eLearning benchmarking checklist

Dec 11, 2011

Hi All,

I've done a search of this forum but had no luck locating an "eLearning Benchmark Tool" or similar. 

I'm going into a client tomorrow who wants me to review their courses (they are unhappy with the previous developer) but I have no qualitative measures.

Does anyone know of a check list or similar that will enable me to report that the courses are above, on or below industry best practice per se? 

Many thanks in advance. 

4 Replies
Dave Neuweiler

Adam Z said:

Hi All,

I've done a search of this forum but had no luck locating an "eLearning Benchmark Tool" or similar. 

I'm going into a client tomorrow who wants me to review their courses (they are unhappy with the previous developer) but I have no qualitative measures.

Does anyone know of a check list or similar that will enable me to report that the courses are above, on or below industry best practice per se? 

Many thanks in advance. 


Being "unhappy with the previous developer" could mean a lot of things...

Price too high

Developer didn't work well with  SME

Developer missed deadlines

Etc., etc., etc.

An e-learning checklist won't uncover these things (perhaps the developer was the problem, and not the actual work).

On the other hand, a few open-ended probing questions might be helpful:

"What kinds of things bothered you about the work?"

"What would you have liked to see instead?"

"Which things did you like about the work?"

I'd also try to find out whether the issue pertains to the instructional design side (content) as opposed to the production side (treatment of content).

Once you take notes of the reponses, you can evaluate the courses and offer recommendations. And it might be a good idea to offer to take a half-dozen or so screens of content home with you, offering to re-work them for their evaluation -- and to ensure you're hitting on the points that concerned them in the first place.

I hope that helps, and good luck!

Scott Lindstrom

Dave has a lot of good points, but I would take these and also flip them for balance. For example,

- SME didn't read storyboards or give feedback in a timely manner.

- Content outline is signed off on. Otherwise, it is a moving target and it will end up costing you time and money.

Having done a lot of contracting, there are certain clients I will avoid

Ask good questions, if the answers are fuzzy, be careful!

Dave Neuweiler

Scott Lindstrom said:

Dave has a lot of good points, but I would take these and also flip them for balance. For example,

- SME didn't read storyboards or give feedback in a timely manner.

- Content outline is signed off on. Otherwise, it is a moving target and it will end up costing you time and money.

Having done a lot of contracting, there are certain clients I will avoid

Ask good questions, if the answers are fuzzy, be careful!


Scott -- thanks for that. Somehow I think we've felt the same pain...

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