It's no secret that a primary concern for most educators is the design of the courses they teach. Whether the learning experience is based in academia or in the workplace, ensuring that educators and trainers design their courses in a way that engages learners should be a top priority for any e-learning program.
This article will give you all the information you need concerning the creation of engaging content design for e-learning.
Encourage Learners to Write
Time and time again, research has shown that one of the most effective ways to engage learners in course content is through the use of writing exercises. Writing exercises are fantastic teaching tools because they not only reinforce memory, but they also allow learners to explore the ideas of their learning in a thoughtful and reflective manner.
Explore Collaborative Learning
When you're designing an e-learning course, strongly consider the incorporation of collaborative learning into your e-learning program. Collaborative learning is not only incredibly effective at stimulating critical thinking within learners, but it also allows learners to develop interpersonal skills by working together as a group.
In the United States, as an individualistic society, we often struggle to make the development of interpersonal skills the priority of our education programs. Additionally, the isolationist nature of e-learning can sometimes make incorporating collaborative learning exercises into e-learning experiences difficult.
However, particularly when it comes to workplace training, the development of interpersonal skills is vitally important to the success of learners. One of the easiest ways to incorporate collaborative learning into e-learning experiences is through the use of forums. By creating discussion boards that incentivize student interaction, you can encourage learners to work together and successfully collaborate on course material.
Get Creative With Your Course Design
One of the major benefits of e-learning is that it allows educators to be more creative than ever with their course design. For example, if media training is part of your e-learning course, consider having an activity where learners run a Twitter campaign, and give an incentive to the learner who can get the most likes and retweets.
By using social media and the wealth of information the Internet offers to your advantage, you can easily design creative e-learning experiences that consistently introduce learners to content in new and interesting ways, therefore keeping them engaged with the learning process.
Also, consider falling back on some more progressive elements of traditional teaching, such as incorporating elements of a flipped classroom (in which learners watch instructional video outside of class time and then use class time or instructor meetings to ask questions or work on assignments) to further engage learners.
Make Active Learning a Core Element of Your E-Learning
Experience active learning exercises, in which learners are asked to practically apply the knowledge they gain to a specific assignment or situation, should be an integral element of any good e-learning experience. This is particularly important for workplace training, in which being able to practice job elements before being "on the clock" is tremendously beneficial to learners.
Other options for improving engagement with active learning that take full advantage of the e-learning environment include using interactive content as a major component of your courses, such as interactive infographics, videos, and game-based learning. You can take interaction even further by incorporating gamification into your e-learning programs.