Interview: 7 ways to maximise LMS engagement

Sasha Culjkovic, Head of Corporate Compliance and Sarah Harris, System Administrator at Staples recently achieved an 87% completion rate within 90 days of the launch of a new ELMO Learning Management System (LMS).

Staples employs close to 1600 people across 25 locations in Australia and New Zealand. With no online learning platform in place, the introduction of e-Learning was a new concept to the organisation.

The challenge was not just getting a system up and running and sourcing content, but also securing that all important staff engagement to maximise completion rates.

Here, they share their top tips for maximising workforce engagement in your own organisation.

1. Choose wisely

Before you do anything, make sure you are launch ready.

Compared to previous implementation experiences, Sasha described working with ELMO as ‘fun’. The system ticked all the boxes in terms of the quality of the course library, the reporting capabilities, automated data feeds and user account management.  There was also comprehensive system testing prior to going live.

The quality of the support was also cited as a real stand out and having that support based in Australia provided an extra level of confidence prior to system roll out.

2. Keep it simple  

With no existing LMS in place, Sasha was aware there would likely be some resistance from staff who didn’t want to ‘’learn how to use another new system’’.

Staples decided to initially roll out just 3 customised compliance modules, based on courses available from the ELMO course library.

These courses were mandatory, however staff were given 90 days to complete them.  While the system itself is easy to use, it allowed time for people to become familiar and comfortable with it.

A single sign on function was also introduced to keep the number of passwords staff needed to remember to a minimum.

3. Make it relevant and relatable

To assist with system integration into the company vernacular, the new platform was promoted as a Staples learning platform.

The branding, look and feel, language, photos and references were all uniquely Staples. To further increase engagement, staff were encouraged to submit their own ‘’at work’’ photos to be considered for inclusion in the course material.

4. Be mindful of course length

The courses were deliberately kept short – a maximum of 20 minutes each including quiz.

Research and experience has demonstrated that attention spans don’t stretch much past 12 minutes when it comes to online learning, so that was catered to in the course customisation.

5. Utilise ELMO’s review function

ELMO’s review function was also utilised, ensuring key stakeholders have input into the course design and content, providing a concise mechanism to collate feedback and make changes as appropriate”.

6. Provide incentives

Incentives were provided to staff that completed the training.

The program was structured in regional verticals and a set percentage of staff from each region was required to complete the training in order for that region to quality for entry into a Westfield voucher draw.

This resulted in staff within each region encouraging each other to finish the training, pushing up completion rates further.

7. Avoid assumptions

With the employee diversity at Staples, they deliberately avoided the assumption that everyone was computer literate or fluent in English.

Allowances were made in the form of face to face training for those who required extra assistance in completing.

By employing these strategies, Staples was able to effectively engage the workforce and, quickly achieve a 87% completion rate. These completions spanned all three mandatory modules within 90 days of launching the ELMO LMS.