How To Create Training Modules In 5 Simple Steps

Let’s say you’ve decided to create a training module on a new topic. You’ve researched and gathered your information. You’re ready to organize your findings and start building your training module. But when you open your training software, you freeze. You have no idea how to get started. This scenario is all too common, and it’s one of the reasons why training modules get a bad rap. They can be tedious, and you’ll probably dread creating one as much as you dread going through a long, dry training module. But they don’t have to be miserable to create or to take. The first step to making training modules less painful for everyone involved is to get organized and develop a plan.

This blog will help you learn how to create training modules so you can produce engaging educational content that boosts performance and helps your organization achieve its goals. Educational video production costs aren’t the least bit daunting when you know how to create training modules that resonate with your audience. Explore our corporate video services to enhance your training materials.

How to Create Training Modules In 5 Simple Steps

Creating a module for employee training begins with defining what you intend to achieve with your content. For example, you may make a module to address an issue or orient new employees on specific procedures.

Defining your training goals lets you choose the most appropriate format to deliver your messages. When creating these goals, it's beneficial to make them specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).

Know Your Audience to Create Engaging Training Modules

Understanding who your audiences are helps you determine the tone and style of learning that suits them. It also lets you ascertain their requirements to become better or more productive. 

This knowledge enables you to choose the primary subject of the training program and divide it into modules that are easy to understand.

Choose a Format for Your Training Modules

Using a combination of several modules for employee training helps you accommodate diverse learning styles and foster employee engagement.

Consider the subject you're addressing when choosing a format. Since some formats may work better for specific subjects or audiences, you may consider contacting subject matter experts for beneficial advice. 

Create Instructional Modules

After deciding on the correct format, you can start creating the instructional modules. Using authoring or e-learning tools, build the modules.

If desired, you can use pre-made templates to expedite this process. While creating your content, use simple language and information that supports your objectives.

Share Your Modules With Employees

After creating and testing the modules for errors, you can share them with the appropriate audience. Reviewing the outcomes of these training courses after sharing is also beneficial. 

This effort may enable you to track and evaluate the effectiveness of the training program. To achieve this, tests should be set to assess the learners' knowledge.

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What are the Types of Training Modules?

Self-paced modules offer learners flexibility. Learners can review the content quickly with pre-recorded lectures, reading materials, and self-assessment quizzes. This makes them ideal for organizations with remote teams or individuals who prefer to absorb information at their own pace.

Instructor-Led Modules: Guided Learning

Instructor-led modules help when real-time interaction is needed. Whether conducted in person or through virtual classrooms, these sessions allow for:

• Live demonstrations
• Group discussions
• Immediate feedback

This type of training is beneficial for complex topics that require in-depth explanations and interactive Q&A sessions.

Simulation-Based Modules: Safe Hands-On Experience

Simulation-based training provides a safe way for learners to practice real-world scenarios. Commonly used in fields like healthcare, aviation, and engineering, these modules use virtual environments, role-playing, or software-based simulations to allow learners to apply skills in a controlled setting before facing real-world situations.

Interactive Modules: Engaging Learning Experiences

Interactive modules incorporate quizzes, interactive diagrams, drag-and-drop exercises, and other elements that encourage active participation. Immediate feedback helps reinforce concepts and correct mistakes as learners progress.

Microlearning Modules: Quick, Targeted Lessons

Microlearning modules break information into small, digestible pieces, usually 5 to 10 minutes long, focused on one specific skill or concept. These bite-sized lessons are great for just-in-time learning, making them ideal for busy professionals who need quick, on-demand training.

Video-Based Modules: Visual Learning Tools

Video-based training modules leverage recorded lectures, animated explainers, real-world demonstrations, or expert interviews to enhance engagement. Well-produced videos can make complex topics easier to understand while keeping learners entertained.

Gamified Modules: Making Learning Fun

Gamification elements like points, badges, leaderboards, challenges, and rewards can significantly boost motivation and engagement. These modules are particularly effective for competitive learners and training programs requiring continuous participation and progress tracking.

Problem-Based Modules: Building Critical Thinking Skills

This training module is ideal if the goal is to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Learners are given a problem, case study, or scenario to analyze, encouraging them to apply what they’ve learned in real-world contexts. This approach is common in management training, decision-making courses, and professional development programs.

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The Components of an Effective Training Module

A course introduction sets the stage for learning. It explains the “why” of the module and gives learners an overview of what to expect. A good introduction helps learners understand the value of the training and how it fits into the more extensive training program.  A strong opening can stimulate curiosity and encourage learners to engage with the content.

Define Clear Learning Objectives

Learning objectives act as a roadmap for training modules, guiding both instructors and learners. They define what the learner should know or be able to do by the end of the module. Well-written objectives ensure the training stays focused and measurable, helping instructors and learners track progress.

Develop Robust Course Content

The course content is the heart of the training module. It includes the actual training materials and can be delivered in various formats, including:

• Text
• Images
• Videos
• Animations
• Slideshows
• Interactive elements like:
  
  • Simulations
  • Click-through scenarios

A mix of multimedia keeps learners engaged and caters to different learning styles.

Incorporate Activities and Exercises

Activities and exercises help reinforce key concepts and encourage learners to apply what they’ve learned in a real-world context. Learning by doing is one of the best ways to retain information. They can include:

• Role-playing
• Case studies
• Hands-on practice
• Group discussions

Include Learning Assessment Opportunities

Learning assessments measure how well learners have grasped the material. These include:

• Quizzes
• Scenario-based questions
• Knowledge checks
• Practical demonstrations

Assessments ensure the training is practical and highlight areas where additional reinforcement might be needed.

