Tips for Creating Effective Online Learning
In the corporate setting, engagement and retention are immensely important right from an employee’s very first day. Employees who feel accomplished and valued are more inclined to stick around for years to come. The first big chance we get to capture this initial engagement begins with the training process. Training, both on- and offline methods, needs to be approached in the right way to extract the most value possible. When using an online training course, here are a few content creation tips to keep in mind.
Provide engaging content
A 2013 Gallup study of employees across 142 countries found that only 13 percent of workers feel engaged at work. Providing access to high-quality learning materials in a Developing an E-learning Environment is a great start to reversing that trend and increasing engagement locally. A commitment to e-training is even more valuable, as employees have the ability to access training at any time of day, from anywhere with an internet connection.
Because of this value, e-learning is becoming more popular in the corporate setting. If your company has adopted a learning management system(LMS) to conduct their training sessions, many may ask how to effectively get the most out of the online learning experience. Learners are coming to your online course to learn, but it’s also important to keep things fresh, engaging, and fun. The content should be clearly written with the course objectives outlined and organized. Let the learner interact with the course by integrating games and presenting real-life scenarios throughout the entire course to reinforce the information. Mix up the way you E-training delivery by including videos, quizzes, polls, surveys, and a variety of other multimedia in your online course.
Apply lessons to real life
How does your course apply to the learner's daily job function? Remember that most employees will be asking themselves this question as they sit down to start their training. Outline the key concepts the learner will be expected to remember, and the important skills they will acquire upon successful completion of the course. Make sure these concepts and skills relate to completing actual job tasks. Be sure to include examples using videos and images of what the learner can expect to see on the job.
Brand your course
Everything about your online training course, from its style to its colors and logo, should represent your company. You want your new employees to learn the culture and feel part of the team right away. The style and design of your e-training should reflect this. Choose a design style that matches your company’s culture, and be consistent with this design throughout each of your training courses.
Make it easy to read and navigate
Big walls of text are clunky and difficult to digest, and can appear daunting to the learner. Keep paragraphs short, even if it means separating content into multiple pages per section. Use white space and formatting (bullets, numbered lists, etc.) to break up text into bite-sized chunks. Learners will feel a sense of accomplishment after clicking through multiple easy-to-read pages. When creating the course, try to keep yourself in the mindset of your learner. Use language that’s relevant to the audience, including company terminology that specific teams use. Start with the most important concepts and build from there.
Incorporate your end goals
Tie everything together at the end of the course. The learner should be able to pick out and remember the most important takeaways or themes. Make a list of your objectives and check them off as you complete the course design. Make sure to leave each learner feeling like they have accomplished (and learned!) something by taking each course. Effective online learning leads to happy and engaged employees.
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