Custom e-learning solutions

Learning, according to any pedagogue, can be very effective when it is customized to the learner's needs. If the learner is a factory worker or a corporate employee, then the factory or the office become his areas of learning and this learning should then be integrated in his daily work hours and should match the organization's work processes.

Any e-learning solutions provider taking up this venture should be able to understand the business, how best learners learn concepts and principles and your infrastructure.

To understand a learner's needs, a needs analysis must first be done. This will give an understanding of the learner's profile, domain and special needs, and objectives of the organization, and career goals of the individual as laid down by corporate guidelines.

Avoiding mistakes while developing e-learning solutions: When organizations realized how expensive training can be, they veered towards e-learning to offer an environment of instruction in a cost-effective manner with short durations of training and a tool which learners can access anytime and anywhere through the Internet.

However, many of these e-learning solutions have failed to perform due to mistakes arising due to the designers not anticipating bottlenecks or problems. These mistakes can be avoided in these ways:

• By creating a well-designed, watertight e-learning solution which ensures that all participants in the training receive very good training and knowledge at their workstation, whenever they need it and suitable to their needs and learning styles.
• They should choose vendors who can recognize their needs and problems and offer custom designed solutions. Chosen vendors should have adequate experience, expertise and a good track record in instructional design, content and technology.
• He should be able to deliver instructional modules and be capable of providing support services from concept to commissioning.
• Built-in interactivity—whether explicit or implicit—will enable learners to use the material rather than merely listen or view it. He must be able to read the content, listen to his instructor and work with the computer. Only then does the learning experience become total and complete.
• Cutting-edge multimedia capabilities that enrich the learning experience and allow learners to visualize concepts that may otherwise be difficult to understand.
• When an e-learning company develops custom e-learning solutions, care should be taken to see that the course fits in exactly with the company's specific and unique business needs, learning program goals and modes and schedules of delivery. This makes it accessible for training development and very relevant too.