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7 Ways to Turn eLearning Programs into Real Snoozers
September 28, 2009
By Josh Little
Ideally, the e-learning programs you purchase for your company's employees attract attention for their ability to convey clear and compelling content. However, it's probably fair to say that more than one learning module in your library has been used as white noise for an afternoon nap.
A better way to boost learning retention rates and employee morale
Since giving employees an excuse to take a nap is probably not what you have in mind when you pay good money to purchase an online training program, what's the most efficient way to get good learning results?
Choose e-learning programs that are engaging and enjoyable to watch. Why? Studies show that when people take online training courses that please the eye and ear, it leads to higher retention rates and ultimately, better-trained employees.
Because sometimes knowing the results you don't want can give you a much better idea of the results you do want, below are seven tips on what to avoid when it comes to online training programs.
Seven e-learning principles to snooze by:
1. Blow your wad on one big presentation and don't provide follow up training. Spare no expense for a single course and compensate for the extra money you spent by foregoing refresher training and follow-up sessions. Sure, refresher classes will likely encourage learners to apply what they learned to their jobs—but try dazzling them with a single course and see how that works.
2. Alienate your learners right away and start each training module as slowly as possible. Ensure all the introductions to your company's e-learning programs start at a deadly dull speed. Also, don't set clear expectations to gain learner buy-in. Rather, dive right into the technical stuff. Learners love to be confused.
3. Insist that your online programs look unattractive and disjointed. Include mismatched components, pay no attention to design, and use as much generic clip art as possible. Use only text and stock photography to deliver your precious training message.
4. Use bland, clueless sounding narrators. Go to great pains to get voiceovers for your training pieces delivered in a smooth and lifeless style. If the narrator has absolutely no idea about what he/she is reading—all the better. Added bonus: boring-sounding voiceovers help learners start their afternoon naps early.
5. Overload the learner with too much information. Don't even think about refining and organizing content. Avoid going over major teaching points to help learners master what you want them to know. Instead, give them all the facts at once and see if they swim—or sink.
6. Don't follow up with employees to see if online training has improved their performance. Be sure not to offer pre-training planning, or post-training refreshers. If you spread your budget out and include follow-up you'll likely see a big difference in performance, but why go to trouble?
7. Don't make use of media technologies that help learners learn more quickly. Forget about multimedia technology. Sure, a 10-second 3D animation may convey more information than hours of video—but your employees don't have much to do anyway—so give them the long version.
Conclusions
All joking aside, the rules of online training revolve around a simple principle: find distance learning courses that are clearly and creatively crafted. The payoff? Your training courses will be remembered and your employees will be better for it.
Josh Little is the president and CEO of Maestro eLearning. A former sales and training manager for both Pfizer and Stryker, Little founded Maestro eLearning to improve the quality of training materials. Maestro clients include DuPuy, Abbot Pharmaceuticals, Bard, Cordis, and Phadia. For more information, go to www.maestroelearning.com or call 800-319-2122.
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