best questions to ask when creating an online training course

^{8 Questions to Ask Before Developing Your Online Course}

1. What knowledge level is this course designed for? How much do you expect your learners to already know before they start your course? ...
2. How much time will your course take to complete? Some courses are open-ended, and may not require a deadline to complete. ...
3. Will your learners require one-on-one tutoring? Most online courses are pretty hands-off, allowing learners to progress independently of the instructor. ...
4. Will your learners take your course at home or at work? Some companies invest in online certification for their employees to improve training and nurture talent within the organization. ...
Will your learners be familiar with Learning Management Systems? Familiarity with online courses varies widely among demographics. ...
Why will your learners pay money for your course? What is the value of your learning program? Will learners be able to use it to advance professionally? ...
What will your learners gain upon completing your course? It’s unlikely anyone will enroll in your course without a clear understanding of what they will be learning. ...
How will you measure success?

Full Answer

Why do I need to ask questions about my course?

These questions aren’t essential, but it can give you a better understanding of how learners interact with your course and with other users. This can help you make their overall experience better or assess how effective your efforts were to make it more enjoyable.

What training survey questions should you ask before commencing training?

Here are some training survey questions examples you can ask before the commencement of training: #1. What Do You Expect to Get From This Training? The chances are that your training participants don’t have the same expectations from the training as you. That’s why it is important to know their expectations before you deploy the training.

What should you look for in an online training course?

Keep in mind that the purpose of your online training course is to give employees the skills and knowledge they need to be more productive and boost performance. Thus, you must ensure that every aspect of your online training course relates to real life challenges and situations. Will you provide support resources to employees who are struggling?

Who should be involved in an online training program?

This includes all of the employees who will be participating in the online training program, your IT department, and upper management. It’s often best to offer tutorials or walkthroughs that show them how to access the system and navigate through the online training modules well in advance.

What are the best questions to ask for designing an online learning system?

Get To Know Your Online Learners: 10 Questions For eLearning ProfessionalsWhat skills do they currently possess? ... What is their preferred learning environment? ... Do they have any negative past eLearning experiences? ... What do they expect to take away from the eLearning course? ... Do they have the time to actively participate?More items...•

How do you create an effective online training?

How To Create Effective Online Training Tutorials: 8 Best PracticesConduct A Thorough Task Analysis Beforehand. ... Develop A Detailed eLearning Storyboard And Script. ... Highlight The Benefits Up Front. ... Combine Audio With Visuals To Improve Knowledge Retention. ... Incorporate Supplemental Links And Online Resources.More items...•

What are 5 keys to a successful outcome in an online course?

5 Key Components To A Successful Online CoursePicking the right platform for a successful online course. Your school can't deliver successful online courses without a reliable course platform. ... High class engagement. ... Easy access to course materials. ... Secure attendance tracking. ... Virtual office hours.

What are some questions about online class?

How supported do students feel in their online coursework?...45 Questions to Understand Student Engagement in Online LearningHow excited are you about going to your classes?How often do you get so focused on activities in your classes that you lose track of time?In your classes, how eager are you to participate?More items...

What are the key factors for making an online course effective?

Previous PPIC research has identified five key factors to help ensure student success in online programs:Use a systems approach to course design. ... Provide professional development. ... Set student expectations. ... Create community. ... Take advantage of the online environment.

How do you structure an online course?

0:041:41How to Structure an Online Course - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipOnce you determine the starting and ending points organize your curriculum to take the student fromMoreOnce you determine the starting and ending points organize your curriculum to take the student from point a to point b in a logical sequence. Let them know when they hit milestones.

What are the biggest challenges facing online education today?

Therefore, in the following, we shall explore the biggest challenges facing online education today.Lack of Motivation in Students. ... Infrastructural Problems. ... Digital Literacy and Technical Issues. ... Lack of In-person Interaction. ... Lack of EdTech and Online Learning Options for Special Needs of Students.More items...•

What question would you ask a Q&A page about education?

Answering 8 essential questions about educationDo you feel that the current way we are educating children fully prepares them for the needs of the 21st century? ... What is the role of the teacher? ... What do you feel the most exciting or effective learning environment would be?More items...•

What are good survey questions for students?

Top 16 student survey questions for academic feedbackWhich activities in the classroom do you enjoy the most? ... Given a chance, what is one change that you would like to see? ... Do you have supportive classmates? ... What motivates you to learn more? ... Do you think that the school provides you with adequate sports facilities?

What is a training survey question?

This helps you identify whether the training content meets the expectations of the course participants. For instance, if your respondents conveyed that the training failed to meet their expectations, this possibly indicates a problem with the course content.

How to ensure positive outcomes from online training?

One of the best ways to ensure a positive outcome from online training is to base your training decisions on learners’ data. Surveys provide actionable information for all kinds of training programs including leadership training, diversity training, and sexual harassment prevention training. When you gather feedback from training participants ...

What happens if you don't ask the right questions?

A question asked in the right way often points to its own answer Edward Hodnett, author. This can’t be truer than when you speak of surveys. When you use the right feedback survey questions for training, it will elicit the right responses.

Do different learners learn different things at the same time?

Different learners learn different things at the same time that you allocate for a course. That’s why it is interesting to know as an instructor what exactly do each of your learners learn through your course.

Is there room for improvement in training?

