Have you ever asked yourself what the modern learner looks for in an online course when they log in to an LMS? Well, it is not the same as it was in the past. The needs, priorities and learning methods of modern learners have witnessed a drastic change from what we have seen earlier.
Today learners have unique learning expectations where they expect dynamic, engaging, and enjoyable learning experiences. And why not? Modern technology is filled with user-friendly and on-demand bite-sized content that can be accessed anytime. So, learners expect a similar personalized learning experience which tackles their pain points, answers their queries, and helps them apply their new knowledge and skills to achieve their desired outcomes. In this article, we highlight the 4 things that modern learners expect to see in your online courses:
1. Learners want mobile accessibility
2. Learners want a great user experience
3. Learner want clear results
4. Learners want gamified learning
1. Learners want mobile accessibility
The future of learning is mobile. Most people use their mobile devices extensively for doing many things such as studying, working, shopping, reading the news, interacting with others, and a lot more. Today modern learners want to learn anytime, anywhere without being tied to a specific location or device. Learners expect their courses and classes to be available wherever they are. Plus studies show that mobile learning leads to an increase in learner engagement, productivity and company revenue growth.
Therefore, in order to attract and retain learners, you need to make learning easily accessible on any mobile device and deliver mobile-responsive courses. You could provide downloadable online learning content for those who don’t have a constant internet connection. All of this will ensure that every learner gets the best online learning experience regardless of their learning needs, screen size, or personal preferences.
2. Learners want a great user experience
In today’s world, learners have short attention spans where many switch from one window or program to another without really focussing. Moreover, most learners use websites which offer a great user experience like Amazon, Netflix, Spotify, so your online courses should offer a similar experience. This is because learners don’t just want good quality content, they also want easy access to it. If your course content is unattractive, cluttered, and difficult to access, they will most likely not be able to complete the course or recommend it to others.
Thus you need to have a modern and easy to use interface to create a user-friendly experience for your learners. Try to incorporate elements like music, multimedia, games, and video to deliver a multi-dimensional eLearning experience. Ensure great search and tagging capabilities and include popular methods of interaction and navigation used in other apps so that it becomes easy for learners to use the learning platform. Plus you also need to simplify how manuals, worksheets, and other content are accessed by learners.
3. Learner want clear results
Learners want more than just developing new skills and improving their knowledge, they want to see clear results and outcomes from enrolling in online courses. So you should give learners a clear understanding of how your courses will help them. You need to show them how each module and the course will help them to accomplish their objectives.
Moreover, you need to organize your course outline smartly by listing the skills your learners will gain in the order of their usefulness after completing the course. You should also allow early opportunities in the course to reward learners for small achievements and provide them skills they can use right away. Lastly you need to engage and inspire your learners by creating interactive and real-world focussed online courses.
4. Learners want gamified learning
Learning doesn’t have to be dull and boring. Modern learners prefer learning which is fun and exciting. One of the best ways to do this is by including gamification elements and serious games into your online learning courses.
Gamification allows learners to go on adventures, earn points and badges, and advance through levels while improving their skills. It rewards learners for their efforts and gives immediate feedback. Leaderboards are another useful feature of gamification which promotes friendly competition and increases learner motivation. Providing all these incentives reinforces favorable behaviors and motivates learners so that they engage more with the learning content.
Schedule a demo if you want to know how you can use MindScroll LMS for creating great online courses that your learners actually want. If you have any queries, do contact us at yg@infonative.net.
Final Thoughts
Thus following the above strategies will help you to better meet the needs, preferences and expectations of your learners by knowing what they actually want to learn and how they want to learn. This will in turn help you in creating successful online courses that your learners actually look for. To know the process of creating an online course for your employee training program, read our article here.
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