With learning and development changing so fast, it’s crucial that we recognise that employee engagement should be the prime focus.
Today, there are many new technologies and ways of learning, and so we tend to focus on that, rather than the content and employee engagement. Your employees should be able to utilise the skills they’ve been taught through training. If they’re unable to do that, your learning content maybe isn’t engaging or relevant enough.
To achieve higher engagement, here’s what you can do:
Tailor your content
By now, we know that not everybody learns in the same way. Some of us need visuals, some sound, some write and read and some learn by doing. Additionally, everyone is at different levels; and so it is important to be able to tailor your learning. If the learning is all the same, a lot of your learners won’t engage.
To tailor your learning to your learner you can use pre and post learning quizzes. The results from these quizzes, provide great insights into the level learners are at and what type of learner they are.
This is a really useful tool to use to align learners with the right course, and on the correct learning path. A great way to achieve personalised content, whilst achieving the same goals.
Make it interactive
To completely change the dynamic of your learning, make it interactive; it makes your learners an active part of their learning story. Interactivity can come in different ways, including quizzes, role-play, branching scenarios, case studies, problem solving and an element of gamification.
Including elements like these will allow you to provide your learners with realistic, first-hand experiences.
Interactivity engages more as it makes learners the heart of the story. They can make decisions under real time pressures, understand emotions and competing to reach the end goal; all ways to achieve high impact content, high engagement and behaviour change.
Use visuals
Although not all of your learners will learn visually; visuals really do engage more. Still images and videos can elevate your learning content, giving learners realistic views and immersing them into the scenario.
Video can be more beneficial as they can be paused and resumed as and when the learner wishes. This will give your learners more control over their learning, another way to keep them engaged.
The biggest benefit of including visuals in your learning content is that your learning becomes on demand, there is no need for a trainer. Of course, your visual content can support classroom learning, however it is a great way of cutting costs for trainers and a classroom.
Be realistic
Giving your learners realistic content is the best way to achieve high engagement. Learners not only want but need real scenarios, to fully benefit from their training.
Why? Realistic scenarios will ensure learners repeat desired behaviours in real life. By experiencing these scenarios in a safe environment, where mistakes are okay, learners will be able to understand the effects their actions have.
Realistic scenarios also give learners first hand experience, again this will inspire them to repeat the desired behaviours. They connect with learners, bring them emotions and challenges, which impact their choices. First hand, realistic experience gives learners a real understanding of how life on the job will be.
Gamify your learning
Gamification naturally provides a more engaging and motivating learning environment. It gives learners the opportunity to compete with themselves, and other learners to achieve better and more.
Gamification allows learners to be more in control of their learning, whilst also providing challenges, interactivity and a great learning culture – all greats ways of engaging. With elements such as rewards, badges, leaderboards and most importantly the option to try again.
It’s important that learners have the opportunity to fail challenges and try again. This ensures learners will understand and put into action the correct behaviours when on the job. Gamification is a great way to ensure retention of desired behaviours, whilst fully engaging learners.
Provide personalised feedback
Making your learning interactive, alongside gamification elements provides great scope for behavioural insights and feedback. As a learner, it’s helpful to understand what you have achieved and areas you need to work on. Feedback and insights engage with learners, as the learning journey becomes more personal.
Personalised feedback can be provided from quizzes, leaderboards and challenges. As well as engaging through personalisation, this feedback can motivate learners to perform better. For learning managers, insights will help you to understand what level each learner is at and if they need any further learning.
Keep your modules short
By keeping modules short, it not only means learning is easier to deploy, but more importantly, learning is easier to absorb. With longer modules learners are more likely to lose concentration and engagement, short modules are a great way to keep learners engaged all the way through.
Additionally, with the modules being smaller than usual, it makes it easier to repeat certain topics, if needed. A bonus of having modules like these means they can be easily utilised on different devices, from mobile to computer – a very learner focused route to learning.
Near-Life™ learning
At Near-Life™ we design bespoke elearning content, in realistic environments to ensure learners are always engaged. We take on a gamified approach, digitising role-play to challenge learners and promote behaviour change.
Our realistic scenarios are filmed in real locations with real employees to provide learners with the most immersive, realistic, first-hand experience. Additionally, our Near-Life™ technology allows learners and organisations to receive personalised feedback to analyse any gaps in their learning.