For businesses today, continuous learning and upskilling are essential for maintaining a competitive edge. Companies increasingly turn to eLearning courses for employee training due to their flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and scalability. However, finding high-quality eLearning courses that align with your organization’s goals and provide real value to employees can be challenging.
This guide will walk you through the key steps to finding top-notch eLearning courses, ensuring they meet your workforce’s training needs while driving productivity and engagement.
1. Define Your Training Objectives
Before exploring available eLearning courses, clarify the purpose of the training. Ask yourself the following questions:
What skills or knowledge do employees need to acquire?
Are you focusing on technical, soft skills, leadership development, or compliance training?
What business outcomes do you expect from this training?
Clearly defined objectives will help you select courses that align with your company’s strategic goals and address the specific needs of your workforce.
How to Set SMART Training Goals
Use the SMART framework to define your objectives:
Specific – Clearly define what employees need to learn.
Measurable – Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to track progress.
Achievable – Set realistic learning targets.
Relevant – Align training with company and employee goals.
Time-bound – Define a timeline for completion and expected outcomes.
For example, instead of saying, “We want employees to improve their communication skills,” a SMART goal would be: “Within three months, employees will complete a business communication course and demonstrate improved email and verbal communication skills, measured by a 20% increase in positive client feedback.”
2. Identify Key Features of a High-Quality eLearning Course
Once you have your training goals, evaluate eLearning courses based on essential quality indicators.
A. Course Content Quality
The content should be up-to-date, industry-relevant, and aligned with best practices.
Look for courses created by industry experts or accredited institutions.
The course should offer a structured, engaging, and well-organized curriculum.
B. Interactivity and Engagement
High-quality eLearning is interactive, using quizzes, simulations, case studies, and exercises.
Courses should provide real-world applications and hands-on learning opportunities.
Gamification elements (badges, leaderboards, points) can enhance engagement.
C. Accessibility and User Experience
Courses should be accessible on multiple devices (desktop, tablet, mobile).
The user interface should be intuitive and easy to navigate.
Look for courses that support learners with disabilities, offering closed captions, transcripts, and screen reader compatibility.
D. Assessment and Certification
Effective courses include knowledge checks, assignments, and exams to measure learning progress.
Certifications from reputable providers can add value to employee development and career growth.
E. Instructor Support and Feedback
Some courses provide instructor interaction through Q&A sessions, discussion forums, or email support.
Personalized feedback on assignments can help employees understand concepts better.
3. Choose the Right eLearning Platform
There are many eLearning platforms offering high-quality courses for employee training. Some platforms focus on specific industries, while others provide general skill development.
How to Evaluate Platforms
Check Course Reviews and Ratings – Look at feedback from other learners, especially those in similar industries.
Explore Free Trials – Many platforms offer free trials to explore the course structure.
Assess Integration with LMS – If your company uses a Learning Management System (LMS), ensure the platform is compatible.
4. Consider Custom eLearning Solutions
If your organization has specific training needs that off-the-shelf courses can’t meet, consider developing custom eLearning solutions.
Advantages of Custom eLearning
Tailored content that aligns with your company’s processes and culture.
Branding and personalization options.
Greater control over updates and modifications.
Scenario-based learning and case studies relevant to your industry.
How to Develop Custom eLearning
Hire an eLearning Developer or Agency – Professionals can create high-quality, interactive training programs.
Use Authoring Tools – Tools like Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, or Lectora allow you to design your own courses.
Leverage Internal Expertise – Record videos or create content using in-house experts and trainers.
5. Budget Considerations and ROI Analysis
A. Cost Factors in eLearning
eLearning costs vary based on:
Course format – Self-paced vs. instructor-led training.
Licensing model – Subscription-based vs. one-time purchase.
Number of users – Enterprise pricing depends on workforce size.
Customization level – Pre-made courses are cheaper than custom-built content.
B. Calculating Return on Investment (ROI)
To determine if an eLearning course is worth the investment, calculate ROI using:
ROI (%) = [(Benefits – Costs) / Costs] × 100
For example, if a company invests $10,000 in eLearning and sees a $30,000 increase in productivity and reduced turnover, ROI = [(30,000 - 10,000) / 10,000] × 100 = 200%.
Tracking key metrics like improved employee performance, decreased errors, and increased customer satisfaction can help assess training effectiveness.
6. Pilot Test Before Full Implementation
Before rolling out an eLearning program company-wide, conduct a pilot test:
Select a small group of employees to take the course.
Gather feedback on content quality, ease of use, and relevance.
Monitor engagement levels and quiz results.
Make necessary improvements based on feedback before full-scale implementation.
7. Track Progress and Evaluate Effectiveness
Once an eLearning course is implemented, continuously monitor and evaluate its impact.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to Measure Success
Course Completion Rates – High dropout rates may indicate disengagement or difficulty.
Knowledge Retention – Use post-training assessments to measure learning outcomes.
Employee Feedback – Surveys can identify areas for improvement.
Performance Improvement – Monitor productivity and quality metrics pre- and post-training.
Continuous Learning and Course Updates
Keep content updated with industry trends and evolving skills.
Offer refresher courses and advanced learning paths for ongoing development.
Encourage peer-to-peer learning through forums or knowledge-sharing sessions.
Summary
Finding high-quality eLearning courses for employee training requires a strategic approach. By defining clear objectives, evaluating course quality, choosing the right platforms, considering custom solutions, and continuously assessing effectiveness, businesses can maximize the impact of online training.
Investing in well-structured eLearning programs enhances employee engagement, improves skills, and drives organizational success in the long run. Whether through ready-made courses or custom-built solutions, eLearning is a powerful tool for developing a future-ready workforce.
About LMS Portals
At LMS Portals, we provide our clients and partners with a mobile-responsive, SaaS-based, multi-tenant learning management system that allows you to launch a dedicated training environment (a portal) for each of your unique audiences.
The system includes built-in, SCORM-compliant rapid course development software that provides a drag and drop engine to enable most anyone to build engaging courses quickly and easily.
We also offer a complete library of ready-made courses, covering most every aspect of corporate training and employee development.
If you choose to, you can create Learning Paths to deliver courses in a logical progression and add structure to your training program. The system also supports Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) and provides tools for social learning.
Together, these features make LMS Portals the ideal SaaS-based eLearning platform for our clients and our Reseller partners.
Contact us today to get started or visit our Partner Program pages
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