4 Ways to Make Course Maintenance a Significant Opportunity

A Strategy for Maintaining Training Courses

Given the current economic downturn, many corporate L&D teams are focused on maintaining their learning programs rather than creating new ones. It makes sense. It can be more expensive to build on what already exists than to start from scratch, especially for programs that require regular content reviews (such as compliance training) or that could benefit from restructuring a few years after launch (such as programs that are rapidly developed to deal with remote/mixed delivery during a pandemic). However, viewing training course maintenance through a transactional lens may mean that you are missing out on valuable opportunities to not only review content but also continuously improve program performance and outcomes at the same time.

Before we dive into the 4 steps you can take to change your maintenance strategy, let’s break down a few important differences between periodic and continuous maintenance.

Occasional Vs. Proactive Course Maintenance

The standard way of keeping lessons is limited. We may update when the content changes, but we do not monitor the effectiveness of the program. This reactive approach with necessary changes rarely affects the quality of learning.

On the other hand, L&D leaders who take an accelerated course correction approach can look ahead to the next 3, 6, or 12 months to:

• Expect upcoming organizational changes
• Schedule both current and future vacancies in practice
• Examine existing content and design with a view to improving it
• Maximize and increase the efficiency of the entire system

Ideally, course correction should involve more than occasional refreshers. It is an opportunity to eliminate and update outdated or irrelevant content while improving student performance, developing new skills, and preparing for changes on the horizon on an ongoing basis. The process begins with an effective course maintenance strategy.

Step 1: Develop or Implement Your Course Management Strategy

Start by reevaluating your current path before to make any changes to the course. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What is working about the course now?
• What doesn’t work? What needs to be changed?
• How motivated are students to complete courses? To use their skills and grow in their role?
• What skill gaps do students currently have?
• How does the content match the needs of the students? For organizational goals?
• How effective are the methods within the experience?
• What measurement techniques are available for collecting and evaluating data?
• What resources are available to help support students beyond initial training?

Use your answers to develop or modify your lesson plan. Consider a needs analysis to further develop a learning approach that addresses any of the concerns noted above while making the most of the content you already have. Remember: you don’t have to start from scratch. It is about combining what is working now with what needs to be changed in the future to improve performance and achieve goals.

“We often collaborate with our clients on maintenance programs, keeping in mind future updates and potential learning extensions when designing training solutions,” explains Anna Sargsyan, Chief Learning Officer of AllenComm, a leading provider of L&D training and workforce programs. “In fact, when we can use data to improve the design or the student experience, the process becomes as rewarding as creating something new. Often, course maintenance is viewed as a production activity, but we view it as a strategic opportunity to continuously improve and adapt the learning experience.”

Step 2: Rely on Metrics for Guidance

If your organization already includes training measurement strategies, use the research and data you have to support your training maintenance strategy. For example, by looking at course completion rates, test data, or other information captured within the experience, you can learn more about students’ ability and confidence.

If you don’t have this information readily available, don’t worry—you’re not alone. Many organizations actually have difficulty measuring in their systems. However, it is never too late to start. Even creating and distributing a simple survey to students and stakeholders can provide valuable insight as you prepare for course design.

You can also consider incorporating new measurement options as part of your redesign or update process. For example, adding a pre-test as a baseline test will enable you to compare student performance before and after learning. Even if the data is primarily used to set the standard of practice and measure progress in the learning journey, it will be important as a measure.

At AllenComm, one client added pre-tests to personalize the course experience for individuals. After testing, the course menu prioritizes those courses that a student needs to practice and enables that student to skip courses where their knowledge is already strong. This type of adaptive learning can be a significant improvement to an existing system.

Step 3: Focus on Improving the Student Experience

Curriculum customization offers a unique opportunity to make programs more engaging for students by customizing their experience and incorporating active learning activities. These activities may include role-playing, decision-making situations, and simulations of real-life activities. Improvements can be achieved by including:

• Video and multimedia materials – Incorporating motion, sound, and animation helps capture and hold students’ interests.
• Gamification – Giving students opportunities to compete with others not only injects an element of fun but also increases engagement.
• Integrated learning – Combining online learning courses with in-person sessions provides valuable opportunities for participants to ask questions, share ideas, and learn from others.
• Microlearning – Breaking the content into smaller learning modules not only makes it easier to digest but also better accommodates busy work schedules.
• Social learning and peer mentoring – Using friendships at work and interactions can be a powerful reinforcement of content.
• eLearning – Advanced technologies such as Virtual and Augmented Reality can create immersive learning experiences. This may not be achievable in the short term, but it may be the long term goal of revitalizing the training program.

Step 4: Assess Staffing Requirements

Once you’ve developed a course maintenance strategy, referenced (or collected) key metrics to support it, and revisited the student experience to improve compliance and engagement, the last step is to consider your organization’s strengths in bringing this vision to life.

This involves reviewing your current resources, such as staff and budget, to see what is possible and where you could benefit from additional support. Coursework can sometimes be outsourced more easily than other types of projects, so you may not need an entire team to do it. Augmenting your team with one or two Instructional Designers can help ensure the project is in capable hands while further avoiding delays by freeing up your core team’s time to continue handling the most important things.

Build Regular Maintenance into Your L&D Business Strategy

Rather than reacting to a specific situation that requires a course update, it’s a smart strategy to conduct regular assessments of your learning solutions to keep them efficient, engaging, and current.

In today’s highly dynamic business environment, an organization’s goals can change in an instant. This makes it all the more important to implement a learning management strategy that turns challenges into L&D opportunities that directly contribute to improving student performance and the long-term success of the organization.