Drawing learners to your online course is undeniably the biggest challenge in eLearning.

No matter what your area of expertise is, chances are that several online courses address the very same subject matter. 

With so many options to choose from, making sure that learners opt for your course in particular means going the extra mile when it comes to content development. The best way to keep learners engaged is by making sure you have the right eLearning content, presented the right way. 

Content development can be tricky and sometimes, despite the best intentions, course authors may be unsuccessful in getting learners invested in their course. This is why we’ve compiled some important tips to keep in mind while developing the perfect eLearning content. Without further ado, let’s dive in!

Clarify the Goals

Course authors must consider the importance of explaining the why behind any learning experience. Well-defined learning objectives can give learners a clear picture of what to expect. This helps them determine whether the eLearning content covers the areas they want to learn about, and at the same time, builds a roadmap for them.

Knowing what to expect manages your audiences’ expectations. Creating SMART learning objectives ensure that the goals are specific, measurable, and time-bound. At the same time, it would be useful to leverage Bloom’s taxonomy to structure the learning outcomes in the right hierarchy and with the right words. 

Accommodate Different Learning Styles

Using a cookie-cutter approach to present content can impact the engagement levels of your audience negatively. It is necessary to recognize that students come with unique learning styles. Accommodating these styles not only helps cater to a diverse audience but also keeps your content from becoming monotonous.

There are four common learning styles that most learners use to connect with the content:

• Visual: Learners prefer to visualize the content. To cater to visual learners, incorporate infographics, flowcharts, and illustrations that explain the content.
• Auditory: Preferring to reinforce concepts by leveraging audio, these students can use webinars, podcasts, or even slide narration options to develop concepts.
• Verbal: These learners are the most productive when they are able to verbalize the content in the form of discussions, presentations, or Q&A sessions. 
• Kinesthetic: Students that like to ‘get their feet wet’. These students like a more hands-on approach to learning and favor immersive experiences, live sessions, and quick quizzes.

It goes without saying that being a certain kind of learner does not mean that other learning styles need to be completely eliminated from the course. Rather, a measured blend of all styles creates the optimal eLearning content.

Enhance the User Experience

With eLearning, a lot of emphasis needs to be placed on how seamless the digital experience is. A good learning experience is not just dependent on the visual aspects of the online learning platform, but also on the way content is grouped together and how it is presented.

Making the content visually appealing captures the learners’ attention. Our brains process visual data far more quickly than text. This is why incorporating images, workflows, maps, and more, can help students retain the content more effectively. It can also be useful to stick to a specific color palette when addressing specific components. 

Another useful tip focusing on content delivery methods is microlearning. Breaking down concepts into smaller chunks, each focusing on a single learning objective, is far more digestible than hour-long lectures or text-heavy notes. 

Addressing flexibility, you must also ensure that the course content is mobile-friendly. Students these days expect to access learning materials from anywhere, and even on the go. The convenience of accessing course materials from mobile devices can help motivate students. Mobile learning also makes it possible to implement microlearning efficiently.

When looking for the right course, students tend to do their research and consider all sources available to them. Mostly, they are on the hunt for eLearning content that’s not only easily understandable but also innovative. Hence, it’s essential to ensure the originality of your content before delivering it, since any duplication can be detrimental to the success of your online course. 

Your eLearning content needs to be 100% unique, otherwise, you may risk losing your audience or authenticity. Making use of tools like a plagiarism checker can help prevent duplication of content and mitigate any resulting negative consequences.

Incorporate Interactive Elements

In online learning, engagement matters above all else. Capturing your students’ attention solely through the screen is a difficult challenge. But there are ways you can ensure that your learners are paying attention. 

Adding interactivity to your course is a great way to ensure engagement. Students are much more likely to recall information they learned when doing an interactive exercise. This could be something as simple as a poll during a webinar, or as complicated as a gamified quiz. Gamification has the potential to transform your student’s learning experience and leave a lasting impression. 

Certain online learning tools can also be made available to students to play around with. Tools like AI chatbots, and writing aids enhance interactivity and provide functionality at the same time.

Exchange Feedback

You might be wondering about the relationship between good eLearning content and feedback. While simply incorporating feedback does not translate into good content, what you choose to do with the feedback is what matters.

It is important for the course authors and instructors to be on the same page. Feedback is a great way to eliminate any communication barriers and improve the overall learning process. Students can give their unfiltered opinions on how useful certain components were and how to improve the shortcomings of the course.

At the same time, instructors can use the opportunity to give a one-on-one review to the students and help them understand concepts that they find particularly challenging.

Leverage Edly’s Instructional Design Services

When used together, these tips can help you build a meaningful learning experience for your audience. Ultimately, the best eLearning content is created when course authors put themselves in their learners’ place. Accommodating different learning styles, good UX, and integrating interactive elements all have a unifying purpose of making learning easy for the audience.

If you’re unsure about the best way to deliver your content, consider talking to an Instructional Design expert. Edly’s instructional design team can help you build the best learning experiences, tailored to your particular audience. Our rigorous instructional design process has the ultimate aim to keep your learners hooked. To find out more about the services we offer, feel free to get in touch or try our platform for free!