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SDI insight / Skills & readinessCorporate Training

Customized Content in 2021

Originally published June 20, 2021Guidance reviewed August 26, 20262 min current guide

SDI Clarity Insight. This article is part of our Knowledge Base, drawing on 20+ years of organizational design and talent development expertise. Browse our L&D Glossary for key terminology.

Current practitioner guide

Build custom content that can change with the work.

Separate durable and volatile knowledge.

Identify which concepts, principles, and decisions are likely to remain stable and which procedures, screenshots, policies, products, or examples will change. Design those components so volatile material can be reviewed and replaced without rebuilding the entire experience. Link every component to an authoritative source and owner. This architecture reduces update cost while making it clearer which version performers can trust.

Choose media for the performance demand.

Use demonstration for visible procedure, scenarios for judgment, guided practice for skill, motion for change or sequence, discussion for perspective, and workflow support for information needed at the moment of use. A blended response may be appropriate when the work requires both preparation and application. The choice should reflect accessibility, device, environment, language, consequence, and maintenance rather than the production format the team prefers to sell.

Govern the content system.

Define naming, metadata, versioning, accessibility, localization, analytics, review authority, release, and retirement. Make reusable components discoverable so new requests do not create duplicates. Connect usage data with learner and operating evidence carefully; high traffic can indicate value or confusion. The objective is an accurate, usable content system that supports performance over time, not an expanding library of one-off deliverables.

Pressure-test this decision with Clara

Use the article as context, then describe the work, role, capability, or adoption challenge behind your question. Clara can help frame the decision, identify the evidence to gather, and suggest the most relevant SDI next step.

Read the original 2021 articlePreserved as historical context; the reviewed guidance above reflects SDI's current point of view.

Successful businesses are constantly growing, and it's no secret digital learning tools lead to better job candidates, advanced workers, and greater ROI per employee - all critical to organizational growth. However, successful businesses also count on the fact that no one else can do what they do. So, what's the compromise? In lieu of run-of-the-mill training materials, why not create advancement tools as unique as your organization?

Personalized learning courses cater to the niche needs of your industry. If you have a hard time explaining your job at parties, there's a good chance you'll need customized content - and customization is where SDI excels. Read on to see how our experts collaborate with yours for a smarter, more direct learning experience.

SDI has a proven process for developing client material: Meet with the Client, Work with a Subject Matter Expert (SME), Agree on Objectives, Write Content, Build the Design, Review with Client, Introduce Content, and Track Results.

SDI has developed extensive relationships with leading organizations in the manufacturing, healthcare, construction, and retail industries. Together, we have created customized content on everything from OSHA compliance and soft skills to basic operations unique to our client's business. Regardless of your user base, there's a digital solution to your knowledge gaps that we can find together. There are no limits on subject matter here.

Plenty of our clients already know what they want - and have already written the material. But that was years ago. Since your latest training program was developed, regulations may have shifted, or perhaps current events (i.e. the virus that shall not be named) have shaken things up. The fun thing about customization is that you don't have to start from ground zero. We can start with your patented, approved content and make it even better patented, approved content. Updating existing material provides the bones for a modern learning experience.

Say your team isn't that into your current training materials. No problem. SDI can take your old files and turn them into a comprehensive video series to boost user comprehension. Animation, video, and interactive learning courses are no stranger to us. Shifting a packet of stale text to an interactive medium can make all the difference to your workers.

Next, consider not only what you'd like your employees to learn to learn, but also how employees learn it. What about an HR compliance course you can take on your phone? Or maybe a system that tracks learner progress? Customized content not only delivers unique content, but also allows for novel packaging and delivery. Our digital options allow us to make the user experience (and yours) a memorable one.

Whether or not you have something in mind, we are eager to create something together with you. For twenty years, SDI has prided itself in its customization of eLearning material for a variety of industries, and we'd love to hear about yours. Contact us to learn more about our content customization.

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