Employee productivity can be a tricky goal. Managers and supervisors try on a regular basis with a variety of tools to gain increased performance and with varying success. However, all realize sooner or later that the same tool doesn’t work on a permanent basis, and many times conditions or the organization limit the ability to use other tools that would produce results. So what to do as an alternative? Distance learning and e-learning are becoming more and more of a practical option for productivity improvement, particularly with training people in new skills sets and knowledge.

“Modern corporate learners” are an enigma. They want to learn but abhor classroom training. They crave deep learning experiences but do not want to sit for too long to “study.” This gives headaches to many L&D professionals. They have a hard time figuring out how to connect with their “enigmatic” audiences and make them pay heed to their messages. But L&D professionals do have one thing clear: the traditional didactic models of learning have outlived their needs. They need newer training models to connect with the modern corporate learner. They need to design learning content to appeal to their learners—a demanding breed that wants training to be developed and delivered considering their lives, likes, and routines.

We are carrying on with our series where we decode the science of forgetting. We peek inside the human brain to decipher why learners forget your training. The knowledge will provide you with valuable insights on what to do to create memorable eLearning courses. The modern corporate learner is overwhelmed by a constant influx of stimuli and information. Employees have to relentlessly sift through a sea of information to sort the facts from the fluff. They have to carry out sundry personal and professional responsibilities. They also want to work on their dreams and cherished projects. They basically have too much going on in their minds. Their attention wanders and they can't focus on the learning as much as they would have liked to.

What’s memorable? What leaves an indelible impression on your mind and changes you fundamentally? We all have our favorite movies, songs, or books. There are stories, tunes, and characters that stay with us for the rest of our lives. As an eLearning developer, wouldn’t you love to design courses that create such everlasting memories for your learners? But in the core of our beings, we know how challenging it is to create unforgettable eLearning courses. There are deadlines. Work has to be completed yesterday. The result: you create courses mindlessly. You spend long hours working on courses that hardly resonate with your learners. So you end up wasting precious time and effort creating content that your learners forget the moment they complete the course.

You just got new software. It’s going to be great! It will increase productivity and communication and yield great results…IF everyone knows how to use it. But if they’re not well trained, you’ll never reap the benefits you paid for. As the Training Manager, you’re responsible for training employees on the new tools and programs. It’s your job to make sure they know how to use its features, QUICKLY. Getting everyone in the company up-to-speed is your priority.

Creating an effective eLearning program is no easy task. It takes hard work, commitment, continuous trial and error, and making LOTS of mistakes along the way before you hit the mark. In this post, we wanted to share some of the lessons we've learned the hard way and give you some valuable pieces of advice, so you don’t make the same mistakes we (or our clients) did. We can only hope that walking you through these lessons-learned can help begin your eLearning design endeavor the right way.

A good eLearning course is like a lip-smacking, mouth-watering, finger-licking meat pie. Every cook has a different recipe, but the essential ingredients are the same—a juicy, meaty filling; spicy seasonings; and two flaky crusts. There are no cookie-cutter ways to create memorable and effective eLearning courses; the needs vary across industries. But the essentials are the same. Time to go over these eLearning must haves:

Are workers dropping out your eLearning courses like the proverbial ‘hot potato?’ Are they finding them hard to finish? Giving them bad reviews? Telling everyone they know a crazed monkey designed them? If so, it’s likely your courses have one or more of the following issues that have driven your learners away: