Most organizations treat Learning Content Creation as a cottage industry. While they spend millions of dollars on Learning Programs, they struggle to keep the learning content up to date. Most problems with Learning Content are not budget-related, nor talent-related. They are infrastructure-related.
Whether these systems work in theory and in reality is not as important as the question of whether these systems are able to solve the problems of organizations. And how expensive will these solutions be.
The mechanics behind learning content systems
Typically content is written by a Subject Matter Expert, reviewed by an Instructional Designer, then further refined by a Technical Writer. A Graphic Designer adds images and then someone finally converts the content to whatever format it is to be published in.
Learning content management systems manage the workflow of the creation of learning content. Contributors can, at the same time, work on one and the same learning content and the system automatically registers all changes made to the learning content and it manages all the different versions of the learning content. Learning content management systems manage so-called learning content components. These learning content components can be used in learning courses and in learning documents of any kind in all possible ways.
They are very specialized systems, and are thoroughly familiar with the nature of learning, and the various ways in which learning can be delivered (for example, the use of assessments, SCORM, etc.). They can also automatically generate all of the various learning materials from a single piece of learning content. For example, a single learning content object (or module) could automatically generate an instructor’s guide, a student workbook, and an online presentation.
The underlying architecture is typically based upon a structured markup language, often XML, that has been designed to store learning content and then generate required formats such as web pages and printed copies from that stored content. Such content can be marked up, for example, to indicate company policy regarding safe lifting practices. Once such content has been updated, (in this example the new safe lifting practice), all subsequent learning content, job aids and reference materials could then automatically be updated to include reference to the new practice.
As content is created within a Learning Content Management System many values are being created within the system by individuals adding content to learning objects. A Subject Matter Expert adding content to a learning object can be as simple as logging onto a web page and starting to type. Other individuals can then review the content created by the author and even add comments to the content or even make changes to the content as well. In addition, a Project Manager can monitor the progress of all projects currently within progress from one web page.
Who actually benefits from these systems
While Learning Content Management Systems are typically associated with large organizations with huge amounts of learning content, many of these organizations with huge amounts of learning content are not using Learning Content Management Systems because of the high cost of implementation and maintenance. In addition to the license cost of the Learning Content Management System, there is a large amount of money spent on professional services for the initial implementation of the system. After the initial implementation of a Learning Content Management System, there are also ongoing costs for maintenance of the system and for training of users. There are also
What to look for in terms of organization profile? We spoke of large enterprises with substantial training operations in terms of scope, size is not the only indicator of suitable candidate. In reality, we have clients of different sizes from different industries around the world. What they have in common is that they have a distributed content creation teams around the world. The traditional file-based processes of content collaboration rapidly hit the wall very quickly for them.
However, there are industries where the basic file sharing of learning content is not sufficient. The pharmaceutical, financial services and healthcare industries are growing and therefore the importance of learning content management systems that are able to implement audit trails and approval processes (e.g. for the compliance officer) is increasing. In these processes the learning content is approved by the compliance officer before it is published.
A Learning Content Management System is a system that can support the processes for creating, managing, and distributing learning content. But creating, managing, and distributing learning content is something that organizations do, and the way in which an organization does this is deeply ingrained in the organizational culture. Thus, a Learning Content Management System is only appropriate for an organization that is willing to implement a number of very structured processes for creating, publishing, and updating content.
Time also is a critical factor here. Companies that are growing rapidly and are trying to deliver distance learning are not yet ready to implement an architecture for learning content and a system of governance for learning content. It takes time to set up such an architecture and to implement a system of governance for learning content and most companies have not yet started down this path.
Implementation realities and common pitfalls
The biggest error organizations make with learning content management systems is to underestimate the amount of change management that will be required. There is time required for authors to learn how to work with new content, time required for the IT staff to learn how to administer the system, and time required for the stakeholders to come to agreement about the standards for the content that will be created and put into the system.
It is a common misconception of large enterprises that transfer of content to a Learning Content Management System (LCMS) is a straight forward process. It is not a simple technical task of moving files from a file server to a new repository. Many organizations forget that the process of getting content creators to work with a new system, getting the IT department to administer the system, and getting stakeholders to agree on a set of new content standards can take months. While the existing content can be transferred to the new system in a structured format, very often the content created in the legacy system does not have a consistent style, format or even information architecture. The process of bringing such content into line with the new system can be a daunting task.
Cost considerations beyond the obvious
License fees represent just the beginning.
Note that the cost of the professional services to implement a learning content management system will typically be greater than the cost of the software license. In addition, the on-going cost of maintaining the system (to ensure it is running optimally and that end-users have the support they require) is often underestimated by organizations planning a learning content management system. The cost of training end-users can vary greatly from organization to organization depending on the number of different user groups within an organization and the different needs of these groups. Typically, the training of content creators will be different from that of the administrators of the system and the reviewers of content.
Some organizations will need the support of consultants during the first year after they have started to use a learning content management system. Others will need a permanent staff member to run the system. These costs, which are not covered by the licensing fees for the learning content management system, are the costs for professional services, the costs for the implementation of a system, the costs for the subsequent maintenance of the system, the costs for the training of all user groups and the costs for the authors of the content. These costs for training increase when different skills are required by the authors of the content.
Making the decision
Most large enterprises use training in order to implement business objectives, and as such the Learning Management System (LMS) is simply a means to an end for these organizations the decision criterion is not how many courses a system can hold, nor how much training employees will have to do. Rather it is whether or not there are content-related problems (such as creating and distributing inconsistent content, or collaborating inefficiently with subject matter experts) which prevent an organization from meeting its goals. In many cases when an organization feels that there are such problems they should start to consider an LMS.
How successfully can an Organization use a Learning Content Management System depends on the Organization’s readiness to introduce structured processes for creating Learning Content. Therefore Companies that work with content of any kind in a very flexible and also in an informal way will have a much harder time introducing and successfully using a Learning Content Management System than companies that already work with content using strict processes and that now also can use the system for creating their Learning Content.
My perception is that many organizations are not fully realizing the power of learning content management systems because they require change and the organization is not willing to make the investment to realize full potential of the technology.
