Making training engaging has always been a tricky subject and whenever training multiple people, the room, space, and time needed to keep engagement become much harder to maintain.  One-on-one training may be the most engaging, but it isn’t the most efficient; however, switch to one-on-hundreds and engagement is almost non-existent. A Learning Management System (LMS) helps this problem by giving tools that allow instructors to systematically focus on one user at a time. Therefore, the one-on-hundreds problem can be broken down into much smaller segments, increasing engagement.

With metrics like completion rate and time per completion, engagement seems less important. After all, completion rates can be neatly graphed and categorized while engagement is far more nebulous. Yet, engagement is the foundation for making those completion rates worth it—they mean nothing if trainees aren’t engaging—but what makes training engaging?

Personalized Learning Paths

A one-sized-fits-all approach is rarely engaging (or effective) whenever it comes to training. A tool like learning paths allows a trainer to create unique training journeys for users. This isn’t a suggestion to create a specific learning path for every single user but rather create chunks of learning paths that are applicable to different types of users. Whether it is categorized by department, job function, or preferences, giving users training that directly relates to them or gives them an option makes them more likely to engage.

Gamification Elements

Gamification refers to the process of adding incentives to users based off games like awards for completing actions within the LMS. This level of detail and responsiveness gives users reasons outside of “just finishing” the course work.

Bite-Sized Microlearning

The fastest way to kill engagement is by overstaying a welcome—something microlearning is designed not to do. Giving users training but in small, condensed modules makes the training process far more approachable. Even more so if the user is upskilling and already has other responsibilities outside of training.

Real-World Application

Training is far more engaging whenever its context is a scenario that users can see themselves in. One of the biggest roadblocks for engaging training is a disconnect between the training’s message and the user receiving it, but by using real-world applications it becomes relatable, necessary information.

Progress Tracking and Feedback

Transparent progress tracking is a powerful motivator. An LMS can provide users with clear insights into their progress, showing completed modules and earned achievements. Additionally, offer timely feedback on assessments and assignments, highlighting areas of improvement. This feedback loop encourages users to remain engaged while working towards completion.

Multimedia Content

Diversity is the keep to increasing and keeping higher engagement. Very few people would want to still through hours-upon-hours of text documents regardless of the content, why should trainees do the same? Make use of video, text documents, PDFs, graphs, interactive quizzes, and images to ensure users are experiencing many different things throughout their training. Unique experiences are the most engaging.

Clear Training Objectives

Clearly defined training objectives provide users with a roadmap for their training journey. When users understand what they are working towards and why, they are more likely to engage actively in the training process—especially if the goal is something important to them.

Other Motivations

An organization should never let “just finishing” the training be the motivator. Maybe an organization could collect user records after training and offer rewards outside of moving on to the next course. A small incentive can go a long way.

An LMS provides the perfect sweet-spot for user-to-engagement that isn’t possible with traditional training means. With tools like personalized learning paths, multimedia content, gamification, and real time progress, one person could develop an entire library of engaging training and administer it to hundreds, if not thousands of users at once.

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Photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash