Dozens of new services and promise to bring strength to your online community health worker training program. Here are five that are honestly useful.

Unless you’re considering setting up and hosting your own online learning program in-house (most organizations go with a managed hosting company like Talance unless they have a dedicated technical department with specialists), the list of technical tools you actually need to run your program is pretty short:

• A computer
• A mobile device for testing
• Headphones, speakers or some way of listening to audio
• A connection to the Internet

If you have CHWs in the field, that list might expand to include a terminal for checking lessons and possibly a printer.

Meanwhile, the list of software, apps and online services that promise a more productive and engaging online learning program continues to grow. Look at this enormous list of lists from Education World magazine, for starters.

You can spend years sifting through the options, but here are a few that we honestly think are helpful for administrators and instructors:

1. ASTD Trainer’s Toolkit (app) – This unique app from ASTD is best for course building and instruction. It has ideas for activities and reminders for interacting with students, plus ways to keep notes and make bookmarks.
2. Chief Learning Officer magazine (app) – Required reading if you’re considering setting up an online learning program. “Chief Learning Officer magazine is the foremost business resource for senior executives in the workforce learning and development industry, providing access to reliable information and insight into trends and developments in organizational development, strategy, employee training, leadership development, succession planning and instructional technology.”
3. Diigo (web service) – Diigo is an old education standby for tracking bookmarks online (see the education edition). It keeps progressing, however, and the latest version is easy to use and features powerful sharing and note-taking features.
4. Flashcard Apps (app) – “Flashcards are no longer tied to paper. Now with the help of your iPhone or iPad, you can have digital flashcards. We compare the best ones in this AppGuide.”
5. TeacherKit (app) – This app lets instructors keep track of how their learners perform, including attendance, gradebook, assignment lists and more.

With the right team in place, your organization can establish and a successful online health worker training program that meets the needs of your learners.

The only way to create an online learning program that works and complements your organization is to plug into the right brainpower. But your team of online health training staff will look a little different from your average health training staff. The best programs have teams that are well trained in working with an online student base. Here are the essential members you’ll need for your team.

Executive Decision-Maker

This is an executive-level manager who is an advocate for the team and able to approve any necessary expenditures. The decision-maker is also the key approver on all decisions—especially ones that require a budget. This person may not attend meetings, but at least reviews executive summaries or meets with the project leader of the team for status. Having executive-level support is essential for a successful program.

An executive-level decision-maker must be internal.

Project Manager

The project manager oversees the full life cycle of the project. This manager also interfaces with the internal client and e-learning team, providing schedules and organizing deliverables so the project keeps on track. The project manager ensures the team has the information it needs to get the job done.

You can hire an outside project manager, but they should work very closely with an internal liaison.

Instructional Designer/Writer

Depending on the nature of your course, and if you’re creating it internally, you will need an instructional designer and/or a writer. The instructional designer takes the instructional material and arranges it in a way that’s informative, engaging and serves your pedagogic goals. In other words, they design the online course. Instructional designer Christy Tucker has a nice article on what she does for a living.

This may or may not be the same as a writer. We at Talance tend to work with an independent curriculum writer who specializes in editorial content. This person works closely with the instructional designer to create an interactive course that educates.

Both of these roles can be appointed to outside consultants.

Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)

The instructional designer or curriculum writer works with subject matter experts to develop the content. An SME is not needed for every project. When the subject is new within the organization, the instructional designer may research the subject via books and journals or interview experts in the field.

A subject matter expert can be an internal staff member or an outside professional.

Editor

The editor improves writing and handles proofreading. It is widely believed by many that they can edit their own work (this is never true), or that anyone is qualified to edit (rarely true). Editing is where too many administrators skimp, and that’s a mistake. Hire a qualified editor and your final product will better engage your audience.

An editor can be an outside hire, and in rare circumstances, an internal appointee.

Graphic Designer

A graphic designer overlaps in some ways with an instructional designer, depending on the course. However the chief output of the graphic designer is images, iconography, animations, the look and feel of the course, and enhanced stock photos to fit project needs.

A graphic designer can be a qualified internal staff member, but make sure they are indeed qualified. Otherwise, use an outside designer.

Media Specialist

The media specialist produces and edits audio and video. This is almost certainly an outside consultant.

Technical Producer

The technical producer understands techspeak and can assemble all the elements into a running course. This person will create and apply custom CSS, mark up pages with HTML, add interactivity, and providing the technical coding necessary to ensure the course can interface with a learning management system (LMS) if required.

The technical producer is usually from a third party or vendor.

LMS Administrator

The LMS administrator is an expert at configuring the learning platform, from enrolling participants to creating online quizzes.

If you host your own platform, this could be an internal staff member, or it can be someone from the managed hosting company (such as Talance) you use.

