How many of you have recently done training driven by powerpoint and handouts? Was this the same as it was ten years ago, twenty… thirty!!??
Training is still being done far too frequently using tools from a past era. How can you expect your students to stay engaged when something far more appealing lies in their pockets in the form of a smartphone.
We can see how engaging information can be when we use apps, or even well designed websites – why can’t your training be the same?
Great instructors are still vital, but this is obviously personality driven. What happens if that instructor leaves, or has a bad day? Here’s an idea, why not capture them on video at their absolute best, and make that available to your students? By using e-learning effectively, you can allow your students to view this instructor once, or as many times as they like – and then spend more of the classroom time going through practical training.
This can also scale really well as you’re not limited by your classroom size, or the availability of this star instructor. Getting this content in front of your students is now more possible than ever using the right tools.
Are you still using paper examinations? Why not make this digital and incorporate automated questions banks, question randomisation and even auto-marking. How much time would this save you? Why not do the same for your feedback forms?
How can you make your training better?
I would say there are three key areas to make your training better: interactivity, multimedia and fun/competitive.
With the huge adoption of apps and social media, people want to interact with content. If you’re showing a piece of equipment, why not allow students to tap on it to zoom in and get more information. Or perhaps even spin it around in 3d!
Multimedia is incredibly powerful, but not very well used. How often have you gone to Youtube to watch a short video on how to do something? Why can’t you record your star instructor going through a procedure or explaining a concept, and then give that to your students? This video might be watched once, or a dozen times to ensure that they completely get it.
How can you make your training fun and competitive. Activities are great for this, and adding a competitive element is a great way to increase engagement. We’ve all heard about gamification, are your students able to compete against each other in a dynamic way. Do they get rewarded for their efforts?
All of these functions, and a lot more are built in to our e-learning offerings. Today’s students expectations are higher than ever, how is your training evolving to match this?