Your Online Learning Buying Guide

Online learning/eLearning/mobile learning continues to grow, fueled by workers often not based at a central office, increased interest in learning (especially for early career employees) and growing access to learning materials.  In 2014, online learning with no live instructor increased by 2.6%, and an estimated 44% of companies were shopping for online learning in 2015.

Perhaps your company has shopped for online learning, or you have individually.  There are certainly advantages to online training over classroom training.  Assuming that it’s asynchronous (i.e., learners can access content at their leisure rather than have to convene at a specific time), it is highly flexible with regard to when and where learning sessions happen, and the pace.
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Over the past several years as I authored an online learning course, and now have online learning programs in my portfolio (authored by others), I have become more aware what is found in quality online learning, and have scrutinized what I see available.  Simply put,I can’t believe how much junk is out there.  Just because it’s available online, doesn’t mean that it should be classified as “online learning.”  If that were the case, then we could consider reading the online New York Times as “online learning.”  (Note: there is an emerging classification of “informal learning,” and in that category, reading an article online about a topic related to work would count, but that still isn’t what can be fairly considered as “online learning.”)

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Finding a standard definition of “online learning” is hard.  Within the business environment, let’s say that online learning builds discreet knowledge or skills through online content. Now, take that definition and think about the popular Brene Brown’s Ted Talk on Vulnerability, or another great Ted Talk.  Does it build knowledge or skills?  No. It raises awareness and promotes an idea, which is informal learning in the broadest sense.
So how do you buy online learning with the potential to make an impact?  Here are 5 questions to ask about an online learning offering you are considering purchasing.

1. Does it require interaction?  Interaction demands active rather than passive engagement.  The more actively engaged we are, the more likely we are to internalize and use the new knowledge.  The lowest level of active engagement is requiring one to click through the content (rather than it just auto-running).  Requiring one to read rather than ONLY listen requires a bit more engagement.  A mix of media to deliver the content (reading, video, verbiage, graphics, etc.) requires the learner to shift gears mentally in order to absorb the content, and this then also drives engagement.  The next step up is the presence of activities like quizzes that require one to restate information shared.  Optimally, the learning contains games, simulations, etc.  that require one to apply the knowledge.
2. Is it accessible in “chunks?”  If it requires completion in one sitting, or clumsy navigation to find where you left off, some of the appeal of online learning is lost.  High-quality online learning allows the learner to access bite-sized pieces of learning (often referred to as “modules”).
3. Is it friendly to a variety of platforms?  Desktop, laptop, tablets and phones?  Apple, Android and Windows-based devices?  Tiny print on one’s phone does not qualify as friendly, nor does having to adjust the screen to see a full graphic.  When a learner has to make these adaptations or is restricted to learning from their computer, enthusiasm and focus are diminished.
4. How is the learning reinforced?  Are there summaries or other job aids that one can download/print?  Are there reminders/quizzes/questions/follow-up activities that come to the learner via e-mail or text?  80% or so of our immediate learning is lost within 48 hours if not reinforced.
5. Does the course prompt the learner to translate applicability to their work?  If the course follows principles for adult learning, then the learner is prompted to reflect on how the given topic impacts them at work, challenges that they’re aware of, etc.  They also should be prompted at the end of the course or module to identify how they will use the knowledge, which might include discussing it with manager/peers/reports, and/or practicing a skill in a known situation.

As with many buying decisions, you get what you pay for.  Learning that costs pennies, probably yields pennies worth of value, or perhaps actually has more cost than net benefit because learners are turned off by online learning and/or training altogether.  Yikes!  For each learner, expect to pay $20-$80 per online course on business topics (different than degree/certificate courses or those related to hobbies).  These costs are justified.  The average for high-quality online content creation is 80 hours of creation per hour of content.  (When I tried my hand at this, it took me about 100-120 hours to create 20 minutes of content.  This was my first and last online training authoring!)

All of this being said, even if the content itself is fantastic, just as with classroom-based and other forms of learning, it’s “use it or loose it.”  After the dust settles from the training, reminders and application of the knowledge and ideas is critical.  Ideas for that can be found in this piece on 5 Keys for Learning Initiatives.

If you want to find out more about learning options, and strategies for successful training and development, let’s get together.  I also encourage you to check out the Association of Training & Development (ATD), which is a great resource at the national and local levels, and for industry gurus as well as general business and talent leaders.
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Remember: Learning is a process, not an event.  Here’s to finding value and enjoyment in the process, and to outcomes that build leaders, employees and companies!