The same mistakes can be found in many corporate online education projects, elearningindustry.com reported. The first, and unfortunately one of the most common mistakes, is a missing definition of what the online education projects' objectives are. Before companies start to work on how their e-learning courses should look like on the computer screen, they should know what knowledge and skills they want to develop and who the target groups of employees are. Then the following mistakes should be avoided.
1. Too much information at once
Instead of a single course overloaded with information, you should prepare more partial courses or modules, each one focused on a specific topic. Users will then remember the topics much better.
2. Too much text
Passages of text in online courses that are too long make the users feel overwhelmed and bored. The result is that they fail to remember the new information. That is why you should include more graphic elements to underline the importance of new information and also to split the text passages.
3. Too many graphics
Even graphics should be used wisely. All the graphics you use should have a clear meaning in the context of the specific new information the employees are learning. Your graphics should not distract users from the topic of the course, but get across the message you want to convey.
4. Lack of practical examples
Participants in online courses should not only gain theoretical information, but also see how this new knowledge can be used in practice. Therefore, provide specific examples from your company or everyday life they can use.
5. Lack of team exercises
Online courses should involve chat, discussion groups, and other tools for communication among participants. They should also include virtual team exercises to let the participants try the things they learned immediately.
6. Outdated educational content
The content of your e-learning courses should, of course, be up to date, including the embedded links. Regularly check that what you are teaching is current information and update the content according to the latest developments in the field.
7. No sound
Do not force users to only read the information you provide without involving voice recordings and music that make learning more enjoyable. Nowadays, nothing prevents you from using video which can be, in many cases, more illustrative than just text and images.
8. No assessment of results
Each training project should include some way of measuring results. You should plan assessments of the results from the very beginning and build individual courses accordingly. In the case of e-learning, you could have online tests or examinations revising old material at regular intervals after completion of the courses. How can you determine whether your online education project is successful and what can be improved without assessing the results?
-kk-