Tester

Runs quality assurance (QA) checks by testing the course from a technical perspective and ensuring it matches the way the course was planned. Testers usually work off testing plans so they can make sure learners can use each part of the system.

A tester is usually from a third party or vendor, although it’s smart to perform internal testing as well.

Facilitators

Facilitators are trainers experienced in both in-person and online instruction who help learners create a cohesive learning community in which they share ideas, apply their knowledge, give feedback, and make reflections on their work.

You can use your existing training staff, but they should have a background in online learning or be trained to do so.

Answering a handful of key questions in this readiness quiz will let you assess how well your organization will adapt to a shift to training community health workers online, and tell you where you have the most work to do to prepare.

Online training is here and a regular way of life for learners from elementary school all the way through a professional health career. Many organizations are looking to e-learning as a method of training growing workforces of CHWs, but some will find the process easier than others. Those organizations that have planned carefully for online learning and have integrated a program into its entire training strategy will advance relatively quickly, have happier learners and ultimately more successful community health programs. The most ill-prepared organizations will be the ones that find it hardest.

Rate yourself on the questions below to give yourself an indication of how ready your organization is for computer-based training for CHWs. These questions aren’t scientific, but they are based on our 13 years’ experience helping organizations bring e-learning to their staff, and watching hundreds of health workers learn new skills online.

Jot down your answer for each question, and then scroll to the end of the quiz for instructions on how to interpret your score.

Once you’ve determined how ready your organization is, then consider how ready your CHWs are to be trained online.

E-learning Readiness Quiz

What is your organization’s experience with e-learning?

1. None, we’re completely new to e-learning.
2. A little. Some of us have taken the odd class.
3. We have started delivering online learning in the last year.
4. We have a robust program that we’ve been running for more than a year.

Why is your organization looking at e-learning?

1. It seems like everyone else is offering it, so why not us?
2. It could be a way to save money.
3. My boss is asking for it.
4. We want to increase the capacity of our training program.

How supportive is your leadership of e-learning?

1. They don’t know about our e-learning program.
2. They know about the program but don’t have time or interest to be involved in a significant way.
3. They are asking for updates about the program.
4. They’re driving development and making decisions.

How well-developed is your internal support system for e-learning?

1. We’re not sure what would be involved in a support system.
2. We’re planning on hiring a consultant to help run a course.
3. We have identified a person on staff who will be responsible for running the program.
4. We have a dedicated e-learning staff and run our own courses.

How ready is your technology to the task?

1. We aren’t sure what technology is required of an e-learning program.
2. We have made a decision about what kind of technology we’ll need for online learning, but we haven’t moved forward with anything yet.
3. We have piloted a couple training sessions using different technologies.
4. We run our own e-learning program on a learning management system or contract closely with a vendor to handle the technology and logistics for us.

How ready are your learners?

1. Our learners have little or no computer skills and limited access to a computer connected to the Internet.
2. Around half of our learners have taken an online course before.
3. Our learners have access to computers connected to the Internet. They understand how online training can help them with skill-building, but need to learn on their own time.
4. Our learners have access to computers both at home and at work, and we have assigned several hours per week for them to complete training.

How integrated is e-learning into your overall training strategy?

1. Not at all, we’re unsure of what we need to do to integrate an e-learning initiative.
2. Some, we know we need buy-in from the existing trainers, although they are resistant.
3. We are training our staff to segue into more online learning.
4. We run a fully integrated e-learning program through blended learning or uniquely online.

How much planning have you done for a transition to e-learning?

1. None, we’re just going to see what works.
2. Some. We have looked at what we’ll need from a staff and budgetary perspective.
3. We have assigned the HR department the task of organizing compliance trainings.
4. We created and executed a full change management plan that includes reorganizing all departments to accommodate needs from learners and staff.

Scoring

Review your answers and total up your points according to this scale:

A = 1 point

B = 2 points

C = 3 points

D = 4 points

If you scored …

8-10: You’re at the very beginning of considering an e-learning program and have quite a bit to do before you’re ready for a smooth transition. Check out E-learning Strategy Essentials to find out what you need to do to create a smart plan.

11-20: You’ve started your research and sound ready to make a leap. Keep working to define your staff and learner needs so you can plan for an integrated e-learning initiative. Check out E-learning Strategy Essentials to find out what you need to do to create a smart plan.

21-24: You’re on your way to branching out into a solid e-learning program. Make sure you have full buy-in from leadership, trainers and staff.

25-32: Congratulations, it sounds like you’ve figured out what you need to offer an ongoing e-learning program. There’s always room for improvement, though, so be sure to include regular evaluations and revisions to offer your employees the best learning experience possible.