No matter how many high ratings your course received, there is always a room for improvement. There is always a second perspective and a look from a different angle by another person. As long as you are open to constructive and helpful suggestions, your training will continue to improve in quality and the value they bring to learners. Hence, such training needs analysis survey questions.

Can you show me a demo?

Yes, show me Get a Demo. To get the right answer, you have to ask the right question. Many organizations still look at training such as induction training as a mere formality, done as a customary practice. This is a huge mistake on their part. Whether it is a corporate training or an eLearning program, it can never be a shot in the dark.

Is eLearning a shot in the dark?

Whether it is a corporate training or an eLearning program, it can never be a shot in the dark. As a business owner or instructor, you invest your time, energy, and money in organizing training and learning sessions.

Why do organizations invest in online training?

Many organizations invest in online training and certification for their employees. It helps in improving knowledge training and to develop and nurture talent. If that is your target audience, you will need to market to businesses, rather than individuals.

Is online learning rewarding?

Creating an online learning course takes a lot of preparation and is a challenging and rewarding venture. However, before you get started it is good to know what you are getting into.

Can you do online training without a live instructor?

The majority of online training courses allow learners to progress at their own rate without a live instructor. However, certain courses may require individual learning sessions. If so, you will need to plan your schedule to accommodate a larger workload.

Can you enroll in a course if it is unclear?

No one is going to enroll in your course if it is unclear what they will be learning. You can create a clear understanding for your future learners by outlining your course syllabus or by describing specific skills they will learn per section.

Do you have to have a deadline to complete a course?

Some courses are open-ended, and may not require a deadline to complete. Learners sign up to them and expect to take them at their own pace, or they may plan to be subscribed indefinitely. Or, your learners might be looking for a course with a strict schedule that they can complete within a certain timeframe.

Do online courses require tutoring?

Will your learners require one-on-one tutoring? Most online courses are pretty hands-off, allowing learners to progress independently of the instructor. However, some courses may require individual attention, and if so, you will need to know how to handle the higher workload.

Do employees have to go through materials?

More importantly, employees will have a set time to go through materials and will be highly motivated to complete the course. Learners who sign up on their own initiative, however, are more likely to be fitting their learning program in on the side.

Can anyone enroll in a course without a clear understanding of what they will be learning?

It’s unlikely anyone will enroll in your course without a clear understanding of what they will be learning. You can define this by outlining the course syllabus, or by describing specific skills that the course is meant to teach. The more concrete examples you can offer, the stronger your value proposition.

1. Questions About The Course In General

These questions help you find out what are the overall impressions of a learner, from start to finish. Although they seem more general, think of it as a warm-up. For example, ask them to name the top three adjectives that come to mind when they think of the course.

2. Questions About The Course Content

The biggest area of improvement is your course content. Your learners offer a unique insight so this should be your main focus, especially if you have limited time or want to build a shorter survey.

3. Questions About Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes are how we measure the success of a course. And while you might be able to assess them through online quizzes or other types of assessments, it’s great to know what learners think about the final result.

4. Questions About Their Interaction With The Course

These questions aren’t essential, but it can give you a better understanding of how learners interact with your course and with other users. This can help you make their overall experience better or assess how effective your efforts were to make it more enjoyable.

What happens if there is no business outcome expected from the training?

If there is no business outcome expected from the training, it will be hard to enlist the support of the organization and it’s possible that your project will be canceled if it seems to be a “nice to know topic.” Your time and effort are valuable commodities, so you will want to ensure that there is a true business goal such as increased sales, decreased accidents, reduction in personnel, or the like, that it is associated with the training.

Why did a manufacturing firm conduct cross training?

For example, a manufacturing firm intended to conduct cross-training because its machinery broke down so often that many of its personnel simply had nothing to do until their machine was fixed. It was discovered that the machinists were not doing preventative maintenance, as was expected.

Can you do so much as a trainer?

Remember, you can only do so much as the trainer; eventually the trainees must go back on the job and start deploying their new knowledge and skills. Since no one will ever leave a training program having mastered what they were taught, there is a period of time on-the-job when the training must be either reinforced or an ease-in period allowed for. One organization attempted to change the way that their salespeople answered the phone. Unfortunately the managers didn’t go to the training and didn’t really didn’t see a need for changing the way the phone was answered; within a week the salespeople were back to answering the phone the “old way” and the training program and the trainer were implicated in this failure.

Can you have all three?

You cannot have all three. The same is true in training. If a training program is to be created and delivered within a short time frame (speed is most important) it will require a good deal of money to make it happen and it’s possible the quality will suffer. But the same token a quality job will require time and money.

Can performance problems be solved?

There are a lot of different causes for performance problems and most of them can NOT be solved by training. These questions can help you identify the source of a performance problem and avoid building a training program that is doomed to fail from the beginning.

Who Is The Audience?

What Are The Learning Outcomes?

When Will Existing Content Be available?

Where Can You Use Real-World Scenarios?

Why Might Learners Struggle with Key Decision-Making points?

Use The 5 WS in eLearning as A Guide

• The 5 Ws in eLearning are the most important questions to ask to begin creating eLearning content. Learn as much as possible about: 1. The employees’ backgrounds and learning preferences 2. What your client needs to achieve with the course 3. The skills, knowledge, behavior, and learning gaps that your course needs to fill in Ask them before creati...

See more on elmlearning.com