How to Evaluate & Use Off the Shelf Digital Training Content

1. Examine the assessment and engagement metrics for your current training program
   Are employees having success, or are they struggling to understand and apply concepts? You may want to consider courses that offer comprehension evaluations at various intervals to help learners self-evaluate along the way instead of waiting until the end to take a final test. If verification of completion or specific scores are required for regulatory compliance or skills-based certifications, Off the Shelf content is the way to go.
2. Choose based on topic
   Compliance training and management required by agencies such as the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) or state requirements such as California’s employer training requirements for the prevention of sexual harassment, have specific content and time requirements. In these cases, Ready to Go courses are typically the best solutions.
3. Expertise
   Do you have the internal expertise and tools to develop content, or the budget to outsource content development? What about trained & qualified presenters? These three considerations—expertise, tools, and presenters — can significantly impact the quality, engagement, and retention of information and are significant factors in weighing a decision for which content format is best for your organization.
4. Inclusivity
   If custom or Off the Shelf content doesn’t resonate with employee demographics, you may be setting yourself up for an epic failure. Cultural issues can, and often do, impact the effectiveness of learning programs. Materials prepared and delivered from a single-source perspective can create friction for learners, resulting in disengagement, lack of understanding, and even resentment. Pre-built, ready to go content is produced by industry specialists who have a wide range of expertise, skills, and diverse talent.
5. Budget
   Managers often think it’s more affordable to build their own content, because they have the knowledge and staff in house. And while that may sometimes be true, it’s not always cheaper. According to the Association for Talent Development, it can take anywhere from 55 to 155 hours to develop instructor-led and eLearning program content. Can you afford to have your staff spend a month on developing a single course—and that’s without scope creep, which adds time and money to your investment.