Is Your Organization Ready For Training CHWs Online?

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.