Various Types Of eLearning Content & Which Option To Choose

The eLearning industry has been on a trajectory of growth for quite a while now. Organizations, worldwide, are considering learning and development as one of their core functions and are striving to build learning organizations to support their idea of growth. In fact, the trend is being received positively by their workforce as well. 

Now one of the primary roadblocks that most organizations hit after their initial realization is how to create effective eLearning content. An L&D strategy backed with quality content is the only way you can survive and thrive in today’s hyper-competitive scenario. In this blog, we will look at different ways you can build your eLearning content and which out of these is the best approach for your company. But before we get started it is important to note these essential aspects- 

• You must have clearly-defined organizational learning goals. You can further break them down to departmental/team goals for more efficiency. 
• You must assess your organization’s learning needs. 
• You must ascertain the preferred type of training for your employees. For example, if your employees prefer audio-visual training materials or reading materials. 
• It is also essential to understand the composition and skill level of your L&D team or in-house creators. 
• You must also conduct inventory for all your existing learning assets.

Once you are ready with the required information, you can choose from three eLearning content options – off-the-shelf content, DIY (do it yourself) content, and custom eLearning content. 

Off-The-Shelf Content 

ELearning content development can be a challenging task even for the best of L&D professionals. Since it requires a lot of time, effort, and other necessary resources, you can opt for off-the-shelf content. For greater ease and efficiency, you can opt for an LMS that offers an extensive eLearning content library, like Auzmor Learn. 

Let’s look at all the pros and cons of opting for off-the-shelf content. 

Pros

Instant deployment 

Off-the-shelf courses can be deployed with a single click, removing the hassle of creating eLearning content for specific courses. You can simply download the courses you want and deploy them instantly. 

Ability to choose from numerous options

There are numerous options for all kinds of courses available on the internet. All you have to do is find a course that syncs with your learning needs, industry, and employee preferences. 

Reduce usage of internal resources 

Hiring in-house subject matter experts for eLearning content development can be a costly affair. Instead, you can opt for off-the-shelf courses made by subject matter experts at a fraction of the cost and save not only your money but time and effort as well. 

Boosts ROI

With off-the-shelf content, you get more training time compared to the other two options. This helps boost the overall ROI of your training structure since you are focused on actually training the employees rather than creating eLearning content to train them. 

Easily replaceable

If you think a certain course is not working for your employees, you can simply replace it with another course that is more appropriate for your organization. 

Cons

Lacks personalization

Since these courses are made keeping in view the general scope of the audience, they may lack the level of personalization you need. This is why we suggest opting for courses that are more in sync with your audience and learning needs. 

Customization may not be an option

Off-the-shelf courses, oftentimes, do not offer customization. So, if you are looking for specific course materials to be added to a pre-built course, you might not be able to do that. 

Can prove ineffective if not chosen wisely 

With pre-built courses being generic in nature, your audience might lose interest in learning, rendering the course and training program ineffective. To avoid such a scenario, choosing courses that align with your industry, learning preferences, and organizational values is highly recommended. 

DIY Content

Technically, DIY content is a part of custom eLearning content development; however, it is not entirely the same. DIY content is strictly developed in-house by either your L&D team or subject matter experts. It is recommended to opt for DIY content only if you have the necessary resources. 

Pros

Control over details 

Unlike off-the-shelf content, you get complete control over the course details, and the content is developed keeping in view the organizational values and your learner’s preferences. This ensures that the content will work effectively for your employees. 

Cost-effective

If you already have an L&D team and subject matter experts on your payroll, it makes content development extremely easy and cost-effective. This way you will not have to buy individual courses each time there is a requirement. 

Flexible 

Content developed in-house is flexible and can be modified whenever necessary. If course material for a training program is not working for your employees, you can gather their feedback and make the necessary changes to improve its effectiveness. 

Cons

Requires more development time 

With DIY content, you cannot expect instant deployment. It will take time to ideate, write, and create all forms of learning content. This form of content does not cater to any immediate requirements and you will have to opt for off-the-shelf courses to meet your needs. 

Requires course authoring tools 

To create courses, your team will need access to good course authoring tools. So, unless you have an LMS with course authoring tools, you will have to separately create and deploy them. 

Custom eLearning Content 

Custom content includes all forms of content created specifically for your organization. These courses can be created or modified on-demand based on the changing needs of your learners. 

Pros

Catered to your specific needs 

Since the course content is created specifically for your learners, it is well-packed with all necessary information and is in line with their preferences. It resonates with your brand’s look and feel and makes your learners more comfortable. 

Licensed content 

While getting custom content created by other vendors, you get a license and ownership of the content. This way you can easily avoid any long-term problems that can come with content management. 

Eliminates the need to hire in-house subject matter experts

If you do not have in-house subject matter experts, you can still get quality and effective content by outsourcing your content development needs. You can order a course as and when necessary eliminating the monthly expense that comes with hiring in-house teams. 

Cons

Can be expensive 

If you operate in a niche industry, custom eLearning content development can be expensive for you. The cost in such cases is solely based on the availability of subject matter experts that are required to build the necessary courses. 

Turnaround time will increase

Since you will be outsourcing to another vendor, the turnaround time may be significantly more than the other two options. This may hinder the overall ROI of your L&D structure and may prove ineffective in offering the required support to your employees. 

Which Option To Choose? 

Well, there is no one right option. However, we have defined some metrics that can help you decide based on your unique requirements. 

Choose off-the-shelf: 

• When you need generic content 
• When you require a training course urgently 
• When you have a restricted budget 

Choose DIY content: 

• When you have in-house subject matter experts to help develop the content 
• When you have a high-functioning L&D team 
• When content modifications happen on a regular basis 

Choose custom content: 

• When your training needs are unique and you don’t have in-house subject matter experts
• When you want the content to be a reflection of your brand 
• When quality is prioritized over cost 

If you are looking for a solution that answers all your content development and training troubles, we can help. Auzmor Learn is an award-winning LMS with an extensive eLearning content library and course authoring options; it is highly intuitive and easy to use. You can also look at our G2 reviews to get a better idea of how our product has helped companies excel at employee training. 

To book a FREE demo, click here.