The emergence of e-learning as an alternative to traditional education and training has provided so many advantages to people who have taken online courses. Over the years, more and more learners and businesses have been opting for the e-learning platform, which opened up new opportunities to educators, experts, and business owners who wish to earn from sharing their knowledge and skills to online learners.
However, preparing online courses is not as easy as it seems. There are specific measures that need to be made to ensure that learners are constantly engaged so that they can retain the information and skills from the modules. There are also certain things that online course developers need to avoid.
Cognitive Overload
Having text-heavy pages may lead to cognitive overload. It is important to keep every module focused on just one topic so that learners will not find the content too overwhelming. Concise and clear content is important so learners are able to absorb information more effectively and also retain this information and apply this during the assessment part at the end of the module. Avoid adding irrelevant information and present complex concepts into short paragraphs or bullet points so they are easier to grasp.
Distractions
Aside from adding too much text, placing too many images or graphics can also be detrimental to the effectiveness of an online course. While it is important to include quality, relevant images to keep learners engaged, having too much may serve as a distraction. Add images and graphics only as necessary and ensure that these are related to the topic.
Difficult Navigation
Ease of navigation is essential to online courses. E-learners need to be able to find what they are looking for without difficulty. Perform beta testing to check that all links are functioning properly and to see if it is easy to access the modules, materials, and other items on the course. Beta tests allow online developers to gain valuable feedback from the testers, so necessary modifications can be made before the course is launched.
Poor Quality Content
The quality of the course content should be top priority. Learners need to be provided with new learnings that provide additional value to them. It can be quite easy for the credibility of online course developers who intend to teach online through several e-learning courses to lose potential customers if one course fails to provide quality content. Ensuring a positive online learning experience involves providing quality content that is free of errors, relevant, focused, and engaging to the learners.
Lack of Interactive Elements
One of the worst mistakes of online course developers is failing to add interactive elements to the course content. The absence of an actual, live teacher or trainer can make it difficult to make learners fully engaged in the course modules if only text and images are on there. Having a healthy mix of interactive elements, such as videos, audio clips, and real life scenarios can help make an online course more effective by keeping the learners interested, attentive, and actively participating in the online activities.
By taking note of the things that should be avoided when creating an online course, developers will be able to launch a more effective e-learning platform.
Michelle Gonzalez has been writing for SMEs across the United States, Canada, Australia and the UK for the last five years. She is a highly-experienced blogger and SEO copywriter, writing business blogs for various industries such as marketing, law, health and wellness, beauty, and education, particularly on e-learning platforms such as www.teachable.com.