The current speed of technological change is a marvel. According to Forbes, rapid technological change is the biggest threat to global business.1 Also, a contributor to the New Zealand Listener claimed “the rate of technological change is now exceeding our ability to adapt.”2
Because technology trends change so quickly, tech employees must constantly learn new skills and become familiar with new technologies - including their own products and the tools they use to produce them.Interactive eLearning courses is a key tool for helping employees keep pace with technology and products through interesting, competitive training. According to Training Industry,3 interactive online learning:
Simple tweaks to online learning can help tech companies create an interactive training experience for employees.
Here are a few simple ways to ensure technology training is interactive:
To make online training more interactive, ask learners compelling questions that cause them to engage more deeply with training. eLearning Industry stated,
“During online training courses, do not be afraid to regularly add questions between work documents and modules…. Multiple choice, true/false, matching, fill-in-the-blanks; different formats activate different intellectual responses and should therefore be diversified.”1
Questions prompt learners to recall training content, which drives knowledge retention, so don’t hesitate to reword the same question when appropriate. Also, learners’ answers to the questions your courses ask will give you insight into their comprehension of training and help you determine which areas of training need to be better explained.
Many eLearning courses are linear. While some learners prefer a linear delivery of training, the bright, creative employees tech companies regularly employ often enjoy having more freedom to control their how and how they consume training content.
Author of the article How to Create Interactive E-Learning mentioned another method of promoting interactivity and autonomy in learning: touching screens. Touch-screen learning allows employees to “choose what they want to review. It’s simple, but it’s an easy way to convert your click-and-read content to something more interactive.”4
You can also provide content in multiple formats, allowing employees to choose how they get the information they need. Including the same content in a video, a written document, and an infographic can help training appeal to different types of learning.
Giving learners positive feedback helps them develop professionally and contribute more to your tech company. Rewarding learners with badges can motivate employees, but there is no replacement for personalized feedback.
To simultaneously increase the interactivity of eLearning courses and the morale of learners, have live instructors, supervisors, or managers connect with employees regularly. Encourage them provide feedback on what employees have done well by personally noting their accomplishments as well as providing opportunity areas. This could be done at the end of an eLearning course, mid-way through the course, or both at the midpoint and end of the course. Alternatively, feedback could be provided via digital report cards, which are included in LMS reporting.
Interactive training engages technology employees, motivates them to grow professional, and increases knowledge retention, which is a good recipe for improving training ROI. While interactive training is often created by an instructional designer, it is best delivered with an LMS that provides the flexibility and freedom employees need to interact with material.
In addition to distributing, tracking, and reporting on interactive online training, an LMS can also solve some of your technology company’s key challenges.
References:
1. Forbes. Rapid technological change is the biggest threat to global business. https://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorrison/2017/02/09/donald-trump-is-not-the-biggest-threat-to-global-business/#3194f9d31b73.
2. The New Zealand Listener. The rate of technological change is now exceeding our ability to adapt. https://www.noted.co.nz/tech/the-rate-of-technological-change-is-now-exceeding-our-ability-to-adapt/.
3. Training Industry. 6 benefits of interactivity in corporate training. https://trainingindustry.com/articles/content-development/6-benefits-of-interactivity-in-corporate-training/.
4. The Rapid E-Learning Blog. How to create interactive e-learning. https://blogs.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/how-to-create-interactive-e-learning/.