The analysis may look as if it is an expensive one, but it is worth it. By completing the training needs analysis, you would have saved yourself a lot of time and money. Any company that will skip this vital process will likely regret doing so. The reason is that it’ll create a knowledge gap, that is, feeding your workers with irrelevant information rather than what they need at the moment. You could even discover that the eLearning course is not required. To determine the kind of training that soothes your employers, you must conduct a proper eLearning need analysis. In this article, I will explain how to run an appropriate eLearning need analysis.
Why should you conduct an eLearning need analysis?
Some eLearning developers still think that the eLearning needs analysis is a waste of time. They are wrong and clueless as well. They probably do not know the benefits of conducting such an analysis before designing the eLearning course. I believe you’ll soon agree that training needs analysis is essential when you have completed one. Here are the benefits of eLearning need analysis
- It points out knowledge gaps before becoming a problem.
- It will assist you in planning your training for the year.
- It points out the activities that are not relevant to your employees’ improvement.
- It ensures your training focuses on the right areas.
- It helps you to determine the kind of employee that needs to participate in a specific activity.
- It prioritizes training needs.
How Do You Conduct a Needs Analysis?
The main goal of an eLearning analysis is to determine whether your business needs training. Before you decide to create a training need, consider checking your business objectives. It may be true that your business needs help, But a good business goal could be all you will need to get back on track. What I am trying to say is that the problem may be beyond just creating training. The problem may be the equipment used and maybe not your workers. You must determine this before starting your eLearning projects, not after you have finished.
If you have decided to conduct a needs analysis, this is how you go about it. First, you need to ask and answer why who, how, what, and when. The questions will help you gather all the necessary information you need for your eLearning assessment.
1. Why do you need this training?
Ask yourself why you think training is the best solution to what you are trying to achieve. Try to analyze the problem by looking critically into how things are being done in the company. You may also want to see things from your worker’s perspective. Put the question to them as to why specific problems arise, what challenges they face, and the reason. As well as checking the current situation, you probably want to think about the future too. Also, if you have new technology or policies, you probably need the training.
2. Who should be involved in the eLearning training?
The needs analysis question will help you know what your target audience is. Determine which department in the organization is mainly involved with the deficiency. You also want to look at other workers that can benefit from the training. Move closer to them and understand things from their viewpoint.
3. How should you design the eLearning training?
This particular needs analysis can be referred to as brainstorming. You want to come up with a creative idea that will help every worker participate in the training. List out all the possible solutions you can think of, then lick the most relevant answer in your own opinion. You can also consider other ways to help you achieve your goal aside from training, if there are any.
4. What do employees do?
Ask what your employee does to check if an employee is under-utilized or over-utilized in their daily routine. Check if your employee has enough knowledge to perform their day-to-day tasks. If not, then you need to put them into training. Also, check if the employee adheres to the set policy and standard operating procedures. Another good thing that needs to be checked is if the employee works according to the company’s core values.
5. When should the training happen?
Timing is also vital for successful eLearning training; it is essential to get it right. You need to pick a schedule that every participant will be convenient with without disrupting the company’s daily work. Nowadays, courses are easily accessed online; consider making a mobile-friendly eLearning course that allows workers to learn at their own pace.
