When instructional designers create eLearning courses, they do their best to address all learning styles. However, what many of us forget is that it is necessary to address learning styles across all generations. To do this, you should first conduct target audience analysis. If during the analysis phase, you discover that most of the learners are from Generation Y or Millennials, you should then gear your course towards these generations. In other words, you should make their learning as interactive as possible. You should also encourage collaboration by incorporating a wiki or a Facebook page. Additionally, as you design your course for younger audience, keep in mind that both Millennials and Gen Y don’t like to hear what they already know and they don’t like repetition. They just want to know what they need to know now! When younger generation signs up for training, the expectation is that the same course will be available in the eLearning and mLearning formats. So, to please a … [Read more...] about How to Satisfy Different Generations of Learners
The ELearning Course Designer’s Blog
Keeping Employees Engaged and Motivated: Proven techniques that improve performance
Do you feel motivated and engaged at work or do you go to work simply because you have to? According to research, less than 30% of all Americans are considered highly motivated and engaged employees. It is important that all supervisors know how to motivate their employees not just to become better performers, but also to become more engaged workers. Most employees have the need to be respected, they want to have opportunities for personal development, and they also want to establish positive relationships. Without a doubt, managers can easily help their employees achieve the goals mentioned above. First and foremost, managers should create a safe environment for employees to express their opinions. Managers should also help employees optimize their strengths and talents by offering opportunities to develop skills, experience and knowledge in areas of these strengths. Managers should show appreciation towards workers. We all want to feel valuable. If, for some reason, we don’t feel … [Read more...] about Keeping Employees Engaged and Motivated: Proven techniques that improve performance
How to Effectively Use Video in ELearning
Instructional Designers always look for ways to make their courses fun and engaging. Adding video is the best way to involve learners in their learning process. Video is a great way to teach behavioral skills, demonstrate techniques, and provide excellent performance support. When creating instructional videos, it is important to look at them as if they were commercials. As we all know, the main goal of any commercial is to catch people’s attention quickly. However, it is equally important to keep one’s attention on the desired subject. Commercials usually reach that goal in less than 3 minutes by appealing to people’s emotions. Including short, thought-provoking chunks of information in your videos is much more memorable than creating long videos and covering all the material at once. In fact, it is best not to use video throughout the entire course as it may overwhelm your learners. Instead, include it at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of the course. A short introductory … [Read more...] about How to Effectively Use Video in ELearning
Leveraging Performance Support Tools and “Just In Time” Training
Today, I want to talk about Performance Support. As we all know, the main difference between training and Performance Support is that training is trying to fill the gap between the missing and the needed knowledge while the Performance Support tools provide on the job support when it is needed. Unlike training, which often includes some of the “nice to know” information, Performance Support tools offer “just enough” assistance to get the job done. Naturally, Performance Support can be either Electronic (EPSS) or Paper-based. Instructional designers have been developing quick reference guides and job aids to supplement their training courses for ages. Nowadays, most of us are used to having the information available to us when we need it at any time and place. This is where the Electronic Support System comes in handy. Many EPSSs offer a contextual, step-by-step, immediate solution to people’s needs. When instructional designers conduct their initial meeting with the client, they … [Read more...] about Leveraging Performance Support Tools and “Just In Time” Training
Designing Device-Agnostic Content
A while back, when mLearning became popular, instructional designers trying to accommodate all learning modes began designing two separate versions of their courses: a regular eLearning version and a Mobile version. Since creating two different versions of the same course can be very time consuming, most courses were still created just in the eLearning format. As time went on, the need for building device-agnostic content became apparent. So, what is device-agnostic content? It is learning content that can be accessed on any device including ipads, smartphones, laptops and TVs. Device-agnostic content adjusts to the browser and the size of the screen the learner is using. One of the most valuable benefits of creating device-agnostic content is that it allows learners to start their training on one device and continue on another device. Thanks to HTML 5, eLearning developers can develop device-agnostic content quickly and effectively. The main limitation here is that not all … [Read more...] about Designing Device-Agnostic Content
Instructional Design for Technical Training
Let’s face it, developing technical training is not easy. It’s much easier to design a course about Sexual Harassment than about a new software that has just been released. However, many companies want to train their employees on using new tools or applications, and those who understand the importance of high quality training, hire professional designers to create the most effective and instructionally sound training solutions. Unfortunately, many instructional designers create technical training the same way they design all other training courses. The problem, however, is that the goal of any technical training is not to “show and tell” (even in the interactive manner), but to “practice and do.” Teaching learners how to use a new tool or application is not enough as doing so will not help you achieve the ultimate goal of a training program, which is to help learners obtain new knowledge and skills. In fact, if you teach your learners how to use the tool, they will most likely leave … [Read more...] about Instructional Design for Technical Training