Gradually, more and more businesses are finding e-learning solutions to be a successful and cost-effective way of solving their training needs. That being said, a large number of them are running into problems when it comes to developing and implementing their e-learning projects. Issues can arise in an e-learning project for a number of different reasons, but there does seem to be some consistency regarding the mistakes that are being made.
Unrealistic Goals
The creation of unrealistic goals usually stems from poor communication between project development teams, project management teams and the stakeholders. Expectations for e-learning projects can often become unrealistic or distorted due to over ambitious planning on a low budget with tight deadlines. Stakeholders will always have a different perception of how an e-learning project should look and work in comparison to project developers. However, clear and precise communication can usually resolve this issue. It is the role of project managers to emphasise what the realistic goals for an e-learning project are and how the end product will run.
Lack of Marketing
The e-learning projects that have been successfully integrated into businesses have developed from in-depth market research. Firms need to know who will be using their e-learning course and why. Whether firms are using their course for new recruit training or refresher training, developers need to be aware who the product is being marketed for. Without doing the appropriate market research from the outset of the project, the end product can end up off-topic and impractical.
Too Much Content
When it comes to e-learning, there is an incredibly fine line between including important information and trying to fit in too much content. Learners can only assimilate so much information at one time. Trying to expand the depth and breadth of an e-learning solution can make it too dense, thus rendering it inaccessible to the user. The focus of content for e-learning projects should always be streamlining the most important information and finding ways of conveying it clearly.
Poor Design and Content
These issues often crop up early in project development due to a lack of oversight. Poor content accompanied with bad design usually slips into the programme’s software due to a lack of oversight from project managers. Content drafts are sometimes poorly written and researched, whereas design flaws usually include too many graphics, ugly colour combinations and bad content organisation. For an effective e-learning course, content needs to be researched in depth and design needs to be edited and varied. This should all occur under the watchful eyes of project managers, to ensure a smoother development process.
Lack of Interactivity
The lack of interactivity in e-learning projects is one of the biggest issues that firms encounter. For quick and easy development, it is often simpler to use basic text or video in order translate a message. Learners who have to passively watch or click through a programme will undoubtedly absorb less information. Effective e-learning programmes need to incorporate features such as games, quizzes, scenarios and videos in order to provide a beneficial learning experience.
Project Fails to Meet User Needs
Most firms will not realise they have gone wrong until after their e-learning projects have been implemented. The needs of their learners are often not researched at the outset of the project. Depending on the industry, e-learning may not be the most efficient way of training and developing members of staff. Without efficient research from the beginning, e-learning projects can sometimes become an unnecessary expense and a wasted resource.
Poor Project Management
A good project manager, with plenty of training and experience in e-learning development experience, should be able to anticipate problems and guide the team away from them. An unqualified and inexperienced project manager will constantly be playing catch-up and find they are trying to organise problems that have already spiralled out of control.
Leading providers of PRINCE2® project management training, ILX, know how to educate project managers in order to enhance their talent and skill. With a qualified project manager at the helm, e-learning projects should effortlessly run their course and result in a fantastic end product. With PRINCE2 training as part of their tuition, project managers are sure to find success in all of their future e-learning projects.