Level Up Learning

It's easier than you think
to make great online training

A generation ago, the half-life
of the value of a skill was approximately 26 years.

Now the half-life is often
less than five years”

—Harvard Business Review

Why e-learning works

With skills changing faster than ever, there's never been a better time, or a more urgent need, for workplace training. Is online training the right answer?

Here’s the real water cooler gossip—the problem isn’t online learning, it’s poor online training practices. Compelling learning experiences start with smart goals—those that move beyond completion metrics and instead, seek to measure how well training delivers behavioral change. That’s because better behavior drives results that matter—whether it’s physical safety, sales revenue, equity and inclusion, or executive development.

Get tips on the next page to ensure online training gets results.

7 in 10

A 2024 LinkedIn report found that seven out of ten surveyed said learning makes them feel more connected to their organization.¹

¹LinkedIn

4 ways to increase e-learning impact

#1

Interactivity

Interactivity lets learners get curious and engaged. Methods can be as simple as swipes, drags, and hovers to fully immersive branching scenarios. Be warned: Clicks alone don’t increase engagement. Interactions must matter to the learner.

#2

Storytelling

Relatable framing goes hand-in-hand with interactivity. Tell a story or ask a question directly related to the learner's experience— and help them write a better ending.

#3

Flexibility

E-learning lets learners test out of content they already know or return to difficult subjects when they need to. This kind of tailored experience is nearly impossible in a classroom but can be simple to create in e-learning.

#4

Customization

Target lessons to learners by role or skill level. They’ll pay more attention when lessons apply to them. Let them make choices that relate to their role, experience the impact, and try again in a controlled environment.

Pulling the right
learning levers

None of these techniques exist in a vacuum. Interactivity, storytelling, flexibility, and customization work in harmony to create learning experiences that work best for the intended results. No matter what program or application you use, a good learning designer knows when to pull each of those levers—and when not to.

For example, interviewing front-line employees will help the creator understand common issues and tell a relatable story when training the same employee group. The designer might create a sense of immediacy by asking the learner to interact and solve a problem quickly, then guide them on flexible learning paths based on their answer. The customized path might pose increasingly complex hypothetical scenarios for an advanced learner. A newbie might spend time with simpler sort, quiz, and reflection activities with opportunities to try again.

If you do e-learning well, you can often get the same results and learning experience as in a classroom, but at a much lower cost, with more flexibility.”

Making it work

An e-learning designer will need a few skills to execute interactive learning. Consider these additional tips if you want to avoid putting learners to sleep with dense text, dull hours-long video presentations, or click, click, endurance tests.

Bonus interactive learning design tips:

Edit the source content. Good e-learning separates the need-to-know from the nice-to-know. What information will ensure learners get the point, and what will simply distract them?
Consult like a CEO. It's critical to wear your business-benefits hat and advocate for materials and methods that will deliver business results.
Communicate. Channel your inner news host and become a master questioner. Learn to empathize with your target learner and their challenges so you can help them overcome each with aplomb.
Advocate. Diplomatically harmonize the needs and voices of your learner, your stakeholders, and the business to get the best outcome for them all.

Get more tips from our new e-book, “How to Help Your L&D Team Thrive: A tactical playbook for business leaders"

Get the e-book

Case study

Assisting Families of Inmates (AFOI) supports families with an incarcerated loved one. Their MAC Children's Program reaches over 100 children weekly and values e-learning to help with skill-building and support.

AFOI adapted in-person courses to e-learning in collaboration with learning and education consultants. The resulting 20-week program explores complex topics like grief, self-regulation, problem-solving, and self-esteem.

A friendly dog named Mac guides learners through the material. The team used branching learning scenarios and customization to reach kids in different grade levels. For example, a younger learner's interaction might use a “thumbs up/thumbs down” icon, while older learners might type a short response.

This custom interactivity allowed AFOI to engage learners of varied ages without overwhelming them. The program uses interactive e-learning to fill a gap between child advocacy and child welfare work.

Click button for the story

Case study

Benton Public Utility District (PUD) distributes electricity and wholesale broadband in Washington. They aimed to empower community members to become better environmental stewards and make more informed energy purchase decisions.

To achieve those results, they created an “energy literacy” program to help employees influence customers to be more energy-efficient. With team members in the office and the field, they needed a flexible solution to fit training into schedules and workflows.

They launched EmPOWERed, a comprehensive curriculum covering energy topics. Each lesson started with a sitcom-style video to capture learner interest and ended with knowledge checks and examples covering the key takeaways.

The team combined tools from several apps in one platform to achieve the necessary flexibility. They also added field visits to support online learning with hands-on experience. This approach helped Benton PUD achieve a well-rounded, custom approach to increase employee engagement and confidence. The optional program had an 82% participation rate.

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Summary

Take a fresh look at e-learning

Online training can be a wonderful tool to deliver learning at scale. But remember, e-learning must be interactive, engaging, and relevant to the audience if it's going to change learner behavior and impact the bottom line.

E-learning is also a cost-effective and flexible way to skill both the in-office and hybrid workforce. That's critical at a time when skills become obsolete faster than ever before.

To get the most value from e-learning, remember:

Interactivity means engaging learners in the lesson material, so it matters to them.
Storytelling connects learners to the content—especially when it's based on real challenges they face. Ask questions, embrace complexity, and create urgency.
Flexibility is easy with online learning, so students can skill between duties or sit for hours as their role allows. They can test out of a module or review more difficult subjects.
Customize courses to the learner's experience, title, supervisory level, language, and more. It's tough to get bored with bespoke learning.