Technology is pervasive. Whether we’re checking our phones, or getting our updates from TV news, we’re constantly connected. It’s incredible to think that even radio is a relatively recent technology, having become mainstream in just the last 100 years!

This lust for technology can be used to motivate more workplace learning but you have to be careful. Meaningless tech gimmicks quickly fizzle, and bad implementation of technology in learning can be truly off-putting

Unfortunately, the history of people trying to leverage technology to educate has often fallen into one of these extremes. Compliance training was transformed from workplace stand-up meetings to checklist-driven death-by-PowerPoint sessions. Gamification was meant to motivate legions of staff, but in many cases superficial ‘badges’ were found to be patronising by the very people they were designed to engage.

It doesn’t need to be all doom and gloom. We just need to think through the detail of the implementation and understand the reasons behind any use of technology.

One of the major opportunities is fairly obvious: our mobile devices now allow us to engage on the go. But we should pause and think what is going to work best for the medium.

I’ve often seen mobile learning feature un-optimised SCORM files or videos with captions that are nearly impossible to read. When people are engaging via a mobile device, the content, experience and purpose of the training must be designed with mobile in mind.

For instance, it’s particularly suited to bite-sized, on-demand training. Allowing people to quickly look up material or engage with short snippets is much more likely to be effective.

It’s also possible to make mobile learning location aware, intelligently surfacing site inductions or training for specific locations based on where the user is.

Another opportunity for tech-driven workplace learning is to take the “work” out of it. I have a personal mantra that you shouldn’t need to learn how to learn. There are great ways technology can make learning anybody’s habit.

Developing a chatbot for your staff is a great way to deliver learning and training options into your internal communication tools (it can work on Slack, HipChat and Skype). Staff can ask the chatbot to look up certain information or to find guides or courses on specific topics.

(There’s a learning chatbot Walmart wishes it’s staff hadn’t heard of: read our article.)

Making learning content easy to access is beneficial, but making this happen in a communication and collaboration tool is even better. Most of the skills and information we acquire at work comes from informal learning, and chat systems are fantastic tools that mirror this style.

As systems understand more about the capabilities of each staff member, learning can be delivered at the right level to help plug gaps and extend skills. This is already a common feature for many education apps geared towards the school market, and I don’t think it will be long before it’s common in workplace training.

Personalised learning, chatbots and mobile-optimized bite-sized-learning may all sound futuristic, but the reality of what works in education is largely the same with and without technology. Understanding that is the key to making learning tech truly engaging.

This article was originally published by HR Magazine

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Tap into technology to motivate more workplace learning

Keeping track of your training programs can be tough work, especially if you have a mix of in-person workshops and programs combined with an online component. Not any more though, thanks to Go1!

Training managers have had their work cut out for them as they have had to keep track of all of the in-person programs that they run, as well as checking that against how their team has been going with their online training. Traditionally the two training types have been kept separate.

As we recently discussed in a session with Micro-Learning expert Julie Watson, online learning has been the go-to tool for businesses across the world in recent times. As online course took center stage, this meant that the more traditional workplace training formats, including in person workshops and day long seminars, took a back seat.
Over the past few years we have seen the rise in popularity of blended learning. Pushing to mix up the classroom and online learning, blended learning is the most effective and ideal training scenario for most organizations. But managing these programs, and ensuring that employees are meeting their requirements has been a challenge.

We are excited to be able to bring all of your training, online and offline, together in one platform with our new live event tools in Go1.

As part of the recent launch of Go1 2017, you are now able to include an in-person event or workshop as a part of a course. Simply create a new module, but instead of adding your learning content via the “Add an Item” button as you normally would, click the 3 dots in the top right hand corner of the module block, and select the “Add Event” option.

Go1 Wvents GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

From here you can enter your starting and end dates and times, the location information for the event, and how many seats are available for learners to attend. You may wish to run multiple events in this module with the option for users to select from a range of dates and times to accommodate all users.

Go1 GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Once you have created your event you can also add any additional information related to the in person training to the model. This could be required reading, information that learners are to review after the session, or event a follow up assessment to see how much the attendees learned.

Once the events are completed, Administrators can mark the attendance for all attendees to ensure that everyone required has completed the in-person event.

Traditionally, after completing a training workshop or seminar your employees head back to their desks and within days will forget that they even attended a session until the next workshop rolls around - which is some cases can be up to one year!

By including your in person training events as a part of an online course you can start to build a culture of sustained learning. This means that both before and after the workshop takes place the employee can start working through a course or series of courses, and the in person event can really focus on covering the most impactful elements that be delivered more effectily in a workshop setting.

