As an ancient Chinese proverb says, “Tell me and I forget; teach me and I may remember; involve me and I learn.” Learning is an active process that demands participation, which means — as this proverb says — it’s time to move on from the passive training courses of the past.
Participative learning is one of the most effective methods of training. When learners engage with their learning materials, they’re empowered to better connect with the subject matter, sharpen their skills, and become active participants in their own education. In most immersive learning situations, users also have greater control over their learning environment, which allows them to take the material at their own pace and retain the information.
Effective e-learning programs utilize a mix of engaging elements, which are simple to implement in even the most basic training courses. If you want to know how to create interactive online courses, here are some tips for engaging your learners and providing a highly immersive user experience. As you design your online training program, be sure to include some of the engaging elements we’ve outlined below.
Implement Interactive Features in Each Step of the Training Course
Interaction in each step of a learning course keeps your learner engaged and attentive. That’s why it’s important to require interaction in order for the user to be able to progress through the course. Simply having a “next” button to move to the next stage or pressing “play” on a video isn’t enough to make sure this happens.
Instead, give your learners the chance to solve problems and make decisions similar to the ones they’ll experience in real life, in a simulated environment where they can practice without fear of failure or judgment. For example, you could insert a penalty-free, multiple-choice quiz at the end of a section to have the user demonstrate what they’ve learned and apply it to real-life scenarios.
Give Users the Opportunity to Explore and Learn More
Users aren’t fully immersed in their learning experience unless they’re given the chance to explore. You can promote exploration by implementing helpful links in your learning materials. Linking to useful content pertaining to the course material gives learners the chance to get clarification and elaboration on confusing concepts as well as a more in-depth look at important material.
Evoke Emotions From Learners to Add to Your Material
If you can find ways to integrate videos or news articles about real-life human events into your course material, you’re more likely to help learners relate personally to the subject matter and remember concepts. Be sure not to shock them away from remembering the core concept being explained; just help them to feel something that they’ll remember and associate with a core concept.
Prioritize the Visual Aspect of Your Learning Courses
Dry topics are even more difficult to digest when presented in a boring way. Invest in the design elements of your training courses by incorporating several multimedia elements, effective fonts, videos, and engaging colors and pictures. This makes the topic more relatable, unique, fun, and engaging.
Schedule a Demo With LearningZen
Many are intimidated by the idea of implementing engaging features and worry about the technological complexity of the task. But there’s no need to feel out of your depth! Today’s technology makes it easier than ever to create interactive training without spending much money or knowing a lot about the latest software — and the best part is that learning management software is available to everyone.
At LearningZen, we’re here to help you create the ideal training course with all the engaging features you need at a low cost. Contact us today for more tips on how to make an online course interactive or to schedule a demo of our software and learn how our product will benefit your trainees and your organization as a whole.
