So your company has taken the plunge and made a huge investment in a learning management system (LMS). Finally, learning programs are all set up in your LMS and staff members are engaged in learning and training. But are they really? Are there learners who appear bored and detached, who don’t complete courses, or who, if questioned, don't know any more than they did before the training?
It’s called Disengagement, with a capital D. In the realm of learning, this dreaded condition affects productivity, not to mention a company’s bottom line.
The Engagement Principle
It's no surprise that engaged learners—whether they are employees, clients, or students—are happier, more productive, and more committed to their projects and jobs. Generally speaking, the concept of “learner engagement” is based on two beliefs:
Learning improves when people are:
- nquisitive
- interested
- inspired.
Learning suffers when people are:
- bored
- disinterested
- uninspired.
3 Strategies to Improve Engagement in Learning
1. Incorporate Microlearning
Microlearning is a way of teaching and delivering content to learners in small, very specific bursts, with the learners having control of what and when they are learning. The approach involves short-term focused strategies, usually specially designed for skills-based learning/education. Generally, the microlearning process can span from a few seconds to 15 minutes or more. Additionally, this approach to learning is usually cheaper to build, quicker to deploy, and can be used as a standalone asset or as a multiple micro-course.
2. Incorporate Gamification in E-Learning
According to market intelligence company Newzoo, there are more than 2 billion video game players worldwide. No doubt about it, people are mesmerized with this medium and progressive educators have caught on to this by incorporating elements of video gaming into their instructional design. The approach taps into the human reward center to help build engagement. Often, it does not involve playing games at all but applies similar mechanics in a non-game context to engage users in solving problems and retaining material.
Gamification offers the e-learner the option to learn through failure as well, allowing them to learn by trying things, exploring if it works, failing, and trying it again. For this to be most effective, the failure should lead to a learning opportunity. If a problem is not successfully solved, there should be a lesson follow-up or the opportunity for the e-learner to attempt things again with maybe a hint or push in the right direction to be successful the second or third time through. People often fail in games but learn quickly by changing to solve a problem or meet a challenge. Engagement intensified!
3. Use H5P
Wouldn’t it be great to be able to easily build content in your LMS that will help boost engagement by incorporating media, added information, and user interaction? But you’re not a graphics or content building expert and don’t have the budget to hire one? Well, don’t let that stop you. H5P (an abbreviation for HTML5 Package) is a plugin available for both Moodle and Totara Learn that empowers instructors, trainers, and managers to become content kings and queens. H5P enables the creation of interactive content including videos, presentations, games, quizzes, and more.
Features of H5P:
- Free, open-source content collaboration framework based on JavaScript
- Easy for anyone to create, share, and reuse interactive HTML5 content
- Mobile-friendly and built on a responsive design
Training and HR teams constantly strive to increase learner engagement. Try incorporating some of these elements and get engaged with your learners!