SME stands for Subject Matter Expert. An SME is a person who has in-depth knowledge and expertise in a specific subject or field. SMEs are typically recognized as experts in their field due to their education, training, work experience, or research. They are often consulted for their specialized knowledge and skills in their field of expertise.
The Value of SMEs for Your Corporate Training Program
SMEs can provide significant value to a corporate training program in several ways:
Expertise
SMEs have in-depth knowledge and expertise in their field, making them a valuable resource for designing and delivering effective training programs. They can provide valuable insights into industry trends, regulations, and best practices, ensuring that the training content is relevant, accurate, and up-to-date.
Relevance
SMEs can ensure that the training content is relevant to the needs of the organization and its employees. They can help identify specific training needs and design customized training programs that address those needs.
Quality
SMEs can help ensure the quality of the training content and materials by reviewing and providing feedback on the materials, ensuring that they are accurate, comprehensive, and engaging.
Practical Application
SMEs can provide practical examples and real-world applications of the concepts being taught, making the training more meaningful and memorable for the learners.
Credibility
SMEs are often well-respected in their field, which can add credibility to the training program. Learners are more likely to engage with and trust training materials that have been developed with input from recognized experts.
Cost-effective
Engaging SMEs in the development and delivery of training programs can be a cost-effective approach. SMEs can provide their expertise and knowledge without requiring additional staff or outsourcing costs.
SMEs can play a critical role in the success of corporate training programs. They can help ensure that the training content is relevant, accurate, engaging, and effective in meeting the needs of the organization and its employees.
Train Your SMEs to Be Course Developers
Training SMEs to become course developers can be an effective way to improve the quality and relevance of your organization's training materials. Here are some steps to help you train your SMEs to become course developers:
Provide a clear understanding of instructional design: It's important to start by providing your SMEs with a clear understanding of instructional design. They should understand how to identify learning objectives, develop effective assessments, and design engaging activities.
Teach them about adult learning principles: It's essential to help SMEs understand the principles of adult learning, which include self-directed learning, experiential learning, and immediate application of learning. These principles should be reflected in the design and development of your training materials.
Use a collaborative approach: A collaborative approach to course development can help SMEs learn from each other and share their expertise. Encourage your SMEs to work together to develop training materials, and provide opportunities for them to give and receive feedback on each other's work.
Provide access to authoring tools: Provide your SMEs with access to authoring tools that are easy to use, such as PowerPoint, Articulate 360, or Captivate. These tools allow SMEs to create engaging and interactive course content without requiring programming or design skills.
Provide ongoing support and feedback: Training your SMEs to become course developers is an ongoing process. Provide them with ongoing support and feedback to help them improve their skills and develop more effective training materials.
Encourage ongoing professional development: Encourage your SMEs to continue learning and growing as course developers by attending workshops, conferences, and other training events. This can help them stay up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices in instructional design.
Invest in a Rapid Course Authoring Tool
A rapid course authoring tool is a software application that allows users to quickly and easily create e-learning courses, without the need for programming skills or specialized knowledge of instructional design. These tools typically use a drag-and-drop interface, allowing users to easily add text, images, audio, and video to their courses.
Rapid course authoring tools can help organizations create training materials more efficiently and cost-effectively, as they allow subject matter experts (SMEs) to create their own courses without the need for external contractors or specialized training. SMEs can use these tools to create courses that are tailored to their specific needs and that can be delivered to learners via an LMS or other online platform.
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.
The system includes an embedded SCORM-compliant course authoring tool that enables 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 online coaching and social learning.
Together, these features make the LMS Portals platform the ideal solution to help your SMEs drive your corporate training program.
Contact us today to get started or visit our Partner Program pages