The eLearning market has grown so vast over the past few years. While this gives you more chances to enroll more students, it also means tougher competition. So, how do you stand out? There is no other choice but to uplevel your eLearning course.
You can consider many ways to improve your eLearning course—whether it’s making the platform more interactive or catering to different learning styles. To help you get started, these eight tips we’ve rounded below can take your eLearning course to the next level.
List Key Objectives for Each Lesson
One of the most crucial steps when designing an eLearning course is to define the key objectives for each lesson clearly. Why? Because clear objectives provide a roadmap for both the instructor and the learners.
Your lesson objectives should highlight precisely what students are expected to know or be able to do by the end of the lesson. Typically, they contain structured content—progressing from simpler concepts to more complex ones.
If you provide a digital marketing course, you can explore the basic concepts first. Then, identify more complex sub-chapters like SEO and SEM. After students understand the differences, you can ask them to create a content strategy for social media.
When students know what to expect, they can better absorb the material and feel more accomplished when they meet those learning goals.
Design Materials with Visuals
Staring at a wall of text is mind-numbing, isn’t it? Visuals are an absolute must when designing eLearning materials. In fact, human brains can process new information better and faster with vibrant visuals.
A well-placed graphic, for example, can turn a complex concept into something easy to understand. Another excellent learning material is animated book reviews. Rather than asking students to read the whole book, you can provide the video, which can be much simpler and more memorable.
The same applies to charts, infographics, and diagrams. Diagrams are great for explaining processes, while charts are helpful for comparing data. Moreover, videos should be provided to demonstrate a skill in action. The trick is not to overdo it, which means you must balance text and visuals.
Make Interactive Activities
Even though your class is conducted online, you should make it interactive. Turn your students into active participants. This can be challenging, though. Sometimes, students are too shy and hesitant to join in the conversation.
Consider providing quizzes, simulations, or real-world problem-solving tasks in your class. This way, students can engage with the material in real time and apply what they’ve learned throughout the class.
Cater to Different Learning Styles
A study reveals that around 65% of the population is visual learners. Even though they are the biggest group, there are auditory, kinesthetic, and reading/writing learners.
Addressing multiple learning styles is necessary to make your course as inclusive and effective as possible. For instance, rely on something other than text if you’re explaining a complex topic.
Add a video for visual learners and a transcript for those who prefer reading. You can also use audio clips or podcasts to appeal to auditory learners, while interactive tasks can engage kinesthetic learners.
Invest in the Right Platforms
The platform you use to deliver materials and face your students is crucial. You should know how to invest in the right platform that will serve your needs. Some of the well-known examples are Moodle, Teachable, and Thinkific.
These choices provide robust tools to create interactive and engaging courses. The key is to pick the one that aligns best with your course’s goals and your audience’s needs. Remember, a poor choice can lead to technical difficulties, frustrated learners, and a lackluster course.
Make Learning Materials Accessible
Allow your students to access the given materials freely. You can use Google Drive or share in PDF format to make materials accesible. Moreover, this also means everyone, including learners with disabilities, can engage effectively with your content.
Consider providing alternative formats, such as captions and transcriptions, text-to-speech compatibility, alt-text descriptions, etc. Wherever possible, let learners complete activities at their own pace, especially quizzes or timed assessments.
Implement Post-Learning Grading
Grading may not be everyone’s favorite part of learning, but it’s essential for tracking progress and providing feedback to your students. Post-class quizzes or projects help reinforce key concepts and evaluate how well students have absorbed the material.
You may also identify areas where they might need extra support. Based on the results, you can give constructive feedback. Even if a student doesn’t do well, they can learn from their mistakes and improve.
If possible, you can provide certifications after students complete a course, especially in professional or skill-based training. For many students, knowing they’ll be graded and get certifications keeps them motivated to complete the whole course.
Share Pre and Post-Class Survey
Surveys are a secret weapon for improving your eLearning course. They benefit both you and your learners.
Pre-class surveys help you understand your students’ current knowledge levels, interests, and expectations, while post-class surveys provide valuable insights into what worked and what didn’t.
Use surveys as an opportunity to listen and adapt. They also help you build a stronger course and show your learners that their opinions matter. In the end, they help boost overall engagement and satisfaction.
Takeaway
Improvement in your eLearning course is essential to help you stay competitive in the market. In addition to the above tips, you can identify gaps among your competitors and offer exclusive benefits. Also, use social media to run your marketing and reach a broader potential of students.
Adham is a student of Masters at the University of Birmingham. He loves writing about business, finance, technology, and life. He believes that sharing knowledge with the public is the best thing that one can do for the world and humanity.
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