In today’s world, you have plenty of competition when it comes to creating courses that keep people focused, entertained and more importantly engaged with learning. Everything from game consoles to the internet, to your favourite TV show are powerful foes when it comes to fighting for the attention of the average person, and you may think that eLearning courses would be on the losing end of that battle.

However there are ways to make eLearning courses just as engaging as the things listed above, and here are five innovative ideas to make it happen.

Make it visually appealing

One of the most crucial steps to creating an engaging eLearning course is to make it visually appealing. We all are attracted to bright and striking visuals, but more importantly, the use of vivid imagery aids the learning process.

Countless studies show that people tend to pay more attention to things that are accompanied by a striking image, and adding a few to your courses is the easiest way to not only grab people’s attention, but to also keep it.

Don’t be afraid to add a little humour

Laughter is the best medicine, and you can use it to make your course entertaining as well as engaging. People tend to retain new thoughts and ideas when they are in a positive mood. If you use humour in the right way, especially when the subject matter is dry or uneventful, you will create a great learning environment. So inject a little humour into your courses and you will see the results.

Pace and flow

If you are ever in doubt about whether or not your course is overwhelming people, always remember this phrase: “don’t strain the brain, train the brain”. It may sound cheesy, but it should be your primary objective when creating an engaging eLearning course.

You need to find a balance; if you go too fast people will feel intimidated and want to give up, but if you go too slow people will get bored and quit. You need to find that sweet spot in the middle that gives out all of the relevant information needed without suffocating your users with a mountain of work.

Create clear goals and objectives

People aren’t interested in learning anything unless they know that the information they will gain can benefit them in some way. If you want to create an engaging course as well as get people excited to be a part of it, it is your job to cut out clear objectives and goals that are appealing.

If you set concise learning aims and objectives, you will not only entice people who will know exactly what they are going to get out of the course, but you will also carve out a structure which is also crucial when it comes to creating an engaging course.

Keep it short and sweet, yet informative and fulfilling

I know some of you are looking at the subheading above and thinking such a thing doesn’t exist, but trust me, there is a way! Remember that the fastest way to get anyone disengaged with anything is an endless stream of content. People just don’t have the time to sit through all of it, and even if they do, if they don’t see an end in sight they will get bored and restless.

The best thing that you can do to create a more engaging course is to keep it at a good length and to make sure that everything included gives the user the right amount of information without overwhelming them.

If you want to make your eLearning courses, fun and engaging, make sure that you start implanting the five ideas above.

Jessica Gust is a Marketing Assistant at Localpeek.co.uk- a new postcode finder. She is passionate about new marketing strategies, she is always eager to share her ideas through blogging.