Transcription
This is an elearning case study of my own programs for entrepreneurs and service professionals who desire to create online courses and group programs for their clients.
Enterpreneurs and solopreneurs wish to offer leverage products such as self study courses and online programs to their clients. In order to grow their private practice. I developed a number of online programs for self paced learning, and a group program with a combination of videos and downloads, and I teach my clients who are often coaches and consultants to do the same.
My group program the Big Lead Bootcamp is a six month mentorship program. This case study provides an overview of the program fundamentals and the differences to traditional elearning that is usually implemented by companies and organizations.
Objectives
I wanted to create an online training that guides service professionals through the learning process. I wanted to create a course that enables independent learning and access to online mentoring. And I wanted to support the participants to create their own courses.
My Role
My role in this project is the course creator facilitator and mentor and coach, I develop the program content and lead my clients through the learning. The course was initially offered as a four month group program and was relaunched to be a continuous six month program where clients can join at any time. I now provide clients access for a full 12 months to the materials and online meetings.
The learning principles are based on a learning style assessment provided by format for business, which is based on Kolb’s Learning inventory. I built the content in the program on the four questions why, what, how, and if, which correspond to the learning activities in Kolb’s model of reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, active experimentation, and concrete experience.
Program Overview
In my program, I provide a number of experiential learning exercises that help my client use these same learning activities when they create their own online programs. The material is presented as a combination of videos and downloads, plus a strong emphasis on interactive online meetings, which are designed for learning, question and answers and implementation exercises.
Typically, the module start with reflective activities. The training modules are rolled out sequentially to allow the learner to focus on one step at a time. The interactive online elements are designed to support learners in any stage of the learning and implementation process. Further support is given through the online forum and an exclusive Facebook group and the participants are encouraged to form accountability teams.
Course Platform
The online material is presented in a course platform that is easy to use both for the course creator and the course participant. Step by Step navigation ensures that the user has access to all material and finds information of the interactive events in the same location. Events are recorded, and recordings are made available on the same platform. I chose the platform due to its ease of use and the pricing structure.
The user sees the program laid out clearly. When they first started, they can only access the material that is already released to them. As time progresses, more material will be accessible. Each task is a combination of video and audio, text or downloads, as well as reflective questions or polls. As the result, the program has shown success in enabling service professionals in various specialty areas who have little to no experience in course creation to develop an online learning experience for their clients. Offering these courses enables them to establish the leveraged business model.
Differences between Online Program and eLearning courses
At this stage I want to add a short overview how I see this program differ from the more traditional elearning that are usually implemented by companies and organizations. Organizations typically require LMS integration for tracking and consistent learning delivery to their students.
This is not the case in this type of learning. These trainings are often standalone and some service professionals may ever only implement one program. In my case, I have multiple programs that are all hosted on the same platform, which provides a seamless experience for clients who have access to multiple programs.
For testing purposes, organizations often require quizzes or some sort of tests in the online training environment.
Most service professionals want to teach the clients a new behavior. They want to provide a learning by doing experience, which they feel is more appropriate. If their training is going to be a certification program, then of course they also need to consider testing.
Organizations require detailed reports for completion and success rate. There are only limited reporting needs for the typical online training program for a service professional. I measure my clients participation, and I also want to know how many of the online tasks they have completed. However, the ultimate measure of success in my program is the implementation and the launch of their own course.
Organizations typically have budgets available to outsource the development to specialists. They may also require highly customized solutions that need this level of expertise. Solopreneurs don’t usually have that luxury and need to find a system that they can do themselves. This means they typically use a combination of video and downloadable documents to present the learning material.
Organizations will typically use elearning software that is designed to accommodate the needs of organizations. Service professionals need simple platforms that meet their budget limitations, are simple to host the program and easy to use for their clients.
In my practice, I provide services for both types of elearning. I work with organizations and companies directly or as a subcontractor on the development of their elearning programs. I also work with service professionals by delivering my online products such as The Big Leap bootcamp to help them achieve their leveraged business model by building online training products. For more information, please visit petramayerconsulting.com or contact me at petra@petramayerconsulting.com.
