Think back on every one of your failed New Year’s resolutions. The reason you failed probably had something to do with abstract, unspecific goals: get thin, exercise more, enjoy life more. Without clarity, it’s nearly impossible to figure out how to succeed. You’re doomed by January 2. The same can be said about e-learning success. Here’s how you can improve your chances of achieving positive outcomes with a remote training program.
E-learning Success Depends on Concrete Goals
“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” — Alice in Wonderland.
Without a clear objective that can be measured, most e-learning initiatives will fail.
Having no goals or an unspecific goal has a negative impact on your program. Not only are you unable to track progress (because there’s not really something you’re working toward), but your learners’ engagement will suffer as a result. How could they feel motivated if they don’t see the point of participating in the first place?
Instead, think about what success looks like and devise a plan to achieve it. This foundation will inform you of whether your online training program is doing what it should.
Using SMART Goals for E-learning Success
The first step to setting SMART goals is uncovering what the training program is meant to achieve. As soon as you pose meaningful questions to your team, you’ll find it’s much easier to create measurable, actionable and realistic e-learning goals for success.
These goals will also help you keep spending in check and calculate the return on your e-learning investment. Training programs are expensive, so you need to be able to show how well your new e-learning initiative works.
Use These Questions to Set Measurable Goals for Your E-learning
Why do you want to do the training?
Many times, the answer to this question is some form of compliance requirement. For others, it may be to launch a new program or implement a new technology. Whatever the case, you want to be able to articulate it in a sentence or two.
Try this: Our team needs this online learning project to achieve _____.
What will your learners get out of it?
Next, consider what e-learning success looks like for your learners. Will they get certified, improve their skills with a new tool, or receive a promotion? This question is essential for earning their buy-in, but also for measuring progress along the way.
When you answer these questions, make sure to attach a number (like a percentage) so the progress is measurable. You also want a due date so you have a focus and target — a must for continued funding.
When do we need to complete the training?
This element is often forgotten. But someday usually becomes never when it comes to goals. Set a clear end date for your e-learning program so that learners and administrators stay on track
Example of a SMART Goal for Online Learning
You’re likely familiar with SMART goals. SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
Here’s what a SMART goal for e-learning success looks like:
Transfer 50% of training programs into an online format by the end of the next fiscal year.
In this case, you can find a measurable number (50% of training programs), a specific scope (transfer them from in-person to online formats), and a deadline that makes it time-bound (by the end of the next fiscal year). It’s also easy to see how this goal is relevant for an organization — especially as we continue to move toward a digital transformation of work and education. And the goal will be achievable if this organization has the internal resources or a qualified partner to carry out this project within the set timeframe.
Once the deadline comes, you’d be able to see if you met those goals or not by prefixing the statement with “Did we…” and answer with a simple yes or no.
Achieve E-learning Success with Talance
At Talance, we work with health agencies to develop custom online training programs based on your organization’s unique needs. Book a consultation now to learn more about how we can help your e-learning initiative succeed.
