Revising eLearning Content: 8 Common Mistakes To Consider
By the time eLearning course revision rolls around, most eLearning professionals are worn out from the eLearning design and development process. After all, you’ve spent days, if not weeks, preparing your eLearning course for public consumption.
Proofreading and editing become a hurdle that you’d prefer to simply walk around instead of struggle to surmount. There are some errors that you can quickly address in order to speed up your eLearning course revision.
Here are 8 common mistakes to look for when revising eLearning content:
1. Spelling And Grammar Mistakes
Online learners may be able to overlook one or two typos. However, an eLearning course that’s riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes begins to lose its credibility. In fact, it may even reflect poorly on your brand image. Spend some time looking for misplaced commas and spelling mishaps.
You can even create a list of common errors you’ve made in the past so that they’re on your revision radar. In addition, ask an editor to assume the revision of your eLearning content and root out hidden grammar mistakes.
Trained eLearning professionals may also be willing to check your eLearning content for accuracy.
2. Cluttered eLearning Course Layout
Did you leave enough white space in your eLearning course design? Or are the pages cluttered with images, graphics, and text? Keep in mind that the human brain has its limitations. It can only absorb so much information or visual stimuli before it overloads.
Thus, you need to streamline your eLearning course design and remove extraneous elements. For example, images that don’t necessarily support the subject matter or improve knowledge retention.
If you find it challenging to cut the clutter, analyze every aspect of the eLearning course layout. Evaluate every text block and visual representation with the learning objectives and outcomes in mind.
3. Inactive Hyperlinks And Buttons
Have you forgotten to include crucial buttons? Do your links actually direct online learners to helpful online training resources and activities? Inactive hyperlinks and buttons are a major source of frustration for online learners.
They must be able to access crucial information, but the links lead to nowhere. When revising eLearning content ensure that every link, icon, and button is active and still relevant.
In fact, you may want to do a monthly clean sweep of hyperlinks that no longer tied to the learning objectives. For example, compliance resources that are out of date.
4. Missing Navigation Icons
Online learners must be able to get where they’re going with ease. They shouldn’t have to overcome navigation glitches and missing icons when they want to progress to the next page. The same rule applies to navigation icons that are hidden among graphics and images.
Online learners must be able to get where they’re going with ease.Share on
Make sure that your navigation buttons are clearly visible and that they point online learners in the right direction. Also, opt for familiar icons that online learners can spot right away. Don’t make them decipher ambiguous navigation buttons that are abstract or culturally specific. Include clear labels so that online learners know how to access each online training resource, activity, or module.
5. Bulky Text Blocks
There are a variety of reasons why bulky text blocks are an eLearning faux pas. First and foremost, they tend to lead to cognitive overwhelm. Online learners cannot absorb all the information at once. Thus, they don’t remember the key takeaways. Another drawback of bulky blocks is that they create aesthetic chaos.
All online learners see is a wall of text, instead of a visually appealing layout that features relevant dividers, borders, and headers. You can also use bullet lists and charts to improve eLearning content comprehension and return order to the chaos.
6. Ambiguous Online Instructions
Will online learners be able to access all the pertinent online training materials? Do they know how to successfully complete the eLearning course and achieve the desired outcomes?
Ambiguous online instructions are yet another common error to look for when revising eLearning content.
You must clearly outline what online learners must do in order to meet expectations. In addition, explain how the subject matter ties into benefits and applications.
Online learners are more likely to actively engage when they are aware of the real-world value of the information.
7. One-Size-Fits-All eLearning Activities
This common error applies to the entire eLearning course design. Online learners have diverse backgrounds, experience levels, and training needs. They also have different ways of assimilating the information. Thus, your eLearning course must offer a good mix of eLearning activities to suit their learning preferences.
Do all of your online training resources and activities cater to particular learning preferences?
Or have you incorporated a variety of audio, visual, and kinesthetic tools to accommodate your entire audience? You can also meet their individual needs by adding a microlearning online training library, instead of redoing your eLearning course design from the ground up.
8. Lack Of Social Media Integration
Are online learners able to access your social media page or online discussions quickly and conveniently? Or have you forgotten to add the essential icons that redirect online learners to valuable social learning resources? It’s wise to include a contact form, as well.
This allows online learners to voice their concerns and opinions more privately, instead of leaving a comment on your Facebook group for all to see. You might also consider an RSS feed that displays your latest eLearning blog, online discussion, and social media posts.
Online learners may not have the time to visit each social media platform individually. However, they can read all the latest breaking news in one centralized location.
Does your current eLearning course contain any of these 8 common mistakes? Iron out the above issues and create a polished eLearning course.
Although it may take some time, catching these errors before launch helps to ensure that your eLearning content makes a great first impression, which means that online learners are likely to keep coming back for more.
