When we try to teach something through e-learning, we obviously want it to stick to the learners for life. At least, this is the intention of those creating elearning courses. The more the learner remembers from the lesson, the more beneficial the course will be. After all, anything they remember can be implemented in their daily lives. It will help them improve their output and make tasks more efficient – both for their work and personal lives.
Of course, making the lessons stick to the minds of the learners is usually beyond your control. It is difficult to completely control how the mind works – not to mention the fact that the mind of learners work differently. The best you can do is to create the e-learning course in such a way that will help make the lessons memorable.
There are three approaches that you can use to make this possible.
Action is better than words. According to an article published in The Guardian in 2013, children will respond well when immersed in practical activities. This is proven to be more effective compared to textbook learning. The same is perceived to be true for e-learning. If you really want the learning process to be completed and remembered, you should incorporate practical applications. Doing is a lot better than making them see how things are done. At first, it is obviously important that you show them how something is done. But after that, the learners must implement the skill or apply the knowledge. This will not only help them apply what was learned, it will also help you or the instructor check if they understood the lesson correctly.
Allow self-exploration. There is nothing like trying to learn things on your own. If you try to find out how something is done and you do not rely on what you read, the experience of discovery and exploration will help you remember the learning process. This is also in connection with the first. More often than not, it is the experience that will make learners remember. This is why engagement and interaction are very important. Give learners the opportunity to explore and learn on their own. Allow them to control the pace of learning. Instead of providing them with what they need to learn, give them the links that will lead them to answer their own questions. That is a great way to improve retention.
Focus on what they know. By concentrating on what learners know, you will be inclined to build the lesson based on their stock knowledge. This will make the lesson seem familiar to them. If you are learning something that you are familiar with, there is interest right from the beginning. You do not have to worry about this aspect during the learning process. When something is interesting, the brain is more inclined to absorb what is being learned. This will make the course more effective.
E-learning can be efficient in getting learners to gain new insight or skill. However, it will only be deemed effective if the learners are able to remember the lesson – especially when it is needed the most.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles for FreeDigitalPhotos.net