With so many resources and ideas for eLearning at your fingertips, it’s tempting to throw everything at the wall just to see what sticks. When it comes to eLearning, however, an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink mentality might leave you with too much to sift through. Your eLearning strategy helps you identify exactly what works and how to leverage your content for the highest return on your investment.
If you know your eLearning needs a defined strategy but you’re not sure where to start, we’ll break down all of our favorite techniques, tips, and ideas to put you on the path to legendary learning—no kitchen sink required.
Discover more about creating impactful eLearning programs with our Instructional Design Consulting.
Understanding instructional design
Why do we call it “instructional design?” Why not just say it’s learning? Learning is actually the desired byproduct of good instructional design. If you think of learning and mastery as the destination, instructional design is the journey that takes you there.
Developing the instructional design journey offers some key benefits when compared to launching learning opportunities without a clear plan:
Typically, ELM utilizes one of two methods for developing instructional design strategies. Both are iterative strategies that allow us to test and tweak experiences for the best outcome. The ADDIE model gives us the opportunity to develop, perfect, and implement strategies.
Or, we utilize SAM to quickly test and pivot between different theories before implementation. Both are valuable tools that help us move between, combine, and assess the various strategies to create the most effective learning experiences.
Related: Instructional Design vs Instructional Development
10 effective instructional design strategies
The most effective instructional design strategy is the one that engages while it educates, and it’s not always the same for every learner or topic. That’s why it’s important to understand the various strategies. You can pick and choose to create the ideal mix for whatever you need. The first step is getting to know instructional design strategies that can create unique, effective, and engaging training.
1. Microlearning
A ton of crucial information delivered all at once is overwhelming. Our brains aren’t that great at absorbing a lot of data and only OK at knowing what’s important and what can be discarded. We have to work with our brain chemistry to avoid the guessing games and tell it exactly what to remember and recall. Microlearning is a great way to break down vast topics into bite-sized, digestible chunks that brains love to absorb.
2. Gamification
Our brains love to play games. Think about the last time you played a video game. It probably started out fairly easy so you could learn the rules and mechanics. With that knowledge, you could work through levels and see improvement. You might have even become so energized by getting a high score that you didn’t realize that you had been learning new things along the way. Gamification of the learning process helps bring that quality into instructional design. Leaderboards, high scores, and leveling up are all super effective strategies to keep learners engaged and incentivized to keep at it.
3. Blended learning
The push to virtual learning modalities doesn’t have to mean in-person learning environments are a thing of the past. In some cases, a blend of eLearning and in-person instruction can be the one-two punch that complicated topics require. A blended learning approach offers the best of both worlds and can help bridge the gap between traditional training and eLearning experiences.
4. Spaced learning
We are big believers in delivering the right learning at the right time. Spaced learning is often combined with microlearning to offer digestible learning experiences when they matter most. We find that training is often treated like a one-and-done event rather than a process. Spaced learning can mean a core learning experience with follow-ups, reminders, and reinforcement that keep topics fresh in your learners’ minds.
5. Scenarios
The ELM approach to eLearning almost always includes some way to get learners thinking outside of the module. Learning a new concept is one thing, but testing that concept in a true-to-life scenario brings it into much sharper focus. Scenarios are a safe way for learners to test their assumptions and try out new skills, but they’re also effective for correction long before skills are deployed in the real world. We love how it enables learners to hit the ground running with a full understanding of what success looks like and how it can benefit their roles.
6. Personalized, self-guided learning
If learners perceive content as something that doesn’t really pertain to their roles, they’re going to “nope out” almost immediately. We’re all busy, and learners’ time and attention comes at a premium. To create a successful instructional design strategy, you need to be respectful of their time and autonomy. Building in ways to adjust everything from the learning environment to the pacing and topics allows learners to guide themselves through the process and take ownership of their learning success.
