E-Learning Websites

While you might expect eLearning initiatives to be developed by governments and educational institutions, many colleges are slow to provide online courses. In the interim, a number of companies, like vtc, have built fee-based training sites where students can learn a range of topics. Generally, there are no certificates or diplomas, since this requires government certification, but they are successful places to pick up knowledge.

Almost inevitably the site will be membership driven or fee-per-course. Either way, a few things should be clarified before the student enters the program.

Who validates the quality of the education? Was it written by subject matter experts? What are their credentials?

Are you going to track student progress and provide tests to validate learning? If yes, what are you going to do to prevent student scores from becoming public? Is there an instructor they can contact if they have topical queries?

What technology does the student need to complete the course? Do they need to download and install software? Do they know how to do this? Is there a support center they can call if they have technical problems?

Will there be advertising during the course? Will you sell software or kits that students need/can purchase to supplement the course

Requirements for building an eLearning website.

Brand the site to promote trust and loyalty.
Find out what courses appeal to your students.
Use the best tracking / testing software you can afford.
Let return visitors login without re-entering personal data and let them resume from where they left off.
Break material into short segments that students can complete in 30 minutes or less.
Provide some ongoing means of support for both technical and educational queries. Help files, wikipedias, links to more information.
Cater to different learning styles with video, text and other formatted information.
Provide downloadable worksheets, offline activities and opportunities to think about the materials.
Only ask for information you need.
Make the privacy policy prominent.
Encourage readers to provide comments, feedback and user-based content.
Provide zones for advertisers. Don't clutter the workspace.
Consider adding features to make your site accessible to people with disabilities.

And remember . . .

They won't call if they don't come.

Take some time to develop a search engine optimization strategy, affiliate programs and offline marketing.

They won't stay if they can't find their way around the site.

Make sure the site works end to end through rigorous usability testing. Anything that prevents a visitor from accessing content, needs to be fixed. Hire an instructional designer as well as subject matters experts to review the layout and teaching process.

Privacy

To protect yourself and your customers, include a privacy policy that explains how information is secured. At the moment, this is optional, but be prepared for a tightening of laws, especially around children. You might as well develop a solid policy now to reassure your customers.

If eLearning isn't your focus, quick link to other common website goals.