Strategies for Fostering Learners' Interest in an Elearning Solution

Even the most seasoned designers struggle to keep learners interested during an online course. Not only is it challenging to engage and retain learners offline, but asynchronous instruction may introduce additional complications. There is no method for an instructor to assess visual clues to determine whether learners are bored or to refocus instruction if there are inquiries. Additionally, online courses create anonymity that discourages some learners from engaging at all.

So, how can you motivate learners and keep them on track during a course? The key is to make use of an eLearning course that includes all essential features to encourage learners before, throughout, and even after the course is completed. After all, although you cannot force someone to learn, you can foster an atmosphere conducive to learning.

Strategies for sustaining learners' interest in an eLearning solution

 The following are some suggestions for sustaining learner motivation before, throughout, and even after an eLearning course.

1. Establish a connection between the learners and the learning resource

Determine a method to generate interest among the learners even before they begin the eLearning course. This may be accomplished via a pre-work exercise or a brief video explaining a topic in a simplified way. By generating anticipation about the course program, you may pique learners' interest and motivate them even before they access the information.

2. Justify The Course's Value

According to several research studies, self-motivation is critical for a successful eLearning training program. This implies that learners should feel as though they are doing the course on their own. If it is not immediately evident how the training will improve an employee's work skills efficiently, being more profitable for a company, there will be no reason for the learners to enroll in an eLearning training program. As an eLearning development company, the advantages of enrolling in an eLearning training program should be clear to the learners, right from the beginning.

3. Make eLearning materials easily accessible

Research studies indicate that professionals may quickly get distracted or demotivated if they are unable to find essential information. Hence, ascertain that learners always have access to the learning materials they need and also see to it that they get the information requested through the eLearning platform. 

4. Know your audience

Before you build the course, determine who your learners are and what their requirements are and convey them to your eLearning development company. If feasible, either you or the eLearning development company should conduct a survey to identify the work skills and knowledge the learners need to fulfill their jobs; their familiarity with technicalities pertaining to their job, and ascertain the typical learner's degree of expertise. 

A thorough evaluation might provide light on the elements that inspire them. This knowledge may be used to help learners form emotional connections with the subject, so enhancing intrinsic motivation.

5. Assigning grades to learners 

While self-motivation is important, it may also be required to set external participation norms in an eLearning training program. Inform learners on how their engagement will be evaluated, with an emphasis on positive results. You may opt to adopt a literal grading system or a series of prizes for successful completion of the eLearning solution, based on your organization's goals.

6. Construct Scenarios

As learners acquire knowledge, they need chances to apply them - not just on the job, but also during the training session. Effective scenarios encourage workers to digest what they've learned and apply it to real-world situations. Incorporating a different circumstance such as coping with a difficult customer or troubleshooting software or a piece of machinery will help learners establish a connection between the course and job requirements and thus, scenarios bring training to life.

7. Incorporate Storytelling

Since learners are human, an eLearning course should not be repetitive in nature. Thus, providing knowledge in the form of a story not only demonstrates its application but also allows the learner to grasp its real-world applications. 

Additionally, as several research studies have shown, learners retain knowledge better when it is delivered in the form of a storyline. Storytelling combines numerous components of successful eLearning - relevance, engagement, entertainment, and memorability - to bring abstract concepts to life in the course.

8. Create an environment conducive to active engagement.

Active learning, according to a new research study, enhances a learner's comprehension, memory retention, and motivation. Thus, eLearning development companies must design activities that foster exploration related to a topic with the help of quizzes or simulated games. 

The greatest way for learners to explore is via experience. The more real and interactive the experience is for the learners, the strong the learning will be. Present a common issue and equip learners with the resources necessary to develop their own solutions. Taking an active role in the learning process results in increased self-motivation and engagement with eLearning content.

9. Express Appreciation.

When a learner invests significant effort in an eLearning engagement, the learner's reward should not be limited to completion. It is critical that learners’ efforts are acknowledged. Participants should feel encouraged and get the required encouragement, feedback, and acknowledgment for their engagement after completion of a course module. The recognition for the completion of a course module can be in the form of badges or prizes.

10. Provide pertinent feedback and visual representations of progress.

Include quizzes, games, and other interactive activities that provide feedback that enables learners to monitor their own progress. Assure that feedback is quick so that students may apply what they've learned in the workplace. 

Consider including a visual indicator of progress, such as a graph that displays modules finished by the learners and the progress they have achieved. When success is visualized, motivation increases.

11. Allow them to learn from their errors.

Learners will make errors as they go through the course's questions and activities. The course's purpose should not be to shame the learners but to assist them to become enthused about and proficient at their task. As a result, it's critical to give indications for success and encouragement, but also to see setbacks as a learning opportunity rather than a hindrance.

12. Utilize a variety of educational tactics

Not only can adding a diversity of learning tactics boost engagement, but specific learners may benefit from a number of strategies depending on their own learning styles. Combine examples, case studies, pictures and infographics, scenarios, animations, and games to motivate the learner to take action in a variety of ways. They will stay interested and hence, will be self-driven as a result of exposure to various information.

Conclusion

A well-designed eLearning course should provide opportunities for learners to participate in valuable tasks and, as a result, get a greater sense of fulfillment from their work. 

VK Creative Learning (VKCL) is a pioneer in developing eLearning solutions that adhere to all of the aforementioned attributes. VKCL, an e-learning development company, collaborates with a team of professionals that attentively listen to the organization's needs and then develops unique material for the e-learning solution.