How to create online training modules: A template guide
6 minute read
Whether you’re new to online learning courses or simply looking to boost the impact of your current workplace training, it’s useful to understand how to create elearning training modules that deliver maximum impact.
It can be difficult to strike the right balance between being informative and educational within your training modules, while also remaining engaging for your users to deliver your course in a way that’s easily digestible. Here, we’ll explore what it takes to build effective and impactful training modules for workplace elearning. Read on to discover more about creating corporate elearning modules.
- What is a training module
- The steps to take when building a training module
- How to leverage Elucidat when creating training modules
What is a training module?
A training module is a segment of an overall digital corporate elearning course that focuses on a specific topic or objective. Think of training modules like a chapter of a book. Each module (or chapter) acts as a step in a learner’s journey, each time edging closer to completing the overall course.
Training modules can vary in format, from interactive videos and quizzes to text rich modules or demonstrations. Ideally, it’s best to incorporate a blend of different training module types to ensure you’re catering for different learning styles and promoting employee engagement throughout. Let’s take a look at the best practices for building training modules as part of your corporate elearning course.
How to create an engaging online training module
Wondering how to create online training modules? Here are our recommended steps to follow when building the most effective online workplace training modules:
Step 1: Establish your training objectives
The most important step comes right at the beginning and that’s understanding the challenge! Set objectives on what you need your training to achieve.
To do this, it’s important that you understand the problems that your teams are coming up against, the priority areas that need addressing and what an ideal outcome looks like. That way, you can begin to work backward and get to the crux of what you need your users to learn as a result of your training course.
Once you’ve established this, you can start to break this down into topics and map out the different modules you need to create. For each training module, be sure to set SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound) so you can measure how they perform and make iterations at a later stage, if necessary.
Step 2: Define your audience
It’s vital that you understand who exactly the training is for so that you can pitch it at the right level: training that’s too difficult or simplistic will cause a drop-off in engagement and participation.
Take some time to get to grips with your audience so you can establish an appropriate tone of voice and difficulty level. Depending on your audience, you may need to break certain topics into multiple corporate elearning modules, while for others, one module may be sufficient, so be mindful of this in the planning stage.
When creating elearning courses, consider whether there are any specific learning styles that may yield better participation or engagement rates from your audience. For example, if your audience is particularly time-poor, it may be worth creating microlearning modules – and if your audience has previously demonstrated a lack of engagement with elearning modules, consider integrating gamified elements to boost employee participation.
Step 3: Decide on the right content format
There’s no such thing as one size fits all when it comes to building online training modules; some formats may work well for some topics but not for others. Engage Subject Matter Experts at this stage to determine the best content format for each module.
We’ve also compiled a breakdown of different formats from our showcase page to help you decide:
Scenario-based learning
This type of online training module is great for complex projects that are made up of lots of different aspects. Scenario-based learning allows the learner to explore different situations and reflect on the actions they would take and the impact this would have.
Best for:
- Allowing employees to test real-life scenarios in a simulated environment
- Creating an immersive learning environment
- Challenging your learners to think independently and react to different scenarios
Check out this example of scenario based learning here.
Video
Video is one of the most engaging training module types and is great for how-to type content. Video is also an effective medium for conveying stories and evoking emotion, which can make it a good option for HR-related training.
Best for:
- Presenting information in an immersive, emotive, and engaging way
- Quick employee onboarding
- Product demos
Check out this example of video training modules here.
Microlearning
Microlearning is where topics are broken down into short, bitesize online training modules, allowing for greater flexibility and higher learner engagement. It can be a useful format for making large complex topics into easier-to-consume chunks of information.
Best for:
- Time poor employees
- Conducting training little and often
- Focusing on core messages and takeaways
Check out an example microlearning training module in action,
Quizzes
Utilizing quiz modules within your corporate elearning course can inject an element of fun and transform potentially boring content into an engaging gaming experience. Quizzes allow learners to put their knowledge to the test and build on their performance throughout the training, creating a sense of achievement as they progress through the elearning modules.
Best for:
- Challenging your learners
- Rewarding and incentivizing users with leaderboards and badges
- Tracking how well your employees have understood a particular topic
Check out an example quiz training module, created using an Elucidat template.
Personalized training modules
Personalized training modules use branching scenarios to personalize the content, based on the responses of the user. It’s an effective way to ensure that when you create elearning content, it is tailored to different individuals and is relevant and useful to them.
Best for:
- Assessing skips gaps
- Delivering the most relevant content
- Self-reflective learning
Check out this example personalized training module here.
Step 4: Create your online training module template
Once you’ve decided which workplace training module is the best fit, it’s time to build your online training module template using your chosen authoring tool. Either build from scratch or from pre-existing elearning design templates. Editing an existing template can save you time and help to ensure consistent branding throughout.
Elucidat’s Learning Accelerator feature automatically recommends the best elearning module templates for your project based on your learning objectives to help you get the best results Choose from 25+ expertly designed templates with best-practice advice baked in and create your content with confidence.
Step 5: Test and test again
Before launching your online training module, it’s critical that you test it on a sample audience and generate feedback from other stakeholders. Testing will help to identify any potential snags or gaps in the training that may need addressing before it’s pushed out to your intended audience. Consult your Subject Matter Experts again at this point who can advise on any additional content to include or where existing content can be improved.
Collect feedback from your test audience on their general experience, the usability of it, and what they liked the most and the least. Was it easy to follow? Did they find it engaging? This can inform any improvements that can enhance the user experience or make the content easier to digest.
Step 6: Upload and launch your online training module
Once you’ve implemented any changes from the testing stage, it’s ready to go! Now you can upload your module to your LMS and officially set it live for your learners to access.
It’s important that you review how your training module performs against your SMART goals on a regular basis to understand whether further improvements can be made, or if it’s worth creating supporting modules that can help employees top up their knowledge.
Ready to start creating high-quality online training modules? Then try this certified course in engaging elearning design – you’ll learn the six steps to creating interactive online training your learners will love.
Creating training modules with Elucidat
Produce high-quality training modules aligned with your goals and needs up to 4x faster with Elucidat. Leverage our Learning Accelerator feature to access our extensive template library and get inspiration for your next project.
Ready to create engaging training modules? Let’s get started! Request a free demo today.
