‘Oh No! I don’t want to waste another hour to attend that boring compliance session. The last session was too boring as I dozed off comfortably’
‘Every time I step into the office to announce a compliance program, I hear this constant murmur on my back. But we have no other go, these compliance programs are mandatory and the employees need to be trained on it.’
While I really felt sorry for this gentleman who heads the compliance team of a reputed FMCG company, deep in mind I should admit that I disliked it once too. The four walls of the classroom and hours of instructions that tells you only the DO’s and Don’ts, that was definitely a boring experience.
But now with modern learning technologies, there is much to cheer for the compliance team of every organisation as organisations are shifting their compliance programs to the e-learning way. Learning is not restricted to the walls of the classroom anymore, as the learners can access the contents from anywhere and any device. Moreover, e-learning lifts the boring tag of compliance courses with engaging and interactive contents that can hook the learners’ attention.
While the compliance courses are mandatory requirements, organisations should ensure that the e-learning courses are not for just checking the boxes. Hence let’s see the steps to develop effective compliance e-learning courses.
1.Know your Learners
How much do you know about the learners?
Before developing an e-learning course on your compliance program, the developers should understand and study the target audience first.
I recommend conducting surveys among the target audience to understand the level of existing knowledge of the learners, their demographic details and educational background etc. Knowing these details helps the developers to adopt the correct strategy to implement for the target audience.
For example, if the existing knowledge of the learners is at a good and intermediate level, then it’s not recommended focussing on the basic learning topic again as it can simply waste the time and lead to disengagement.
2.Content Analysis
Let’s not forget that compliance programs can sometimes be very lengthy and consume many hours. While developing effective e-learning courses, the developers should analyze the contents to identify what is relevant and what is not for the learners. I recommend chunking down of learning contents to smaller and individual learning topics as it can avoid the usual trap of information overload.
A good understanding of the target audience helps the developers to plan and analyze the content to meet the learning objectives.
For example, the e-learning compliance should include the highest risk and most misunderstood or mishandled information.
3.Set your Learning Objectives
What is the learning objective here? Who are the learners and what should they achieve after finishing the course.
The learning objective describes, in specific and measurable terms, the elements that learners will have mastered upon completion of the online course.
For example, the fire and safety customized e-learning module developed here at XLPro e-learning for a reputed firm in the manufacturing industry included the following learning objectives
•Understanding the nature of fire and how it can occur
•What measures to take to prevent fires from starting
•How to identify fire-related equipment and signs
•Knowing how to act in the event of a fire in the workplace.
4.Plan and Define your E-learning Strategy(instructional design plan)
How do you plan to present the e-learning compliance module?
The modern instructional design strategies allow the developers to choose from a variety of learning strategy like guided learning,scenario-based learning, story-based learning, game-based learning, case studies and even blended learning approach etc.
While choosing the instructional design strategy, the designers should look into the subject, target audience and the learning environment. I personally recommend including fun and engaging elements in the e-learning modules to make the dry compliance modules lively.
For example, a branching scenario-based e-learning for compliance training modules can challenge the learners at various levels. In a branching scenario, the learning progress through the learners’ decision or choice which makes them feel more responsible in the learning approach and decision-making. It can also help the learners to learn without the fear of making any mistakes and gives an immersive learning experience.
5.Design the Storyboard
An e-learning storyboard is the blueprint of the course. It represents the visual outline that helps map out how the text, pictures, and other elements are presented. The developers use the storyboard prepared by the instructional designers to develop the e-learning compliance module.
6.Chose the Technology
Make sure that you have the adequate technology to develop the compliance e-learning course. Here is a small checklist that can help you to choose the technology
•Chose the appropriate authoring tool that supports the functions and formats to design complex branching scenarios.
•Are the courses viewed only on mobile devices in both the desktops and mobile devices etc
•Check the internet bandwidth.
•Plan the support and maintenance.
7. Build the Prototype.
Develop the working prototype of your e-learning compliance module and get it approved by the client. The prototype should represent the look-and-feel and functionality of the entire course.
8.Create your E-learning Compliance Module
Once the prototype is approved by the client, you can go ahead to create the e-learning compliance module. Ensure that you are not deviating from the storyboard guidelines and learning objectives.
9.Testing of the Courses
Once the module is created, it is highly recommended ensuring a trial run of the module on a focus group and collect their feedback. Testing out the course can help the developers to evaluate the effectiveness of the course. Ensure that proper feedback is collected from the learner.
10. Implement Feedback
Analyzing the feedback and after implementing the changes in the module. The e-learning compliance module is ready for the final launch.
Here are the 10 top steps to develop effective compliance e-learning courses. Feel free to share your suggestions and recommendations in the comment box below.
