Advantages of Outsourcing E-learning Development

When it comes to developing online training modules for employees, organizations are left with the option of either building it in-house or outsourcing the work. Advancements in technology and research in teaching methodologies have made creating online training modules in PPTs or templates, outdated and ineffective.

To develop effective training modules, it is important they are customized to meet the distinct learning needs of the workforce. Developing these courses in-house can be expensive and challenging. Creating and maintaining e-learning in-house can be an important investment for employee development and your brand’s future. You will have control over employees’ learning plans and the LMS. You will have the liberty to adapt and change the course in response to changes such as:

• Addition of new employees
• Changing learning needs based on employees’ performance
• Updates and alterations to the course content

However developing e-learning in-house comes with its requisites. You need to have an in-house team with the expertise to build and maintain e-learning courses. You should consider if the investment you need to make for this is worth the benefits you will get out of doing it in-house.

 Developing e-learning involves a lot of steps which have to be carried out by a team of qualified people. Organizations are realizing that investing in an in-house team may not make business sense, what they are doing instead is using their expertise to determine the learning strategy and identifying how it can support their business goals. They then outsource the course development to an e-learning company to produce effective online courses for training. This decision helps them leverage on the advantages outsourcing brings.

Advantages

Access to expertise:

When you outsource, you get instant access to the expertise of the e-learning vendor. They have a qualified team in place who can design the course based on your requirements. They can give you the best training materials because they know the best in class practices and are aware of the latest technologies. They can design e-learning courses for different media, from mobiles to tablets, based on employee learning needs.

Enhance the output of your in-house team:

Even if you have an in-house team for e-learning development, they may not have the expertise to develop certain courses. When you outsource, you get access to graphic designers, developers, and technical experts. With this, you can augment the resources of your in-house team without adding staff.

Cost savings:

When you outsource e-learning development, you can save costs on manpower, operating costs, and training costs because you get a readymade team with experience in developing e-learning. You also save on investments in the technological resources required if you develop your course. In-house. That apart, when you outsource, you can decide which aspect of course development you want to create in-house and what you can outsource. For instance, you can choose to design the course and outsource the development part or you can outsource the design part and develop the course in-house. The costs will vary and you can take a decision based on your budget and resources.

Time factor:

Outsourcing ensures your projects will be delivered on time. They will be executed efficiently and with faster turnaround time. If you want courses with quick turnaround, e-learning vendors with rapid development expertise will meet your requirement. This ensures courses are developed at the pace of business needs.

The advantages of outsourcing the development of your online training modules also includes developing courses that are aligned to your current learning needs. It is worth outsourcing your e-learning if the benefits of having customized online training modules outweigh the investment you make in it. What do you think? Do share your views.