Why Use Off-the-Shelf Elearning Content?

Why Use Off-the-Shelf Elearning Content?

“What is it you do? Off the shelf elearning? Why would you use this?” I’ve had this conversation a lot. I’ve already written about the benefits of off the shelf elearning courses, where I covered speed, deployment, and the other factors that get into the detail. This article looks at the question from a slightly different angle: not just what the benefits are, but why and when you’d actually reach for off-the-shelf in the first place.

Off-the-Shelf or Custom: Which Is Right?

Often, off-the-shelf is the solution when custom isn’t. Custom is a great option when you have the budget and need something specific to your organisation, but custom takes time. I’ve worked on projects where the custom solution took months, and there was no way an off-the-shelf option could fill that gap. Why? Because the content was so specific to that company that nothing pre-built came close, and the development time was always going to be months, regardless.

That’s the honest answer to “when off-the-shelf doesn’t work.” But for most common training needs, that level of specificity simply isn’t there, and that’s where off-the-shelf earns its place.

When Off-the-Shelf Works Best

If you’re looking for content like cyber security and compliance, off-the-shelf is ideal. It supports more people, quickly and easily, and you don’t need to create every course yourself.

I’ve often had the conversation about whether “we could include our own logo.” Realistically, what’s the point? You add time and you add budget for something that doesn’t change how the training works. If you’re using off-the-shelf to get content out quickly, branding is one of the first places to think carefully about where your budget actually goes.

Course Libraries as Insurance

I’ve covered this in more detail in my guide to choosing an off-the-shelf elearning content provider, but it’s worth a mention here too. When you have a content library, you’ve got a whole host of courses, some of which you might not use straight away. That’s not wasted spend. Having those courses ready means you can deploy them later when the need arises, or use them to resolve a problem quickly if one comes up unexpectedly. Either way, the content is there when you need it.

Off-the-Shelf Elearning and AI

AI is everywhere now, and it’s changing how every sector works, including how people think about whether to use off-the-shelf content at all. I’m reading posts about courses built rapidly using AI tools, but speed of production isn’t the same as a full development process. Courses created this way aren’t always showing the responsiveness or accessibility that’s actually needed, and that’s before you even get to ROI.

There’s also a lot of criticism in the instructional design community about the cost of established development tools like Articulate. But AI tools aren’t necessarily the cost-saving option people assume. The AI market for course development still isn’t stable, and the pricing isn’t always what people think it is.

So why does off-the-shelf still have a place, and will it continue to? Cost per user stays low, and the content has already been tested, reviewed, and is ready to go. People value consistency and standardisation, and that holds true even within AI-driven and creative work, especially in specific sectors. Don’t underestimate that.

How Off-the-Shelf Supports Your L&D Team

Internal teams are under pressure. Often it’s just one person, or a very small team, and they’re not only working on elearning, they’re pushed to cover other content needs too. If you have a library of off-the-shelf content, that team can focus on other projects, and you’ve freed up real time. This is often overlooked when people look at ready-made content. You also don’t need to bring in subject matter experts every time you need a new course.

Types of Off-the-Shelf Elearning Content

The types of off-the-shelf content available have grown and varied hugely over the last few years. Courses are usually split into modules to help with comprehension, and today the content itself might include:

• Video content
• Audio content and tracks
• Interactive assessments and quizzes for on-the-spot learning checks
• Microlearning that splits content into small, easily digestible chunks
• Social learning resources such as discussion forums and shared content

The variety means there’s usually a format that suits both the topic and how your teams actually want to learn.

Learning Analytics

Off-the-shelf courses are often available in formats like SCORM or xAPI, which integrate with your LMS or LXP and give you learner analytics. The scope varies by course and provider, but it’s common to access data like completion rates, retention, and engagement.

This lets you review how effective the courses are, and analyse completion levels and other metrics where it matters. Used alongside feedback from learners themselves, this kind of data can help you improve how content is deployed and supported over time.

Customisation and Localisation

Off-the-shelf courses need no customisation, that’s part of the appeal, you can be up and running straight away. But if you do need customisation or localisation, options are usually available. Some suppliers will adjust content or support specific language requirements. At Real Projects we’ve supported a number of clients with specific language needs for our off-the-shelf courses.

If you’re looking at customisation, remember it takes time. You’ll need to budget for the development, testing, and publishing time involved, on top of the course itself.

Frequently Asked Questions