SHIFT's eLearning Blog

Our blog provides the best practices, tips, and inspiration for corporate training, instructional design, eLearning and mLearning.

To visit the Spanish blog, click here
    All Posts

    3 Types Of Interactions You Should Be Sustaining in eLearning

    eLearning interactivityCertainly, most of us have once attended a long and boring training session (virtual or face-to-face), where the students are merely passive observers and are given little or no opportunities to participate. The truth is, this type of instruction hardly makes an impact on the audience. For effective learning and retention you need interaction. This is what makes the experience more worthwhile and valuable for the learner.

    Make sure you keep these three big types of interaction in mind. They are essential for learning and engagement according to M.G. Moore:

    • Between Learner-learner

    • Between Learner-instructor

    • Between Learner-content

    Learning theories on interaction is one thing. Applying them in practice is another. Also, Moore finds that many eLearning programs make the fatal mistake of focusing on only one kind of interaction and ignoring the rest. Avoid this by learning more about eLearning interaction. Ensure high levels of all three types of interaction:

    1) Between Learner-Learner

    This type of interaction happens between two learners or among a group of learners studying the same course. This can happen with or without the instructor.

    Social interaction definitely plays a main role in how people learn and it’s something that many eLearning professionals tend to forget (or ignore). Studies find that learner-learner interaction leads to greater learning and high course satisfaction. This is likely because students are motivated to learn when they are in a group. They no longer feel isolated and benefit from other people’s feedback.

    Plan for learner-learner interaction in your course by considering student collaboration and information sharing. Build a sense of community within fellow students taking the course. Don’t just encourage them to share their insights. Create a learning atmosphere where they can participate, offer response, draw affective feedback and communicate in short, focused messages. This fosters powerful relationships among students and allows them to better understand your material.

    Quick Action: Enable students to interact with each other even in your absence through new technology. You can start with these discussion boards, telecommunication tools such as email and chatrooms, and social collaboration tools. For example, provide a student-only forum where learners can discuss their interests or you can even schedule chat sessions that they can attend to discuss a specific topic.

    2) Between Learner-Instructor

    This type of interaction happens when an instructor delivers information, provides feedback or simply encourages or guides the learner. It also takes place when a learner asks the instructor questions or communicates with him or her regarding the course.

    The instructor, then, serves as a guide, a facilitator, an expert or a support depending on the situation. While learners can interact with fellow learners, they do well when the instructor is present throughout the course. By providing ongoing feedback to learners, the instructor can clarify issues, reinforce crucial points and correct interpretation of a subject matter, and stimulate learners’ interest and motivation.

    The eLearning instructor, unlike the lecturer in a traditional classroom setup, does not take center stage. He or she becomes a “guide on the side” and not a “sage on the stage.” This effectively brings home the message that the instructor is willing to help students learn and support them until the course ends.

    Quick Action: Promote learner-instructor interaction by

    • Increasing dialogue between instructor and the student (offer several different ways for them to contact the instructor. For example, provide e-mail address, social media accounts and office phone number.)

    • Monitoring the student’s course performance and participation.

    • By offering timely or prompt feedback (Respond to students as soon as possible, hopefully within 24 hours.)

    • Providing clear and detailed information to the learners for every step of the way.

    There are many more proven strategies available out there. Whichever you choose, be sure students can actually feel your support and presence during the course.

    3) Between Learner-Content

    This type interaction takes place when students themselves obtain information directly from learning materials. It happens whenever they interact with the text or are deeply engrossed with the content.

    Researchers consider learner-content interaction the most crucial form of interaction since this is where learning takes place. Once students access learning materials such as multimedia, lectures and handouts, they should be able to consume it their own way. They should be able to pause, rewind, repeat and forward parts of the course to master it.

    Quick Action: Achieve this type of interaction by giving students options on how they want to consume content. Offer content in different formats including text, audio or video. Give them breaks or quizzes to check for understanding. Also, make sure that materials can be read easily on the screen or can be printed. Moreover, create challenging tasks that require students to interact with the content and explore the topic in greater detail. Simulations, web searches, scenarios, case studies, etc. all demand participants to interact with the content and learn more about the topic on their own.

     
    Karla Gutierrez
    Karla Gutierrez
    Karla is an Inbound Marketer @Aura Interactiva, the developers of SHIFT. ES:Karla is an Inbound Marketer @Aura Interactiva, the developers of SHIFT.

    Related Posts

    6 Proven Principles to Create Memorable eLearning Courses

    Picture this: You've invested countless hours in creating a brilliant, engaging eLearning course. It's chock full of relevant information, interesting modules, and interactive quizzes. You've done your part, but there's one question that haunts you as you stare at your masterpiece:"Will my learners remember any of this a month from now?" It's a fair question. After all, the true measure of successful training is not just the initial understanding, but also the longevity of the knowledge imparted. So, how do we ensure that the valuable information you're providing sticks in the minds of your workforce long after they've logged off the learning platform? Understanding how human memory works is pivotal in this quest. But to truly elevate your eLearning strategies, we need to delve into the ways that can help learners not only acquire but also retain new knowledge effectively. This pursuit leads us to six key premises that can transform your eLearning from a fleeting moment of instruction to a memorable learning journey. Join us as we navigate the fascinating world of learning retention, tapping into cognitive science, cutting-edge research, and proven strategies to help your workforce remember what they've learned. For training leaders like you, this blog will be your guidebook, transforming the way you think about eLearning and its potential to empower your workforce in a whole new way.

    How To Avoid Designing Cluttered eLearning Screens

    How many times have you found yourself sitting through a course, feeling bewildered and lost because you couldn't determine what to focus on? And how often have you strained your eyes during a presentation, attempting to decipher the minuscule content squeezed into a tiny space at the bottom of the screen, from your distant seat in the fifth row? Unfortunately, these dreadful experiences are all too familiar. Even the most well-intentioned instructional designers have been guilty of creating cluttered and chaotic eLearning screens, where the intended message gets drowned amidst a chaotic mix of images, icons, text, charts, and graphs. This mishmash of visual elements not only overwhelms the screen but also tests the patience of learners, hindering their ability to grasp meaningful concepts from the course. To alleviate this issue, here are seven effective strategies to help you declutter your eLearning screens:

    9 Ways to Use Video in Your Online Training Courses

    In today's digital age, attention spans are becoming shorter, and learners crave captivating content that resonates with them. That's why incorporating video into eLearning courses has become more vital than ever before. It's not just a trend; it's a transformational tool that L&D leaders must embrace to engage their learners and drive meaningful knowledge retention