Guide to choosing an e-learning platform
Choosing an e-learning platform goes beyond installing software: you also need to think about hosting, content and who will provide support. This guide helps you decide between a standard platform and a custom one, and prepare the project.
When is a Moodle™-based platform the right choice, and when is a custom one?
Moodle™ software is an open-source option used by educational institutions and companies around the world to organize courses, assessments and participants. It is a good fit when your need is to teach and assess online with virtual classrooms, and you want a proven foundation that can be adapted with plugins and integrations.
A custom platform makes sense when the process does not fit a standard platform: for example, when you need to track occupational health and safety training with its documentation and follow-up, as we did for TECSUR. In that case we build it as custom software.
What should you compare when choosing a virtual classroom provider?
Check what the service really includes. A stable platform needs a server ready for peak periods, version updates, backups and monitoring; if nobody takes care of that, outages happen right in the middle of exam season.
Also compare what goes beyond technology: whether the provider develops educational content and supports instructional design, whether it integrates videoconferencing, payment gateways or exam proctoring, and whether it trains administrators and teachers. Finally, make sure it presents itself transparently: an independent provider can work with Moodle™ software without being a Moodle Partner, as is our case.
What should you prepare before launching your platform?
Define who you will train, roughly how many users you will have and how they will be organized: by course, by department or by program. Gather the materials you already have, such as presentations, videos and assessments, because they will be the basis of the instructional design to bring them online.
If you already use another platform, take an inventory of the courses and users you need to keep; with that we plan the migration. Have your corporate identity elements at hand, such as logo and colors, to configure the classroom with your brand. And if you are going to sell courses, decide how you will charge so the payment gateway can be integrated.
How do you measure whether the platform is working?
Look beyond the number of enrollments. Useful indicators are how many participants progress through and complete courses, how they perform on assessments and where in the course they stall. Statistical and academic reports let you track this data without compiling it by hand.
If participation is low, gamification with badges and challenges and more interactive content usually help participants move forward. On the technical side, check that the platform performs well during peak periods. A good practice is to review these indicators at the end of each course and adjust the content before the next run.
