Creating engagement with your learners greatly increases their retention of the information and makes the course that much more enjoyable. I often use the word "fun" when I describe eLearning–we're not talking balloons and unicorns here. But I want the course to be easy to navigate, thought-provoking, and an all-around pleasant experience for the learner.
Here are some easy ways to add interaction to your eLearning courses. I am using Articulate Storyline in my examples below, but these principles will work with any eLearning application.
Add a Navigation Bar
Instead of using the default menu or TOC in your courses, add a Navigation Bar to the slides for a clean, professional look. Learners can access other sections easily. You can even lock down more advanced topics until the learner visits specific content.
A navigation bar was added to the top of the slides. The learner can access another section easily and it resembles a website so it's familiar to most.
I changed the color of the topic in the navigation bar and made it bold to stand out and to show the learner which section they are in–again, like a website. This technique is easy to understand and navigate.
Add a Question
Give the learner a task. Ask them to answer a simple question–not a graded question in this case but a "survey" question.
You can have different comments pop-up depending on how the learner answers. For example, if the answer is flat out wrong, you would say "Great guess, but let's take a look at why that might not be the best answer in this scenario." Or, as I often do, set up all the answer buttons to proceed to the next slide. In this case, it doesn't matter what the learner chose as the answer, they are about to find out what the right answer is. But you made them think, and that's engagement!
In the example above I added a simple question. Regardless of their answer, the learner is taken to the next slide to learn the correct answer.
Make Them Work for It
I say work, but what I really mean is "make them interact with it." Instead of displaying all the content on the slide, why not give the learner a task? Add buttons or icons that, if clicked, display the information.
In this course the learner has already been interacting with the orange circle on previous slides so they know to tap a circle to get information. This is a simple but effective way to add engagement.
In the example above I used different shapes but it's the same concept.
I used icons for the learner to interact with and gain information.
Add a Familiar Symbol
And finally, the use of a familiar symbol–such as a lightbulb, question mark, or magnifying glass–can allow you to give the learner a tip or tidbit of useful content.
Some courses use the question mark as a "help" link or to give more info about how to navigate the course. The lightbulb can be used to share a timesaving tip. And the magnifying glass is a great choice if you are giving them more detail or diving a little deeper on the topic.
I used a magnifying glass to share more information with the learner. By keeping it consistently in the same location, the learner becomes accustomed to interacting with it.
