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The software for managing elearning has exploded in terms of number of offerings available to customers, and the features that can be included. It's getting so that it takes a highly educated specialist to examine the options and purchase a system, let alone run it. In any event one of the major tasks is to determine what features you might want from an system to manage elearning in your company. The following article provides some insight and ideas, but keep in mind that the best approach to determining what you need is to do a proper systems analysis as you would do with the purchase or design of any expensive software or technology.
The 10 Commandments of an Elearning Management System
By George Ritacco
Are you ready to embrace elearning as a tool to enhance your training program?
Before you invest in the right elearning management system for you – it’s important to do the research.
Because elearning is a 5 billion dollar industry... you should know that there are thousands of solutions out there for you to pick from. With such a large pool of tools, how do you know which one is right for you?
Not every system can help you. Some systems are very large, complex and expensive. Others are very small, simple and cheap. The scale is vast. Some are priced according to the number of users. Some charge a flat fee for using the system. Some are hosted solutions and others are software implementations.
What works well for some, may not work well for you and your specific needs. There are many benefits to using a “hosted” tool over one that is “purchased” and integrated into your own Intranet infrastructure.
You need to know which will work better for you, before you spend a dime.
What I would recommend you do first is to identify your business goals and objectives and start the research on elearning management systems that fit those objectives.
Need help? Here are the Top 10 Commandments for the right elearning system.
1. You must be able to create courses or course folders in a systematic approach, to keep your training program organized and simple to access.
2. You must be able to add documents to those folders (WORD documents, PDF’s, EXCEL spreadsheets, videos, etc., easily, quickly and seamlessly.
3. There must be an examination tool to “test” their knowledge.
4. There must be a powerful mechanism to create elearning presentations that engage and interact with your trainees for a full-contact experience
5. You material must identify with the four modalities of learning (everyone learns differently... reading, listening, watching, experiencing). Your material must “speak” to everyone, regardless of how they learn best.
6. You must be able to create surveys – to elicit feedback from your group
7. You must be able to create certifications and performance appraisals
8. You must be able to have people register for your classes when training offsite or running an instructor-led classroom.
9. There must be a robust tracking system that scores and tracks performance in real-time, saving you time and money.
10. Depending on your business infrastructure – you’ll need to decide whether to go with a hosted or non-hosted solution.
Again, because each system is different – there’s no guarantee what you’re going to get – if you don’t’ first do the research.
And so when investing in elearning, it is important to identify these 10 items first before you explore and head into other areas and options. These 10 items will ensure that you have a strong foundation for your elearning management system and program.
Copyright © 2007 George Ritacco (All Rights Reserved)
About the Author:
George Ritacco is the Director of Client Services for Global Vision Technologies, Inc (GVT)., http://www.globalvisiontech.com a premiere software developer specializing in powerful, easy-to-use Internet systems for online training and development (http://www.omnitrackplus.com/entrypage.htm), sales and marketing intelligence, pharmaceutical sales ops, case management, and court reimbursement. GVT’s primary goal is to provide our customers with tools for improving productivity, profitability, employee morale and turnover.
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