The world we live in today demands innovation at an unprecedented speed. No matter what the product, we want it faster, better, and of a higher quality all at the same time. The eLearning landscape is not unaffected by this expectation. Course authors and subject matter experts are under constant pressure to churn out high-quality training materials efficiently and consistently.

As much as we want faster access to new content, it is important to ensure its quality. One great way of doing so is through rapid eLearning. With quick turn-around times, rapid course authoring tools, and incorporation of instructional design principles, rapid eLearning promises quite a lot.

Let’s take a closer look at what rapid eLearning is and why you may need it!

What is Rapid eLearning?

Rapid eLearning involves creating and developing online courses in a quick and efficient manner. Usually, these courses are meant to be consumed at a quick pace as well. This means that the learners are able to quickly progress through the content and learn new information. 

Rather than taking extensive time to develop and research training materials, rapid eLearning makes use of tried and tested methods, quick authoring tools, and templates to create just-in-time training. 

Many skeptics may argue that the quality of training may be compromised when creating courses at such a pace. That could not be farther from the truth. Here are some of the basics behind creating rapid eLearning content:

• Faster development cycle: Traditionally, course development requires extensive communication between subject matter experts and instructional designers, along with quality checks that can take a long time. In rapid eLearning, course authors directly get to creating content with simultaneous guidance from an instructional designer, eliminating much of the back and forth. 
• Repurpose content: Courses are developed by repurposing content that has been previously used in other places. This content could be anything, from videos and infographics to quizzes and interviews. In this way, the accuracy and reliability of the subject matter can be ensured without having to spend time creating content from scratch.
• Rapid authoring tools: Tools such as Articulate 360 and Adobe Captivate help streamline the course authoring process. By leveraging reusable templates, easy translations, and quick scale-up, the process of creating content can be made much more efficient. The tools also ensure that the material is compatible with a multitude of operating systems and device types.
• Basic, no-frills Instructional Design: The role of instructional design may not appear to be obvious in rapid eLearning, but that is far from the case. While extensive instructional design strategies may not necessarily be implemented in these courses, their foundations still reflect the principles of instructional design. From informed learning objectives to self-directed learning, and feedback, the basics are all there.

The Need for Rapid eLearning

Quick Deadlines

Organizations that are in a time crunch and need to create high-quality training materials can turn to rapid eLearning. By creating performance-based learning objectives, it is easier to keep the end goal in mind. 

On top of that, by streamlining the course development process and encouraging designers, authors, and other departments to communicate from the outset, the training deadlines can be met easily. 

Frequent Updates

Some organizations already have detailed corporate training courses that have been developed and perfected over quite some time. But keeping these pieces of training up to date is a challenge. It is often not possible to dedicate the same amount of resources to incorporate updates that keep rolling out every year. In these scenarios, rapid eLearning can prove to be extremely useful.

Heavy on Subject Matter 

As we mentioned before, training that is heavy on the subject matter often only requires the input of subject matter experts. In many cases, the content is already carefully curated and well-researched. Creating training content is only a matter of putting together the materials in a way that can be easily consumed. Rapid eLearning is an ideal choice for such kinds of training.

Limited Budget

For organizations that are just starting out, creating training may be an essential but low-priority task. Additionally, many small to medium enterprises and start-ups cannot allocate extensive budgets toward creating detailed training materials. Their objective is to create a well-trained workforce that does not monopolize employees’ time and keeps costs low at the same time. Creating workplace training solutions via rapid eLearning is the obvious choice for these organizations.

Talk to Us!

If your organization needs just-in-time training materials with quick turn-around times, then rapid eLearning might just be the best fit for you! But a smooth course authoring process requires plenty of planning, well-developed content, as well as the best rapid authoring tools out there!

However you want to go about training your employees, Edly is happy to help! Our team of experts offers instructional design services on top of our workplace training solutions, customized according to your specific needs! Get in touch with us today or try our platform for free!