Perfecting the craft of effective eLearning content takes time. You will find it necessary to go over your material and give it an overall treatment to improve its quality or make it more effective. It may demand a bit more time, but it’s definitely worth your effort. 

Here are some tips on how to give your boring material the upgrade it deserves:

1) Go beyond facts...

Is your material heavy on facts? Does the course content contain a lot of nice-to-know information?  Just putting words on a screen sucks! Learners get easily bored when you bombard them with numbers, heavy paragraphs, and too much factual information. Avoid this by getting more creative and experimental. You can stick with the facts but weave a story around them. Remember, we all learn best through storytelling since stories that provide context to the content. When you start a course with a relevant story the interest level to take the course increases. 

You can also make use of examples so that learners can easily absorb the material. Examples help to further clarify and drive your point home. This is true in every imaginable topics you can think of, from the sciences to the arts. 

"Education is not the learning of facts but the training of the mind to think. - Albert Einstein". Albert Einstein

2) Experiment with different formats

People learn in different ways. Some feel more comfortable just reading plain content. But others love visual content. Certainly, when a boring topic is tough to follow, visuals make it easier to grasp. Visual descriptions help students visualize your content by using words that describe clearly. Adjectives add color to an otherwise lifeless material.

Success stories, real-life examples, and video case studies are other types of content that are not only easy to absorb but also a lot more personal than the typical content.  With video or audio especially, you can put a face or a voice to the content. 

3) Keep away from jargon

Jargon or the use of specialized or technical language puts off learners from reading your material. Why would they invest time and exert effort understanding a topic that seems so strange and inaccessible? Your job as a course developer is to engage learners and encourage them to complete the course. This is only possible when you use words that are easy to understand, in a conversational and friendly tone. More importantly, avoid “business speak” or a tone that sounds trite, pretentious and confusing.

Pay attention not only to grammar and spelling but also to vocabulary or the sum of words a particular group of learners typically use. That’s how effective course developers win the attention of learners.

Check your tone of voice. If it sounds forced, revise it and make sure the sentences flow naturally.

4) Make it personal

Lack of motivation is perhaps the biggest reason why students fail to finish their e-Learning courses. That’s because motivation is so elusive. You can’t simply motivate them by offering non-personal incentives. The motivation has to come from within. It has to be personal. Review your material once again and ask how it will affect them. Are your objectives and expectations clearly outlined in the introduction? Make sure all of these have a personal impact. Students should also be able to get feedback on a timely manner.

You can make your material speak directly to your learner in several ways:

• Craft a personalized or targeted introduction

• Explain how the course can benefit them in the long run

• Involve them in group discussions

• Send them individual emails to check on their progress

Try to present the content as inviting and human, and, no matter what topic your course is about, present things with a personal tone by using words like “we” and “us”. 

5) Think in terms of usefulness

Your material is limited. It has to be. You can’t include everything you find amusing in it. That’s why every paragraph or element in your course should serve a purpose. Funny videos and catchy images are great but if they aren’t contributing anything to your learning goals, then they don’t deserve the attention of busy learners.

Bottom-line: Make your learners DO things. Focus on what the learner needs to be able to do at the end of the day. 

6) Add a dash of humor 

Adding humor to your eLearning content can make even the most boring topic more interesting and keep your audience’s attention longer. However, you must understand that you have to know your audience very well for using humor in eLearning.

Fun elements do increase the engagement levels, but if it's not used correctly they act as barriers to the message the eLearning course needs to deliver. A good way solve this is to make learners want to use the fun elements if they want to do so. Give them the choice! 

This is your wake up call!

It's time to turn those flat, boring eLearning courses into a fully interactive, engaging learning experience.