How Can I Create Interactive eLearning?

We’ve all been there before. You’ve just started at a new job and have to sit through an induction ALL morning before you can get stuck in and find out whether or not the new place stocks the good coffee and biscuits. Or perhaps you’ve had to complete a course on fire safety all because Alan decided it was a good idea to try and heat up his sausage roll in the toaster.

You take a seat and the course begins (along with your mindless clicking). Next. Next. Next. Next. Next. Read More. Yes. Next. This carries on until you finally see the ‘Finish’ button, a shining beacon of light at the end of the tunnel. You wander off down to the kitchen before any more ‘Read More’ buttons can steal precious minutes out of your day.

You know exactly what I’m talking about don’t you… So what can we do about this?

To start with, we can explain to Alan the dangers of using a toaster for anything other than, well, toast… but more importantly, we can talk about the importance of using interactive learning and how you can incorporate this into your learning to ensure that your learners will actually take positive action after their training experience.

But how does this work?

The good news is that by introducing more interactive components to your learning, you are encouraging active learning to take place, which will keep the learner engaged from beginning to end. The (less appealing) alternative, would be to overload the learner with screen upon screen of uninterrupted text for them to read and click through, which would be classed as a passive learning experience (eLearnhub, n.d.). Passive learning can make it difficult for the learner to recall the information once the experience has been completed (Laskaris, 2015).

So, now you might be wondering what does this actually look like?

Don’t worry, we’ve covered a few options for you there as well…

Exploration Opportunities

One of the key elements of a successful interactive eLearning experience is the potential for learner exploration. You want the learner to be able to navigate the course in a way where they feel in control of the experience. If there are multiple stages to be completed, you could create a homepage where the learner can decide which area they want to explore first (Procter, n.d.).

You could also give them different options to find information such as including buttons for additional reading, resources or different tabs that they can navigate between (Gutierrez, 2012). Let them find the content. Curiosity may have killed the cat but it also engaged the learner!

Activities

Secondly, give the learner the opportunity to complete exercises or activities that will keep them engaged. Develop interactive quizzes and tests and include options for drag-and-drop answers or point-and-click games (Pappas, 2014). There is no manual saying that you need to stick to true/false questions or have 10 multiple choice; make your own rules! If it’s not going to add value then don’t include it as the learner will not benefit from it. If you think you can cover the content required in 3 questions, then that’s what you need to do. Keep it interesting and you will keep the learner engaged.

Real life scenarios

Last but not least, we suggest using real life scenarios. Creating an interactive activity that is based on a real-life case or scenario can be one of the most effective ways to get the learner to retain the information. By using a real-life case study in an online learning environment, you are allowing the learner to gain a deeper understanding of the content in a “non-judgemental, risk-free learning environment” (Laskaris, 2015). This will better prepare learners for the experiences they will have when carrying out their day to day role.

See, it’s not so hard! Taking small steps like this to increase the level of interactivity in the learning you create will have a dramatic impact on the results you will see from the learning. Not only that, but it will also give the learner a feeling of accomplishment when they complete the learning (Learning Pool, n.d.). So have a go, get creative with your learning and see the difference it can make – the possibilities really are endless! If you do have any questions about applying this within your projects, chat to Kim Tuohy, our passionate Founder. You can contact Kim at kim@belvistastudios.com.

References

eLearnhub. (n.d.). Active and Passive Online Learning. Retrieved from https://elearnhub.org/active-and-passive-online-learning/

Laskaris, J. (2015). Interactivity in eLearning: The Levels and Benefits. https://www.talentlms.com/blog/elearning-interactivity/

Procter, W. (n.d.). 5 ways to make online learning more interactive. Retrieved from https://www.ef.com/wwen/blog/general/5-ways-make-online-learning-interactive/

Gutierrez, K. (2012). How To: Easily Create Interactive eLearning Courses. Retrieved from

https://www.shiftelearning.com/blog/bid/195056/How-To-Easily-Create-Interactive-eLearning-Courses

Pappas, C. (2014). 7 Tips To Develop a Successful Interactive eLearning Strategy. Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/7-tips-to-develop-successful-interactive-elearning-strategy

Learning Pool. (n.d.). Smart ways to increase learner engagement in e-learning. Retrieved from https://www.learningpool.com/blog/how-to-find-your-flow-in-e-learning%C2%96-smart-ways-to-increase-learner-engagement-in-e-learning/