How to move your academy to its own e-learning platform: a 5-step plan
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Many academies start their online offer with whatever is to hand: a shared folder, a messaging group, the odd video call and a spreadsheet for enrolments. It works while there are only a few courses. As the offer grows, it becomes hard to know who has done what, and every new course multiplies the workload.
Moving to your own e-learning platform brings order to all of that, and you don’t have to do it all at once. Here is a five-step plan to make the change gradual and safe.
1. Take stock of your course offer
Before touching any tool, list the courses you teach and how they are delivered: face-to-face, online or blended; with fixed dates or open enrolment all year round; short or long. Also note what materials each one has (documents, videos, SCORM content, quizzes) and where they are stored.
This inventory will tell you what structure each course needs. It will also help you spot duplicated or outdated materials that are not worth migrating.
2. Define a common structure for your courses
When every teacher organises their course in their own way, learners have to learn how to find their way around each one again. Decide on a few standard structures based on the length and complexity of the programme, and apply them to all courses. In Weeras Academy you can choose the structural configuration of each course and set default values so that new courses start out with that shape.
Use this step to decide on completion criteria too: a minimum grade, a percentage of activities completed, or a minimum connection time or attendance at video sessions. Having them clear from the start avoids arguments when each group finishes.
3. Create each course once and work with editions
The most common mistake when migrating is copying the course every time a new group starts. It is better to create it once and open an edition for each group, adjusting the teaching team, schedule, notifications or document templates in each one. We explain it in detail in how to manage several editions of the same course without duplicating work.
Editions also let you combine scheduled courses with courses that stay open for enrolment 365 days a year, each at its own pace.
4. Move learners, teachers and communication channels
With the courses ready, it is time to register people. A bulk upload of users and enrolments saves hours compared with adding them one by one. Then replace scattered channels with the platform’s own:
- Notice board for instructions to the whole group.
- Tutorials for individual questions, with a video call option.
- Email with scheduled sending for announcements.
- Built-in video conferencing for live sessions, with no external licences.
Announce the change in advance and explain to learners where they will find everything from now on. A short guide or a welcome session prevents most of the questions in the first few days.
5. Start with a pilot and measure before migrating everything
Choose one or two courses to start with, with a small group and teachers who are keen to try. During the pilot, review the individual and group tracking reports, gather learners’ views with a survey and adjust whatever doesn’t work. With that experience, the rest of the courses migrate much faster.
If your academy delivers FUNDAE-subsidised training, include a subsidised edition in the pilot. That way you will check the FUNDAE requirements diagnosis and the evidence download from day one.
What you gain from the change
Your own platform is not just a place to upload materials. It gives learners a professional image, brings each course’s information together in one place and frees up your team’s time, as they no longer chase data across different tools. If you are comparing options, have a look at what an e-learning platform for a training centre should include.
Would you like to see how your course offer would look in Weeras Academy? Request a free demo and we’ll support you from your very first course.
