Posts with the online training tag

The Pitfalls of DIY Conversion of Documents Into e-Learning Courses

Written by Laragh on .

Why Outsourcing Document Conversion is the Answer

The benefits of using e-learning for organizations in terms of skills development are well-established. Therefore, it’s not surprising that companies are starting to consider online learning to deliver other materials – like onboarding, compliance, or guideline documents – that have traditionally been presented in trusty Word, PDF, or PPT formats.

Convert documents into e-learning

Now, you’re probably thinking, “Sure, I can do that myself.” You already have your PPT, PDF, or DOCX files handy and ready to go, so surely you can just cut and paste your content into one of the many available online learning platforms?

But here’s where you need to take a step back and consider the reality of what this process really entails; because the conversion of PPT presentations and other documents into interactive e-learning courses is not as simple as you might imagine.

With so many LMS and e-learning platforms available, you’re spoiled for choice. But do you, as a CEO, HR manager, team leader, or even director of Learning and Development, know what the best platform is to showcase your content? Is learning how to navigate e-learning software the best use of your time and skills? Because, despite the promotional material advertising these learning platforms as “easy-to-use,” one needs only to glance at e-learning product message boards to see the frustration of new users.

Trying to get to grips with the multitude of functions, layouts, and settings of these programs is not something you can achieve overnight. Additionally, you’ll also need to consider how to present your content in an engaging and dynamic manner. Are you familiar with the best way to divide information in a way that’s conducive to active learning? Are you skilled at writing assessment questions? Do you know how to responsibly source imagery or understand the way in which graphics impact the learning experience?

Convert from flat documents to interactive e-learning

Leave it to the professionals

Common sense dictates that some tasks are best left to the professionals. Here at Laragh Courseware, we offer a cost-effective service aimed specifically at meeting this need, e-Learning Convert.

With decades of experience in the e-learning industry, our e-Learning Convert service team can seamlessly convert your PPT, PDF, and DOCX documents into engaging and interactive online courses – saving you time and effort.

If you’re worried about the integrity of your content, you can rest easy. We understand that you’ve put a lot of time and effort into the content of your SOPs, onboarding material, compliance guidelines, and other company documentation, and respect that you are the authority on your source material. Our service does not involve altering your content, but rather converting its method of delivery into an interactive and engaging online learning experience.

Now you can make that switch from static PowerPoint, Word, and PDF documents to interactive e-learning, while avoiding the pitfalls and frustrations of an unfamiliar conversion process.

The Benefits of e-Learning in Onboarding Employees

Written by Laragh on .

How e-learning makes onboarding easy

The increased trend towards online and hybrid work environments has introduced many companies to the amazing benefits that e-learning onboarding programs can unlock, in terms of engagement, learning, and tracking progress. In fact, according to research, 72% of organizations believe that e-learning puts them at a competitive advantage.

Yet when it comes to onboarding, most companies still use passive procedures. New hires are either subjected to a long PowerPoint presentation in a boardroom, or provided with a manual that you hope they’ll read. Certainly, this age-old method of onboarding new hires can be time and cost-consuming, without offering any way of knowing whether your recruits have understood the information provided.

But how exactly does the use of e-learning for onboarding benefit organizations? Let’s have a look.

An exciting start

When orienting employees, you want to create excitement about embarking on a new career. But, as Forbes notes, new recruits entering the workforce are from a generation that is accustomed to the interactive and immersive qualities of online spaces. This makes short e-learning courses – in lieu of a PowerPoint presentation or a stack of documents – a much more welcoming and stimulating experience.

Increased engagement

It’s easy for new hires to become overwhelmed by the amount of information they receive during the onboarding process – SOPs, guidelines, awareness training, best practices, privacy considerations…the list goes on. An e-learning onboarding course offers the opportunity to break down that stack of information, and convert it in a way that is not only logical but easier to digest and engage with in a meaningful way — a process called microlearning. Additionally, the interactive nature of e-learning has great benefits. According to the Cone of Learning model developed by the National Training Laboratory, retention of information is increased through interacting with the material. No wonder studies by Brandon Hall found that e-learning may boost knowledge retention by an impressive 25-60%.

Trackable progress

In order to know whether employees are actually given the necessary training and information, onboarding needs to be trackable. And while leaders want to assume the best of their staff, there’s no guarantee your employees are actually reading the material they’re provided in document form. Once documents are converted into an e-learning course, however, it allows for an employee’s progress to be easily tracked through an organization’s Learning Management System (LMS). Tracking is also a great way to highlight which areas are of interest to employees, as well as where information is insufficient.

Testable outcomes

While there is no way of knowing how much information was retained after a PowerPoint presentation, conversion of the PPTs into an e-learning course will offer the benefit of interactive quizzes and knowledge checks throughout. This allows companies to gauge whether the employees understood the information provided and is a great way to identify gaps in knowledge.

Reduced cost and time

A lot of time and money is spent on training and onboarding new employees during their first few weeks on the job, such as the high cost of printing onboarding material – for instance, PDFs or Word documents. In fact, Training magazine estimates that 80% of print costs go toward the in-house distribution of information. Converting your PDF documents into e-learning courses offers the opportunity to streamline and optimize this process. The fact that online content is accessible via a range of digital devices can also potentially be a great time-saver, since employees can opt to go through onboarding materials outside work hours. Additionally, the same onboarding courses can be re-used across multiple departments, eliminating the need for duplication of effort.

With so many benefits to implementing a digital onboarding program, it seems the main reason for organizational hesitance is a lack of knowledge about operating e-learning platform software. Luckily, there are some e-learning companies that offer cost-effective services to do that job for you. At Laragh, we can easily take your existing onboarding documents (whether in PPT, PDF, or document format) and convert them into an impactful e-learning experience via our e-Learning Convert service. With decades of experience in the field of organizational e-learning development, we can easily convert your existing onboarding material into interactive and easy-to-use e-learning courses. The only question left to ask, then, is what are you waiting for?