7. Experience and evaluation
Active learning helps build retention as learners experience the content rather than simply hearing or reading it. It can be tough to trust your learners enough to experience failure along the way. No one masters a topic completely on the first try, and experiential learning helps teach learners through trial, error, evaluation. It’s a more holistic approach that invites learners to act upon their newfound knowledge. When learners have the chance to act, they also feel empowered to make decisions and evaluate where those decisions lead.
8. Social collaboration
Don’t underestimate the power of social connections through the learning process. A 2022 Global Sentiment survey by Donald H. Taylor found that it was the second hottest training topic on L&D pros’ minds. And why not? Adding a social component to your instructional design—whether it’s a discussion board, a teamwork aspect, a post-course chat, or even on-the-job check-ins—helps reinforce topics by getting learners engaged in a collaborative way. We’re better together—social collaboration ensures training isn’t a one-person job.
9. Storytelling
We all love a good story, which is why storytelling has been one of the most common methods for passing down information since the dawn of time. Storytelling helps activate what we call the Angel’s Cocktail: a combination of oxytocin, endorphins, and dopamine that your brain loves. Stories engage on a number of levels, from building an emotional connection to teaching concepts and creating memorable moments for your learner.
10. Multimedia
We’ve all heard that a picture is worth a thousand words, but recent studies explain why that is especially true for learning. One published by NYU found that not only does the eye process visual information more efficiently, it engages the brain’s working memory to essentially “code” what to do with that information later. Adding images, animation, infographics, and videos to your training won’t only help learners stay more engaged, but could actually help them recall and reuse that training more effectively when on the job.
Tips for implementing and leveraging instructional design
OK, you’ve packed your training toolkit with all the strategies you need to design engaging and effective learning: now what? Understanding the various techniques is one thing, but implementing them is another. It can be difficult to get your organization to switch from a “training event” to a “learning journey” mindset, but it’s worth it. Still, when you’re up against the way things have always been done, you’ll need to prove the switch to thinking about instructional design over training will give your org a clear ROI.
Here are some of the ways to leverage your current training efforts to springboard your strategy into better instructional design and meaningful learning opportunities:
Conduct a needs analysis.
The first step to changing your (and your stakeholders’) attitudes toward training is by completing an objective training needs analysis. Compare your learner and organizational goals with how your current training is holding up. Chances are that if you’re only focused on one-time training events, there’s a gap between where you are and where you want to be. This analysis can be used to identify how instructional design strategies would fill the gaps and plan your next moves.
Use what you have.
Don’t feel like instructional design means you need to completely scrap your current efforts. Chances are that your existing content can be repackaged and delivered in a way that still utilizes the information. Perhaps you’ll want to rewrite the content at a later date, but don’t wait to change your strategy until everything’s perfect. Start now, analyze, and tweak as you go to take advantage of instructional design concepts now.
Reduce mental processing.
When in doubt, ask yourself “Where can I cut out unnecessary mental processing for my learner?” Go through your existing training and swap out text when images or video would work better, or add in tools to skip through redundant or supporting materials. Most instructional design strategies simply reduce learner mental load so learners can focus on what they need to know. With that in mind, it’s easier to help you focus on the essential and engaging.
Ask for feedback.
If you’re not sure how learners feel about training, ask! Learner feedback is one of the most important pieces of building an effective instructional design strategy. Ask them what they liked, what they didn’t, and what they’d like to see going forward. You can also utilize surveys and knowledge checks throughout the learning experience as feedback to help guide what you can use and leave out during your next iteration.
Lasting Impact: How Great Instructional Design Can Revolutionize eLearning
It’s not just another training buzzword: Instructional design has decades of proven success to back it up. Instead of wandering along a learning path, hoping that your users will get what they need, a defined strategy can help guide them more effectively. With a huge spectrum of strategies available to you, you can skip the delays and distractions to create something that puts more joy in the journey.
Discover more about creating impactful eLearning programs with our Instructional Design Consulting.
