By Christine Oh
1. "Why is continuing education important for my line of work?" (aside from mandatory credit requirements)
We know that the most obvious reason for many people will be that your sector requires professionals to complete a certain number of continuing education credits every year to maintain their designation. But what are more important, “big picture” reasons why your learners should care about continuing education?
Well, a competitive job market is making it necessary for professionals to diversify their portfolio of skills and expertise. A particularly fast-paced industry may mean that learners need to keep up-to-date on changing policies and new terminologies. For others, continuing education may offer valuable opportunities to participate in relevant discussions and learn from peers’ experiences. Whatever it may be, your learners should want to take your courses because they’re taking charge of their careers—not because it’s the last day before their credits are due.
1. "Why is continuing education important for my line of work?" (aside from mandatory credit requirements)
We know that the most obvious reason for many people will be that your sector requires professionals to complete a certain number of continuing education credits every year to maintain their designation. But what are more important, “big picture” reasons why your learners should care about continuing education?
Well, a competitive job market is making it necessary for professionals to diversify their portfolio of skills and expertise. A particularly fast-paced industry may mean that learners need to keep up-to-date on changing policies and new terminologies. For others, continuing education may offer valuable opportunities to participate in relevant discussions and learn from peers’ experiences. Whatever it may be, your learners should want to take your courses because they’re taking charge of their careers—not because it’s the last day before their credits are due.
| 2. "Why did the association decide to take continuing education online?" Now that you’ve addressed the importance of continuing education as a whole, you should also be able to confidently discuss why continuing education online makes even more sense. Your learners often have busy and unpredictable schedules that make it difficult for them to attend standardized, in-person courses. | "Your learners should want to take your courses because they’re taking charge of their careers—not because it’s the last day before their credits are due." |
Explain that your association’s goal is to provide more flexibility for your members so that they can learn on their own terms, whenever and wherever they learn best. Remember that your learning system automatically tracks their progress, ensuring that learners always know where they last left off. Video-based courses add the element of a human connection—videos of instructors with years of experience in the field will help learners feel like they are sitting one-on-one with the instructor in a personal lesson without having to spend the big bucks and time to physically attend.
3. "Why did you pick these particular courses to take online and what are some that you recommend?"
There may have been courses or presentations that were popular in-person, such as a particularly engaging speaker session at a conference or a particularly relevant course topic. You may also want to recommend courses based on their learning outcomes and what useful skills they provide the learner.
Here’s a great example answer:
The “A New Era of Legal” session was a big hit at our recent conference in Chicago and we felt that many other lawyers who could not attend would benefit from the information presented. We have seen that lawyers often struggle to keep up with the wealth of digital tools available in the market. If you’re experiencing similar challenges, we strongly recommend that you check out this course as it provides you with a well-rounded understanding of digital tools that you can easily implement to expand your client base and take your firm to the next level.
4. "Tell me about some of the instructors."
Who are the most notable instructors or presenters? Don’t be shy about advertising your speakers, especially those that are well-known and respected in your industry. Feature their name and their courses prominently in your advertising. If a speaker is very well-known, publish an interview on your blog or feature the speaker on your website.
5. "How does the technology work?"
Break down the elements of the online learning platform in layman’s terms so that everyone understands exactly how it works and is not left with doubts. How do learners register for a course? How do they receive their credits? How do they keep track of their progress? How do they take their test? Tell them how they can reach technical support staff (e.g. support phone number, email address, chatline) if they need help.
6. "Where can I find out more?"
Always provide people with your contact information and website link where they can find out more, or even better, sign up and start a course. You may direct them to the “Online Education” section of your association’s website with a list of all courses and their descriptions. You may direct them to the online learning portal, where they can register and start right away. Your association may also have published some blog articles on your courses. You may even have a discussion board or group in your association’s Facebook page where people can participate in conversations about your online education programs. However it may be, make sure that your members have multiple ways to find the information that they need.
3. "Why did you pick these particular courses to take online and what are some that you recommend?"
There may have been courses or presentations that were popular in-person, such as a particularly engaging speaker session at a conference or a particularly relevant course topic. You may also want to recommend courses based on their learning outcomes and what useful skills they provide the learner.
Here’s a great example answer:
The “A New Era of Legal” session was a big hit at our recent conference in Chicago and we felt that many other lawyers who could not attend would benefit from the information presented. We have seen that lawyers often struggle to keep up with the wealth of digital tools available in the market. If you’re experiencing similar challenges, we strongly recommend that you check out this course as it provides you with a well-rounded understanding of digital tools that you can easily implement to expand your client base and take your firm to the next level.
4. "Tell me about some of the instructors."
Who are the most notable instructors or presenters? Don’t be shy about advertising your speakers, especially those that are well-known and respected in your industry. Feature their name and their courses prominently in your advertising. If a speaker is very well-known, publish an interview on your blog or feature the speaker on your website.
5. "How does the technology work?"
Break down the elements of the online learning platform in layman’s terms so that everyone understands exactly how it works and is not left with doubts. How do learners register for a course? How do they receive their credits? How do they keep track of their progress? How do they take their test? Tell them how they can reach technical support staff (e.g. support phone number, email address, chatline) if they need help.
6. "Where can I find out more?"
Always provide people with your contact information and website link where they can find out more, or even better, sign up and start a course. You may direct them to the “Online Education” section of your association’s website with a list of all courses and their descriptions. You may direct them to the online learning portal, where they can register and start right away. Your association may also have published some blog articles on your courses. You may even have a discussion board or group in your association’s Facebook page where people can participate in conversations about your online education programs. However it may be, make sure that your members have multiple ways to find the information that they need.