Post-Launch eLearning Course Checklist: 6 Elements To Consider
After designing and launching an eLearning course, your work as a developer is done, right? Not quite. After launch, you will begin identifying gaps in the design based on the challenges that online learners face. Moving swiftly to fix these errors maintains their trust and confidence so that they keep coming back for more. As such, organizations need to have a robust maintenance strategy in place, to ensure that it stands the test of time, so that online learners can access the training materials with ease and get all the updated information they require to achieve their learning objectives. Here’s the ultimate post-launch eLearning course checklist for maintenance.
1. Platform Performance
After launching, you need to keep checking LMS performance using emulators and mobile devices. For example, the images should still be optimized, and they should have excellent clarity that resonates well with all learners’ visual needs. The site’s display should be correct in all browsers. The design used in the platform must also have the same display on mobile and computer. That is, a full page on a computer should be displayed as a full page on mobile. Think about it this way; a full page on the computer has five points on display. That same page is broken down to two pages on mobile. Thus, each page shows two and a half points. Won’t that affect comprehension? During performance maintenance, code correctness should be checked, too, in an eLearning Course Checklist.
2. Online Training Content
Online training content should be checked and updated regularly to keep things fresh and avail enough reference points for online learners. Where possible, designers can break down large content to small chunks to aid retention in topics which learners have a hard time understanding. Content should be checked for spelling, grammar, and consistency with industry trends every now and then. During maintenance, appropriate images, audio and video elements can be added to the eLearning course to cater for all learning needs. Regular analysis of course design is essential every so often, to enable designers to capitalize on every opportunity that can enrich the eLearning experience. Opportunities such as need for social learning may pop-up later in eLearning course modules. Last, but not least, in an eLearning course checklist, evaluate the content for clutter and do a clean sweep. For example, there can be several images that are no longer relevant or text blocks that can be significantly reduced.
3. Usability
Your eLearning course will be rendered useless if it does not have a user-friendly design. No one likes to struggle to retrieve information. Moreover, struggling to access information impedes comprehension and translates to a bad learner experience. Therefore, your platform’s usability should always be at its best. All icons must be active and relevant for modern learners. The site’s hyperlinks should be reviewed habitually to ensure that they are clear to identify and click on. For maximum usability, scrolling should be kept to a minimum, and clear page hierarchy must be maintained.
4. Security
Your eLearning platform carries a lot of sensitive details. These details include passwords of all online learners and instructors, assessment materials, and online training content. Failure to maintain good security could lead to phishing and data theft. The site’s firewall must be up to date to offer maximum protection. Two factor authorizations can be applied during maintenance if they were not added before launch. In addition to this, all back-ups should be configured, administration areas protected, and HTTPs certificates acquired. If you discover data safety issues with the LMS itself, contact the eLearning content provider immediately. They may have available updates or upgrades that can help you shore up the platform and keep your information secure.
5. Performance Support Online Training Libraries
Many eLearning authoring tools also feature built-in performance support or microlearning online training repositories that offer moment-of-need resources, especially in corporate eLearning environments. However, these libraries can quickly become outdated if you don’t take the time to refresh and re-evaluate the online training content periodically. Make certain that the online training materials still align with your learning objectives and support the online learner’s needs and preferences. It’s also wise to add new online training resources regularly, even if that means repurposing existing eLearning content. For example, converting an outdated eLearning course into several microlearning modules, by removing the extraneous online training content. Then using a rapid authoring tool to add new images, sound, or graphics to each unit. You can also add to your eLearning course checklist by conducting surveys or polls to pinpoint gaps in your online training repository, such as online training tutorials or product demos that corporate learners need to improve their on-the-job productivity.
6. Navigability
Navigation needs to be very clear and incorporate up-to-date tools, icons, and controls. Otherwise, you run the risk of low learner engagement and participation, simply because they can’t access the online training materials they need due to navigation obstacles. In fact, you may want to conduct user testing on a monthly or quarterly basis to identify new issues or ones you’ve overlooked. For example, in the case of the latest round of testing revealing that the social media icons are no longer active, or that they’re linked to outdated pages/profiles. In that case, online learners are not able to access relevant groups to make the most of social learning opportunities or ask a question to improve their understanding.
Designing an eLearning course doesn’t stop at launch. Online training content must be maintained regularly to enable smooth running of the course. Issues such as slow download speeds and security breaches should be fixed before they tip into a crisis. Maintaining great course design after launch requires a keen eye that can spot problems quickly. The 6 essentials for an eLearning course checklist provided here will guide you through post-launch maintenance.
Graphs, charts, and diagrams aren’t just for stats and scientific subject matters. Read the article 7 Creative Ways To Use Graphs In eLearning Course Design to discover the most innovative ways to use graphs in eLearning course design.
