9 Essential Elements Of An Effective eLearning Template

9 Essential Elements Of An Effective eLearning Template
Summary: The idea of using eLearning templates to develop cohesive eLearning content is not new. If you are failing to make a meaningful impact with your eLearning templates, read this article to see if you’re missing any of the essential elements of an effective eLearning template.

9 Essential Elements That Make Your eLearning Template Effective

Is your eLearning template truly effective? Does it stand out from the crowd and leave online learners wanting more? Effective eLearning templates make an eLearning course a worthwhile experience that stays with your online learners for years to come. So, why is it that some eLearning developers always leave a lasting impression with their eLearning templates, while others never seem to get noticed? The secret is planning and organization. With accurate planning, experienced eLearning developers ensure that they include all the elements required to make amazing eLearning templates. Let’s walk through the 9 essential eLearning template elements that every successful eLearning template should have.

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Get a Free PDF Download about eLearning Templates From A To Z
This Free eBook can help you get ideas on everything you need to know about eLearning templates.

1. Start With A Welcoming Introduction

The introduction page is your first opportunity to make a mark on online learners’ minds. Keeping the subject matter and audience of your eLearning course in mind, give a brief overview of the eLearning course. This way you won’t keep them guessing, and they will know what they can expect to get out of the eLearning course. Don’t overload the introduction with content or visuals. Keep it simple. Make online learners feel welcomed. Eye-catching colors and design can get them hooked from the start.

2. Provide Your Online Learners With Guidelines

Learning is always a two-way process. Online learners can never benefit from the eLearning course unless they are properly equipped to participate. It is important to instruct online learners about the pre-requisites for the eLearning course. Among the essential elements effective eLearning templates must have are the detailed guidelines for online learners to follow. These guidelines should clearly state what online learners need to do to gain the most out of the eLearning course.

3. Clearly State The Learning Objectives

You have briefly introduced what the eLearning course is about and set some ground rules. This is the time when you unfold the primary learning objectives of the eLearning course to online learners. Let them know how they can apply the information to the real world. Highlight the key takeaways and advantages of taking the eLearning course. Remember to make different sections for each. Mixing up learning objectives in your eLearning template will only create learner confusion. It’s wise to incorporate a placeholder for learning objectives that change on a regular basis.

4. Work On Appearance: Fonts And Visuals

It’s a good thing to support your eLearning content with the help of images and graphics. Try to keep your visual aids on the right-hand side of the screen, because readers tend to go from left to right. This way, they won’t have to guess what the image is depicting. It will also help them understand the concepts in an orderly manner. Regarding fonts, it depends on the amount of data you plan on putting in a slide. The best practices include leaving substantial white spaces around your text. This way the data is neatly presented and easy for online learners to comprehend.

5. Add eLearning Activities To Engage Your Online Learners

eLearning activities are of the most essential elements you can include in your eLearning templates for keeping your eLearning course interactive and engaging. Adding serious games and branching scenarios based on your eLearning content keeps online learners involved. You should designate a special section in your eLearning templates for such eLearning activities. Try adding real-life scenarios because online learners tend to follow ideas they can relate with. This will provoke healthy online discussions and keep them hooked till the end. If the eLearning activities are still in development, simply include a brief description of the content.

6. Leave Room For Periodic eLearning Assessments

Including an eLearning assessment section at the end of every module is an effective way to ensure that knowledge is getting across to online learners. eLearning assessments also give online learners the chance to test their knowledge and make improvements in the areas where they are weak. You can add either closed or open-ended questions. There are plenty of options. It all depends on the level of interactivity you want to pull in with your eLearning assessments.

7. Add eLearning Course Recaps And Reviews

Don’t end your eLearning course on a cliffhanger. A proper closing section is one of the eLearning template elements you should never omit. Recap and review all the major concepts covered in the eLearning course. The purpose is to revise the whole eLearning course by summarizing the key points. You should highlight the key points using bullets so that online learners don’t have difficulty getting straight to the point.

8. Add Exit Recommendations And Instructions

Learning is a never-ending process. Designating a special eLearning template for recommendations and instructions is a way of emphasizing on the importance of the eLearning course. Here, you can add extra links from where online learners can get more information on the subject matter. You can recommend books for those who might be interested in digging deeper. If your eLearning course comes with a certificate, this is where you leave instructions on how to get it.

9. Clearly Labeled Placeholders

Placeholders are a very useful feature for all eLearning developers. You may need to update your eLearning templates on a regular basis or you may be awaiting certain results that need to be added in the eLearning course. Placeholders are empty eLearning templates which allow eLearning developers to add additional ideas, activities or more concepts without having to redo the entire eLearning template once it is finalized. You can always delete the placeholders if you don’t feel the need to make use of them.

Here we have outlined 9 useful elements your eLearning templates should include for a successful outcome. When well executed, your eLearning templates have the power to streamline the eLearning design process and yield more effective results.

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