E-learning is a scalable way for organisations to transfer knowledge, onboard employees more quickly, and make important knowledge demonstrably available.
However, not every training needs to become an e-learning course immediately. The most value arises when online learning solves a concrete problem: long onboarding times, recurring classroom training, knowledge that needs to be explained repeatedly, or a growing need for consistent training for employees, customers, or partners.
In this article, we discuss four applications where e-learning can be particularly valuable:
onboarding and HR;
information security and cybersecurity;
product training;
training around specialist expertise.
How do you create good e-learning?
For organisations that already have a learning strategy and a Learning Management System (LMS), the development of e-learning typically consists of four steps:
Develop the learning concept
Determine the target audience, learning objectives, structure, didactic approach, and desired learning experience.
Develop the script and content
Translate the knowledge of internal experts into understandable, concise, and didactically strong content.
Produce the learning materials
Think of video, animation, text, scenarios, interactive assignments, practical examples and tests.
Publishing and managing the training in the LMS
Set up learning paths, target groups, progress, reminders and reports.
Especially the first two steps require input from people who know the organisation and content well. The biggest challenge is therefore often not the technology, but making and structuring internal knowledge available.
The central question is therefore:
Which knowledge within your organisation should you not explain another hundred times, but convert once properly into an effective online training?
1. E-learning for onboarding and HR
What is onboarding e-learning?
Onboarding e-learning is a digital learning programme that allows new employees to independently get to know the key knowledge, procedures, systems and working methods of an organisation.
A good onboarding programme can consist of, for example:
introduction to the organisation and culture;
safety and compliance instructions;
explanation of internal systems;
role-specific knowledge;
codes of conduct and procedures;
privacy and information security;
practical information about the first weeks.
Why is e-learning suitable for onboarding?
Organisations with many new employees spend a lot of time each year on the same introductions and training. When a large part of this is organised in a classroom setting, dependencies on trainers, locations and available training moments also arise.
With e-learning, a new employee can start immediately after joining.
This has several advantages. Employees do not have to wait for the next classroom training day, everyone receives the same basic information, and participants can go through parts at their own pace.
Fast learners do not have to wait for the rest of the group to finish. Employees who need more time can review important parts again without group pressure.
E-learning makes onboarding more consistent.
New employees often start at times when teams are busy. As a result, the quality of onboarding can vary by department, manager, or start time.
A fixed digital onboarding programme helps to create a consistent foundation.
With an LMS, an organisation can also see:
which parts someone has completed;
which knowledge is still lacking;
which mandatory modules have been completed;
where participants are getting stuck;
when additional support is needed.
E-learning does not have to replace personal onboarding. It is precisely the combination that often works well: digital training for transferable knowledge and human guidance for culture, context, collaboration, and practical situations.
When is onboarding e-learning interesting?
Onboarding e-learning is particularly interesting when:
new employees start regularly;
the same explanation is often repeated;
employees work at multiple locations or remotely;
mandatory knowledge must be demonstrably followed;
new employees should be able to work independently more quickly.
Maxcademy helps organisations with prioritising, structuring and developing digital onboarding. Together we determine which components are suitable for e-learning and which should remain personal or practice-oriented.
2. E-learning for information security and cybersecurity
Why cybersecurity awareness training is important
Information security is no longer solely the responsibility of the IT department.
Employees work daily with email, documents, personal data, cloud software, mobile devices, and increasingly AI tools. As a result, human behaviour can directly impact the digital security of an organisation.
An effective cybersecurity training therefore goes beyond telling employees what they can and cannot do. The goal is for people to recognise risks and learn to act more safely in practice.
Think for example of:
recognising phishing and social engineering;
safely handling passwords and authentication;
correctly sharing sensitive information;
safe use of devices and cloud applications;
reporting incidents in a timely manner;
handling personal data carefully;
responsible use of AI tools and company information.
Cybersecurity training in 2026
Cybersecurity training is also becoming increasingly relevant from a legal and regulatory perspective and risk management. European regulations such as NIS2 emphasise cyber hygiene, risk management, and sufficient knowledge within organisations.
For organisations that work with ISO 27001 or similar information security frameworks, awareness is also an important part of a structured approach to information security.
A one-off training session per year is not always sufficient. Cyber threats, technology, and working methods are constantly changing.
Therefore, it is wise to treat cybersecurity awareness as an ongoing programme.
How can e-learning help with cybersecurity awareness?
With e-learning, every employee can follow an up-to-date version of the training, regardless of location or start date.
New employees can go through relevant modules directly during onboarding. Existing employees can periodically receive new scenarios, short refresher training, or updates.
A LMS can then record who has followed which training and when.
In addition to an annual basic training, organisations can, for example, make use of short learning moments throughout the year on current topics such as phishing, working with AI, data breaches, or new internal procedures.
This way, cybersecurity training shifts from an annual obligation to continuous awareness.
Maxcademy can translate existing content and policies into a practical online cybersecurity training that aligns with the organisation's own style, processes, and employees.
3. Online product training
What is product training?
Product training teaches employees, customers, or partners how to use a product correctly and effectively.
This can involve software, but just as well machines, equipment, technical systems, or medical devices.
Product training is one of the applications for which e-learning is particularly scalable. The same training can indeed be made available to large numbers of users, locations, and countries without having to physically organise each session again.
What are the benefits of online product training?
Digital product training can help organisations to:
train customers independently of time and place;
help new users get started more quickly;
transfer knowledge consistently;
train partners and resellers in the same way;
be less dependent on available trainers;
reduce travel and location costs;
make the progress and completion of training transparent.
