Launching your eLearning course marks a significant milestone, but it's not the final step in the journey.

As the dust settles after the development rush, you might find yourself wondering, "Now what?" It’s common to feel a sense of inertia, questioning your next moves.

The truth is, the launch of your course is just the beginning. To ensure that your course not only reaches but also resonates with your audience, and achieves the desired learning outcomes, there are critical steps you must take post-launch.

This guide is tailored for professionals like you, tasked with creating and managing eLearning programs within your organization. We’ll explore five essential actions to take once your course goes live, helping you maximize its impact and sustain its relevance over time.

1) Promote it! 

You need to make sure people actually take the eLearning course you just created! Even the best courses won’t get attention if they’re just sitting quietly in your Learning Management System (LMS). You've got to spread the word and keep the excitement alive.

Start with promotion early, even before your course launches, and don’t let up. Once your course is live, it's time to really push it. A simple "NEW COURSE AVAILABLE" email won’t cut it. You need to really sell the benefits of your course. What will learners gain from it? Why is it worth their time? Make your communications compelling and persuasive.

Here are some specific ways to get the word out and keep learners engaged:

• Incorporate Gamification: Gamification can significantly increase engagement levels. Introduce elements like badges, leaderboards, or rewards for completing sections of the course. You could also offer tangible incentives such as certificates, company swag, or even small bonuses for course completion.

• Launch an Internal Marketing Campaign: Start by treating your course launch as an internal product release. Use your company’s intranet, email system, and even physical bulletin boards to create buzz. Craft messages that explain the course's relevance to the employees' roles and professional growth. Share testimonials from colleagues who were part of the beta testing or early adopters, highlighting their positive feedback and personal gains.

• Host Interactive Webinars and Live Demos: Organize webinars or live demonstrations that walk employees through the course content and its benefits. This approach not only introduces the course but also allows employees to ask questions and see firsthand how engaging and beneficial the content is. Make these sessions interactive and include leadership endorsements to add credibility and urgency.

• Facilitate Group Enrollments and Learning Teams: Encourage managers to enroll teams together. Group learning can be more enjoyable and ensure higher retention rates. Set up discussions or workshops where teams can discuss the course content and apply what they have learned in their work context. This strategy also promotes knowledge sharing across the organization.

• Feature Internal Champions: Identify and feature internal champions who believe in the benefits of the course. Have them share their experiences and how the course has impacted their work. This peer influence can help overcome skepticism and encourage more employees to enroll.

• Regular Updates and Success Stories: Keep the momentum going even after the initial launch. Share regular updates about the course’s impact and success stories from employees who have completed it. Highlighting real results and testimonials can motivate others to participate.

“The fact that just over half the workforce finished the course had nothing to do with technology or instructional design. It had to do with the motivation they got from their managers”

- Mike Markovits ( GE’s Center for Learning & Organizational Excellence). Source: www.clo-me.com

Also read:

• Here's How To Promote Your New eLearning Program Internally
• 8 Ways to Inspire Continuous Learning Among Employees

2) Keep Engaging with Students 

Keeping your learners engaged after launching your eLearning course is critical—it's not just a nice-to-have, but a fundamental aspect of the course’s success. It’s important to encourage learners to be active participants, not just passive consumers of content.

Given that employees often have busy schedules, they benefit greatly from consistent reminders and ongoing support.

This helps remind them that they’re not just going through the motions alone, but are part of a broader, supportive learning community. Such support not only boosts their commitment to continuing the course but also deepens their engagement.

Here are some specific strategies to keep them engaged: 

1. Discussion Forums: Implementing forums within your eLearning platform can greatly enhance communication and collaboration among learners. Encourage them to discuss not only the course content but also topics related to their daily lives and other training programs. This variety in discussion helps keep the forums lively and engaging. Bringing in thought leaders and experienced professionals from your organization to participate in these discussions can also add immense value, providing expert insights and sparking richer conversations.

2. Real-Time Support and Guidance: Self-paced learning is great because it lets learners go at their own speed, but a little support goes a long way. Have your instructors or trainers keep an eye on forum discussions and jump in with help when needed. This kind of timely support stops learners from feeling left out in the cold and helps them get through the tough spots in the course.

3. Interactive Challenges: Throw in some weekly or monthly challenges that relate to the course material. Whether it's a practical problem-solving task or a creative project, these challenges can invigorate the learning process and encourage learners to apply what they've learned in fun and interesting ways.

4. Celebration of Milestones: Celebrate when learners reach key points in the course. Whether it’s finishing a difficult module or contributing thoughtfully in discussions, recognizing their efforts can boost morale and motivate them to keep going.

3) Ask for Feedback

Getting feedback on your eLearning course is super important. It’s like having a secret weapon for improving and evolving your training. If you're just hearing "everything was fine" and not digging deeper, you're missing out on some golden opportunities to learn and grow—exactly what you don't want for your learners!

Make it a habit to gather student input regularly. You could set up a quick survey or poll right after they finish the course. This doesn't just help you; it lets your learners feel involved, maybe even shaping future courses.

Here’s how to keep it simple but effective:

• Keep Surveys Short: Nobody likes filling out long forms. Keep your surveys short and to the point to increase the chances of them being completed.

• Ask the Right Questions: Instead of vague questions like "Did you like the course?", ask more specific ones like "What was the most useful thing you learned?" or "What could be improved in module 3?"

• Offer Multiple Ways to Give Feedback: Some folks might prefer filling out a survey, while others might want to send an email or even chat briefly. Offering different options can help you gather more insights.

• Act on the Feedback: Let your learners know that their feedback is valued by actually making changes based on what they suggest. And when you make those changes, tell them! This will encourage more feedback in the future because they see it makes a difference.

Always remember: feedback is crucial. It’s a two-way street that benefits everyone involved and keeps your courses dynamic and effective.

4) Track and Analyze

After you launch your eLearning course, it’s crucial to figure out just how well it’s doing. Even if your course looks great and the content is top-notch, it’s not really hitting the mark if you can’t tell whether it’s successful.

Here’s how you can track and analyze your course’s effectiveness:

First off, start by setting some clear metrics to gauge how your course is performing. Consider these key areas:

• Level of Satisfaction: How do your learners feel about the course? Are they enjoying it, or are they frustrated? This gives you a direct line into their overall experience.

• Knowledge Gained: Look at what your learners are actually learning. Are they picking up the skills and knowledge you’re aiming to teach?

• Behavior Change: This is all about application. Are learners using what they learn in their everyday jobs? This is a strong indicator of your course's practical value.

• Business Impact: Lastly, see if the training is making a difference at the organizational level. Has productivity increased? Are there fewer errors? This ties the success of your course directly to tangible business outcomes.

Don’t forget to look back at how previous versions of the course did (if applicable). This continuous cycle of review and improvement—tweaking content based on learner feedback and observed outcomes—helps you refine your approach and make your course even better over time.

For example, if you find out that many learners are dropping out because they find the course too hard, that’s a sign you need to adjust the difficulty level. Making these kinds of tweaks based on data not only improves the course but also enhances the learning experience for future participants.

5) Refresh, Reuse, Recycle

Just like the pesky habit of misplacing keys, learners can forget important information from their training over time. To prevent this natural memory fade, it’s crucial to reintroduce key concepts periodically.

This refresh cycle could range from every three to six months or be adjusted based on the urgency and relevance of the skills—for example, safety training might need more frequent refreshers if workplace accidents are still occurring.

Identifying the Need for a Refresher: You can gauge when it's time to refresh the material by looking for specific indicators:

• Completion Rates: Are learners not finishing the eLearning courses?

• Work Quality: Is there a noticeable decline in work standards?

• Error Rates: Are there more frequent mistakes or difficulties in tasks that should be well understood?

• Application of Skills: Are new concepts and skills not being effectively implemented in the workplace?

If these signs are evident, it's time to inject some fresh learning into your program.

Action Steps for Effective Refreshers: Instead of re-running the entire course, which can be time-consuming and redundant, consider implementing microlearning strategies.

These are short, targeted learning sessions that reinforce and build upon the original training content.

1. Quiz Time: About two weeks after the initial course completion, send out a fun quiz covering the key points. This helps evaluate retention and reinforces learning.

2. Interactive Videos: Create short, engaging review videos that learners can interact with. These can be scenario-based, allowing learners to make decisions based on what they’ve learned.

3. eBooks and Infographics: Distribute concise eBooks or visual infographics that summarize crucial information. These resources serve as handy references and refreshers that learners can look back on.

4. Discussion Prompts: Post questions or scenarios related to the course on internal forums or during team meetings. Encourage discussion and peer learning, which can deepen understanding and retention.

By taking these steps, you ensure that the training remains effective and that learners continue to apply their knowledge accurately and confidently in their roles.

Also read: 

• These Are The Reasons Why Learners Forget Your Training
• 5 Reasons Why Your eLearning Programs Aren’t Working

And there you have it—your roadmap to success for navigating 'life after the eLearning course'. It boils down to a few key actions: promote your course effectively, encourage vibrant discussions, actively seek feedback, analyze the outcomes, and continue engaging your learners even after the course has ended.

Sounds straightforward, doesn't it?