With the amount of courses available to L&D professionals, the manual process of evaluating elearning content can be challenging. In a recent OpenSesame webinar, Spencer Thornton, VP of Content Curation at OpenSesame, presented research that shows course utilization increases 50% when relevant courses are presented to learners. But, how do you evaluate courses and, more importantly, ensure they are highly relevant to your learners?
How to overcome common challenges of content curation
Not having enough time to sort through large volume of elearning content
You don’t have enough time to evaluate the large amount of elearning content available and get everything else done. Although recommendation engines and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to select courses are being discussed more in L&D, finding content for the vast majority of L&D professionals who do not have access to this is a manual and time consuming task.
You can overcome analysis paralysis by pushing past information overload, and focus on filtering course content down to the most relevant:
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- Ask the right questions of your learners when they take courses. Did they find the content engaging and informative?
- Create an approach to collect internal requests. Create a simple form to collect information such as the number of people who will be taking this training and why this training is necessary.
- Understand your organization’s priorities. Know what training is required within your organization so that budgets can be adjusted accordingly.
One size does not fit all
Learners can vary in organizations, even within departments – from the language they speak, their age, to individual learning styles. Providing one course that works for every learner is an impossible task. But how do you provide elearning content to appeal to every type of learner?
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- Provide learners with two to three courses, but only make one required so they have choices.
- Don’t choose the content on your own. Poll your audience and collect their feedback so you can choose the best courses for them.
- When evaluating a course in an area you do not have experience in, focus on the quality of the course and the learner experience, not on the content itself. This will help you find courses that engage your learners.
Recommendations
Content curation doesn’t have to be an impossible job. Break it down into manageable chunks, such as evaluating one to two courses per day or filtering down the courses you are evaluating using learner feedback. Don’t let it pile up– refresh courses in your training programs on an ongoing basis so it’s easier for you and more relevant for your learners.
To learn more about choosing the most relevant content for your training program, watch the webinar recording or contact us at (503) 808-1268 for help with curating the most relevant courses for your learners.