course development, business growth, and delivery. When they need help, we don’t let them wade through forums and chatbots.
Ready to use an LMS that’s designed for the way YOU work, with a team dedicated to YOUR needs? Book a no-obligation consultation directly with our team today!