Undeniably, online training programs have become very popular among business owners and employees because of the numerous advantages they provide. There are so many training courses being offered online, but which one do you need to help improve the skills and performance of your employees? How do you choose the online training course that your employees will love to take and really learn from? Here are a few things to consider when you are in the process of selecting an online training platform for your staff.
Accessibility
With the emergence of smartphones and tablets, it will be best to choose an online course that can also be accessed by your employees on their mobile devices. People are always busy and on-the-go, and being able to conveniently access a mobile-friendly online course on their smartphone or tablet will make it a lot easier for your employees to read or watch the course modules.
Collaboration
While online training allows your employees to work at their own pace (which is ideal given the different schedules and workloads they may have), it is important for an online course to allow employees to work together or discuss the topics in a forum.
Just like in traditional classroom training programs, where trainees get to work together in groups and contribute to projects as a team, it will be beneficial for employees if their online training course also offers group activities that allow them to collaborate remotely. This is one way to reinforce the value of teamwork and, at the same time, make it possible for team members to learn from each other.
Convenience
It is important for employees to be able to easily navigate through the course materials and get IT support for any technical issues 24/7. They also need to be able to complete the assessments and see the results accurately. Basically, the online course will have to be simple and straightforward, so your employees can easily switch from one module to the next or from one type of media to another with just a click.
There should be a smooth transition from one activity to another, so your employees can quickly move from watching a video to viewing a presentation.
Connection
An effective e-learning platform for employees is one that creates a strong connection with its users that keeps them engaged and committed to learning. An online course needs to be relatable to your employees by incorporating avatars, captivating images and graphics, and real world examples. This is one way to make the learning process enjoyable to your employees.
While this list does not cover everything you need to consider when selecting an online course for your employees, making sure that each of the items we discussed above are present in your online course will guarantee a successful training program that will result to more productive and better performing employees. An online training course is a good investment for your business, so take some time assessing which one will provide the best learning experience for your employees.
Michelle Gonzalez has been writing for SMEs across the United States, Canada, Australia and the UK for the last five years. She is a highly-experienced blogger and SEO copywriter, writing business blogs for various industries such as marketing, law, health and wellness, beauty, and education, particularly on e-learning platforms such as www.teachable.com.