There is a simple way to design effective eLearning courses about any subject: brain-based learning. This instructional approach was defined by Hileman in 2006 and has since inspired many “brain-compatible designers” — those who seek to understand the principle and reasoning behind their teaching.

Take a moment to step back from your role as an eLearning designer, instructor, or course developer and focus on yourself as a learner. Answer these questions: How do you learn best? What learning activities are the most motivational to you? How do you interact with other learners? What do you struggle with when learning new information or mastering a new skill? Understanding your own learning preferences is an excellent place to start when considering the benefits of a learner-centered eLearning model.

The brain is constantly on the lookout for ways to improve by obtaining new knowledge and skills, even before birth. Unfortunately, retaining information can be challenging, simply because instructors and course designers do not always use methods that facilitate remembering. The following seven points look at key principles from neuroscience research paired with tips that will allow course creators to achieve effective eLearning courses.

The workplace in the modern world is changing: from the way we work, the behavior of employees, and even learning habits; nothing is unfolding as it used to be. Going even further, demographic changes in recent decades mean that a new type of worker is here, with needs and characteristics very different from previous generations. All these factors, combined, mean that the traditional learning methods (depending mainly on instructor-led format) may not be effective anymore in today's business environment. Workplace learning must evolve along with the changing needs of the workforce and the fast-paced economy.

In recent years we have experienced great changes in the workplace. As a result, we have seen an exponential growth of e-learning in companies. In fact, according to a report by consulting firm MarketsandMarkets, the eLearning industry is expected to skyrocket from $8.4 billion by 2020 to $33.2 billion in 2025 But before digging deeper, let's discuss: What is eLearning exactly? And what are the benefits it offers to both learners and companies? Continue reading.

Do you know how effective is your compliance online training? Is the program well-integrated into the company? Are employees completing the courses on time? Are they really learning the safety parameters or regulatory laws you are teaching? You won't have the answer to this if you aren't leveraging the power of Learning Analytics. Having the right data is key to understanding if your compliance online training is making an impact. Simply tracking completion rates and passing grades is not enough. Monitoring deep-level insights like engagement, behavior, and struggles are also important to analyze to make well-informed business decisions and provide actionable insights to your team. You can set the X passing score for successful completion, but in compliance and safety issues, if employees aren't really learning the information it could represent a huge cost in the long run. So, leveraging online platforms and learning analytics becomes essential for companies to supports students throughout their journey. For instance, if an employee does not get a question right, they can be redirected to revisit a specific module and come back to take the test.

A lot of research actually goes into a well-designed eLearning course. And like it or not, instructional designers have to dig deep into the psychology of learners, specifically how they learn and what affects the learning process.

Anyone seeking to create meaningful and engaging eLearning courses can benefit by remembering what it is like to be on the other side. It is bad practice to subject learners to any training that you would not participate in yourself. It’s time you stop blaming the “boring” content and commit to stop tormenting the learners who are required to take your course! Our job as eLearning designers is to FASCINATE and DELIGHT the learner from beginning to end. In the excitement of launching a new course, it’s easy to overlook details. Therefore, it can be very useful to have a checklist for last-minute touches.