Organizations are increasingly using eLearning solutions to meet their company’s critical training objectives. Sometimes, the task of building these solutions can seem daunting, especially for organizations that have no experience in this field. On the other hand, even if organizations do have in-house capability, other considerations such as lack of time, the need for faster rollout etc., can lead to them taking a decision to outsource the requirement to vendors.
Outsourcing is an everyday reality in most industries today. However, in the minds of most customers, the very word sometimes conjures up popular misconceptions, pre conceived notions (particularly in the context of offshored outsourcing, which is a somewhat sensitive issue) and rarely do individuals participate in any outsourcing debate without a pre-determined stance. Even before doing the relevant research on its necessity, viability, feasibility, potential savings and the hard ROI, individuals are either for it or against it.
Let’s look at a couple of common objections when it comes to the outsourcing of eLearning:
- Confidentiality issues
- Issues related to expertise in technology and tools
- Communication Issues
- Connectivity Issues
- Project Management concerns
- Emotion (e.g., pride in developing an in-house solution)
Can you add to this list? What according to you are the main objections to outsourcing eLearning (considering both onshore and offshore scenarios?)
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Training managers come across different requirements from their teams. A particular team or department may have a vast knowledge bank which needs to be rolled as a curriculum. As a training manager, how will you approach this task? In this digital era, eLearning courses are the most viable option. But, their usage poses questions.
Lectora is a very powerful rapid authoring tool used to develop HTML- based eLearning courses. This tool is ideal for converting PowerPoint presentations into eLearning courses, quickly and effectively. Let see now the procedure to convert PowerPoint presentations into eLearning courses using Lectora, step-by-step.
It is well-known that the use of first-rate animations and graphics plays a key role in enhancing the efficacy of an online learning course. But, how can you develop top-notch animations and graphics for your eLearning course? Well, there are many tools in the market to create these multimedia elements. But, the most widely used of all these tools is Adobe Suite. A major component of Adobe Suite is Flash, which is very popular.
According to a survey conducted by the eLearning guild, in 2013, Adobe Captivate was the most widely used rapid authoring tool. The latest version of this incredible tool, Adobe Captivate 8 can be used to develop responsive eLearning courses. Apart from, this, we can convert existing PowerPoint presentations in to eLearning courses by importing them into Adobe Captivate. Let see the step-by-step procedure to convert PowerPoint presentations into eLearning courses.
One of our clients wanted to give product training to their sales representatives through short eLearning modules (less than an hour) to increase their efficiency. They want their sales reps to adapt new technologies that are emerging in the healthcare industry and excel in their usage.
We all know that Articulate Storyline 2 was launched recently and it is the new avatar of Articulate Storyline. We can create highly interactive eLearning courses, using Articulate Storyline 2, easily. This incredible software is power-packed with various new capabilities. The tool also has many features of its predecessor that have been enhanced. Let’s see what is new in Articulate Storyline 2.
In my previous blog, we saw the easiest and commonly used method to create navigation restrictions. In this blog, we will see another method to create navigation restrictions.
Do you know that you can reduce the time taken to develop online courses, considerably, using the Slide Master? Once you create a layout, you can use it as many times as you want, for multiple eLearning courses.
According to adult learning principles, a learner should not be restricted in his navigation through the course. But, this freedom is misused by many. They skipthe learning units and access the final quiz. This can be avoided by framing the final quiz questions in such a way that they cannot be answered easily unless you go through the course.
I often come across people who believe myths about rapid eLearning. They think that rapid eLearning lacks quality and it skips most of the instructional design steps in the process of creating eLearning courses faster. Some even believe that to take an online course, they need to have technical know-how. Most people even think that rapid eLearning is baseless, inaccurate, and imprecise.
It is common knowledge that effective translations of eLearning courses play a key role in imparting first-rate training to international, multilingual workforces. So, how can you translate your course effectively in quick time? Well, you can use Articulate Storyline to translate your courses easily.
Developing descriptive assessments with Articulate Storyline is easy. All we have to do is just take a default essay type assessment and set the character limit, using the options given. Refer to the post Creating Descriptive Assessments in eLearning with Articulate Storyline for more information.
Small and mid-sized organizations cannot afford an LMS to deliver eLearning courses to their learners. They may want to launch their courses on a web portal and prevent unauthorized access of their courses. So, they wish to want to protect the course by giving user name and password to the course.
As the demand towards learning through mobile is increasing, many organizations are looking for mobile compatible courses. Some want to convert their legacy course into the mobile-friendly format and the new courses to be compatible with all devices. To make the courses compatible with all mobile devices, they must be developed in HTML5 and based on responsive design.
Many organizations need to develop a large number of eLearning modules, very quickly, in quick time, at low cost. We cannot meet this requirement using Flash and other tools, which require programming skills to work with. But, we can easily develop courses with rapid authoring tools and meet the stakeholder’s requirement.
Recently, we have developed an eLearning course using Articulate Storyline for one of our clients. Later, he asked us to convert the course into a video. There is no option available in Articulate Storyline to convert an online course into a video, directly. In this blog, I will describe the steps involved in converting a course into a video.
Articulate Storyline – a developer’s dream and an instructional designer’s fantasy. This power packed authoring tool makes designers and learners go gaga over it! We have all seen and worked on this incredible tool, awe struck by its simplicity and innovation. These are the reasons why Articulate Storyline is the first tool that comes to a designer’s mind. You must be wondering how one tool can cater to different training needs. This is where Articulate Storyline sets itself apart from other authoring tools.
E-learning is used extensively to train adult learners, who have a lot of work experience. They have prior knowledge of the subject matter, are self-directed and need to know why they are learning. They would like to find out how the digital course would be useful to solve their problems. To make learners understand better and apply the knowledge they gain,the learning process should not be one-sided where information is passed on passively to the learner. The online course should facilitate active exchange of information.
My eLearning guru once talked to me about a simple technique that will help identify whether a training program is successful or not in no time. The interesting thing about this technique is that you can know the result, without looking at the course. All you have to do is place a voice-recorder in the development floor and once the course development is complete, ask one of your staff members to listen to the recording and note down the number of times, the words “client” and “learner” appeared in the recordings. If the number of instances in which the word “learner” is uttered are more than those of “client”, we can assume that the course is effective.
If you want your rapid eLearning project to be successful, you need create a to-do list for the project and share it with the entire team. Make sure that everyone uses this list. This helps them contribute to the project very effectively.
It is common knowledge that the choice of the right online course authoring tool goes a long way in the creation of an effective eLearning course. But, how can you select tool that meets your requirements effectively? What are the things you need to consider? Let us see.
With the emerging trends in eLearning, rapid learning is one such term that we often hear during the development. Rapid authoring tools help you develop effective eLearning courses quickly, at a low cost.
We develop many eLearning courses for our global clients. The learning requirements of one client differ from the other. Some clients ask for an online version, while others prefer to deliver their courses offline. Some training managers want to track their learners and some do not.
It is common knowledge that a well-designed menu provides a good idea of the chapters in an eLearning course. So, how can you create an effective menu for your online course? What are the various ways of presenting information the menu of a digital course?