As an employer or a training manager, you might have already run into issues with keeping your younger employees engaged in e-learning activities. Capturing their attention can be challenging at times, and keeping it can be an even harder task. 

So, here’s what you can do to make your e-learning programs more Gen Z-friendly. 

Keep it short and sweet

A lot of Gen Z tend to struggle with short attention spans. Whether it’s due to social media, ADHD in some cases, or something else, a lot of young people struggle to stay focused for longer periods of time. 

You can imagine how challenging it would be for them to endure very lengthy training programs without losing focus. It certainly takes a lot of patience, and not many people have that. 

In most cases, people get bored easily and are ready to move on to the next task. So, what can you do to grab their attention and help them focus? It’s easy. 

Try to section your learning into smaller bites. Make the online learning process a lot more dynamic. You’ll soon find that a lot can be learned, even when we say less. 

If you know how to pack your words in an efficient way, you’ll be able to keep your learning process short and sweet. 

As a training manager, try to break your e-learning course into smaller ones. You can separate it into sections based on the topics you will be covering. That way, if your course lasts for about an hour, you can teach it in two or three sections.

Facilitate on-demand learning

Pretty much most of Gen Z has grown up with the Internet and modern-day technology. Young people are simply used to having all the answers in the palm of their hands. 

With a stable WiFi connection and a device such as a laptop or a smartphone, you can easily find anything online. 

As a result of that, Gen Z expects to be able to learn any time of the day and anywhere they are. They may come across as impatient simply because if their learning needs are not met instantly, Gen Z will easily look up the answer online or hop on YouTube.

Taking this into consideration, you need to find a way to make your e-learning material accessible 24/7. You can also encourage young people to do self-study sessions. Allow them to have access to some additional content, including interesting eBooks, engaging blogs, creative videos, and so on. 

Make it interactive

Since young people tend to struggle with keeping their focus for longer periods of time, it’s useful to make your e-learning courses as interactive as possible. When learning online, it’s even more challenging to stay active and listen to lectures for a longer time. 

There are many amazing ways to make your courses interactive and motivate your employees to engage more throughout the course. 

For instance, you could try gamification. Gamification refers to applying game elements and gaming techniques to e-learning courses. This can include badges, points, leaderboards, and other similar game elements. Game-based learning can truly make your classes more dynamic and interactive. It makes learning feel so much easier. 

You can also introduce some interactive videos as part of your learning materials. This is especially useful for visual learners. 

On top of that, you can use simulations as part of your learning programs. They help learners develop their competence, while scenarios implemented in classes can help them make a connection between the learning material and real-life situations. 

Offer personalized learning options

Gen Z really appreciates flexibility and individuality in everything they do, and that also applies to learning. So, if you want your employees to actively engage in e-learning, make sure you offer them personalized learning options. This can be done efficiently in multiple different ways. 

For example, you can redesign your website in a way that offers a wide range of different kinds of learning materials. 

You can offer visual elements, quizzes, recordings of online classes, games, and other types of materials that will allow your employees to learn at their own pace and in a learning style that suits them. 

If you’re not really sure how to approach this kind of task, you can consult a professional web design company and ask them for help. With their expertise and experience, they’ll make sure that your website runs as smoothly as possible and that it offers a wide variety of engaging and high-quality learning materials and possibilities.

To find out more about your Gen Z employees’ learning preferences, you can use reliable learning analytics.

Implement responsive learning

According to statistics delivered by Statista, about 35% of Gen Z users in the USA spend around 6 to 10 hours on their mobile phones on a daily basis. They are used to relying on smart devices, and when it comes to learning online, having the flexibility to use multiple different online platforms can be really useful. 

In other words, if you want your Gen Z employees to engage in discussion and be focused during your online courses, offer them responsive learning options. You can also allow them to use learning apps that can be downloaded and used offline too.

Integrate rich visual elements

As already mentioned, Gen Z grew up with technology. This means they are used to having easy access to information online. 

On top of that, they are also used to receiving visual stimulation. They grew up playing video games, watching YouTube, and overall, using smartphones from a very young age.

If you want your online courses to catch Gen Z employees’ attention, make sure you use as many visual elements as possible. 

Use videos, logo design, images, gifs, and other types of visuals in your classes. Not only will this keep their attention, but it will also make the learning material more relatable and easy to understand. 

Conclusion

Overall, there are many amazing examples of how you can make your e-learning programs more engaging and dynamic. 

From using visual elements to offering a wide range of personalized learning options, these are some of the effective ways you can approach teaching/training programs to make them more Gen Z-friendly.

About the Author

Nicole Kelly is a Raleigh, North Carolina, US graphic designer, digital marketing consultant, and writing enthusiast. In her spare time, she loves writing about new business strategies, digital marketing, and social media trends for different blogs and DigitalStrategyOne.