Off-the-shelf vs custom e-learning content options

Find the right learning content options to deliver the experiences you want for your learners.

Every L&D team faces the same challenge: delivering high-quality learning experiences with limited time, budget and resources. Whether you’re onboarding new starters, addressing compliance requirements or building future skills, one question always arises: should you build e-learning content yourself, buy off-the-shelf learning content or invest in bespoke development?

There isn’t any one-size-fits all answer to this question. The most successful organisations rarely rely on a single approach; instead, they combine different content strategies depending on the learning need, audience and business objectives.

Here’s everything you need to consider to make the right choice about your e-learning content options.

Choosing the right e-learning content options

Creating your own learning content

It’s never been easier to create your own learning content. Platforms like Totara Learn, Moodle LMS and Moodle Workplace make it really straightforward to build content using a suite of tools already included within the package.

When should you use in-house e-learning content?

Internal content development is often the best option when the subject matter is unique to your organisation. For example, in-house content can be created specifically for the following contexts:

What are the pros and cons of in-house e-learning content?

Buying off-the-shelf learning content

Buying existing modules is another way of securing the learning content you need. Buying learning content is a useful option if:

• ✳️ You don’t have the in-house skills to be able to create your own learning content
• ✳️ You don’t have the in-house knowledge to create learning content on a specific topic or topics
• ✳️ You need learning content for a generic topic that isn’t specific to your organisation
• ✳️ You want to save your budget to create unique content on topics that are specific to your organisation by buying ready-made learning content in other areas

Rather than developing every course internally, organisations can access professionally designed content that is ready to deploy immediately. This is particularly useful for training topics that are consistent across industries such as health and safety, cybersecurity, leadership fundamentals, communication skills, wellbeing, customer service, digital skills, and diversity and inclusion.

When should you use off-the-shelf e-learning content?

For L&D teams, off-the-shelf learning is often used to support:

Off-the-shelf content is also well-suited to mandatory training such as GDPR, anti-bribery, safeguarding or health and safety, where speed and scalability are important.
Synergy Learning’s Core content offering includes learning resources across leadership and management, compliance, cyber and information security, health and safety, mental wellbeing, digital skills, project management, communication skills and more. This breadth of topics, authored by subject matter experts and designed with learner experience in mind, allows organisations to support both mandatory training and ongoing professional development through a single content solution.

What are the pros and cons of off-the-shelf e-learning content?

With some ready-made learning content, you can expand or customise the existing module to tailor the content for your organisation. Plus, most off-the-shelf content is in the form of SCORM packages that are quick and easy to update when new versions are released or other changes introduced.

Investing in custom e-learning content

When should you use custom e-learning content?

Custom learning content is often the right choice in scenarios where generic examples and broad concepts may not be enough to drive behavioural change. For example, custom e-learning content might be the right choice for:

• ✳️ System implementation projects
• ✳️ Product training
• ✳️ Strategic transformation programmes
• ✳️ Culture change initiatives
• ✳️ Highly specialised regulatory environments

This approach helps you to deliver a truly unique learning experience for your learners without tying up your in-house resources. We can guide you to create engaging content that can be tracked and reported on. This reduces the need for you to run costly, time-consuming, ad hoc face-to-face training sessions.

If you don’t have the resources in-house to create content from scratch, bespoke content can help plug that gap by outsourcing it to experts.

What are the pros and cons of custom e-learning content?

The most effective content approach: build, buy or blend?

How do you strike the right balance between efficiency and customisation?

A common approach is to use off-the-shelf content as the foundation of a programme and layer custom elements on top. For example, an organisation might use ready-made leadership content to develop core management skills, then supplement it with workshops, case studies and resources tailored to its culture, values and strategic objectives.

This blended approach allows L&D teams to maximise budgets and focus internal resources on creating custom learning content only where it will add the greatest value.

For example, an organisation may use ready-made leadership content to build core management capabilities, then supplement it with workshops, coaching sessions and internal case studies that reflect its own culture and leadership expectations.

Similarly, compliance training might be delivered through off-the-shelf content, while organisation-specific policies and procedures are covered through custom resources.

Talk to us about your learning content options

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