A learning event refers to any event developed to facilitate learning. This blog shares the fundamental components of such learning events.
Mankind learns best by example and observation. This is demonstrated in babies who learn every second by observing and imitating the environment and people around them. This fact holds good for adults too. Adults also learn by experimenting on their own and through trial and error. Think of the caveman who discovered fire by accidentally striking two stones together out of sheer boredom. Thus, any instance/situation can impart learning and such instances/situations are referred to as learning events. In the context of eLearning, a learning event refers to any course developed to impart information and facilitate learning. eLearning design and development includes learning objectives, instructional design strategy, visual design, and assessment format. While these elements are common to eLearning courses, in this blog, we’ll focus on the fundamental blocks of interactive eLearning courses.
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Table of Contents
- Why Is Interactivity Important in eLearning Courses?
- What Are the Fundamental Components of Interactive eLearning Courses?
Why Is Interactivity Important in eLearning Courses?
Interactivity is crucial in eLearning courses for a couple of key reasons. Check out the infographic below to find out.
What Are the Fundamental Components of Interactive eLearning Courses?
Curious to Know the Fundamental Components of Interactive eLearning Courses?
Here is the list:
- Context
- Challenge
- Activity
- Feedback
Now let’s take a detailed look at the 4 fundamental components.
Context
When you’re designing eLearning courses, context sets the background for the learning and should consider the learners’ existing skills and performance gaps. Learning becomes meaningful and effective when it is linked to and expands an existing knowledge base. Context represents the conditions under which the learners need to perform. The context of your eLearning courses must compel learners to explore the topic and learn. It should have an element of motivation and encouragement.
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Challenge
In eLearning design and development, challenges play a vital role in boosting learner engagement and fostering attention. They make the learning process more interesting, increase motivation, and compel learning. They should strike a fine balance between being too easy and too difficult. Easy challenges bore learners whereas difficult challenges must force learners to give up. It is crucial to design challenges that match the current level of progress.
Activity
Activities in eLearning courses offer learners opportunities to interact with the learning material, thereby leading to an immersive learning experience. Along with improved learner engagement, activities in your eLearning material also enable learners to demonstrate or revisit their learning while taking the course.
You can include case studies, quizzes, scenarios, and other activities relevant to the topic. As said for challenges, eLearning activities should also not be trivial or included just for the sake of having them in the eLearning course. Instead, they should encourage learners to apply their knowledge and solidify their understanding of concepts.
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- What is Prompt Engineering?
- Why is Prompt Engineering Important?
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Feedback
Feedback is a vital component of effective eLearning course design. Providing accurate, appropriate feedback is essential to reinforce learning and complete the learning cycle. There are different kinds of feedback. Let’s take a look at a few common types of feedback in eLearning:
- Formative Feedback: This type of feedback is ongoing and designed to help improve performance during the learning process. It focuses on providing specific suggestions for improvement.
- Summative Feedback: This feedback is provided to the learners at the end of the training course and is mostly based on the results of the summative eLearning assessment which evaluates the overall performance. It typically includes a grade or judgment.
- Peer Feedback: Evident from the name, peer feedback is based on the idea that one colleague gives feedback to another. It can be a valuable way to gain or introduce different perspectives and insights.
- Positive Feedback: This type of feedback is aimed at highlighting the strengths and achievements of the learner or a team.
- Constructive Feedback: It focuses on providing learners with specific suggestions for improvement, while also acknowledging their strengths.
Watch this video to learn about ways to provide feedback in a constructive manner.
Wrapping It Up!
A good eLearning course must be constructed around these four elements. These components must relate to learners’ current knowledge, build on it, and give them a chance to explore and make decisions based on the learning. In today’s AI-driven world, focusing on these 4 fundamental components to level up your eLearning courses has become easier than ever. All you need to do is add a prompt and voila! Your desired fundamental component for eLearning is ready. However, mastering the art of crafting effective prompts isn’t that easy. So check out our comprehensive, easy-to-understand eBook on prompt engineering and make the most of your AI tools. Download now!
Editor’s note: This post was originally published on April 22, 2015 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
