Many eLearning developers create multiple courses, but these courses are often very similar in content. Instead of building different courses, they essentially build the same course all the time.
The job seeker expressed a desire to move away from creating basic click-and-read e-learning content and work on courses that have more impact. However, they were not sure which organizations produced such courses and where to look for them.
The main question then becomes: where can you find the best e-learning courses? I have some brief thoughts on this matter and would be interested to hear your thoughts.
The best eLearning isn’t compliance training
The driving force behind our industry is compliance training, which typically lacks performance targets. Therefore, the primary goal of such courses, regardless of the topic, is to ensure compliance by the end of the year and track which employees have or have not completed training.
These courses are usually below par. Organizations tend to allocate minimal resources to these courses, which are often the tedious click-and-read type that people dislike and that developers take pride in creating.
The best e-learning is locked behind a firewall
Although many high-quality courses are being developed, the problem is that most of them are proprietary and inaccessible due to firewalls. You may occasionally see these courses during webinars, conferences, or on social media platforms like LinkedIn. However, they are usually not available to the general public.
The best eLearning projects are outsourced
In my experience, organizations may own numerous Articulate licenses, but often outsource the development of impactful training to outside vendors. This indicates that the organization is devoting significant resources to these projects, something internal course authors typically don’t get, which can be frustrating.
At the corporate level, many teams have authoring tools and expertise in instructional design. However, they may lack the experience or resources needed for media, learning experiences and visual design. Vendors are generally better equipped to support the entire development process from design to implementation.
Where can I see examples of the best e-learning?
- Challenges of e-learning: we organize weekly e-learning challenges with the intention of encouraging course authors to experiment with the software, learn about its features and try new techniques. Although the modules shared by participants may not always be actual courses, they represent innovative ideas and interesting solutions that can be easily adapted to most courses. Even if you choose not to participate, we encourage you to check out the summary that is published every Thursday. You will find excellent examples that can inspire your own creativity. This is a favorite from a recent interactive video challenge.
Click to view a demo.
- Examples of DemoFest: at its conferences, The E-Learning Guild organizes DemoFest, which is like a science fair for e-learning projects. This is one of my favorite parts of the conference because it gives us the opportunity to see real projects created by individuals from various organizations. If you can’t attend, don’t worry. After the event, the Guild is hosting a “Best of…” webinar, which is also worth checking out and allows you to see some of the courses being shared.
Here are some suggestions on where to find good examples. Do you have any ideas to share?
Events
Free e-learning resources
