How To Give Your Existing eLearning Course A Modern Makeover
One of the secrets to creating a successful eLearning course is ensuring that it’s always relevant and relatable. Thus, it must be adaptable and flexible in order to keep up with the ever-changing needs of modern learners. But how do you turn your existing eLearning course into an eLearning experience that is memorable and engaging for your current learners, without letting all of your hard work go to waste? Here are 10 top tips that can help you transform your eLearning course into a modern day masterpiece.
- Turn text into an interactive eLearning scenario.
If you have a text-based tutorial that takes learners through every step of the process, why not turn it into an interactive eLearning scenario that shows them the real world benefits and applications. For example, if your current customer service online training course features a step-by-step explanation of how to complete a refund, you can transform it into an interactive eLearning scenario that allows learners to make choices that lead them down different branches and outcomes. - Integrate video clips.
You might be surprised by how much a video clip can boost the interactivity of an eLearning course, especially if your current online course lacks multimedia at the moment. Either create your own videos, if it’s in your budget, or embed online videos from YouTube, Vimeo, and other video sharing sites that tie into the subject matter. Just make sure that you give credit where credit is due and include an attribution for the video creator. - Let an image do the talking!
Images can immediately grab the attention of your learners and make them feel an emotional connection to the subject matter. For this very reason, it’s always wise to add at least a handful of compelling and relevant images to your eLearning course, preferably those that are high quality and relatable for your learners. Avoid images that may be cultural-specific, as this makes it more difficult to localize your eLearning course and may end up offending certain members of your audience who hail from different backgrounds or countries. - Go bold when choosing colors.
Adding splashes of color to the screen, in form of vibrant fonts and backdrops, can instantly make your online content pop off the page. Just make sure that you go with colors that are in-line with your branding and evoke the right emotions. For example, blue can calm a learner and get them mentally prepared for an online assessment, while red can ignite their creativity and passion to increase their motivation. Also, make certain that colorful fonts are readable and have a good contrast with the background. - Perform a relevancy check.
Now that you are revamping your eLearning course, this is the time to go through all of your online content with fine-toothed comb to make sure everything is still relevant. If your eLearning course is a bit verbose, try to omit some of the written content by adding images, eLearning scenarios, and videos instead. In addition, be sure that everything is still relevant and relatable, especially if you designed the eLearning course some time ago, so that you can create an eLearning course that speaks to learners today. - Include infographics.
Infographics have been around in some form for years, but they have recently become quite popular in online courses. This is primarily due to the fact that they deliver key ideas, statistics, and pieces of information in a visually appealing way, making it more memorable and engaging. There are plenty of infographics online that you can add to your eLearning course, just make sure that you ask the permission of the creator if necessary and include an attribution. - Use attention grabbing fonts.
There are times when more basic fonts are necessary, especially when you are trying to convey a core idea and legibility is a top priority. However, you can significantly improve the look of your eLearning course by including attention grabbing fonts for the headers and titles within your eLearning course. For example, you can use a bold font to draw attention to a tip at the corner of the page. - Break up text blocks.
Lengthy text blocks can cause cognitive overload and make your learners disengage from the eLearning course, especially those who are pressed for time or prefer visual learning resources. If you have large text blocks, try to break them up into bullet points or shorter paragraphs. If it’s a process, divide it up into individual steps so that your learners can follow along and actually retain the information. - Freshen up the first page.
First impressions matter and you can draw your learners into the eLearning experience by livening up the introduction of your existing eLearning course. Ask them a thought provoking question, stress the real world benefits of the eLearning course, or show an image that will immediately grab their attention. If you connect with them in those first few seconds, then they are more likely to stay with the eLearning course and actively participate. - Add a story.
Stories have the power to evoke emotions and create an instant connection with your learners. Include a story that features a situation or challenge that your learners face on a regular basis, as well as characters that are relatable to them. You can even use stories to convey the real world benefits of the subject matter, or show your learners how they can apply the knowledge in their personal or professional lives.
Use these tips to update your existing eLearning course and make it more interactive, engaging, and effective for your online learners. The key is not throwing all of your eLearning content by the wayside, but adding a modern twist that makes it resonate with the learners of today.
The trick to creating truly effective eLearning courses in this tech-centric age is making them interactive! Read the article How To Develop a Successful Interactive eLearning Strategy to discover 7 top tips you can use to develop a successful interactive eLearning strategy.
