7 Tips To Improve Learner Engagement
Today, there are many new technologies and ways of learning so we tend to focus on that rather than the content and how engaging it is. Your employees should be able to utilize the skills they’ve been taught through training. If they’re unable to do that, maybe your learning content isn't engaging or relevant enough.
To keep your learners engaged, here's what you can do:
1. Tailor Your Content
By now, we know that not everybody learns in the same way. Some of us need visuals, some need sound, some read and write, and some learn by doing. Additionally, everyone is on different levels and so it is important to be able to tailor your learning. If the learning is all the same a lot of your learners won’t engage.
To tailor your learning to your learner you can use pre and post-learning quizzes. The results from these quizzes provide great insights into the level learners are at and what type of learner they are.
This is a really useful tool to use to align learners with the right course and the correct learning path. It is a great way to achieve personalized content, whilst achieving the same goals.
2. Make It Interactive
To completely change the dynamic of your learning make it interactive, it makes your learners an active part of their learning story. Interactivity can come in different forms, including quizzes, role-play, branching scenarios, case studies, problem-solving and an element of gamification.
Including elements like these will allow you to provide your learners with realistic, first-hand experiences.
Interactivity engages more as it makes learners the heart of the story. They can make decisions under real-time pressures, understand emotions and compete to reach the end goal, these are all ways to achieve high-impact content and change behaviors.
3. Use Visuals
Although not all of your learners will learn visually, visuals really do engage more. Still images and videos can elevate your learning content, giving learners realistic views and immersing them into the scenario.
Video can be more beneficial as it can be paused and resumed, as and when the learner wishes. This will give your learners more control over their learning, another way to keep them engaged.
The biggest benefit of including visuals in your learning content is that your learning becomes on-demand, there is no need for a trainer. Of course, your visual content can support classroom learning and it is a great way of cutting costs for trainers and a classroom.
4. Be Realistic
Giving your learners realistic content is the best way to keep them engaged. Learners not only want but need real scenarios to fully benefit from their training.
Why? Realistic scenarios will ensure learners repeat desired behaviors in real life. By experiencing these scenarios in a safe environment, where mistakes are okay, learners will be able to understand the effects their actions have.
Realistic scenarios also give learners first-hand experience, again this will inspire them to repeat the desired behaviors. They connect with learners, bring them emotions and challenges, which impact their choices. First-hand, realistic experience gives learners a real understanding of how life on the job will be.
5. Gamify Your Learning
Gamification naturally provides a more engaging and motivating learning environment. It gives learners the opportunity to compete with themselves and it allows other learners to achieve better and more.
Gamification allows learners to be more in control of their learning, whilst also providing challenges, interactivity and great learning culture—all greats ways of engaging. With elements such as rewards, badges, leaderboards and most importantly the option to try again.
It’s important that learners have the opportunity to fail challenges and try again. This ensures learners will understand and put into action the correct behaviors when on the job. Gamification is a great way to ensure retention of desired behaviors, whilst fully engaging learners.
6. Provide Personalized Feedback
Making your learning interactive, alongside gamification elements, provides great scope for behavioral insights and feedback. As a learner, it’s helpful to understand what you have achieved and areas you need to work on. Feedback and insights engage the learners as the learning journey becomes more personal.
Personalized feedback can be provided from quizzes, leaderboards, and challenges. As well as engaging through personalization, this feedback can motivate learners to perform better. For learning managers, insights will help you to understand what level each learner is at and if they need any further learning.
7. Keep Your Modules Short
By keeping modules short, it not only means learning is easier to deploy, but more importantly, learning is easier to absorb. With longer modules learners are more likely to lose concentration and engagement, short modules are a great way to keep learners engaged all the way through.
Additionally, with the modules being smaller than usual, it makes it easier to repeat certain topics, if needed. A bonus of having modules like these means they can be easily utilized on different devices, from mobiles to computers—a very learner-focused route to learning.
