When considering Learning Management Systems, at one point in time the bulk of online content was created thru SCORM based authoring tools such as Lectora or Articulate. During this era, creating online courses required a time consuming, difficult, multidisciplinary process. Ten years ago, the cost to create one single hour of basic online training might cost $10,000, prompting many company managers to purchase third party learning content.
In 2010, The Chapman Alliance conducted a survey of 249 companies and organizations representing nearly 4,000 learning development professionals. It was determined that the average cost to create a single hour of basic online training with limited interactions was $10,054, making it easy to understand why many organizations opted to purchase 3rd party content libraries.
In the present era, course authoring tools have been greatly simplified and modern day LMS systems are not restricted to SCORM content only. Due to these developments, many organizations are now choosing to create their own custom e-learning content. With this in mind, are there still valid reasons to purchase off the shelf eLearning content from third parties? Yes.
Here are 4 key reasons to buy eLearning content to incorporate with your company LMS.
Excellent Third Party Online Training Material can be Used Right Away
If a given segment of your online training material is not special or unique to your particular organization, acquiring pre-existing, self-paced online training material can save money, time and frustration. Why create a one hour 'Excel Pivot Table Tutorial' when you can purchase a professionally developed course for less than $5.00 / user?
High Quality Makes a Difference
Excellent quality, highly effective online e-learning material is presently available which has already endured all the stringent development processes and user-testing. Why go through the trouble and cost of creating material of questionable quality and questionable effectiveness when ready to go, well-tested material already exists?
Finding Useful Free Material can be Frustrating and Time-Consuming
There is plenty of free online information; oftentimes too much. Searching YouTube for ‘Excel Pivot Table Tutorial’ yields approximately five thousand results. Some free online material may be fine. We’ve previously written about Using YouTube Videos for Learner Engagement. Unfortunately, many of these free online courses will be of questionable quality with a self-proclaimed ‘SME’. It becomes frequently apparent that little regard has been paid to learner engagement or instructional design. It may take hours to find acceptable content on a free streaming service.
Most organizations operate under steady time pressure. Purchasing ready to go training content is a great way to quickly initiate training on courses such as; proper workplace conduct, fire safety, diversity awareness or any other employee training concerns
Simplicity and Ease
The robust and easy to use Accord LMS includes built-in integration with the Open Sesame online course Marketplace. This Marketplace contains more than 20,000 courses in numerous categories which range from Technology, Compliance and Workplace Safety. These will include courses on topics such as Proper Hand Washing, Developing Effective Leadership Skills, Theft Protection or Minimizing Stress in the Workplace.
Accord LMS clients are able to purchase single courses as well as bundles of courses or subscriptions directly from their LMS. Single course purchase allows you to evaluate given content on a limited scale at very modest pricing. Having Open Sesame built right into your Accord LMS catalog allows you to select from more than 20,000 courses which you may begin using in a timely fashion whenever the need arises.
Fashioning a mixed model with custom online content, third party courses and live training is frequently a very effective option for many businesses. As a brief example; an electronics franchisor might choose to include their own special online training paired with industry standard courses and live onsite training. This can all be well-managed when utilizing the Accord LMS as a single coherent training program.
Now that you have read 4 reasons to buy eLearning content, we hope you'll consider incorporating some with your learning management system. For more information about online training, or to learn how to create your own customized content library, please contact Accord Sales to see how easy it can be.