We are looking to build a library of courses for online learning. Due to budget constraints we might not be able to conduct as many classrooms sessions as years past. This is all new to me and our organization. What are some of the things I need to consider in moving forward? I am looking for recommendations on software, content, vendor partners, etc to build this from the ground up. We have just over 330 associates located in three geographical areas, a total of 13 different locations. Thank you in advance for your information.

To be sure I understand, you will likely not be able to conduct classroom sessions as often as before, so you are looking to move some portion of that training to web-based courses - correct?

One strong consideration is how to get paid for that training. ILT is easy - if folks don't pay, they don't get into the classroom. Web-based can be harder to manage. The most common approach to managing that component is using a Learning Management System (LMS).

To create your actual content, a lot depends on what the content is. If you can get away with converting existing PPT content to SCORM-compliant (so it will work with an LMS)
"eLearning", then tools like Articulate Presenter, Adobe Presenter, or Thesis may work well enough.

If you want to really use the multimedia capabilities of digital learning, you may want to move to more intermediate tools like Techsmith Camtasia, or RapidIntake's FlashForm. To REALLY get cool and interactive, tools like Adobe's Flash or Trivantis Lectora may be the better choice.
A lot has to do with what the content covers, how interactive and media-rich you want it to be, what skills you have available, and how much you can spend.

For content and vendor partners, there are lots of companies that have pre-packaged content (i.e. SkillSoft, QuickCompliance). If you're looking for assistance or consulting to build your courses, I'd certainly be happy to help (info at capemedia dot net) as I'm sure many others on this board would be.
HTH!
CM

"Due to budget constraints we might not be able to conduct as many classrooms sessions as years past."

Amen. I think many of us feel this pain. Many options exist for transferring from classroom to web-mediated solutions. Many of these (i.e. using webmeeting software) can retain the design and outcomes of many instructor-led classroom training sessions at a very reasonable cost (both in terms of dollars and sweat equity).

"looking to build a library of courses for online learning".
I certainly have my opinion here in terms of buying libraries from vendors, but in terms of maximum ROI, I find that typically a business needs to customize or enhance the "out of the box" solution to make it truly make an impact in their business environment. There are also great free resources out there, and if you already have classroom training that works, a more focused, business-centric catalog for your business can be built more effectively.

It truly depends (I am certain that some vendor's training could hit one or more topics just how you need them to for a very attractive cost), but my experience is that the initial price tag is actually not a true reflection of total cost of ownership and value that it will bring to the organization.

Any questions, feel free to contact me.

I was in your shoes a couple of years ago and started out by using power point to develop the content then convert it to flash using something like Wondershare PPT 2 Flash converter. Once it is converted to flash you can upload the flash file to any web server or content management system such as MS Sharepoint.

Once we got our feet wet with eLearning and saw the potential I decided to take it up a notch by using Captivate and Moodle. The downside to PPT developed eLearning is that it can be very difficult to track. With an LMS like Moodle and a SCORM enabled authoring tool such as Captivate you can track the learners progress through the courses.

Good luck!

Be sure to look very hard at the cost analysis. Depending on what elearning delivery mode/method you use, it could ending up costing many times more than classroom delivery. OTOH, it could be a lot less expensive. It all depends on how you choose to do it.
A delivery using dimdim for a one-off event might be a big savings. A multiple-hour asynchronous course with professional video and so forth may only pay off if it is viewed by many participants. I have seen organizations burned by the latter.