I Want to Buy an eLearning Course: Where To Start and Considerations

eLearning is a transformative way to invest in your team at a pace that suits them and without the need to return to a formal classroom. The benefits of continued personal development are well known, and continually improving your skills is key to advancing somebody's career. However, eLearning's relatively recent entry into the professional learning space has left people with a lot of questions about where to start.

At Skill Dynamics, we want to help answer some of those questions, so we're going to examine exactly how you can begin your eLearning journey.

Identifying Your Learning Objectives

The very first thing you need to do before you consider anything else is to figure out your team's learning objectives. These will serve as your roadmap for development. Try to identify the specific skills and knowledge that you'd like your team to gain from an eLearning course and why they're relevant to your industry. These will then help you to pick a specific source further along in the process.

This step requires a certain level of self-assessment. Try to identify what gaps may exist in your team's skill set. One way to do this is to conduct a competency inventory where you list your team's skills, strengths, and potential areas for development. You can then map this onto your key performance goals to see where skills and gaps align — these should be where you focus your upskilling efforts initially.

Researching eLearning Platforms and Providers

Next, you'll need to consider and try to understand the different types of eLearning content that are available to you. Courses will vary massively depending on what skills they're aimed at teaching. Courses based on technical skills will likely feature a lot of specific work based on certain technologies or software relevant to your industry. Others may focus on softer skills — such as communication or leadership — and will often be made up of a lot more simulations and scenario-based training.

You should also consider your specific eLearning provider. Make sure to check that your provider adheres to industry standards and has a strong evaluation process to maintain high levels of quality. At Skill Dynamics, we're committed to offering only the highest level of training, and we constantly review our processes and governance to ensure you're receiving the best training and experience possible.

Examining Course Content and Structure

So you know what areas your team needs to upskill in, and you've picked a reputable eLearning provider — what's next? Well, now it's time to begin looking at specific courses to find one that will meet your team's objectives and goals.

Course descriptions will typically outline each topic that will be covered, as well as give you information about the final learning outcomes and any potential assessment methods used. You need to read these carefully to make sure that any course you select aligns with the chosen goals and learning outcomes.

You should also pay particular attention to the course format. Everyone has a different learning style, and you'll know best what typically works for your team. Courses can be delivered in a variety of formats: video lectures, text-based material, or interactive modules can all be used in some combination. Based on the learning styles within your team, choose a course that makes use of a format that will keep everyone engaged and motivated to keep learning.

At this stage, it's also important to consider any accessibility requirements your team might have. If you know someone will require transcripts, closed-captioning, or any other compatibility with assistive technologies, now would be the time to check that the course offers them.

Considering Costs and Return on Investment

Cost is another significant factor you'll want to consider before making any final decision. Consider the immediate cost of the course, and try to weigh these up against the long-term benefits to your team. Assess your budget and try to have an idea of how much of your learning and development allocation you're willing to spend before you select a course. Then, you can choose a course with your team's specific budget in mind.

Return on investment (ROI) also plays a part in this. Every course or learning opportunity that you commit to should ultimately have a positive impact on your team's job performance or career advancement. You should try to outline to your employees how a particular course will benefit their careers both immediately, and in the long term.

All of this will help you make a much more informed decision about any training course you're planning on investing in. Every course you select for your workers should have a positive ROI that you can measure. You need to be able to weigh this potential against the initial costs to decide if the course is truly worth it or not.

Checking for Support and Additional Resources

A final consideration to make is the availability of any additional resources. eLearning, while having many advantages, does lack some of the social supports offered by a more traditional classroom experience. Take the time to explore whether course providers offer any access to tutor support, discussion forums, or other additional supports — these could help you make a more informed choice about which course to pick for your team.

Access to these additional supports can greatly enhance your employee's learning outcomes — particularly if they provide a networking opportunity such as some form of community. At Skill Dynamics, we offer a comprehensive suite of additional support while your team undergoes their training course, but also provide a wide range of post-course opportunities including continued access to materials and a dedicated alumni community.

These can help bolster your worker's learning and turn a training course into more than just an upskilling opportunity.

Conclusion: Making an Informed Decision on eLearning Courses

eLearning is a fantastic way to advance your employee's careers and to develop new skills that are needed within your team. When getting started, it's vital that you map your team's goals and their career progression desires onto whatever course you choose. From there, it's then a case of researching thoroughly and selecting a course provider, specific course, and cost that suits your specific situation and needs.

At Skill Dynamics, we have over a decade of expertise in providing the highest-quality e-Learning courses. Take a look through our supply chain and procurement courses to see if any might suit your current learning needs.

Remember, investing in eLearning is a step towards achieving personal and professional growth, and we're ready to support you and your team every step of the way. Get in touch today and begin your journey towards building up your team's expertise.