This process also means that the days of whole day training events can stay in the past. Shorter but more frequent events coupled with ongoing short courses can allow employees to complete a short amount of training each week, every week. Over time this results in a more in depth understanding of the topic and a more engaged team.

By adopting this sustained learning model, you are building a culture of learning and continual development in your team, which ultimately leads to a more productive orgranisation.


Include in-person training with your online courses

If you’re involved in the learning or training space you’ve probably been hearing a lot about micro-learning recently. But how much do you actually know about what it’s all about, or how to to start implement it into your next training program?

To help you understand more we asked micro-learning expert Julie Watson to come in and walk you through the basics, as well giving you a stack of tips that you can apply directly to your training programs. With more that 20 years experience in developing more productive behaviors, Julie provides some great insight into how you can take your training to the next level.


This discussion covers a range of topics including how you can get started with micro-learning in your organisation, how some major banks have implemented successful programs that have resulted in a dramatic culture change, embracing informal learning, and the key elements required to make gamification work.

One of the key elements to making any learning program successful is having buy in from all members within your organisation, and to do that you must make learning fun and experiential says Julie.

“Embrace the values of the organisation, as well as the individuals.”

Getting started with micro-learning takes time and planning. As Julie says, “Just because it’s micro, that doesn’t mean that it’s just going to happen.” Company Leaders need to invest time into developing programs and creating a culture of learning and development amongst their employees. Having individual teams taking ownership of their training is a great way to get everyone involved.

Micro-learning can easily be utilised for all elements of training within a business. It’s especially great when coupled with workshops, and used as the underlying continual learning process to keep employees engaged on a periodic bases. It’s not there to replace traditional learning elements, it’s there to support them.

It’s less intrusive nature means that providing sustained training is not an intrusive and time consuming experience like it may have been in the past. Where training programs of the past may have required large chunks of time sitting in a boardroom, we can now drastically reduce the length of in person training, and provide a blended learning solution to allow a micro-learning solution to continue the learning process once the workshop is complete.

With gamification being one of the biggest buzzwords in the learning industry at the moment, Julie gives us her top tips on how to create a successful gamified learning program by maintain relevance and not rushing learners through the process.

We hope that you get some useful information out of the discussion and would love to hear from you if you have any tips that you’d like to share with our readers!

What you need to know about Micro-Learning with Julie Watson

The world is much smaller than it once was, figuratively speaking. Of course, oceans and time zones still separate us all but in terms of our ability to access information about anything we want, from almost anywhere we want, and the world has never been smaller.

Despite this self-evident fact, not everybody is taking advantage of our current position.

While you may have left high school a long time ago, your ability to learn new skills or simply brush up on old ones has not gone away.

Online courses present a perfect opportunity for people to learn now and to improve their working career. The more skills you have to offer an employer, the more responsibility you’ll receive.

If you want to progress in your career, this is an easy way to do it.

The provision of online courses is huge at the moment and set to grow, and with so much competition, prices have really been driven down - meaning that expense is becoming less of a concern.

As the old saying going, if there’s a will, then there’s an easy way to learn via online courses.

This is certainly something that Steve Baxter, the Australian start-up investor, agrees with. He said, “There’s no point sitting in a rocking chair at 65 years old and saying ‘I could have done that’. That’s a wasted life. Nowadays it’s so easy, there are so many online courses, training courses.”

In this blog we’ll address some key benefits of online courses to explain why there really is no excuse not to learn!

Customizable – online courses have real-world benefits

Due to the pick-and-choose nature of online courses, students can tailor their course to meet their specific needs and goals.

This is of vital importance to adult learners, who want the time and money they’ll spend on a course to have real-world benefits; the course should help them progress in their working lives.

Targeted education to increase knowledge in the area you work will improve your career and exhibit your willingness to use your own time to improve yourself. This is the attitude that all employers want to see.

Online courses are flexible – they fit around you

One of the major problems adults have with returning to study is that they often have families who require an awful lot of time and attention. You can’t attend an 8 a.m. class in the next town if your child needs to be dropped off at school at that time.

While college schedules are fixed and unchanging, the beauty of the online course lies in its entirely flexible nature. Sure, you’ll have to complete a set number of hours of instructional video or homework, but you can choose when you want to do them; once the kids have gone to bed if you have a family, or on the bus to work.

Online courses frequently offer the option of downloading content straight to a mobile device, so even if you don’t have internet you can still use your free time to learn.

Many adult learners need to stay at home to look after young children or elderly relatives. Or perhaps you’re a freelancer who wants to add a few strings to your bow. Regardless of the situation you’re in, online courses are the perfect option for those who need to stay at home.

