Creating learner-centric e-learning

“In order to create an engaging learning experience, the role of instructor is optional, but the role of the learner is essential.”- Bernard Bull

As an Instructional Designer or a course developer, what do you expect from your learner? That they learn the best way; that they indulge in engaging learning activities; that they interact more confidently with their peers, and that they come out as skilled workers at the end of the training?

All of these goals can be achieved by adopting the principle of learner-centric design (LCD), which means emphasizing on learner engagement to escalate instructional and learning outcomes. Where the conventional pedagogues look upon the learners as blank slates, LCD identifies their agility and uniqueness by delivering relevant, engaging, and personalized learning content.

Learner-centric design aims to provide the best learning experience to your audience. So

Let’s discuss the guidelines that would help you create learner-centric eLearning with more efficacy. 

Before diving in, be cognizant of the fact that your learners…

1. Must be able to connect personally with the learning.
2. Must be able to relate their previous learning experiences with new concepts.
3. Must be free to discuss the subject matter with the trainer and with the peer group.
4. Must be prepared to collaborate by consenting to others’ ideas and freely contribute their own.

The four-step standard

It has rightly been said that “what we learn with pleasure, we never forget”. If the learning experience has been a pleasant one for the learners, they produce more impactful outcomes in any learning environment. As a creator, your motto is to design learner-centric training by adopting the four-step standard that says:

1. Reshape your approach

Prior to drafting the content, bring a change in your instructional approach and make it learner centric, i.e., what is to be included in the content, how to organize it, and how to instruct it as per the learners’ requirements. Reshape boring content into a fascinating and immersive package by:

• avoiding heavy text
• adopting story-telling technique
• creating reality-based learning scenarios
• infusing interactive and mentally stimulating elements
• feeding visually appealing graphics
• using easy to understand language

2. Understand the target audience

To understand your audience, you need to complete the learner analysis by gauging  their demographics, their existing knowledge, their psychology (behaviorism, learning preferences, and belief systems), and their technical expertise. This you may do aptly by:

• knowing the base level of your learners’ knowledge so that you can create the analogies they may relate to  
• connecting with learners by knowing the individual learner’s expectations, fears and challenges so as to create solution-oriented content
• convincing the learners with the measurable benefits of the eLearning content
• choosing characters that match the demographics of your learners
• using appropriate cultural references to link readily with your learners

3. Figure out the end goal of your learners

While drafting the content, figure out the end goal of your learner and determine ‘what they will be able to do’ at the end of the course rather than just ‘what they will be taught. This you can attain by:

• improving the learners’ level of awareness by taking periodic assessments
• increasing their skill in one or more areas of expertise by infusing customized learning pathways
• encouraging self-directed learning by coaxing learners to choose their own learning paths and set their own deadlines.
• spelling out WIFM (what’s in it for me?) to your learners i.e. they must be clear as to what benefits they are going to have from the course. 
• building a positive learning environment by assimilating various activities which induce learners’ participation such as simulations, role-plays, group tasks, games and the like.

4. Maintain the equilibrium

This term sounds unusual here, but it has a point. It says that rather than making learners waited for the entire content to be delivered, engage them in creating their own meaning and learning. This induces a sense of responsibility and equality in the learners, They manage their own knowledge and reflect on their individual effort. Various pedagogical techniques such as quizzes ,discussions or blog writing may support this idea. Through this, the learners are empowered by the end of the course.

 The takeaways:

As learning should always build on existing learner experiences and their past knowledge, Knowledge Synonyms (KS) developers create user-friendly interfaces for each learning by ensuring that the user experience is comfortable and effortless. Moreover, KS also produces highly interactive and engaging elearnings.Hence, at the beginning of the project, KS engages in an intensive training needs analysis process to help the client understand how to fill the gaps in their organization. We go beyond learning, even helping the client set procedures, market new training, and meet their goals for the financial year.

We also  like to heavily involve the SMEs, trainers, and potential learners in our design process to create a pilot for testing the efficacy of the learning program. KS always researches ways to create engaging and collaborative VILTs that help the learner not only learn the curriculum, but more about their trainers and peers because it is one of the biggest challenges of corporate learning to build engagement and collaboration. 

It’s a well known fact that that when people collaborate, they can provide great results. So, let’s join hands and make learning a collaborative effort!

Read more: What’s the first thought you have while thinking of learning and digital innovation?