With hundreds of learning platforms in the market, it is not surprising that many organizations feel completely overwhelmed at the prospect of selecting the right system for their needs.

Many simply throw up their arms in despair and delay the decision for the future. Others try their best but either quickly succumb to “paralysis by analysis” or simply take a stab in the dark only to wonder in the days, months, and years after “Did we really make the right choice?!”

For organizations that market and sell continuing education and professional development, this problem is compounded by the fact that most LMSes were not made for this purpose. They were made for running internal corporate training or academic programs and simply don’t have many of the features and functionalities that market-facing learning businesses need.

And yet it is possible to select a learning platform with confidence. To narrow down rapidly to the choices that really fit your organization’s needs. To bring all stakeholders along for the ride, garner consensus, and arrive at a choice that you feel confident will meet your needs for years to come.

One way to do that, of course, is to hire consultants who know what they are doing and rely on their expertise and experience. That’s a great option if you can afford it, but many organizations can’t. (And many LMS consultants really don’t have experience with market-facing organizations.)

Fortunately, there is another option.

The Middle Path

You see, the “secret” to picking the right learning platform is not to hire expensive consultants or to dedicate scarce internal resources to months of culling through all of the options and still not be sure in the end.

There is a middle path that empowers your organization to use internal resources effectively, efficiently, and confidently to arrive the right choice.

The secret to that middle path is to have a process that works.

And that is what the Learning Platform Selection Boot Camp offers.

The boot camp gives you access to our decades of experience with building, selecting, and implementing learning management platforms for membership organizations. It offers an incredibly cost-effective way to run a faster, less risky, and ultimately much more successful selection process.

Big Value, Delivered Conveniently

The boot camp is an online program designed to help you:

• Understand the most important emerging learning technology trends
• Put together the right team for participating in a selection process
• Clarify and document your objectives and requirements for the desired platform
• Identify the learning technology options best suited to meet your organization’s goals
• Confidently lead a selection process that ensures long-term success!

If you plan to work only with your own staff and volunteers to select a learning platform, the boot camp will ensure that you are as well prepared as possible.  Even if you plan to bring in a consultant, the boot camp will ensure that you are prepared to get maximum value out of the consulting engagement. The boot camp consists of:

• A series of four live, Web-based sessions  in which we discuss in detail key elements of our time-tested, 7-step selection process (The sessions will also be recorded.)
• Access to Tagoras co-founders Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele and a group of peers through live Q&A and e-mail to get answer to your technology selection questions.
• Key documents and templates for use in running a successful RFP process
• Explanation of and practice at how to use the documents, templates, and overall processes effectively
• The option to earn CAE credit from ASAE.

Here’s the schedule for the live sessions for the Fall 2018 boot camp and you can also download the syllabus:

• September 5, 1 to 2:15 pm ET
• September 12, 1 to 2:15 pm ET
• September 19, 1 to 2:15 pm ET
• September 26, 1 to 2:15 pm ET

What Do We Know About Learning Platforms?

Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele – Tagoras co-founders and instructors for the boot camp –  have each been in the lifelong learning industry for more than two decades and have spent the majority of that time working on market-facing learning initiatives. They have designed, built, and implemented learning management systems in the past, and are deeply familiar with the challenges organizations in the business of lifelong learning typically face. Over the past decade, they have helped a long list of associations and other market-facing organizations select the right platforms for their learning businesses.

Both Jeff and Celisa speak and write frequently on learning and the business of learning in the association sector and more broadly and are often quoted in publications such as the American Society of Association Executives’ Associations Now magazine.

Next Steps

The fee for participating in the boot camp is $995 for the initial registration from an organization and $495 for each additional registration. If you have done any research, you know this represents a fraction of the overall investment you will make in a learning platform over time. It also represents a fraction of what it typically takes to work with truly qualified selection consultant.

We are screening all applicants to the boot camp to ensure that only organizations that do not compete in any way are admitted. To enroll, simply e-mail us and let us know how many people from your organization will participate. We will issue an invoice that can be paid by check, credit card, or bank transfer. We do plan to limit enrollment as the “hands-on” nature of this offering means that we can only serve a relatively small group of learners effectively. So, secure your enrollment today if you are serious about participating.

(Please note: The boot camp is currently open only to employees of trade and professional associations, association management companies, and training firms. Consultants and vendors of learning platform technologies may not participate.)