And not having to leave home offers many benefits. There is no traffic to slowly creep through or trains to catch on the subway, so that means there’s no gas or tickets to be paid for either.

A computer, internet access and the familiarity of your own home is all you need to make a step in the right direction.

Online courses can be taken at your own pace

Returning to education after a long time away can sometimes be a struggle. The fast-pace of college and university courses are aimed at students fresh out of school who have enough free time to spend hours in the library.

Adult learners haven’t always got a lot of time to spend studying, and adjusting to the pace of learning again can sometimes be slow going. But online courses offer the benefit of the student

choosing when they are ready to study, meaning the course can be taken at a pace you are comfortable with.

That leads to a lower dropout rate, and a higher chance you’ll achieve your goals.

Mature students can have a hard time finding support of fellow students if they spend no time on campus or in university accommodation. Without this support, or time put aside to see college tutors, help with problems you have can be difficult to find.

Online courses tend to have forums and help desks, where students can reach out to one another to lend a hand of guidance in troubling times. If you’re stuck on a particular part of the course, asking the forum is a sure bet to find the answer you’re looking for.

Online courses are a great way to improve your standing at work and to help you up to the next rung on the career ladder. Rather than sacrificing time with family and friends, online courses fit around your life. A decade ago courses taught online were considered a soft option, but not anymore. The dedicated to complete a course while juggling the responsibilities of life is impressive to everyone.

Really, there’s no excuse not to learn.

Are you thinking about creating your first eLearning course? About to launch your online materials to a new audience? You might want to read this first, to make sure you’re designing your eLearning course in the best way possible for your learners.

The flexibility and convenience of online courses has made them a very popular and effective method of learning across all industries. Through eLearning, students and professionals can acquire the skills and knowledge they need, at a time and place that fits in with their lifestyle. But as with everything, some eLearning courses are more successful than others. How can you make sure learners feel compelled to choose your eLearning course, and get what they need from the materials?

The design process plays a major role in how effective and successful your course will be, with factors such as graphics, multimedia and accessibility all playing a part. Even the fonts you use in your course materials will have an impact on your audience – for better or worse. With so many steps involved in eLearning course design, it’s vital that you have a comprehensive design checklist to tick off throughout the process, so you know that you’ve considered and addressed each of these points in turn.

Have you identified your target audience and their learning needs?

Are the eLearning course objectives clearly stated in your materials?

Have you used a number of different instructional models or theories?

Have you included the criteria for evaluation, so learners know the objectives that need to be met?

Is your eLearning course easy for learners to navigate?

Are all the modules in your course laid out in their correct sequence?

Check that all hyperlinks can be seen clearly and direct learners to the correct link.

Have you included backward links, so learners can easily return to previous screens?

Have you included captions for all audio and video elements used in the course?

Have you also used appropriate alt text or alt tags on all images?

Have you considered whether your color scheme is accessible to all users?

Are all fields that users can 'click on' clear and easy to use?

Is your content free of spelling mistakes, typos and grammatical errors?

Have you written your content in a clear, consistent and appropriate tone?

Is the content delivered in small, ‘bite sized’ chunks, with a maximum of 5 bullet points per slide?

Have you been consistent with the use of headings, capitalization, numbering and bullet points?

Are all references properly quoted, cited and referenced?

Keep things simple – don't use more than four different fonts throughout your online course.

Are all fonts and colors easily visible, following accessibility guidelines for vision-impaired and color blind users?

Is all body text consistent in terms of font, line spacing and justification?

Make sure all images are high quality, compressed and re-sized.

Do you legally own all of the images used in your eLearning course?

Have you incorporated correct branding elements, such as logos and corporate colors?

Are all multimedia elements legally owned for use in your eLearning course?

Have you compressed multimedia files, so your learners can easily download them?

Check that the audio or video can be controlled by your learners, allowing them to easily play, stop and pause.

Are all the multimedia elements consistent in terms of size and quality?

Is the audio synced properly to the video segments?

Is your narration clear and easy to understand?

Have you included a final assessment for learners to complete at the end of the course?

Are the assessments interactive and engaging, and do they clearly focus on your course objectives?

Have you used a variety of different testing methods, such as short quizzes, tests and exams?

Make sure that your assessments don't contain any new content that the course hasn't clearly addressed.

Have you included a way for learners to provide feedback after completing the eLearning course?

Designing an eLearning course? Use this handy checklist

Tech companies are clamouring to invest in and launch their own virtual and augmented reality solutions. So, what are the opportunities for VR and AR in the workplace?

