No more excuses for poor e-learning content

By and large, the figures coming out of industry surveys in recent times have been kind to e-learning. There's more of it about and a generally positive disposition, at least in the case of employers, to use more of it in future. Naively, I rather supposed that this was a sign that the quality of e-learning was improving and that e-learners were more likely than not to be having positive experiences. That's the theory anyway.

In practice, it seems that whenever I find myself in the company of trainers and learners from outside the e-learning community, I hear the same old complaints: boring page turners, irrelevant topics, an overload of text, a patronising tone and unchallenging interactions. The consensus seems to be that we'll use e-learning where we have to (typically for compliance training), or where classroom training is not affordable, but we know it's going to be horrible. After all these years, this situation is simply not good enough.

Let's assume we do really want to deliver a formal online, self-study course. We know how to make it engaging and enjoyable:

• We employ a modular achitecture, with content organised in relatively small chunks.
• We make liberal use of stories, examples, case studies and scenarios, all of which have been carefully chosen to be recognisable and relevant to the learner.
• We keep the formal content to an absolute minimum (particularly the text).
• We make effective (i.e. appropriate rather than gratuitous) use of all the media at our disposal - photographs, diagrams, animation, audio and video.
• If we can, we employ humour.
• We include plenty of opportunities for meaningful and challenging interaction.
• We provide helpful feedback.
• Where possible, we employ inductive/discovery strategies, building on the learner's existing knowledge and past experience.
• Where appropriate, we mix in game-like characteristics.

Now, those of you who don't like formal content at all, particularly when it doesn't allow for collaboration or interaction with tutors, will not be persuaded that there's any future at all for the sort of interactive self-study materials that constitute most of what passes for e-learning in corporations. Well I haven't given up yet. I believe these materials still have a useful role (albeit perhaps within blended or informal contexts) as long as we can do something about the quality. Just don't take too long about it, because I can't keep making excuses.