This is where the magic begins! This pillar dives into the art and science of crafting learning experiences that truly resonate. It explores how to blend proven learning principles with creative sparks to design training that captivates, engages, and actually sticks. Forget sleepy slideshows; let’s explore experiences that ignite curiosity.
As a trainer, it can be tempting to try and solve everything using your weapon of choice…training. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Most professions with a particular focus, view the world’s problems through that lens. Surgeons want to fix people by cutting out the problem. Psychiatrists want to solve problems by medicating the problem. Bakers […]
You’ve heard of eLearning scenarios. And maybe you’ve even tried creating some. But did they have the impact you were hoping for? Creating great eLearning scenarios is more than meets the eye. Some people think it’s just good storytelling. While yes, that’s part of it, it’s much more than just stories. Other people think eLearning […]
Unconscious Bias and eLearning It’s been a privilege for us at ThinkingKap to have worked on as many Diversity & Inclusion courses as we have over the years. I care deeply about accountability and keeping peoples’ biases in check. I pride myself on being an extremely objective person (at times too much so) and would […]
For a lot of reasons, eLearning is an amazing way to train people. It helps you deliver a consistent message to your trainees. It’s almost infinitely scalable, with virtually no incremental delivery costs. And it allows you to set up situations that would be difficult (or impossible) to safely arrange in a real environment. That […]
How challenging learners can contribute to better learning outcomes Did you know that some teachers aren’t allowed to use red pens for making corrections? This concept has been circulating for about a decade now. Red means something is wrong, which can be seen as “too aggressive” and that might hurt someone’s feelings. So teachers are […]
If you asked 100 employees what the worst type of training is, what do you think they would say? Answer: required training. *ba-dum-tss* Seriously though, the overwhelming answer would be compliance training. Compliance is typically so packed with boring policies and regulations that there’s no room left for engagement. Fear not, there is a way […]
As an ID, you create courses that people need to take. The problem is, even though the knowledge is good for them, we know they don’t actually want to take the course.
Whether it’s a popular movie, TV show, or YouTube video, they’re all about connecting with our emotions. Some aim to make you cry, others to make you laugh. Either way, it’s this emotion that forms the connection with the media we embrace the most. In fact, that’s the single common ingredient of viral videos. Leveraging […]
Ever since our school days, the learning and testing pattern has been the same. Study content…take test on content. Even in today’s age of eLearning, that’s still what we see. Present content…knowledge check…more content…final quiz. Guess what, it doesn’t always have to be that way. Depending on the material (and your users) sometimes it makes […]
Despite the continued growth of eLearning, classroom training is still alive and well. That said, not all ILT is created equal. In our last article, we touched on how instructors can be made better with the right materials. So in this article, we’re going to dive a bit deeper into those same materials (namely the […]
What can we learn from schools in the developing world? You’re probably used to seeing this question the other way around. That’s because we rarely look at people we perceive as less fortunate and ask, what are they doing right? But a closer look at a classroom without technology, or even furniture, demonstrates the essence […]
Let’s get this out of the way up front; most software training sucks. No wait…it REALLY SUCKS! Having spent a significant part of my training career at various software companies, I certainly saw more than my share of software training approaches. Some were good, but most of them – not so much. So let’s talk […]
Welcome to the completion of week nine as we progress through our 12-week service course, Instructional Design Service Course: Gain Experience For Good. We are entering into the final stages of this course, and at this point, have entered into the Evaluate phase of their design process. Evaluation Phase Last week we developed a prototype so we […]
Welcome to the completion of week seven as we progress through our 12-week service course, Instructional Design Service Course: Gain Experience For Good. In this module, we are developing a prototype of our lesson materials based on our Design Proposal. After completing the prototype in this module, the prototype will be part of a round of […]
Ever heard of Subsumption Theory referenced in an eLearning context? Essentially, it’s a theory that refers to the way learners absorb new information. David Ausubel, an educational Psychologist, introduced this theory in the 1960s—which pivots on the thought that learners can learn more effectively if new information is tied in with their current knowledge base. […]
Professors Edward Deici and Richard Ryan are the founders of the Self-Determination Theory, which is a motivation theory based around the human’s natural behavior to act in effective ways. This theory is well-loved. It’s referenced in training, sports, education, health—you name it. Why? Because it helps us better understand how to motivate people, and motivation […]
When it comes to eLearning, you can either use positive or negative feedback to keep them on track. Both are useful, but in this post, we’ll focus on using positive reinforcement. Why? Because we like reinforcement that cheers the learner on—it says, “Hey, nice job—keep up the good work!” rather than, “That’s wrong dummy, try […]
In 1971, Robert J. House shared his Path-Goal Theory. Basically, it means that in order for leaders to be effective, they need to encourage and support their students so that they feel comfortable in the learning environment. The very technical definition is here. This theory is valuable for eLearning designers because it identifies four leadership […]
Welcome to the completion of week seven as we progress through our 12-week service course, Instructional Design Service Course: Gain Experience For Good. The focus this week was on drafting a design proposal, also referred to as a design plan. For the purposes of this course and for this stage of our design project, the […]
Flow theory impacts eLearning in a big way. The name hints at why. The theory, created by Mihaly Csikzentmihaly (say that five times fast), focuses on the mental state of learners during education and the state in which intrinsic motivation occurs. Flow happens when the learner is actively engaged and learning is happening in a […]
