How to Assess a Competent E-Learning Vendor or Service Provider? elearningserv.com /blog/how-to-assess-a-competent-e-learning-vendor-or-service-provider/ Swift Elearning Services
E-Learning is a current trend in training and learning domain; it has become an obvious option for Learning Managers or Learning Officers. The four major advantages e-learning offers are; easy development/update of learning content anywhere-anytime implementation/access effective learning results effective cost E-learning has plethora of options to provide for your unique leanings needs or requirements. The major challenge lies in selecting the right e-learning vendor or service providers. This discussion will help you to assess capable e-learning vendor for all kinds of learning needs. Learning Managers or Learning Officers has three important areas to assess in an e-learning vendor or a service provider, they are: LEARNING EFFECTIVENESS This is the first and the most important among other two areas. A learning manager must assess a vendor company with respect to the capability of delivering effective learning solution. There is no use of other benefits if a vendor company is not competent enough to deliver effective learning. Following are the key capabilities must be possessed by a competent e-learning course developer: Analysis - A vendor company should be able to identity actual or real problem or learning need. They must talk to real/key stakeholder (the person who raised the learning need, not who is awarding the project). Best idea is to meet him personally and get answers to custom developed questionnaire as per your learning need; if physical meeting is not possible, at-least a call must be done between stakeholder and the analyst.Sample of questions to ask key stakeholder: Q: What is the actual performance expected from the resource/student.
This should be answered in detail; complete expected performance action should be described with corresponding verb, criteria and quality standard. Q: Where and how resources/students are failing to perform? Answer to this question helps to identify the area or gap to fill. Q: Is the failure is common in all or larger group of resources/students? This helps to understand or identify the relationship between performance failure and specific profile of resources/students (if any). Q: Other than learner profile, is there any circumstantial/infrastructural issue related with performance failure? This helps to identify any unknown artificial conditioning affecting resources/students to stop performing in expected way. . . . Click here to request more similar questions. Design - Ideally, the person or Instructional Designer, who conducts the analysis phase, should design the required solution. If all the observations and responses are recorded and documented in proper procedure, then other instructional designer can devise an effective learning solution.Components of an effective learning solution design: Scope – The subject matter/ the content includes texts, animations, images, audio etc. It also covers the expected level of performance. Format – Which e-learning format is the most suitable? Such as Synchronous, Asynchronous, Blended etc. Instructional Strategy – The instructional strategy is about how you create a learning environment/package (including Scope and Format) so that the learner understand and realizes the expected performance.Click here to request the best design for your elearning requirement. COMMUNICATION This ability of a vendor company describes seriousness towards understanding client requirement and delivery of expected solutions. The communication component is to understand requirements and resolve issues. It is very important component to avoid work delay and review cycles. Click here to request a better communication procedure for e-learning course development projects. COST Though cost is not a real component in designing effective learning solution, but it does have major role in decision making to select real components such as what level of instructional design to adopt. In industry there are three levels of instructional design modals, they are: Level 1 – A basic design with content and images on screen. Level 2 – Content chunking, illustrations, moderate interaction, 2D animations and learning avatars. Level 3 – Excellent content chunking (less text on screen, much in narration), extensive used of illustration, interactive slides, 2D animations and if required 3D animation. All components required to make learning effective.
Note: There is a direct relationship between the above levels and the cost. It is suggestible to bargain the cost factor after a vendor is shortlisted for Learning Effectiveness and Communication.Click here to receive the best price for your e-learning service requirements.