Ways to Boost Engagement in Industrial eLearning – Part 1

1. Investing in Scenario-based Learning

Scenario-Based eLearning is an eLearning methodology that exposes the learners to real-life situational simulations in the ambit of the course. When information is transmitted in this rather practical setting, learners are empowered to manage what they’ve learned much better in their working memory and also achieve a higher recall in their long-term memory.

Scenario-based learning is well recognized for its benefits in engaging and motivating learners while challenging them without overloading their mental capacity.

Regarding an example, the United Nations designed its eLearning modules for its globally dispersed workforce by leveraging the power of scenario-based learning with authentic role-play scenarios. The results from this exercise were encouraging, and as many as 99% of learners surveyed post the course delivery reported increased confidence and clarity levels.

2. Harnessing the Power of Visuals

In today’s information age, individuals are flooded with content everywhere their eyes tend to go. Whether it is the signboards they come across while driving, the messages and emails they’re blasted with or the web of information they come across while surfing the internet.

In this scenario, how the new information is delivered to them plays a key role in impacting their absorption of the information and influencing its stickiness in their minds. As employers invest in eLearning, it makes a remarkable difference in learning outcomes when the right way of teaching is employed.

Statistically, it has been established that as many as 65 percent of individuals are visual learners. Using this fact when delivering new knowledge to employees tremendously impacts the outcomes and can improve learning by up to 400 percent.

Visuals tend to create stickiness in long-term memory, transmit messages significantly faster to the brain, enhance comprehension while also triggering emotions and the much-desired engagement.

Toyota Motors Europe leveraged this very fact and managed to condense their day-long training for onboarding new hires to just one hour with remarkable engagement levels and positive outcomes. Essentially, they achieved this by harnessing the power of visuals and creating an interactive video illustrating the customer value chain from the start to the end. This replaced the typical successive slide deck format presented to the new hires over the entire day by each business department.

3. Introducing Gamification in Courses

It has been observed that companies that invest in gamified learning attain improved participation from employees in their eLearning programs. Regarding a real-world case study, CISCO had invested in a social media-based training program for their employees. This eLearning programming is comprised of over 45 courses. This quantum would be overwhelming for the intended beneficiaries. To bridge that, the company introduced game-based levels of certifications.

Gamification offers an incredible way to infuse fun and engagement in eLearning programs in professional environments. In the corporate world, employees are usually tied up juggling the different aspects of their jobs. Encouraging eLearning through exciting games motivates them to go the extra mile and spend time on learning.

These levels encouraged conversation and healthy competition among the employees. While igniting the necessary motivation, it also painted a distinct picture of their expected steps. Results from this gamification exercise included noticeable engagement and over 650 Cisco employees completing over 13,000 courses and unlocking their certifications.

4. Following a Microlearning Approach

Microlearning forms another highly effective mechanism to keep learners’ interest alive throughout the course, along with enhancing their ability to retain new knowledge.

In simplistic terms, microlearning refers to a learning method wherein the course is segmented into multiple small and digestible modules. The idea is that each module must be completed by the learner within just a few minutes instead of attempting to pick up larger chunks of information in one go.

Statistically, it has been observed that longer training results in participants forgetting almost half of what they’ve learned within the first hour following the training. In a day, that memory loss touches 70 percent and goes as high as 90 percent after a week, rendering the hours and resources invested in training redundant. Microlearning helps to overcome such outcomes.

The benefits of following the approach are multi-fold.

• Firstly, it makes absorption of the information much easier as, at one time, there’s only a smaller quantum to absorb.
• Secondly, and more importantly, since it aids in better knowledge absorption, the bite-sized approach enhances knowledge retention.
• Thirdly, it also tends to introduce discipline in learning by creating a well-defined learning culture.

5. Making Learning Programs Interactive

With AI in education, introducing interactivity in the program design of eLearning programs is a proven way to enhance the efficacy of learning outcomes. Flat, one-side learning programs make learning quite passive, with a limited ability of learners to relate to and retain the information.

Introducing thought process interchange makes learning active and significantly raises engagement levels.

Astra Zeneca reaped the benefits of interactive learning while delivering its 2018 Code of Ethics program focusing on the rather monotonous topic. They started by listening to the feedback of their people about what had and hadn’t worked. They then leveraged an employee-led focus group to generate feedback throughout. Using a combination of multimedia elements, interactivity, and storytelling in their approach, they managed to significantly engage over 90 percent of their workforce, achieving commendable in a monotonous topic.

Wish to leverage the above-described techniques and achieve improved outcomes from your eLearning initiatives?

Get in touch with our team at Digicode. Our experienced game development experts make e-learning content interesting and easy to learn with playful gamification and improved interactions, simulations, animations, branching scenarios, and videos.

We develop customized LMS and eLearning to implement SOPs (Standard operating procedures), ensure compliance (standards like OSHA, EPA), and adhere to safety best practices in challenging work environments. We have proven project management skills and experience in eLearning development to provide custom LMS services for industry that fit your needs while being scalable and future-ready.