Create a Summary and Conclusion

A strong wrap-up ties everything together. The summary recaps the key takeaways, reinforcing the most critical learning points. It’s also an opportunity to connect the training back to real-world applications and encourage learners to reflect on what they’ve gained.

Add Additional Resources and References

Additional resources like manuals, case studies, recommended readings, or links to further training can be included for learners who want to go deeper. These help learners expand their understanding beyond the core module.

Provide Feedback on the Learning Experience

An excellent training module isn’t just about delivering information. It’s about continuous improvement. Including a feedback form or survey allows learners to share their thoughts on the module’s effectiveness, helping trainers refine future training programs.

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4 Best Practices for Designing Effective Training Modules

1. Audience Analysis: a Critical First Step to Creating Effective Training Modules

Understanding your audience is the first step to creating practical training modules that improve performance. To determine your audience, gather information about their:

• Existing skills
• Knowledge gaps
• Preferences

For example, you can use reviews, surveys, and performance data to comprehensively understand your training audiences’ motivations and how they learn. Next, create learner personas to help you visualize different audience types and their unique characteristics. From there, designing genuinely effective training content and materials for your modules will be possible.

2. Contextual Learning: Build Training Modules That Employees Can Relate To

When crafting content for your training modules, build in context to convey how the knowledge they gain will apply to their work and how it will benefit them. This helps employees internalize what they’re learning more quickly and thoroughly, making learning experiences more engaging and facilitating mastery of new information and practices.

3. Gamification and Interactivity: Boost Learner Engagement and Motivation

Keep learners engaged by incorporating immersive and interactive assessments into your modules. Using game design elements like points, storytelling, and rewards reinforces concepts and gets learners to put what they’ve learned into action.

Through gamification in training, L&D teams can design stimulating and relevant training content to maximize learner performance and satisfaction.

4. Modularity: Break Down Training Into Manageable Chunks

While it can be tempting to include as much information as possible in training materials, keeping things modular is quite literally the name of the game. Learners stay more motivated by breaking more extensive courses into separate, manageable components. They are likelier to remain engaged as they progress through modules to master advanced topics and skills.

Why Do You Need Video For Training?

Recently, video has gained a key role in educational and professional training. Roles that take advantage of our apparent love of motion pictures. Action is engaging and compelling and can strike a deep chord in our hearts. Think of a movie you love or despise. Strong feelings indeed.  

A Brandon Hall survey shows that 95% of companies use videos to train employees worldwide.

Increased Comprehension And Information Retention

Employees often hesitate to take on a training course despite their busy schedules. Especially when traditional courses require them to devote a significant amount of time to reading pages upon pages of material, video-based training can reduce cognitive load by summing up large amounts of information into an easily digestible formula that takes much less effort.

Besides, a picture is worth a thousand words. Using videos in your training program also ensures higher information retention, requiring learners to utilize more than one sense in the learning process. The more immersed the learners, the more lasting the impact of training.

Increased Learner Engagement

Gone are the days when employees would complete courses just because they had to. Now, businesses are committed to making training entertaining and captivating so that it truly adds value to employee development. Video is engaging to employees and learners overall for a variety of reasons.

Videos include images, animation, music, and interactive elements that capture the viewer's attention and hold it for much longer than a text presentation would. They offer a pleasant break from the busy workday, thus prompting employees to keep learning. The most captivating benefit of video-based training comes up next.

Guaranteed Flexibility

Nowadays, the corporate world is running at a different speed, making flexibility a top priority for employees. Training is not supposed to limit them from sitting in conference rooms for hours any longer. Employees need to be able to train on demand and have access to microlearning content, regardless of their location.

Seeing as videos last only a few minutes and can be watched on any device, they certainly check all these boxes. In addition to that, videos are easily customizable to adapt to different learning styles. They can gravitate more towards visual, auditory, immersive, or mixed stimuli, thus covering almost all learning preferences.

Enhanced Employee Satisfaction And Productivity

Personal and professional development is becoming more and more critical for employees. Development opportunities decide whether they will stay with an employer or not. As a result, providing them with an effective training program that is not only engaging but also makes a visible impact on their careers can significantly affect employee retention rates. 

Video-based learning supports employees in honing their skills more quickly than other training techniques and helps them achieve unprecedented levels of productivity. This is excellent news for any organization, as a motivated and skilled workforce drives innovation and profitability.

Enhanced Interactivity

Some may argue that training programs that primarily consist of watching videos are a passive and uninteresting way to learn. But that is far from the truth, as interactivity is an undeniable benefit of using videos in your corporate training program. You must include interactive elements, such as quizzes, polls, or surveys, after or during each video module.

These serve multiple purposes, as they keep learners engaged, help them extract the most essential information from the video they just watched, and give instructors valuable data regarding the effectiveness of the course.

Lower Training Costs

Another benefit of using videos is that it eliminates most of the costs associated with traditional training methods. You don't have to print material, hire instructors, or lease locations to hold on-site training for multiple participants. In addition, you can adapt the production process to your budget and invest in software that allows you to make more straightforward or professional-looking videos.

You can rest assured that either choice would bring great learning results. Finally, the fact that they can be easily reused allows you to create a video library that your employees can use for a long time.

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Start a 3-day Free Trial to Take Your Content to the Next Level with Our Product Demo Video Service.

Moonb is a video marketing agency that offers corporate video services. We provide seamless project management integration via: 

• Trello
• Slack
• MS Teams
• Weekly strategy calls
• A contract-free, full-service production approach

Moonb stands out as a superior alternative to traditional: 

• Video agencies
• Freelancers
• In-house production teams

Our flexible, subscription-based model, combined with our expertise in creating compelling video content, positions us as the ideal partner for companies looking to elevate their marketing and educational initiatives through the power of video. Start a 3-day free trial with our corporate video services to take your content to the next level.

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