You might find the comic strip funny, but you will be surprised to know how many learning designers actually make these mistakes that reduce the efficiency of the learning.
In the last decade or so, there has been a huge shift in the way people learn. Organizations have gradually made a shift from classroom to online training as they realized the benefits eLearning brings to the employee as well as the organization. eLearning is a powerful delivery format and has been gaining popularity since its introduction. When designed properly, it can work wonders for your employees and organization in terms of enhanced productivity and revenue and reduce inefficiencies. Effective training may also lead to a satisfied and loyal workforce who aim to grow the organization. Creating training that really works may not be easy but not unachievable.
Here are top six tips on how to ensure that your elearning is effective
#1: Specify clear objectives.
Before progressing in the course, your employees will ask you the most basic question – Why should I take the course? It is critical for you to ensure that your learning outcomes are well explained. Make sure you are clear about the learning goal before you jump into development. This helps serve as a roadmap for the entire learning. Every topic you write must be linked to the end learning goal. If you fail to do so, the course will lose focus and efficacy. At the end of the day, it will be a colossal waste of your time, effort, and resources.
#2: Plan the content and flow.
The content of the course is the game changer. It must be relevant and professional. If the information presented is not relevant, then the learner will lose interest midway or even earlier. Make sure that the flow from one topic to another is smooth and makes sense. Start from basic and move on to complex topics. Break the topics into small chunks that can be easily digestible. The navigation should be intuitive and clear.
#3: Use colors to enhance the efficacy.
Colors can elicit emotions from your learners. Use it effectively to ensure that your employees react in the way you want them to. For example, if you want to liven up a dry topic, you may want to consider using shades of red and orange. In any case, avoid going overboard and stick to just two or three colors throughout the course. Overusing colors may distract the learner from acquiring the required knowledge. Also, never sacrifice readability for the sake of aesthetics.
#4: Go responsive.
The modern learners do not like to be tied down to their desks. They are mostly on the move and they like doing things while on-the-go, including learning. But, each one has a different device from where they access content. So, it is important to ensure that your learning is responsive to ensure that the content adapts itself based on the device the learner uses.
#5: Include interactive scenarios.
Scenarios are a great format to make learners think and apply what they have learned in the course. Include scenarios that are relevant to the learner job-roles so that they can identify the situations and recall it when necessary. Consider using interactive elements like drag-and-drop, click-and-reveal, simulations, and similar. The more interactive the course is, the better the learners are engaged.
#6: Build meaningful assessments.
Assessments are important to gauge the understanding of your learners. Make sure you put in the right amount of challenge – neither too easy nor too tough. You must take special care with the feedback you provide to the learners. They need to be instant and explanatory. If the learner gets it right, commend him and let him know why it is right. If it is wrong, you give them another chance at it and provide hints to get the right answer. If he still gets it wrong, then explain why his option is not correct. That way, he will remember the concept for a long time.
eLearning has numerous benefits. Keeping these few tips in mind while creating learning will ensure that you reap rich returns on your training budget. You can make great courses with interactive media and assessments that can be published to mobile in real time. Make your company start of the art with this mLearning strategy today. Start your free trial or request a demo to see what the MyEcontentFactory platform can do for you!
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