Monique

A team of educated community health workers can ease the cost of healthcare costs for a community, but what eases the cost of a training program? E-learning could be the answer.

Hidden costs lurk in traditional live instructor-led trainings, and it’s a challenge to find them. Start to jot down all the random costs of getting people into a room together, and you’ll see how the prices quickly shoot up. A huge portion is travel and lodging costs, which account for as much as 40 cents of every dollar spent, studies show.

The quickest way to reduce travel and lodging costs is to eliminate them: move the community health worker classroom online. Any expense that ordinarily goes to feeding and equipping a group of people can be channeled into development and instructing. That can be an up-front savings, but costs certainly plummet the more often you run the training program.

Don’t let negative thinking about e-learning derail your health worker training project. Use these strategies to change your attitudes.

Do your staff and trainers have a dark outlook toward your e-learning project?

Not to worry. Your online training plans need not be a disaster. In fact, the online training you provide to naysayers can become one of your best benefits if you follow these simple strategies.

Provide extra support.

Fear is often the seed of negative feelings. And technology, warranted or not, is often the seed of fear. Many people worry about technology: will they be able to log in? Will they understand how to use the course? Will they fall behind and not be able to catch up? It’s understandable, especially since CHWs value their time connecting with individuals.

Provide extra support, comfort and guidance when you start a new online training program. By making sure your learners understand that they’ll receive just as much help as they need, you’ll quiet many of their fears.