Developing an effective training course takes a proper strategy. No matter what the course will be utilized for, it’s crucial to have the appropriate balance of knowledge, information checks and actionable content. The best way to find this balance is to include interactive training modules within courses. In this article, we will explore how you can utilize different online training modules to build courses so that your learners get engaged and motivated. Also, we will give tips on how to create a training module step-by-step.
Training Modules and their Relevance
What is a Training Module?
A training module is a section of eLearning courses that focuses on a specific topic. Training modules act as a ‘chapter’ in the overall eLearning course. For example, let’s take the topic of sales training; you may need to cover the training on best sales techniques or write an effective email or how to approach the client effectively. Each of these topics would be its training module.
These training modules can vary in format, from quizzes to text modules, interactive videos, or demonstrations. Therefore, it is good to incorporate a blend of different training module types to ensure you are catering for different learning styles and encouraging employee engagement throughout. Now, let’s look at the step-by-step process of developing a training module.
How to create a Training Module?
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Step 1: Define your objective and audience
Before starting with developing and creating training modules, it’s crucial to define your objective and audience. Determine what you want to achieve and also understand your learners and the format that will work best for them. Be sure to understand the problems teams may face and how they can be addressed. With this information, you can decide on the main topic of the training course and break it down into smaller topics that can be utilized for the modules. Moreover, define how success will be measured to make adjustments if necessary.
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Step 2: Plan your content and its format
There’s no one size those fits all when building training modules; some formats may work well for some topics but not others. Include a subject matter expert at this stage to determine the best content format for each module. Also, it’s easier to determine the best design for creating training modules after defining your objective and audience. Some formats may work better for specific topics; for instance, you may also want to involve subject-matter experts in this step, as they can offer the most appropriate information.
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Step 3: Creating a training module template
Now, as you have your audience, format and goals decided, it’s time to start creating a template. Depending on the authoring tool you are utilizing, you can select to create an interactive training module from scratch or start with pre-made templates. Again, be sure that the content aligns with your goals, and don’t hesitate to try a few formats to keep your learners engaged.
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Step 4: Responsive course content
With your online training modules packaged and built into a course ready for your learners, you must ensure that the course content isn’t clipped or cropped when viewed on different devices. Moreover, a good LMS will make your courses responsive for tablet, mobile and desktop devices by automatically resizing the content to fit the screen it’s being displayed on. With your methods working seamlessly and looking good on all devices, all your learners need to do is start training.
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Step 5. Test and test again
Before launching your training module, you must test it on a sample audience and generate feedback from other members. Testing will help to identify any potential gaps or snags in the training that may require addressing before it’s pushed out to your intended audience. Moreover, consult your subject matter expert again at this who can advise on any additional content to include or where existing content can be improved.
You can also collect feedback from your test audience on their broad experience, its usability, and what they like the most and the least. You can also ask questions such as, was it easy? How was their experience? Did they find it engaging and interactive? This can help improve the user experience and make the content more accessible.
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Step 6: Launch Your training module
Once you have tested and implemented the changes, you can upload your training module to your LMS and officially publish it live for your learners to access. Moreover, you must review how your training module performs against your goals daily based on whether further improvement can be made or if it’s worth creating training modules that can help employees accelerate their knowledge.
Final Thoughts
Training is never a one-time occurrence. Organizations are always looking for ways to improve, so even the best eLearning can have a shelf life ranging from a few months to a little more than a year. Therefore, check the accuracy of all of your training modules at least twice a year; expect to update or completely revise your training modules on an annual basis. You can check the above-mentioned step by step process on how to create a training module and get started with us today!
