Tips for creating the best e-learning training content
E-learning stands tall amongst the forms of Learning and Education that have been available since time immemorial. E-learning eliminates commutes, allows learning at a preferred pace, and has affordable pricing, three features that have solidified its position across the different sectors and even in traditional educational institutions.
The conversation on whether e-learning is here to stay has been deemed unnecessary and replaced with how to maximize this avenue. Creating the best quality of training content is a straightforward strategy for maximizing e-learning.
Create great content, and online courses will sell themselves and be maximally efficient. Here are the top tips for creating high-quality e-learning content.
1) Adopt microlearning
Microlearning is simply replacing big chunks of learning content with small bits. Microlearning experiences are associated with a significantly higher rate of efficiency.
The enhanced efficiency is directly related to the improved digestibility of the content.
The division of big chunks of learning content into small bits should be associated with the incorporation of interactive elements like games, videos, and animations.
2) Categorize course content
When creating course content, there is the temptation to include all the findings made from research.
While it seems like a great strategy, that is not the case. The course will only become ineffective because of the unrelatable content.
Experts recommend the inclusion of only critical content. To achieve this, the overall content or research findings should be divided into categories. The categories can be must-know, should-know, and may-know. The must-knows will be strongly emphasized, while minimal emphasis is placed on the other categories, especially the may-know.
3) Keep the course interactive
A training session will not be automatically effective because it shares essential information on the subject area.
Even after categorizing and optimizing the course, it is important to keep the course interactive. This is a deliberate process that can be achieved by including the critical elements for encouraging interactions.
Elements that encourage interactions that should be included in training content in 2021 to enhance the overall effectiveness include questions, statistics, images and media, and quizzes. Gamification can be particularly applied to enhance the effectiveness of training content.
4) Design a unique learning experience
Every training session is a different learning experience and should be treated as such. Courses should thus be designed with a unique learning experience in mind. A unique learning experience engages the learner and sparks their interest.
In creating a unique learning experience for every training session, consider the target audience and determine the most efficient methods for achieving the desired engagement. As mentioned earlier, elements of interaction improve the effectiveness of online courses. The best way to apply elements of interactions is to keep them relatable to the target audience. For example, if stories and examples are to be applied, they should be relatable to the target audience.
Demographics of the target audience, including culture, should be carefully studied for the very much needed insights for improving the interaction and effectiveness.
5) Encourage interaction
Training content is best delivered when the training session is interactive. This is why we strongly recommend encouraging interactions.
Active discussions particularly improve the level of retention, which is an indication of the overall effectiveness of the course.
Discussion portals are commonly applied to improve interactions and create an interactive-style learning experience. The discussion portals can be applied to encourage interactions by sending discussion starter questions regularly, maybe daily.
Other peculiar tools for encouraging interactions can be applied for specialized courses in different industries.
We have highlighted strong tips for improving the quality of training content. We now highlight some critical digital marketing techniques and tools the different organizations can apply to push their training. The essential tools and methods include webinars, promotional videos, and email marketing.
Conclusion
Efforts towards creating high-quality content should be matched with efforts to get people to take or pay for this course. Webinars, promotional videos, and email marketing can be applied to get more people to hear the course by providing a form of a teaser.