Five Tips to Avoid Hearing “I Hate eLearning”

I recently received a text from someone very close to methat read, “I hate eLearning!” This wasn’t referring to training I created, butI still went through a multitude of rapid-fire emotions. I felt insulted,angry, hurt, sad; and then, finally, curiosity took over. Why did this personfeel this way and how could I, as an eLearning developer, avoid triggeringfeelings of anger and frustration?

I wanted to defend eLearning and remind her that wecollaborated on several projects in the past, which she loved. But no, now shewas the learner, not the SME, and feeling very frustrated. She couldn’t controlthe navigation; there was no audio; it was too long; the text on the screen eitherwent too fast or too slow. I thought her list of grievances would never end.

Her text set me on a path of self-reflection. I thoughtabout past projects as I pondered this question: How do I ensure that I have putthe learner experience first, and then organize the content around thatexperience to minimize learner frustration?

Here are five tips I came up with:

• Identify learner characteristics.

Who’s your audience?Identifying the learners and their characteristics is vital to the success ofthe course. It will allow you to structure the course to fit the learners. Forexample, if some of the learners are already familiar with the content, allowthem to choose their starting point.

• Keep the length of the course in mind.

Can the content bebroken down into bite-size learning? Allow the learners to work through thecontent in small increments so they can process it before moving on to a newtopic.

• Give the learners control of their learning.

Do the learners haveany sort of control over their learning? Give the learners ownership of thecourse, whether it’s something simple like controlling the navigation, allowingthem to choose where to start the course based upon their previous knowledge,or something more in-depth such as applying what they have just learned.

• Allow learners the opportunity to engage in andreflect on what they are learning.

Is the contentsomething that must be thought about critically or immediately applied? Providestopping points throughout the course. It can be a question they must answer, ascenario they must think critically about, or even an external opportunity wherethey must stop to apply what has just been learned.

• Pilot the course with learners who will betaking it.

Do you have accessto learners who can pilot the course and give feedback? For the pilot, chooselearners who will actually be taking the course. You can gather data via a surveywith open-ended questions, a focus group, or individual interviews. Learnerfeedback is priceless. It will enable you to make adjustments to the course toensure that the learning experience is meaningful and engaging.