Imagine joining a training session where the courses are just chunks of data-heavy paragraphs. You obviously won’t relate to the content and may find yourself zoning out now and then. That’s the primary issue with one-size-fits-all training modules: no spark, no relevance, no engagement.
However, when it comes to custom eLearning solutions, your interest is the prime focus. Customized eLearning materials are made from scratch, focusing on relevance, flexibility, and creativity. The context resonates with you because the content focuses on daily job issues and challenges. By tailoring an eLearning module that fits your needs and learning pace, you gain a fulfilling learning experience that stays with you for a long time.
Unfortunately, creating engaging eLearning solutions can be an uphill battle, especially if you are entirely new to the job. Your mind is filled with questions: How do I begin? What steps should I follow? How long would it take? What pitfalls should I avoid? Etc., etc.
Here’s the thing: you don’t have to worry about any of these factors if you have got the process right, and that’s what we’ll help you with today. In this article, we’ll discuss the key factors you should keep in mind to create a custom eLearning solution that your learners will not stop raving about.
Let’s begin!
Be Clear About Your Goals
Well, this might sound generic, but it’s a crucial step. Before you begin with your eLearning solution, decide on the course objective. What would the learner take away from this? For this, you need thorough insights into their job-centric challenges and skill gaps to create a module that’s relevant to them.
Next, determine what you want them to learn from this training session. Whether it’s to build awareness, improve skills, or inform them about changing policies, make sure you stick to the right tone and structure. Also, remember to set the parameters for measuring success while setting goals. That way, you measure whether the learner has met the target benchmarks.
Identify The Target Learners
Once your objectives are set, decide on the participants. Creating generic eLearning content is no less than a waste of time. Like the specific objective, you should pick a particular audience group to customize the content for. So how do you identify your prospective learners? Here’s what you should do.
- Decide on the number of learners you want to have
- Define their job position and personal profile (age, expertise, background, and roles like sales executives, HRs, customer service managers, etc.)
- Identify their knowledge gaps and the skills they need to develop.
- Analyze their learning preferences (visual aids, simulations, bite-sized content, or hands-on practice)
- Gather their feedback and insights through surveys or interviews, and segment the prospective learners into different groups.
Pick A User-Friendly Platform
Now that your objective and audience are defined, it’s time to pick the stage. The platform you choose for custom eLearning solutions can shape a learner’s experience. Always select a platform that’s easy to navigate and supports interactive elements and gamification to create content that keeps learners engaged and motivates them to learn.
While at it, also consider scalability. Your eLearning solutions will change with your organization’s growth and needs. The more employees come on board, the more eLearning solutions you will have to create, possibly for different regions. Switching platforms frequently will add to your expenses and can be disruptive.
The solution? Choose scalable platforms with high adaptability. Whether it’s adding new users, videos, or advanced analytical features, scalable platforms offer the flexibility you need to provide your learners with a smooth learning experience.
Develop Content That Connects
Content is king. You cannot just assemble information from sources and create an eLearning course. Instead, your primary focus should be on making something meaningful that contributes to learners’ day-to-day activities. So, keeping learners in mind, build modules that refer to real-life case studies, examples, and role-specific scenarios that highlight their challenges and make them relevant for better engagement and retention.
Next, organize your content into simple, easy-to-understand segments. Add interactive elements like quizzes, drag-and-drop exercises, polls, and scenario-based short questions to make the course more engaging and personalized. Tailor the content to your learners’ preferences, job roles, and backgrounds, and encourage them to test their knowledge by solving small assessments and role-based exercises.
Incorporate Multimedia Elements
No one likes chunky datasets and drab slides, and your prospective learners are no exception. What you need is visually appealing eLearning material customized for each learner. Visuals like infographics, charts, graphs, and diagrams can make even the most boring context enjoyable and easy to understand.
In fact, studies suggest that human brains can retain information better when it is presented in visuals with interesting narration. So, incorporate interactive elements, graphics, and animations to make the learning process more dynamic and increase retention.
Remember, the design you choose and the graphics you use signal your company’s professionalism, help build trust, and motivate learners to give more time and effort to the course.
Leave Room For Improvement
If you genuinely want to build eLearning solutions that your learners love, consider what they have to say about the course and the overall experience. So after you roll out the solution to the target learners, use the Learning Management System (LMS) to track their progress, feedback, and analytics.
Considering your learners’ feedback and reviewing your LMS data will help you identify areas that need refinement, such as engagement level, course clarity, or navigation issues. You can refer to these real insights and fill the gaps in the eLearning solutions to ensure they effectively meet your target audience’s requirements and build trust and satisfaction.
Closing Note
Creating an engaging custom eLearning solution is all about getting the fundamentals right, from defining the key objectives and audience to combining real-world scenarios with interactive, multimedia elements and gamification techniques. Every organization should keep its prospective learners in mind and update each aspect from time to time to provide a meaningful learning experience that solves their daily job challenges and helps them to meet the organizational goals.
