In the past few years, culture has begun to take a radical turn away from materialism and toward minimalism. Walk into any bookstore and you’ll notice book after book written to help people downsize and simplify their lives. Isn’t this a desire of yours? It seems that deep down, people just know that less is more. This is also true in the eLearning industry.
eLearning greatly benefits from the less-is-more approach. Some administrators cram eLearning programs full of more information than any human can absorb, process and recall. These individuals must come to the realization that, instead of giving learners more information than they can consume, it is wise to approach eLearning with a minimalist mindset.
The task of eLearning involves capturing a subject area and giving learners the information and tools they need to understand it. This is best accomplished by providing learners/users with an eLearning environment that is stripped of all that would distract them from comprehending the information that is needed for their immediate and long-term success.
While it is advisable that administrators approach eLearning with a less-is-more approach, this is not always easy. However, it is possible. Any administrator, trainer or employer can create a minimalist eLearning environment – they just need to take two easy steps.
How to Create a Minimalist eLearning Environment
To ward off the “more” that will always try to creep into an eLearning environment, a minimalist foundation needs to be established. The following two steps set this process into motion:
- Create a mission statement for your eLearning program – Think about what the end goals and objectives are for your company’s eLearning program. Does the program exist primarily to provide excellent employee training? If so, is the training designed primarily to strengthen skills or to get employees up to speed on new procedures?
- Make a list of all of the things that do not advance the eLearning program’s mission – This will help you minimize distractions and keep the program on track.
Taking these two steps helps social learning management system (LMS) administrators create a distraction-proof eLearning environment. However, that’s just half the battle. Additional measures must be taken if the environment is to be maintained.
Maintaining a Distraction-free eLearning Environment is Easy
It’s crucial to establish the framework for a simple eLearning environment that promotes knowledge retention, but it’s equally important to maintain that environment. To maintain a less-is-more online learning space, get to know your audience/community of LMS users. You can do this by reading their blogs, interacting with them on social media networks, realtime chatting with them, and respectfully encouraging them to participate in surveys and polls. By getting to know your audience in these interactive ways, you will easily maintain a distraction-free online learning space.
Social learning management system administrators sometimes forget that people are capable of finding answers and information informally and on their own. They don’t need to be spoon fed and overwhelmed with too many resources and a cluttered online learning space. It is far better for them to have access to specific materials that evoke critical thinking. TOPYX is a social learning management system that allows administrators to tailor their eLearning programs to their users’ needs, ensuring minimalist eLearning programs. TOPYX, an award-winning eLearning system, comes equipped with training tools that facilitate a less-is-more online learning space.
Creating a minimalist eLearning environment is a great way to engage and educate learners. After all, in a world where more is often touted as best, people crave simplicity.
