Mantras for Making eLearning Experience Effective

Among the key advantages of an eLearning program is the fact that it can be taken by the student at his own pace and convenience. This aspect has made it popular in all segments of education including technical programs like engineering.

There are certain fundamentals that can be applied to an eLearning module to improve learner interest and ensure high levels of engagement. These hold true across all genres of digital learnings ranging from soft skills and language skills to process training and engineering.

Connect to previous learning: The level of understanding gets greatly enhanced if the student is able to connect the current learning to what has previously been taught. The ‘connect’ to previous learning makes the digital learning experience more relevant to the student. For instance, in a mechanical engineering program, the student will need a recapitulation of previous topics to set the right base for the current learning. This will ensure better comprehension and conceptual understanding.

Practical application: Too much theory often gets boring and does not lead to high levels of understanding. It is a good practice to have a liberal inclusion of real life examples, demos and simulations for a more thorough comprehension of the subject matter. This holds especially true for digital learning aimed at engineering students and other such technical programs.

Appropriate feedback levels: Intermittent assessments are important to track student progress and also to provide the much needed feedback to the leaner. Students are advised to make proper use of the built-in feedback mechanism in their digital learning programs.

Social and gaming enhancements: Most modern eLearning systems allow students to collaborate with their peers by sharing learning milestones and learning resources through social sharing tools. Students can leverage this feature to take their learning experience to a higher level of engagement.

Blended approach: Research has shown that well-designed blended programs enhance student learning and increase student retention. Digital learning materials embedded in blended learning guides — interactive multimedia tutorials, podcasts, videos, and simulations — can further engage students, influencing and promoting their learning curve.