Our top tips for creating an effective learning program!
Content
Microlearning Principles
Keep lessons short and to the point!
Video Length
Keep videos to around 1-2 minutes. We understand some have to be longer to help users understand the full concept; they can always be added in the briefcase. If you have a video that is longer, you can break it up into smaller chunks and input question/interactive slides in between to either reinforce or test knowledge.
Lesson Length
We recommend 10-15 slides maximum per lesson to ensure they don't take too long to complete. Some lessons may need to be longer due to the amount of knowledge that will be transferred to learners. If you can break this up into achievable checkpoints, that would be ideal for learner retention.
Course Length
We recommend 4-6 lessons per course so that a course completion can be achievable in around 20-30 minutes.
Ensure template variation to keep the learner guessing!
Content Interaction and Variation
We recommend maintaining a ratio of 1 interactive slide to every 3 content slides and using a variety of templates. Scattering knowledge check slides throughout (rather than all at the end) also keeps the content more engaging.
Utilise EdApp’s course library
Reduce your overhead work! Import and modify the course to your organisation’s branding and then publish
Reinforce knowledge over time with Rapid Refresh quizzes.
Organization
Paths
Utilize our paths feature in order to create a linear and clear learning journey for your users.
We recommend 4-6 courses per path!
Collections
Utilize course collections to group similar course topics together
Launch
Launch to all users at once
This drives traction, momentum and success, and reduces double handling as compared to staggering launches.
How much content to release
Don’t overwhelm users with too much content upon initial login
How often to release content
Ensure a steady flow of content release to keep learners engaged and create a habit of logging in; new content every week, fortnight or month
- Releasing a course per week helps maintain learner engagement.
- Establish a timeline for ongoing content releases
Ensure your user groups are set up and the course is assigned to the correct groups to ensure the best learner experience.
Engagement
Learners won't complete lessons if they don't know it exists!
Push Notifications
Enable automatic push notifications to be delivered daily to your users if they are logged in on the platform and have the notifications enabled. Send a custom notification with a purpose is best; this could be when a new course is out or a prize draw has begun.
Leaderboards
We advise running leaderboards when releasing new courseware or having them set up for certain time frames. For example, a monthly leaderboard could work to highlight the best learners for that month!
- Ensure there are enough lessons available to keep earning more scores
- Consider rewarding the learners who win the leaderboard – maybe highlighting them on the next banner
- Incremental leaderboards can be very effective e.g. quarterly/ monthly. Gives everyone a chance to reach the top when they start a new leaderboard.
Prize Draws
We’ve seen many clients see success utilizing our prize draws to encourage learners to complete their learning programme. Utilizing prize draws in the launch phase of a programme encourages early adoption.
- Ensure these are set up prior to launch
- Cater to your audience, find out what they like in order to keep them motivated
- Choose a range of different prizes to be available
- Have different values of prizing e.g. $5, $10, $20
Surveys
Create a sufficient feedback loop to understand what your learners are thinking via surveys on the content.
Communication
Use a variety of images and gifs.
Utilize our banners in conjunction with launches to highlight any new changes, updates or courses!
When providing instructions, test it yourself as a learner!
Having a program sponsor and highlighting expectations helps promote the purpose of your learning program.
Editing Content Post-Launch
Try not to add lessons to courses after it has been published and made available to learners. Once the completion is earned on a course, the completion will remain even if you add new lessons (as this is typically unfair for the learner if their completion is reverted).
Design
Lesson Backgrounds
Keep lesson and course image backgrounds simple, with no contrasting colours to ensure that the text over top can be read clearly.
Put a dark or light overlay over the image to make the text more readable!