4 Features To Engage Your eLearners

At Planet Studio, we think of the end-user first, on every project. But a user-first approach is especially important when you’re launching an eLearning program. 

When will your learners use the program? How will they use it, and what do they hope to gain from your training? Whether you’re partnering with Planet Studio or going on your own, these are the types of questions that you should be asking your end-users. Their answers can add surprising new insights! 

And don’t forget to ask your audience what they’d most like to see in a digital training. Let’s look at four ideas that they may find interesting. 

1. Virtual instructors: 

For many organizations, in-person instruction just isn’t an option right now. Luckily, technology is improving, and we can help you organize workshops and learning summits over teleconference software. We can use interactive surveys, game show concepts, and other activities to keep your virtual-attendees engaged. 

As another option, we can also deploy a mobile ‘video-shoot studio’ that allows your trainers to record a remote session and share it with future hires when needed. A lot of remote learners respond well to a friendly face who can help coach them through complicated content. 

Planet Studio can also customize and animate avatar instructors to give your eLearners a character to connect to. Avatars can be subject-matter-experts, fellow students, prospective customers, or just about any other persona that you can think of. 

2. Anytime, Anywhere Learning

Online learners often take a tactical approach to training & development. Their end-goal is to build the know-how to troubleshoot an issue, complete a procedure, or refresh their ‘soft skills.’ And often these are immediate objectives, springing up on-the-job, in-the-moment.

So give your audience bite-sized, pocket-friendly bits of targeted info that they can use to meet the task at hand. These could include videos or step-by-step checklists that display well on phones—or even old-fashioned, analog pocket guides or cheat sheets.  

3. Scenario-Based Practice

How well do your students translate what they’ve learned into real-world scenarios? If that question worries you, then it’s a good idea to provide homework or roleplaying scenarios to help your learners make that mental transition from the virtual classroom to their physical workplace.

If you’re going to enact role-playing scenarios in virtual training, make sure your program is using motion graphics, video, or audio prompts to make the exercise as immersive as possible. We can also help you create interactive ’choose your own adventure’ activities with scripts and visuals that feel authentic to your trainees’ everyday environment. This can be a great investment because studies suggest that simulation games can lead to a 20% increase a trainee’s self-efficiency and a 9% increase in retention.

4. Recognition / Rewards

Speaking of gamification, reward systems (i.e. points and badges) can be a great way to motivate your eLearners. You can even use leaderboards and email recognition to spread praise and foster friendly competition.

Game brands like Warcraft and Dark Souls will tell you that these digital rewards are even more effective when they appear unpredictably. This unlocks a pleasant surprise—and a bit of dopamine to keep users engaged and motivated.

You can also set up extrinsic incentives, like a gift card, or additional paid time off. Make sure that the value of the prize is comparable to the amount of effort required—and that the prize is awarded within just a few days.

Are you planning on using these four features in your upcoming eLearning program? If not, you may want to ask your audience if they’re interested in having them added to their classes. Or better yet, talk to us and leverage our technical and design know-how to integrate each of these features from day one!