Updating eLearning courses using Translation
A successful eLearning course is never truly finished.
If your eLearning platform or course isn’t getting the return it normally would, it’s likely overdue for an update. Learning Management Systems (LMS) have changed the way we learn. From work-related training, academia, language learning, hobbies, and beyond. Like any technology though, keeping things up to date is important. If you’ve got eLearning courses set up on an LMS, it’s important to do periodic reviews of your course, not only to ensure that it’s keeping up with today’s technology but also to ensure that your content continues to be relevant.
Importance of keeping your courses up to date
Did you know that eLearning increases work retention rates by 25% to 60%? – Photo by Tumisu on Pixabay
A successful eLearning course is never truly finished, whether we like it or not. Information, no matter the topic, changes all the time and if you want to stay in business with your eLearning courses it’s necessary to consider all your content as consistently evolving and make changes to it when necessary.
If you showcase an outdated course, whether that’s with technology, outdated practices, images, media, or even outdated cultural norms, you’re going to lose your audience very quickly which will result in poor learning and course retention. Course maintenance ensures a consistent customer base as well as prolonged learning retention. The more engaged your learners are, the more they will retain.
When should you update your eLearning courses?
Are your courses made to run on computers as old as these? If so, then your courses are most definitely in need of an update. – Photo by ludi on Pixabay
If you’re looking for some key signs it’s time to update your eLearning courses here are a few good places to start,
- Changes in the workplace or legal regulations: Any changes to the workplace, such as industry standards or government regulations, means that it’s a good time to revisit your course content. Depending on the industry, changes within the workplace can happen as frequently as every few months or a few years, regardless, actions should be taken to ensure your content meets the new standards.
- Changes in technology: One of the biggest changes to eLearning technology in the last decade came with the phasing out of Flash-based content with most eLearning platforms switching to HTML5. Flash is no longer supported and is officially no longer in use as of December 2020. That means if you’re content is still using Flash, your course is likely no longer functioning and is very out of date. Even if you are using HTML5, have you updated your content to make it more interactive? Have you included more media? Is your course fully mobile and tablet-friendly? What about expanding to incorporate translation and localization? These types of changes are also essential to consider as it is what learners are expecting and what will ensure higher learning retention going forward. This is one example of a technology changed that required major course updates and it definitely won’t be the last as technology is always changing and evolving.
- Company growth and evolution: As your business grows, new procedures, products, and processes will change so your eLearning products should accompany that as well. For example, if your company is rebranding or has streamlined operations.
- Feedback from learners is less than optimal: It’s always a good idea to get regular feedback on your content. Try adding survey options at the end of courses or programs to ensure you’re receiving timely feedback and take into consideration the user experience. If you’re receiving a higher-than-normal volume of certain issues or complaints, then take the steps to address them with a course update.
- Sub-optimal effectiveness from learners: Pay attention if your learners are struggling to finish the course or if they’re finishing them too quickly, it can be a sign that your course needs an update and isn’t providing the optimal amount of information. Further, if your learner or employee performance isn’t satisfactory, it’s also a sign that your training programs need to be analysed.
- If eLearning translation and localization are going to be used: If you’ve decided to take your eLearning course global and are aiming for a new market, it is necessary to make sure that your courses are updated and suitable for the new market. This means using eLearning translation services and possibly eLearning voice over talent or subtitling services for your media content. There are a lot of aspects that go into localizing an eLearning course or platform so it’s best to hire professional software localization services.
Tips for helping you keep your courses up to date
It’s important to stay on top of your eLearning courses and localization goals. – Photo by Firmbee.com on Unsplash
- Create a course maintenance schedule or plan that reviews your courses, at minimum, every quarter. This will help manage costs and time appropriately.
- Get consistent feedback from your learners and use the feedback to assist in altering and updating your content.
- For translation solutions and translation management, use eLearning translation services to help plan and transform your eLearning courses.
Importance of eLearning translation and eLearning translation services
eLearning translation is much more than just a literal quality translation, it’s making the course feel like it was made locally for that specific audience. It’s about having the course in the learner’s language, with both text, imagery, and media and ensuring that all that content makes sense to the learner both contextually and culturally with each course they will be accessing. Successful translation and localization is not an easy undertaking which, is why using content translation services is an essential part of localizing and updating a course.
Related: 7 important steps to consider for your eLearning localization
Translation and localization are an essential part of bringing your content to a new language market and region and when it’s done right, it can boost sales, training, and learning retention substantially.
Into23 has all your eLearning translation solutions, no matter what language you need. We can help you with eLearning localization, multimedia translation solutions, audio transcription services, subtitling and more, ensuring that your eLearning courses are effective, efficient, and successful in every market. Contact us today to get started!