Today's learning landscape is no longer a single system universe. Modern corporate learning environments are comprised of a wide variety of platforms that support multiple technologies and content sources. These additional platforms provide flexibility for organizations to offer learners more options for accessing courses and support just-in-time, on-the-job training options. But this also introduces complexities when it comes to course management and distribution, so it's critical to rethink how you deliver courseware to your clients to ensure that it's compatible with current learning systems and architectures.  

The good news is - as mentioned above - there are more options when it comes to packaging and sharing eLearning content than you may realize. Just as learning-delivery platforms have evolved, content distribution options have as well.

Let's look at four ways to share your courses with your clients and the pros and cons of each:

1. Packaged course files

This is one of the most common routes for distributing eLearning content. Many people use an authoring tool to package and publish their course assets and share them with the clients, who can then import them into their LMS. If managing subscriptions and versions and protecting your intellectual property aren't critical, this is a quick and easy way to deliver your content and a great option for those creating custom content for a specific client.

2. Deliver training directly to learners

Rather than sending your content to a client's LMS, another option is to direct learners to your platform to access your training. Many content providers offer a website or portal to control the learner experience and get visibility into content usage. This can also help serve those customers who don't have an LMS.  This option will require that you build (or license) an LMS yourself and maintain the platform - including all those dreaded password reset requests.

3. Use a marketplace to sell your content

Some content publishers use marketplace resellers or content aggregators as an alternative way to promote and sell their courses. While this offloads the administration work of selling and delivering courses, in exchange, the content aggregator takes a portion of sales revenue every time someone buys your course. This option is best when you're trying to increase your customer base by reaching a larger audience. An advantage is that the marketplace handles all of the ecommerce work, making it a turnkey way to generate more revenue from your courseware.

4. Host your courses and share access

If you share content across multiple third-party LMSs and platforms, hosting your courses on servers you control and sharing access via links or proxy files could be your best option. This method makes it easier to maintain versioning, protect your intellectual property, control licensing, and manage reporting. Options include using an LCMS platform or a dispatch service like Content Controller.

However, there is no "one-size-fits-all" solution. As you can see, there are multiple ways to manage your eLearning distribution. For customers who already have an LMS, you'll want to deliver courses that are compatible with their systems. In cases where customers don't have an LMS, you'll need to consider offering a delivery option, whether it's a simple delivery platform or through a content marketplace. Or you may find that your training is best served from your proprietary system. Regardless, it's important to identify what is most important to you and your customers. Having a strategy in place to address the complexities that come with serving your courses across multiple systems is critical for sustained success.

To better understand all your tooling options when it comes to content delivery, join Rustici Software's Learning Technologies expo session, "Bringing Order to the Chaos: Solutions for Effective Content Distribution" 05 May, 15:30-16:00 GMT in Theatre 10, or stop by Stand K25 to chat with the Rustici Software team.