E-learning: should you create it yourself or outsource it?

Investing in e-learning

When organizations train employees via e-learning, there are always organizational goals tied to the training.

Perhaps the entire organization is taking a safety course, or maybe a select group is training on specific software.

Every e-learning project requires thorough planning to get the most out of it, for both the employees and the organization.

Developing e-learning costs time and money, depending on who is working on it within your organization.

Do you have staff members or colleagues who are comfortable developing training and are proficient with your existing Learning Management System?

Then it might be worth sitting down with them to discuss the possibilities.

But perhaps it is a better idea to outsource the creation of your e-learning.

This can be a difficult choice.

That is why this blog offers some guidelines you can use to decide whether you prefer to create your e-learning yourself or outsource it.

E-learning – when should I develop it myself?

There are a number of scenarios in which it is desirable for an organization to develop its own e-learning.

For instance, the knowledge being conveyed may be specific to the company or the brand. Furthermore, self-developed e-learning can also promote brand recognition and employee engagement.

Company-specific content

Some knowledge is company-specific. Think, for example, of the internal system you use to process data.

When new employees join the company, they need to learn how to work effectively with this program.

Even if you use a system from an external provider, the employee still needs to learn how you use this system within your company and exactly how you work with it.

In addition, there are other skills that a new employee must master before they can fully contribute to the company.

Onboarding looks different for every company and the more personal you make the onboarding, the greater the chance that the employee will feel engaged with the company.

Getting started with e-learning? Start with the e-learning canvas!

Recognizability and engagement

When your company offers a specific product or service, you want that product or service to be front and center in the training of (new) employees.

If a product or service is unique and no other company offers it, the chance that a training already exists is slim, so as an organization you have no choice but to design your own training.

E-learning also offers an opportunity to engage employees with the company.

By focusing the content specifically on the company’s vision and mission and making the “brand” clearly visible throughout the training, you create engagement.

‍Gamification is a tool you can use to make the training recognizable and interactive. McDonald’s is a good example of this with its cashier training, in which the real McDonald’s cash register is replicated in an online environment so that aspiring cashiers can train in a lifelike way.

Throughout the training, the McDonald’s brand remains clearly visible. This creates recognizability and engagement.

E-learning – when should I outsource it?

In some cases, it is more economical to outsource e-learning.

For instance, a high-quality training on more “general skills” may already exist, where it makes more sense budget-wise to buy the training than to develop it yourself.

In other cases, companies are simply obliged to follow certain external guidelines. 

A lack of resources can also be decisive in your choice.

1. Certification

For technical skills where certification from a third party or external organization is required, standardized trainings usually already exist.

Sometimes an organization simply has no choice in this, because all students are expected to take the same standardized training for this certificate. 

2. General skills

For general skills as well, such as conflict management, leadership style, management skills, etc., solid trainings designed by professionals in the field often already exist and meet all of an organization’s requirements.

3. Insufficient time or resources

As a company, you have a clear idea for a training. You already have the materials and sources in house.

But now you're not quite sure how to translate that into an e-learning course.

It is also possible to outsource the design of your e-learning. For example, to Pluvo. We will sit down with you to clearly outline your requirements, discuss all learning objectives and materials, and create a custom e-learning course based on that. Specifically tailored to your company.

A Learning Management System is everything

Whether you create the e-learning yourself or outsource it, if an organization already uses a Learning Management System, it makes integrating a new e-learning course much easier.

After all, employees are already accustomed to using the system and can easily find their way around. When an additional module is added to the LMS, employees already know how to navigate it and can simply add the module to their learning path.

The quality and user-friendliness of a training course depend entirely on the Learning Management System.

Pluvo offers a user-friendly Learning Management System that makes it easy to create your own training courses. In addition, Pluvo provides an integrated chat and guidance when you start your e-learning.

Read everything about creating e-learning in our free e-book, 'E-learning Essentials'.

Outsourcing e-learning?

Would you rather outsource it after all? You can do this partially or completely. Pluvo can take over specific parts, such as the instructional design or the structure of your modules.

But we can also take the entire development of the e-learning off your hands.

‍Contact us to discuss the possibilities.