The Definitive Checklist: Is E-Learning Right for You?

In my 15 years of working in e-learning, I’ve heard a lot of reasons why people think e-learning is or isn’t a good fit for a particular learning need.  Some are justified (we have people all over the country and can’t afford to bring them together in a classroom) and some are not (it’s cool; my boss really wants us to).  

It’s important that your decision to use e-learning is based on legitimate needs.  Those needs might be business concerns (such as a budget or timeline issues), audience concerns (such as wanting to get people with different existing levels of knowledge to the same place before a face-to-face course) or learning needs (such as wanting learners to be able to move at their own pace through the material).

Here’s a quick questionnaire with some of the main reasons why e-learning might be a good fit for you.  There’s no particular scoring, such as needing six points before you should consider e-learning.  One really big “yes” might be reason to do it, while a whole handful of “yes” answers might be outweighed by other factors.  Use this list to help guide the discussions in your organization.

Diane Elkins is the co-founder of Artisan E-Learning, a custom e-learning development firm specializing in Captivate, Lectora, Articulate Studio, and Storyline. She has built a national reputation as an expert in graphic design and e-learning, speaking at conferences such as ASTD TechKnowledge and Learning Solutions.  She is also co-author of the popular E-Learning Uncovered book series.

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