I love to cook.  What’s most unfortunate about my love to cook, is it isn’t one of my strong suits.  So in order to combat my lack of cooking skills, I rely heavily on following recipes to ensure I use the right ingredients.  Online learning isn’t much different.

There are 4 key “ingredients” that have to be present in order to be successful with online learning today.

Technology- The most important ingredient in order to have the ability to serve up training online.  But don’t be fooled, all learning technology isn’t the same.  Ensure the technology that is used, aligns with the audience.  As an example, if the audience is constantly on the go and primarily using their mobile devices, ensure the technology not only supports the phone but is optimized for it.

Content- Learning technology without content on it is worthless.  Ensure the content that is being served up, matches the needs of the audience.  As an example, if the audience is millennial, ensure you are using video and building it in microlearning format.

Accountability – Easily the most forgotten ingredient in online learning is accountability.  This is having a mechanism to ensure the audience is held accountable.  As an example,  first line managers are a fantastic way to keep learners accountable for not only taking the training but ensuring that knowledge is transferred and implemented

Social-  The newest ingredient to the list has come about because of the explosion in social networking. People are more comfortable than ever to share knowledge and help others.  Using this ingredient allows the audience to learn from more than the learning asset itself.  It’s plugging into the collective intelligence of the group.

Ensure these four “ingredients” are present in the right amounts to be more successful with online learning today!