Corporate e-learning has grown by 900% since 2000, and here’s why:
- Learning through e-learning takes 40%–60% less employee time.
- E-learning increases learner retention rates by 25%–60%.
- Participants learn five times more material through e-learning channels.
- Every dollar invested in e-learning yields a $30 value in productivity.
- E-learning can increase a company’s revenue by as much as 42%.
(Source: Shift Learning)
However, if you want your organization to experience the benefits of e-learning highlighted above, you must be sure that your e-learning courses include the following essentials.
1. High-Quality and Easy-to-Digest Content
Above all else, the learning content in your e-learning courses should be high quality and relevant to your learners, and it should be well-researched and designed. Videos and images should be clear and high quality, and all written content should be free of grammatical and typographical errors.
And because most people taking e-learning courses will be on their mobile devices, it’s imperative that the content in their e-learning courses is easy to digest and understand while they’re on the go. Each piece of learning content shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes to read or view and shouldn’t contain more than one learning objective at a single time.
2. Intuitive Navigation with Responsive Design
All e-learning courses should be easy to navigate and completely intuitive in their layouts. Learners should never be left wondering what their scores are, how they’re performing, what learning objective is next, where they can find their personal information, and so on.
It should also be clear where they should click next as they navigate through their e-learning courses. And because most e-learners will access e-learning content from their mobile devices, it is imperative that all e-learning courses have a responsive design that adapts to mobile screens. Learners should always be able to clearly see pop-up boxes, avatars, graphics, etc.
| Learn how the science of learning reinforces training and increases ROI, when you attend the FREE webinar: Creating a Culture of Learning in the Modern Workplace, sponsored by BizLibrary, on Wednesday, October 10, 2018. Click here to register today! |
3. Interactive Features and Elements
The most effective e-learning courses have gamified elements and interactive features that keep learners engaged. Allow your e-learners to have avatars that do things like collect coins for each answer they get right, or allow them to interact with other e-learners in the same course and ask them questions, etc.
4. Key Learning Objectives and Multiple Learning Activities
While e-learning courses should be entertaining and intuitive, they should also contain clear learning objectives. Each portion of an e-learning course should test a learner’s knowledge in a specified area or category.
And each learning course should also offer learners different activities that test their reading comprehension and listening skills, as well as their tactile understanding of a subject, as each learner has a different learning style that should be considered.
5. Periodic Assessments
As your learners complete your e-learning course, make sure they are being evaluated in each section of your course before they move on to the next. This ensures their overall comprehension of what’s being covered in your course.
As you develop your e-learning courses, make sure they include the five essentials listed above if you want them to be successful.