Facebook has acquired Oculus. Microsoft offers what it terms as a ‘mixed-reality offering’ with HoloLens. And Google has invested heavily into a company called Magic Leap (which is yet to publicly launch its product). Each company has placed multi-billion dollar bets in the VR and AR space.

Obviously, these titans of industry believe that one day soon virtual reality will move from being a gimmick to something mainstream.

They’re not alone. Technology research firm Gartner picked virtual and augmented reality as a key trend for 2017, and recommends that “enterprises should look for targeted applications of VR and AR through 2020.” And in February 2017, IT and tech consultancy IDC predicted that 60 per cent of Australia’s top 500 consumer-facing companies will experiment with AR or VR in their marketing efforts this year as part of an “immersive interface”.

Whether this occurs in a year, or five years is debatable. But, when virtual and augmented reality do arrive they are going to bring new opportunities for the workplace too.

Exactly what the applications will be depends on the type of technology.

Virtual reality (VR) offers complete immersion, where a computer-generated scene replaces what we would normally see and hear.

The immersive experience offered by VR suits applications where you want to experience an environment fully. Virtual reality remote meetings could allow participants to be fully present, rather than just dialling in on their webcam.

This technology also works well by allowing us to visualise and experience activities that might be otherwise expensive or risky to undertake. For example, I recently took my grandfather shark diving from the safety of his couch – it was immersive in a way that TV could never replicate.

Ultimately VR could take telecommuting to a whole new level, with all interactions taking place in a virtual environment.

Augmented reality (AR) on the other hand, acts as a new layer on top of our normal environment. By wearing glasses, AR can project new elements into what we see.

For example, a wall could be replaced with an interactive display of your calendar or a Skype video call might hover mid-air in front of you.

The ability to project new information onto our existing surroundings means AR may win against VR in the race for primacy in the workplace.

The major tech companies are betting that AR and VR solutions will be the next paradigm shift for interfaces. We have moved from desktop computers to mobile phones – and now to technology which can, increasingly, blend into the background.

From a business perspective, this is paradigm shift can’t be ignored. Mobile banking is now taken for granted, but just five years ago it was a novelty.

There will be many examples of technology that may appear to be a novelty today, but will quickly become a standard part of how we interact. Therefore, it’s more important than ever to keep abreast of the developments in new technologies such as VR and AR – and to consider the implications to your industry.

VR and AR are about to become huge. What are the opportunities?

Cloud computing is a hot topic of conversation across all industries, with many business leaders talking about cloud technology and deciding whether to move their organization “to the cloud.” Yet some business owners and employers still have their doubts about moving to cloud technology. Often, they may not quite understand what the cloud really is, and are therefore unsure of how it can benefit their organization.

If you’re still a bit confused by all this mysterious cloud talk, it’s worth taking the time to understand the many benefits it can bring to your business. You might be surprised to know that you’re probably already using cloud-based technology in your everyday life. Posting a status on Facebook? You’re using the cloud. Scrolling through Twitter while listening to your favorite band on Spotify? You’ve definitely got your head in the cloud. Gmail accounts, internet banking apps, Instagram… all of these services utilize cloud-based technology.

In the same way that these apps and services help to keep you connected and entertained, cloud computing is a very effective form of technology for your business needs. To help you feel more informed and comfortable when making your decision, here are 5 key benefits cloud computing can bring to your business.

Cloud Computing Allows You to Work from Anywhere

One of the greatest benefits of cloud computing is that it allows you to easily access cloud-based applications and services from anywhere in the world.

With any internet connection and your device, you (and your employees) can simply open a web browser, log in, and get to work! With the rise of remote workers across the modern workforce, your staff can have reliable, secure access to their work documents – whether working from home, at a different office, or on the road.

Many cloud-based services also offer mobile-friendly apps, so users aren’t restricted to working from one device. This way, employees can access the cloud from their desktop computer, laptop and even mobile phone. Wherever and whenever they need.

Better Collaboration and Document Control

Collaboration is also greatly improved with cloud computing, as the technology allows workers to easily access, edit and share documents and data. Regardless of whether your team is located all together in one office, or spread out across the world working remotely, collaboration across documents couldn’t be easier.

Working without cloud technology, employees would have to rely on emailing documents and attachments to one another for edits or approvals. This can often lead to confusion with versions and document control, while also meaning that only one team member can be working on the data at any time. By using cloud computing to store and manage documents, you’ll increase efficiency and save time when collaborating.

