Converting existing content into training courses involves a systematic process to ensure that the material is effectively transformed into a format suitable for learning. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to do it:
Content Assessment:
Review the existing content to assess its suitability for training.
Identify the key concepts, learning objectives, and relevant sections.
Define Learning Objectives:
Clearly define the learning objectives for the training course. What should participants know or be able to do after completing the course?
Audience Analysis:
Understand your target audience, including their prior knowledge, skills, and learning preferences. This will help tailor the content to their needs.
Course Structure:
Organize the content into a logical structure. Decide on the course format, such as modules, lessons, or chapters.
Content Chunking:
Break down the content into smaller, manageable chunks. Each chunk should focus on a specific topic or concept.
Storyboarding:
Create a storyboard or outline for each module or lesson. Outline the flow of content, activities, and assessments.
Engagement Elements:
Enhance engagement by adding interactive elements like quizzes, discussions, case studies, or multimedia (videos, images, infographics).
Assessment and Evaluation:
Design assessments or quizzes to check learners' understanding and retention of the material.
Include formative assessments throughout the course to reinforce learning.
Learning Resources:
Identify additional learning resources, such as readings, articles, or external links, to complement the content.
Instructional Design:
Apply instructional design principles to ensure that the course is learner-centric and promotes active learning.
Consider incorporating storytelling and real-world examples to make the content relatable.
Accessibility and Inclusivity:
Ensure that the course materials are accessible to all learners, including those with disabilities. Use alt text for images and provide closed captions for videos.
Pilot Testing:
Conduct a pilot test with a small group of learners to gather feedback and make improvements.
Course Development:
Develop the course content using authoring tools, learning management systems (LMS), or e-learning platforms.
Quality Assurance:
Review and proofread the content for accuracy, consistency, and alignment with learning objectives.
Launch and Delivery:
Deploy the course on your chosen learning platform or LMS.
Provide access to learners and ensure they have the necessary instructions to navigate the course.
Feedback and Iteration:
Collect feedback from learners during and after the course. Use this feedback to make necessary improvements.
Monitoring and Evaluation:
Continuously monitor the course's effectiveness by analyzing learner performance and satisfaction.
Make updates and improvements as needed.
Maintenance:
Regularly update the course content to keep it current and relevant.
Promotion:
Promote the training course to your target audience through appropriate channels.
Assessment of Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the course, assess whether the learning objectives have been met.
Remember that effective training courses are not just about delivering content but also about facilitating learning and engagement. Be prepared to adapt and refine your course based on learner feedback and changing needs within your organization or target audience.
Where to Find Content to Convert Into Online Training Courses
Finding content to convert for training can be a cost-effective way to create valuable learning materials. Here are potential sources from which you can repurpose content for training:
Existing Training Materials
If your organization has previously developed training materials, consider repurposing and updating them for new training programs.
Company Documents and Manuals
Employee handbooks, policy manuals, and procedure documents can be transformed into training modules.
Product Documentation
Product manuals, user guides, and technical documentation can be repurposed into training materials, especially for customer or employee training.
Industry Reports and Research
Utilize industry-specific reports, research papers, or whitepapers to extract relevant information for training content.
Government Regulations and Guidelines
If your training relates to compliance or regulatory matters, incorporate information from government regulations and guidelines.
Case Studies and Success Stories
Real-world case studies and success stories can make training more engaging and practical.
Blog Posts and Articles
Convert blog posts, articles, or thought leadership pieces into training modules, particularly for soft skills and professional development training.
YouTube Videos and Webinars
Transcripts, visuals, or content from relevant YouTube videos or webinars can be repurposed into training materials.
Books and Ebooks
Adapt content from books and ebooks, especially for in-depth subject matter training.
Podcasts and Interviews
Transcribe and repurpose audio content from podcasts or interviews into written training materials or audio lessons.
Workshop and Presentation Materials
Materials from workshops, conferences, and presentations can be converted into online training modules or slide-based courses.
Research Surveys and Questionnaires
Use data from research surveys or questionnaires to create training content, especially if it involves statistics or analysis.
Infographics and Visuals
Visual content like infographics, charts, and diagrams can be incorporated into training materials to enhance understanding.
Social Media Posts
Extract key insights or content from social media posts to create bite-sized training content or microlearning modules.
Customer Feedback
Customer feedback and reviews can provide valuable insights for product training and improvement.
Open Educational Resources (OER)
Leverage openly licensed educational content available through OER repositories for various subjects.
Interview Transcripts
Convert transcripts of interviews with subject matter experts into training materials.
Templates and Checklists
Repurpose templates, checklists, or guides as training resources, especially for skill-based training.
News Articles
Use news articles to provide real-world context and examples in training content.
Surveys and Assessments
Modify surveys or assessments used for research or data collection into training quizzes or assessments.
Internal Reports and Analytics
Incorporate data and insights from internal reports and analytics into training materials, especially for business-related topics.
When repurposing content, ensure that it aligns with your training objectives and is suitable for the target audience. Additionally, consider updating and customizing the content to make it engaging and effective for learning.
About LMS Portals
At LMS Portals, we provide our clients and partners with a SaaS-based, multi-tenant learning management system that allows you to launch a dedicated training environment (a portal) for each of your unique audiences.
We provide outsourced course development services to repurpose existing digital content to create effective eLearning courses.
The system includes built-in, SCORM-compliant rapid course development software that provides a drag and drop engine to enable most anyone to build engaging courses quickly and easily.
We also offer a complete library of ready-made courses, covering most every aspect of corporate training and employee development.
If you choose to, you can create Learning Paths to deliver courses in a logical progression and add structure to your training program. The system also supports Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) and provides tools for social learning.
Together, these features make the LMS Portals platform the ideal solution to convert existing content into online training courses.
Contact us today to get started or visit our Partner Program pages