Designing Digitally
04/25/2018
The elearning goals of organizations are to increase value and reduce cost. Learners forget most of what they learn within the first 48 hours of learning. But, there is a pattern to it. They may forget the concepts taught, but they will remember certain nuggets of information and examples.
That pattern must be gauged, while designing eLearning training solutions. It is important to ensure that learners retain the knowledge they learned, so that they can apply it at work.
Here are the top 5 best retention strategies that you can apply to your design.
Why will your employees set aside time from their busy schedules and take the training? Because the training is relevant to them, and it will enhance their productivity at work. You need to ensure that the content is relevant to them. Otherwise, they just won’t bother. Conducting a skills-gap analysis and carrying out a training need study is critical as the first step in designing eLearning content. Understand who your audience is, what they need, and how the training will assist the organization to meet its strategic goals.
For learners to retain what they learn, you need to keep them engaged. You can accomplish this goal by incorporating interactive elements like surveys, quizzes, click-and-reveal interactions, and so on. If you are using videos, you can insert questions in-between. This will ensure learners are paying attention to the content on the screen.
Learners retain better when they see examples. Dry facts and difficult jargons may go over their head. Providing examples will reinforce retention. Use examples that are relevant to their job profile. They should identify with the situation to be able to apply the concepts in real life. Consider using case studies and activities like role-playing. Incorporate branching scenarios and ask the learner to solve the issue.
A picture is really worth a thousand words. Learners absorb information better if presented with pictures. Pair text with relevant images. The keyword is relevant. Do not use random pictures just for the sake of using graphics. Think through the images you choose for your eLearning training solutions. You must keep the cultural aspect in mind too. Charts and infographics are two other opportunities for incorporating graphics. Instead of presenting data as text, represent it visually. Visuals help learners connect and compare information.
Repetition is a great retention strategy. Give learners opportunities for hands-on practice. Provide them with exercises or simulations where they need to practice their skills to arrive at an answer. Better still, ask them to apply the skill learned at their regular job. Managers must be involved in the process to ensure training is taking place.
At Designing Digitally, Inc. we understand the varied learning needs of all organizations in different industries. Our experts create custom courses based on your requirements which lead to higher employee engagement, increased productivity and profits.
Get in touch with our experts today to create successful elearning solutions that increase the retention rates seen in your company training.
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