We are about to launch e-learning across 100 employees (we already have bought the supplier and decided on content) and I would be grateful if you could share some hints and tips on best practise for launching e-learning. I would love to give this the Big bang effect to engage Learners from Day 1 and increase there motivation.
Many thanks in advance.
neil pearson
4 Responses
Pre-launch Planning is Key
Hi Neil!
Having been delivering e-learning courses since 1994, even before it was called “e-learning”, the one thing I would say is before you go with any “Big Bang”, first of all take some time to look at how you will position the e-learning within your training strategy.
I have to admit (and I’m sure many others will show you examples of e-learning marketing campaigns that have worked for them), I’ve never been a fan of doing any specific high profile marketing of an e-learning solution. In my experience, the best up-take has come from using e-learning as an integrated part of your training approach. Ultimately, e-learning is “just” another delivery channels. When used appropriately, I’ve seen it readily accepted into the organisation without the need for a “big splash”.
So do invest time in mapping the courses to any competencies you might have; look at how you could blend each title with other training types. Make sure that your employees are comfortable with self-starting, i.e. not waiting to be told what to learn, but how to decide their own learning goals; and explain what the e-learning you’ve selected will do for them. And make sure that there our “human beings” around who can help them with course selection and to answer content-related questions they may have as they study them.
Make sure that you make accessing the courses easy too.
And before you launch to the wider group, make sure you brief their line managers. Their support will be crucial to the success of your initiative.
So, in summary, place the emphasis on “communicating” rather than “marketing”.
A final word, you may well hear people say, “I can’t learn that way”. In my experience, when shown how to, everyone can get something out of an e-learning course, regardless of their learning preference. If you contact me offline, I can show you some work I’m now doing in the area of providing tailored guidance to e-learners regardless of whatever learning style they have.
Best of luck in the meantime!
and also……
Neil
in furtherance of Tim’s excellent advice can I re-iterate his point..”And before you launch to the wider group, make sure you brief their line managers. Their support will be crucial to the success of your initiative.”
NOTHING WILL DAMAGE YOUR ACHIEVEMENT MORE THAN A LINE MANAGER WALKING UP BEHIND SOMEONE TAKING AN E-LEARNING MODULE AND SAYING….
“OH, HAVEN’T YOU GOT SOME WORK TO BE GETTING ON WITH?”
Rus
Beware the big bang
Hi Neil
I too would say to beware the big bang – it can backfire unless people are already waiting for it to arrive.
Certainly try and get buy in, do some general marketing about what you are planning and what you hope to achieve. Get your colleagues onside, then have a launch. Do it right and you will aready know it will be a success before it happens.
The biggest failures come from over selling e-learning as a panacea solution, then finding it doesn’t meet up with people’s expectations.
Don’t get me wrong – I am a big believer in e-learning as a solution, but like any form of change, it has to be introduced in the right way.
Best regards.
Richard Beaumont
http://www.e-learninglist.co.uk
Donald Taylor
Donald Taylor and I are at different ends of the spectrum with our views on the practicalities of undertaking ROI. However, he has probably forgotten more than I know about introducing e-learning into the workplace and reading about the situation you face , you would be mad not to sign up to his “webinar”.
http://learn.gotomeeting.com/forms/EMEA-G2M-Training-Webinar?ID=701000000004zQ4