Newsflash: No One Likes Your eLearning Modules

When people ask what I do for a living and I say, “I’m an instructional designer,” they inevitably look at me puzzled. So I explain, “I design training programs for companies. Have you ever done an eLearning course?” And, because instinct is hard to suppress, their eyes roll all the way to the back of their heads. The self-aware people say, “Our company could probably really use you because ours are so boring!” 

Although I can tell they don’t actually believe anything could make eLearning less boring, at least I know that’s not true. And after reading this post, so will you.

Current E-Learning

90% of companies in the world use eLearning in some capacity. It’s no surprise that, if we weren’t already there, 2020 has catapulted us headfirst into the world of online learning. We’ve transitioned in-classroom learning to virtual instructor-led training, self-paced online modules, or a mixture of both. We’ve watched even our kids transition into this realm of learning. Although many of us were not traveling or working outside our own living rooms, the industry still saw an increase in mobile learning of 23% year over year. 

If so many of our organizations are using this technology, with billions of dollars invested in the industry globally, why are our employees so turned off by it?

It’s Always About Behavior

“Training is about behavior change. People are doing something one way, and we want them to do it another way. Alternatively, they don’t know how to do something at all, and we need them to do it well. But changing behavior is more than just informing people of the right way to do something and hoping for the best. We have to understand the environment in which the behavior occurs.”

What’s preventing them from doing it correctly? 

What kinds of things will they have to look out for once they start doing it right? 

What’s in it for them if they do it correctly? 

Any barriers to correct behavior in the environment should first be eliminated. We can’t set our people up for failure. And nothing turns off an employee in training faster than thinking, “Sure, but that won’t work in real life.” As soon as some of your content is discredited by a clear lack of understanding about what really goes on at work, all of your content becomes discredited. 

Once you understand the environment, it’s time to really determine the behavior, and by behavior, I mean something you can see. This is the hard part. If you find yourself saying things like, “Know…,” or “Understand…,” something has gone wrong.  

Don’t misunderstand, there is a place for knowledge-based training, but make sure that employees know what they should be doing differently because of this new knowledge. 

Lastly, ensure correct behavior is rewarded. I don’t mean pizza parties and gift cards (although those never hurt when achieving a goal or going above and beyond!), but find opportunities to encourage, praise, and reinforce when you see correct behavior. 

It’s Not a PowerPoint

You can’t just throw words on a screen and expect it to be engaging. You wouldn’t put a facilitator in front of a group doing the same thing and expect good results, so why should your online modules be any different? Online learning should be even more engaging than in-classroom training. There are a million distractions in someone’s working environment, and with no one in front of them, there’s no guilty feeling about answering emails while the course plays in the background. 

Keep your screen text to a minimum, only capturing the most important pieces of your slide’s voiceover, and keep the length to something you think will engage your learner. This will of course be specific to your industry and your employees and you may need to do a little research on what works best for them. See, it’s not a simple copy and paste job! 

Blend

When your content deserves more conversation and opportunity for questions, be open to blending your learning. By this, I mean having your eLearning content be a part of the greater “puzzle” that is your overall learning strategy. Maybe your eLearning modules are pre-work to virtual instructor-led learning or maybe your online modules are the main event and you meet with your team virtually to discuss as a group afterward. Whatever you decide, your content drives your delivery system. In other words, don’t try to shove your content into the eLearning box because it’s convenient or theoretically exciting. 

Conclusion

I know your content and capabilities are better than an eye roll response! If you implement the tips provided here, your learners will do more than just be impressed, they’ll actually learn what you wanted them to learn! As Maya Angelou once said, “When you know better, do better.” It’s never too late! If you have access to your source files, carve out the time and attention over the course of the next month to devote 10 hours to upgrade your previous courses with the tips you learned today. Let’s change the reputation of eLearning for the better together!

This content was written and shared by Blayne Gregory, Director of Learning, Leader Momentum

Blayne Gregory is an instructional designer with a focus on behavior analysis who takes a full-circle approach to learn from analyzing the need to designing and developing the instruction, all with a user-centered approach. She first seeks to understand her learner, not putting content on the page until she completely understands what it is they're being asked to do, and why that matters to them. As the Director of Learning for Leader Momentum, she has dedicated her career to making servant leadership available, absorbable, and immediately usable for everyone.