6 Signs Your Training Topics are Suited for eLearning

Online learning platforms allows organizations to streamline the delivery of critical training material, present information a more consistent and creative way, and make training more accessible to employees from all locations. While there are still some topics that are better addressed through traditional training methods, online learning continues to replace traditional training methods at an astounding rate. In fact, analysts predict that the eLearning industry is expected to be worth over $7 billion USD by 2018, more than doubling figures from 2013. As you consider adopting an online learning platform for your organization, take a look at the size and scope of your organization, as well as the nature of your training content.

Six Signs Your Training Topics are Best Suited for eLearning

1. Your topic must be introduced to a large number of people. Sometimes the size of your audience is just as important as the nature of your topic. Large companies make up approximately 30% of all eLearning purchases. Online learning platforms are more popular than ever with large companies because they offer efficiency and the ability to produce measurable results.
2. Training on your topic is mandatory for your business. eLearning programs are a good choice for businesses that are required to meet industry-specific training requirements. Documenting training content, participation, and completion rates are easy with eLearning because all training material is already organized in writing and participation is easy to track.
3. Your topic is urgent. eLearning is a great option for organizations that need to educate a large number of people within a tight timeframe. Examples of urgent topics include critical policy changes and training on the adoption of a new time clock system.
4. Training participants are located in multiple time zones. Attempting to efficiently train employees of a global company through traditional live training methods would be extremely time-consuming and costly. Companies with a global presence are increasingly relying upon eLearning platforms to educate their employees and international distributors.
5. Your audience is diverse in terms of ability and experience. eLearning is a good choice for topics that must be introduced to an audience that is comprised of inexperienced, entry-level participants in addition to seasoned upper management professionals. Time and resources can be saved by enabling participants with more experience to quickly navigate through material with which they are already familiar.
6. Some of your topic content is particularly challenging. One of the key advantages of an online learning platform is its ability to allow participants to take as much time as they need to learn challenging concepts. Participants can choose to spend greater amounts of time on concepts that they find especially difficult.

5 Topics that are Well-Suited for eLearning

E-learning offers an excellent solution to educate large and geographically dispersed audiences about critical, time-sensitive topics. Additionally, topic complexity and audience diversity are important factors in identifying topics that are conducive to eLearning. Below are five topics that are particularly well-suited for eLearning. 

Mandatory compliance training. Compliance training meets nearly all of the criteria outlined above. In addition to being a topic that must be learned by a large, diverse audience, compliance training is usually mandatory. Most important, the training format of eLearning platforms allows you to make dry compliance material more interesting to participants with the use of images and illustrative videos. 

Franchisee training. More Americans work as retail salespeople, cashiers, and food service than any other profession. With the success of franchises dependent upon the success of these employees, it is critical for franchisees to ensure that employees are well versed in key customer service tenets. 

Business writing. eLearning is an effective means by which people can learn how to properly prepare an email, memo, or business letter. Business writing is a topic that should be mastered by every member of an organization who will be corresponding with customers and vendors. Through an eLearning system, participants can view videos on constructing correspondence that is clear, concise and professional. 

Hospitality training. Online learning is an excellent means by which hotel chains and airlines can educate employees about their policies, procedures and brand-specific ways to enhance a customer’s experience. eLearning programs for hospitality industry training are advantageous because they allow workers of all shifts to access material at their convenience 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Safety training. Most organizations make safety training mandatory for all employees. Safety training is a great example of a topic that must be learned by a diverse audience with varying levels of experience. An online learning system makes it easy for an organization to track participation and completion of safety training, which is often a critical element of meeting industry compliance standards.

Topics that are Better Suited for More Traditional Learning Methods

While eLearning is a reliable solution for many topics, there is some material that is better addressed with traditional learning methods. Below are five examples of topics that are best learned with the guidance of a live instructor and through field application:

• CPR training: Practicing learned skills on a mannequin is critical when mastering life-saving techniques
• Driver education and training: An eLearning platform alone is not the best way to ensure that new drivers are proficient in operating an automobile
• Presentation skills: Educating people about effective public speaking skills requires practice of learned skills in front of an audience.
• Psychotherapy: Psychotherapists often must demonstrate proficiency by completing a practicum or live supervised training
• Auctioneer training: Learning how to bid and call effectively is a skill that is best mastered through live training

Seek Valuable eLearning Guidance with an Industry Leader

The best way to determine whether your business would benefit from an online learning platform is to seek the support of an experienced eLearning provider. Knowledge Anywhere is a trusted resource for companies across a variety of industries, including hospitality industry training, healthcare training, manufacturing training, financial services training, and others. For nearly 20 years, the e-learning experts at Knowledge Anywhere have provided learning management solutions to companies such as Siemens, Ford, Denny’s, and many others. Please contact us to learn how we can provide you with a world-class training solution for your organization.