When an organisation grows, a digital training course also scales much more easily than a fully classroom-based training programme.
E-learning or knowledge base?
Not every product question requires a full training.
For an occasional function, a help article, short instructional video, or knowledge base is often much more practical. For topics that users really need to understand or master, a structured training offers more possibilities.
A good distribution can therefore be:
E-learning: important processes and frequently used functionalities
Knowledge base: reference information and specific questions
Video: short demonstrations
Webinar or classroom training: complex questions and practical guidance
This does not create a collection of loose content, but a complete knowledge ecosystem around the product.
Product training as part of customer success
Good product training not only aids in knowledge transfer. It can also contribute to faster adoption of a product and a more consistent user experience.
For software companies, product training can for example become part of customer onboarding. For manufacturers, certification of dealers, partners or operators can be part of the training programme.
Maxcademy helps in designing the didactic structure and producing the training. The substantive product knowledge remains with your experts; we help to convert that knowledge into a clear and professional learning experience.
4. E-learning around specialist expertise
Can you convert expertise into an online training?
Yes. For consultants, trainers, industry organisations and knowledge-intensive companies, e-learning can even become a standalone product.
Think for example of expertise on:
new laws and regulations;
management methodologies;
subject-specific skills;
own models or methods;
professional certification;
technical specialisms;
industry knowledge.
Here the challenge is different from internal company training.
The knowledge is already there, but it needs to be converted into a learning experience that can be followed independently.
From knowledge to a scalable knowledge product
An expert can tell a lot about a subject. However, a good online training requires selection and structure.
What knowledge should a participant really remember? What skills should someone be able to apply afterwards? What examples help to understand the subject? And how do you test whether the learning objective has actually been achieved?
A strong learning concept helps to answer these questions before production begins.
When the training is offered commercially, the business case also plays a role. Think of target audience, price, positioning, distribution, maintenance, and possible follow-up training.
The advantage of digital training is that specialist knowledge becomes much more scalable.
Instead of transferring the same knowledge repeatedly one-on-one or in a classroom, the expert can focus on deepening, guidance, and new content.
In this type of process, the substantive expertise remains entirely with the client. Maxcademy guides the learning design, assists with scripts and didactics, and provides production of, for example, video and interactive components where desired.
Which e-learning should you create first?
Do not automatically start with the subject that seems the most interesting in content.
Start with the training where digitalisation delivers the most value.
A good candidate for e-learning usually has several of the following characteristics:
the same knowledge is often explained again;
relatively many people need to master the same knowledge;
participants work at different locations or times;
the content is reasonably stable;
consistent knowledge transfer is important;
participation or completion must be demonstrable;
errors due to missing knowledge are costly;
classroom training takes relatively a lot of time;
growth leads to increasing training capacity.
The more of these characteristics apply, the stronger the business case for e-learning usually becomes.
What makes e-learning valuable?
Good e-learning does not simply consist of text, a video, and a few multiple-choice questions.
An effective digital training starts with the desired behaviour or outcome.
Then you determine what knowledge is needed for that and which learning form best helps to apply that knowledge.
This can mean that a training makes use of:
short videos;
realistic scenarios;
interactive exercises;
case studies;
knowledge questions;
simulations;
downloads and tools;
reflection questions;
assessment or certification.
AI can also assist in 2026 with parts of the development process, for example with initial concepts, variations of practice questions, translations, or structuring source material. However, content control, didactic choices, and quality assurance remain essential.
Having e-learning developed by Maxcademy
Maxcademy develops customised e-learning for organisations.
We help convert existing knowledge, classroom training, and internal expertise into digital learning experiences that are enjoyable to follow and practical to manage.
In doing so, we look not only at production but at the entire learning process:
learning objective → learning concept → script → production → LMS → measuring and improving.
We combine text, video and interactive content where relevant, without adding technology or interaction just for effect. Each component must contribute to the learning objective.
In addition, we prefer to build training modules modularly. This allows individual components to be more easily adjusted, replaced or expanded later when processes, products or regulations change.
The result is e-learning that is not only attractive at launch, but also remains usable and maintainable in the long term.
Frequently asked questions about e-learning
What is e-learning?
E-learning is a form of digital learning in which participants develop knowledge or skills through an online environment. An e-learning course can consist of text, video, audio, interactive exercises, scenarios, tests and other digital learning forms.
When is e-learning interesting for an organisation?
E-learning is particularly interesting when the same knowledge needs to be transferred to many people, participants learn at different times or locations, or progress needs to be demonstrably recorded.
Can e-learning completely replace classroom training?
Sometimes, but that is not always desirable. Factual knowledge, procedures and standard instructions are often well transferable digitally. For complex skills, discussion, coaching and practical experience, blended learning — a combination of online and face-to-face learning — can be more effective.
What is the difference between an LMS and e-learning?
E-learning is the learning content. A Learning Management System (LMS) is the environment in which training is offered and managed. An LMS can register users, progress, learning paths, results, and certificates, among other things.
How long should an e-learning last?
There is no ideal standard duration. The right length depends on the learning objective and the complexity of the subject. In many cases, it works better to divide a large topic into compact modules than to have participants follow one very long training.
Can you convert existing classroom training to e-learning?
Yes. Presentations and training materials can serve as a starting point, but one-to-one digitisation rarely results in the best training. The content needs to be restructured for independent digital learning and supplemented with examples, interaction, practice, and assessment where necessary.
Can AI be used to develop e-learning?
Yes. AI can support the development process in areas such as research, structuring, initial scripts, questions, translations, and variations of content. Human content review and instructional design remain important to ensure that the training is correct, relevant, and effective.