How To Improve eLearning Courses With 8 Minor Changes
Are you looking for quick fixes to enhance your eLearning course? Do you need to boost the interactivity without spending a tidy sum? One of the most common eLearning misconceptions is that you need a generous eLearning budget and timeline to achieve the desired results. The simple truth is that minor modifications can work wonders. Here are 8 small changes to make eLearning more memorable, engaging, and effective.
1. Rethink Your Color Scheme
Take a closer look at your eLearning course color palette and consider the emotions it evokes. Color has a significant impact on our mood and state of mind. For example, the color red can trigger a sense of urgency, while blue relaxes and calms. Ideally, your color scheme should align with your brand image and the subject matter. A module that involves complex topics might benefit from soothing hues to reduce online learner stress. On the other hand, bolder colors are ideally suited for eLearning activities that mimic real world stress and pressure.
2. Incorporate Links To Interactive Online Resources
Adding links to external articles, eLearning videos, and other online resources is a great way to make your eLearning course more interactive and informative. You save yourself the time and expense of creating these online resources on your own. But online learners still get the benefits they bring. You can even create a list of online resources that is divided into categories. This allows online learners to find the information they need in a fraction of the time.
3. Evaluate Your eLearning Navigation
One of the most overlooked aspects of creating an eLearning course is the navigational flow. Are your icons clearly visible? Are all of the links still active? Do you use familiar buttons and graphics that online learners can easily recognize? Online learners should be able to quickly get to the next page or module without having to deal with outdated hyperlinks. So, carefully evaluate your eLearning course navigation to prevent online learner frustration and improve the overall design.
4. Add Emotionally-Compelling Multimedia
Creating an emotional connection with your online learners is essential. It's also one of the most challenging feats to accomplish. You need to know what motivates and drives them so that you can provide a meaningful eLearning experience. Multimedia can help you pull at your online learners' heart strings, make them laugh, or feel sympathy for the eLearning character. For example, a video demo that features relatable characters and settings helps them relate with the subject matter. Once again, you can create your own multimedia or incorporate third-party links.
5. Break The eLearning Course Into Bite-Sized Modules
Cognitive overload is a major concern for eLearning professionals. Too much information at once can reduce knowledge retention and force online learners to disengage. Fortunately, there is a simple way to prevent this catastrophe. Turn your lengthy eLearning course into a series of bite-sized modules. Then online learners can access each module, absorb the information, and assimilate the data before moving forward. You can even incorporate a brief break between each activity to encourage online learner reflection.
6. Use A Rapid eLearning Authoring Tool To Create Real World Activities
Effective eLearning experiences tie into real world challenges and applications. Learners must be able to use information they've learned outside of the online learning environment. But how do make the transition from theory to practice? One of the best options is real world activities that feature interactive elements. For example, a branching scenario that includes customer personas. Corporate learners must navigate the situation using their knowledge and skills in order to achieve the desired outcome. Rapid eLearning authoring tools usually features built-in eLearning templates and interactions to simplify the process. For instance, a serious game template the follows a game show format.
7. Include Online Self-Assessments
Online learners should be able to assess their own progress and performance during the eLearning course. As such, they have the opportunity to identify areas for improvement and then seek out supplemental online resources. Instead of waiting until the end of the eLearning course when they no longer have the chance to reinforce favorable behaviors. These online self-assessments can be in the form of interactive simulations, pop quizzes, or even online discussions. The purpose is to give them the online tools they need to examine their own cognitions and knowledge base.
8. Offer Social Learning Opportunities
Social learning gives your online learners the ability to interact with peers and share common experiences. They also have the chance to see things from a new perspective. Here are just a few ways to integrate social learning into your eLearning course design:
- Online Forums
Start an online forum and invite your online learners to discuss the subject matter. You do need to moderate the conversation to make sure your online learners stay on topic. Alternatively, develop an eLearning blog that features weekly prompts and questions. Or give learners the opportunity to upload their own eLearning content in order to receive feedback. - Social Media Groups
Create a closed social media group where your learners can meet online and exchange information. You can make it even more interactive by conducting social media polls and event notifications. In addition, encourage online learners to upload eLearning resource links of their own. - Group Collaboration Online Projects
Break online learners into groups and assign them a task or problem to solve. This allows them to benefit from each other's skills and experience. Project Management online platforms are an ideal tool for online group collaboration assignments, as they open up the lines of communication.
These 8 minor changes give you the opportunity to create a more interactive and emotionally-centered eLearning experience, even if you are pressed for time and resources. Do have any eLearning course quick fixes that you'd like to share? Please feel free to leave them in the comments below.
Are you still driving your employees crazy with the online training experiences you offer them? Read the article 6 Online Training Mistakes That Drive Corporate Learners Crazy to discover mistakes in your online training course that make your employees dread corporate eLearning.
