SHIFT's eLearning Blog

Our blog provides the best practices, tips, and inspiration for corporate training, instructional design, eLearning and mLearning.

To visit the Spanish blog, click here

    How To Avoid Designing Cluttered eLearning Screens

    How many times have you found yourself sitting through a course, feeling bewildered and lost because you couldn't determine what to focus on? And how often have you strained your eyes during a presentation, attempting to decipher the minuscule content squeezed into a tiny space at the bottom of the screen, from your distant seat in the fifth row? Unfortunately, these dreadful experiences are all too familiar. Even the most well-intentioned instructional designers have been guilty of creating cluttered and chaotic eLearning screens, where the intended message gets drowned amidst a chaotic mix of images, icons, text, charts, and graphs. This mishmash of visual elements not only overwhelms the screen but also tests the patience of learners, hindering their ability to grasp meaningful concepts from the course. To alleviate this issue, here are seven effective strategies to help you declutter your eLearning screens:

    9 Ways to Use Video in Your Online Training Courses

    In today's digital age, attention spans are becoming shorter, and learners crave captivating content that resonates with them. That's why incorporating video into eLearning courses has become more vital than ever before. It's not just a trend; it's a transformational tool that L&D leaders must embrace to engage their learners and drive meaningful knowledge retention

    The Art of Creating Short, But Effective eLearning Courses

    In recent years, eLearning has undergone a transformation, with a growing emphasis on microlearning. This approach to learning involves breaking down longer courses into shorter, more condensed modules, with the goal of increasing efficiency. Shorter eLearning courses have proven to be less time-consuming and more effective, particularly given that modern learners have less time and shorter attention spans. As organizations have come to realize the benefits of microlearning, they are increasingly adopting this approach as a way to engage employees in just-in-time, bite-sized learning. This shift has been driven by the recognition that it's unrealistic to expect learners to sit through hour-long courses without interruption. Instead, the focus is on delivering shorter bursts of truly productive learning that can be absorbed and retained more easily.

    Transform Your Outdated eLearning Courses with These 6 Tips

    Sometimes it feels like your eLearning courses haven't been updated since the 90s. Often, your courses look remarkably similar to the ones you made five years ago. This sense of timelessness can easily bore your learners and actually take away from the impact of the course content. How can you make your eLearning courses more innovative? How can you adapt them to modern learners' needs and spice them up? Most importantly, how can you redesign them and create transformative experiences that actually engage your learners? Continue reading!

    Interactivity in eLearning: Finding the Sweet Spot with 4 Key Questions

    Let's talk about interactivity. What is it, really? We all have an idea of what it means, but putting it into words is no easy feat, right? From an academic standpoint, interactivity is defined as "a mutual action between a learner, learning system, and material". Makes sense, doesn't it? It's been proven time and time again that interactivity has a strong, positive impact on learning (Bosco 1986; Fletcher 1989; 1990; Stanford; 1990). In fact, one study by Bosco (1986) reviewed 75 studies and found that interactive media not only helped people learn faster but also improved their attitude toward learning. So, you might then think, that more interactivity must be better, right? Well, not necessarily. There's a fine line between a richly interactive eLearning course and one that overwhelms learners with endless hurdles and challenges. Just like chocolate, wine, and Netflix series, interactivity is best enjoyed in moderation.

    The Complete Checklist for the Perfect eLearning Course Design

    We have been designing eLearning for quite some time now, but this blog post from Canva made us realize that great design is actually simple to create if you follow a few rules. So we thought we will spill the beans and let the world (the other eLearning designers who are still fumbling with the rules of the game) know about the 9 essential design tactics that will magically transform ho-hum eLearning courses into scintillating works without compromising on instructional effectiveness.

    5 Golden Rules to Follow for Successful e-Learning Programs

    eLearning is the ideal training solution for your company...if implemented correctly. Employees love it for the flexibility it offers, while organizations like that it is cost-effective, customizable, and scalable. However, many companies try it and fail. Why? Frequently, it is because they did not do enough audience needs analysis or did not create a strategic plan before implementing the program. It can also be because they did not define their objectives or never talked to the workers before demanding they train online. If you are considering launching your first eLearning course (or the next one), there are five golden rules you must know if you want to succeed.

    5 Ways To Optimize Your eLearning Courses And Maximize Learner Engagement

    Do you remember the excitement when the iPhone was first launched? Everyone was thrilled and curious about the possibilities it offered. And the most natural follow-up question was, “How can we make it even better?” That’s the same attitude eLearning professionals have when it comes to their courses. As eLearning continues to grow in popularity, the competition to capture learners' attention is fierce. Creating a course and uploading it to an LMS is not enough to keep learners engaged and motivated to complete it. That's why optimizing eLearning courses has become a top priority for eLearning professionals.