Types of e-Learning Companies

In recent times, the use of information and communication technologies for training and learning purposes has increased exponentially. The spread of network technologies has also caused e-learning practices to evolve significantly. This has led to many IT companies specializing in the field of technology-aided learning. There are different types of e-learning companies that provide a myriad of services to cater to the training needs of organizations – big and small. Listed below are a few prominent types of e-learning companies that exist in the industry today.

• LMS Providers: Today, a modern LMS can manage the entire training function of an organization – including assigning e-courses, managing classroom training and blended learning, populating useful and regular reports as well as assessing learners to chart their future learning paths. Many e-learning companies specialize in building LMSs and align them to the needs of modern learners. LMS providers create a learning platform that:
  • Is easy to navigate
  • Is easily integrated with existing systems
  • Has a searchable catalogue, which makes content accessible
  • Is mobile-compatible to enable just-in-time learning through multiple devices

• Content Specialists: This type of e-learning company has access to subject matter experts (SMEs) from different industries. The company creates stringent processes of SME interactions and extracts the pertinent knowledge to create the required e-course. It also empowers SMEs to provide information in a manner that hastens the delivery of final output by using popular e-learning templates. Once the SME information has been gathered, the team then works on presenting it in an impactful manner with the help of relevant instructional strategies. The quality of the content is checked and all the technical elements are put through a process of stringent testing. The final output is an e-course, which aligns to the e-learning standards and can be made available on any LMS that the organization chooses to implement. Content specialists create custom e-courses for specific or individual needs of learners within the organizations. Most of them also have a ready library of off-the-shelf courses for common learning needs of organizations.

• VCR Vendors: Virtual classrooms have emerged as the bridge between classroom-based trainings and self-paced e-learning – bringing together the accessibility and effectiveness of classroom-based trainings as well as ease of use of e-learning. Many e-learning companies specialize in creating VCR based learning solutions.

For some time, the virtual classroom remained a luxury available only to large organizations, thanks to the high tech infrastructure that this technology required. Now, with the easy availability of broadband internet and the new-age conferencing tools, conducting virtual training sessions is commercially feasible and thus getting more popular. Modern VCRs have the capability of file sharing, whiteboard, live chat for collaborative learning.

• One-stop Shop for All Training needs: In addition to the above, there are many e-learning companies that create and build content, provide the technology platform, and implement the LMS as well as market the training initiative within the organization. They also provide mentors and administrators to manage the technology-aided learning within the organization – making sure that the IT team is not responsible for the maintenance of the learning management system and is free to go about their other duties. This also makes sense for companies who do not have a separate team that they can assign to manage the LMS.

By following the above suggestions, you will be able to invest in  online training software that ensures impactful learning  as well as learner satisfaction. The true benefit of training will thus be permeated to the entire organization.