How do you make digital learning stick?

With the right mix of interactivity, application, emotion, community, and repetition, digital learning can become truly sticky. Key is leveraging technology for customized, stimulating experiences that evolve with the learner's needs and usage. Microlearning for digestible bites Spaced repetition to reinforce over time Scenario-based exercises for application Gamification to boost engagement I have found, during my transition from formal education to corporate education, that microlearning is either not used in CE or is used poorly. Its still so common for training programs to dump information on you and only ask you about it during a final test... failing to check for understanding at any other point along the way.

SMART goals allow me to make new learnings tangible and relevant. For example, when I wanted to master Excel it was because I really wanted to tap into pivot charts and use them to tell compelling stories for management. My motivation made my SMART goals smarter. Knowing my why is always important before I set a goal.

Creating effective digital learning experiences involves interactive and engaging content, fostering learner participation, and employing varied multimedia formats. To enhance retention, incorporate real-world applications, encourage self-assessment through quizzes, and provide opportunities for collaborative learning. Personalized feedback and adaptive learning pathways tailored to individual progress further solidify understanding. Additionally, integrating spaced repetition, where key concepts are revisited over time, helps reinforce knowledge. Striking a balance between visual, auditory, and kinesthetic elements ensures a holistic learning approach, making digital education more memorable and impactful.

From the neuroscience perspective, it should have Variable Spaced-out Repetitions. It means that you need to repeat the same content in different contexts throughout different periods of times, which increases the strength between the synapses. So if you mentioned one idea in the first module, this same idea should be covered from a slightly different perspective in module 2, and in module 3 you will want to refer to this same idea, helping students "connect the dots".

I really like incorporating activities into online discussions. I encourage students to complete some kind of task - related to the course content, and with a section where they apply concepts to any idea outside of class they're excited about. The discussion then turns into sharing out the activity.

In my experience, starting from an essential question that generates inquiry into a topic is crucial. This activates student thinking on a topic and they begin to construct some of their own meaning for it based on their own experience. It also provides an anchor point for your lesson, letting you continue to circle back to the question as you introduce relevant pieces that can contribute. If you have real stories from your own career that can contribute to or direct the discussion around aspects the question, this can also help students consider how the question will be relevant to them in their own careers as well.

Keeping active learning up is key for success. However, it is likely that some online learning programs fail to add too many activities just because they look innovative and nice. The point is, how will these activities actually help the student? what is the pedagogical value of adding an activity? Designers have the responsibility to keep the pedagogical eye open when choosing what to include in the online learning curriculum.

Try to include activities or practise that builds in complexity over time. Space the learning out, and then build up competence over time with activities that switch up the context or complexity to broaden and strengthen the learning. Don't make learners do loads all at once. Don't mistake 'digital interactions' for active learning either. Whilst I'm a fan and expert in digital learning, multiple choice questions or a swanky interactive graphic don't = learning. Reflection, exploration, discussion, simulations, learning from mistakes...pack more punch.

Guide the learning experience to the real world: instructions are digital, but practice can be guided beyond digital learning. For example: a tutorial on how to make paper crane, or teaching someone how to cook a certain dish. The key question to think about is how to effectively trigger learner to start the action in front of the screen. For example: using characters or instructor recordings, or simply add in a pop up layer that pauses the learning to offer learner opportunities to start doing.

No caigas en el error de la teoría de los canales de aprendizaje. El aprendizaje entre más multi sensorial, mejor. Tampoco cometas el error de confundir la comunicación con la formación. No te dejes llevar por las tendencias y regresa siempre a los principios del aprendizaje. Recuerda que estamos compitiendo con el entretenimiento pero no debemos convertirnos en lo mismo.

Think outside the box. We learn through feelings and experience. "Learning by doing" also means "learning by experiencing" and "learning by feeling". Mixing realities is a new path in instructional design. A digital environment is a powerful source of inspiration for learning goals. Take an example, VR resources are incrediby effective for learning.

Online communities provide a great repository for knowledge while providing a space for connection. I fondly recall learning of great places around the world from fellow employees who had questions about a destination or those who simply wanted to share key facts. It was such a wealth of information that one employee used it as a research tool for her child's history assignment. The technology board did not get as many hits as this board.

When I craft a digital learning solution, I check the four elements which are key to creating engaging and impactful learning experiences: Context, Challenge, Action, Feedback. It's the CCAF design model. I pose the following questions to myself: 1) Have I provided learners with the necessary context to understand the real-world relevance of what they're learning? 2) Challenge: Am I challenging learners appropriately? Do the learning activities motivate them to tackle problems? 3) Action: Are learners actively engaged throughout the course? What interactive activities can I include to encourage them to explore key concepts actively? 4) Feedback: Have I incorporated opportunities for learners to receive feedback and improve their results?

Making digital learning stick involves creating an engaging and effective learning experience that encourages the retention and application of knowledge. These are a few of the best practices that will create learning that lasts: Microlearning Modules: - Break down content into bite-sized so learners can focus on one concept at a time, reducing cognitive load. Social Learning Features: - Integrate discussion forums, chat groups, or social media platforms where learners can interact with each other. - Personalized Learning Paths: Provide learners with the ability to choose learning paths based on their preferences and skill levels. This enhances engagement and ensures that learners receive content that is relevant to their needs.

How do we make digital learning stick? The better question is how do we make any learning stick? There are a number of variables that must occur to ensure learning sticks such as: when an educator connects with a student and provides engagement in any content area, when the student feels they are an active participant and has some say about how they learn, when the content pushes the learner and they are aware they have learned something new and when innovation is engrained into every learning opportunity.