Creating an eLearning design isn’t that tough. The main challenge is appealing it is to the learners. Often, learners take a course but after a while they drop it or move on to another course. Why is that?
Consider this analogy: you prepare a new chicken recipe for your family, and the response is flat. No complaints, but no praise either. To improve the appeal of the dish, simple changes might be made that could enhance the dish and make it more exciting. Maybe a little more spices and salts, or add some color with green herbs and red peppers.
Similarly, creating an eLearning design and adding the right material to the course is what makes the flavor unique and appetizing. Creativity is the ingredient you will need to include. Your approach should be to engage learners with components that add some fun yet enable them to learn at the same time. Below are a few tools to help you add some creative spice to your eLearning design.
- Choose the right visual effects: Visual effects are proven to impact a person’s mood. Include color schemes that match your company’s branding. Use fonts that are appealing and easy to read. Insert high quality graphics which complement the subject matter.
- Include the “Fun Factor”: Try to create a game in the e-learning course which motivates the learners to actively engage in the learning process. Inter activities, such as such as a drag and drop, bring the fun factor to eLearning. Having learners demonstrate the knowledge gained also promotes retention of the information.
- Include a Quiz: The quiz is the nucleus of the course and directly supports the learning objectives. Develop questions that should be easily answered regarding the content presented. Get creative with the responses and learner feedback for correct and incorrect answers. For incorrect answers, rather than “try again,” perhaps a hint in the form of repeated content could be offered.
- Incorporate Scenario Discussions: These types of discussion will activate the creative part of the user’s brain. Create a scenario in a discussion post and ask students for the solution, then offer them a reward, such as extra points, for the best solution. Every student should be asked to participate in the discussion. Consider an example of a Politics eLearning Course. A discussion topic such as, “A country is under economic crises; what measures should be taken to prevent the company from falling apart?” might be included. This will create an interest and opportunities for debate among users on different views. This high level interaction is an excellent way to increase interest and involvement.
- Use Multimedia where appropriate: Creating effective videos, slides, or audio are a must for eLearning course design. Rather than offering a wall of words, content can be presently quickly and more effectively with engaging slides or video demonstrations on the topics and objectives. A large number of people are visual learners and benefit from the inclusion of the attractive colors of videos and slides. Audio components offer even more support as listeners hear the content as they are viewing it.
When designing an eLearning course, be sure include several (or all) of these “ingredients” to add flavor and appeal to your course.