By creating a single source of truth, with the one document version saved centrally in the cloud, you’ll also have less problems with conflicting file formats and content. Each person will be able to see the revision history and previous versions of each document, making the process very transparent and clear for everyone.

Worried about security? Some business owners still think that cloud computing presents more of a security risk for important company files. However, this is not the case, with cloud data being better protected than many local computers, networks and servers.

When employees use a laptop computer for work purposes, there’s always a risk of it being lost, broken or stolen – allowing sensitive or confidential data to disappear with it. When information is stored securely within the cloud, there’s no way it can fall into the wrong hands, as the data is stored in the cloud rather than the device itself.

Cloud computing can give you even greater security, by allowing you to log in and remove data from any stolen or lost devices. Cloud service providers may also have more money to allocate to their security budget, which can be an affordable and reliable security solution for business owners.

Convenient, Cost-Effective Tech Solutions

With cloud computing, you’re cutting out the need for expensive software, which can save your business considerable amounts of money. Cloud services are run on subscription, allowing you to pay as you go, for as long as your organization and staff require the service.

This means that you don’t need to invest any time in managing, maintaining or updating services – cloud-based technology takes care of any software and security updates in the background, so you can get on with your work without interruption.

Because the cloud is basically infinite in size, there’s never any need to worry about running out of room. As your organization grows, you can easily increase (or decrease) the size of your cloud capacity to accommodate these changing needs. No need to purchase expensive new software or hardware.

Cloud Technology is Better for the Environment

Finally, if you’re green minded you will be pleased to know that cloud computing offers a more environmentally conscious alternative. Particularly if you’re moving from a paper-based document control process.

But also, when you move your data from on-site facilities to the cloud, it’s similar to moving your home electricity from an on-site generator to a power company. As we mentioned before, your cloud capacity can be increased or decreased to suit your business needs. This means that the server you’re using can scale up and down to fit this, drawing only the energy you need. With cloud computing, you’ll be using less energy than before, while also helping to reduce pollution and your organization’s carbon footprint.

As you can see, cloud computing can offer many benefits for your business, improving the way in which your employees work, as well as your bottom line. If you’re looking for greater organizational flexibility, collaboration and security, it’s worth considering making the move to cloud technology.

5 benefits cloud computing brings to your business

When it comes to learning, everyone is unique, responding to different types of teaching methods and absorbing information at different speeds. Some people find visual aids help the learning process, while others learn faster when carrying out practical tasks or exercises.

Whether it’s in the classroom or work environment, one thing is clear – taking a cookie cutter approach to learning isn't the best way to educate students or staff. Unfortunately, many companies still deliver training in a one-size-fits-all model, neglecting to tailor teaching methods to cater for individual learning styles.

So how can you find the best training method for your employees, to help them learn in the best possible way for them? The answer is eLearning.

eLearning responds to different learning styles

With ongoing advancements in technology, we now have the tools to deliver more customized and flexible learning options to staff. As a response to this, many organizations are switching to eLearning for staff training, as an alternative to traditional teaching methods.

Online learning can very successfully respond to the needs of individual employees and organizations, allowing staff to choose how and when they want to learn, at a time and place that’s convenient to them.

When you take a cookie cutter approach to training, you’re assuming that all employees will respond in a positive way to a particular learning environment. But this isn’t the case. While certainly, many people participate easily in a formal, classroom type setting, others may not be able to retain knowledge so well in these circumstances.

Employees who are more introverted, for example, might learn better on their own, without the social distractions and pressures of a group dynamic. Extroverts may thrive in a workshop setting, bouncing energy and ideas off other people and learning in the process.

Find out what learning approach works best

The best thing to do is develop a training system that offers staff choices in how they want to learn. With online learning, individuals can interact in group discussions as much or as little as they like, giving them the option to work in a way that fits them best.

Finding the right learning approach for your employees will greatly help them become more engaged with the content and improve knowledge retention. Knowledge retention is a vital component of successful learning and development. With this in mind, eLearning courses aim to be short, engaging and goal-oriented – a learning method that’s been proven to be effective many times over.

As well as differences in personality and learning style, you also need to consider the amount of training your employees have already received. Some staff may have already completed formal education or qualifications, while others may be brand new to your company and the industry. eLearning allows you to customize training options for each individual, delivering the information and knowledge they need quickly and effectively.

Using eLearning for better employee training

Interested to find out more about online learning to deliver training to your staff?

In a previous article, we looked at the many benefits of using eLearning for staff training, with online courses bringing a number of advantages to your employees and business. To recap, eLearning delivers:

Content you can customize for your specific audience

Consistency across training materials, even when updating

As you can see, this offers staff a form of training that is far more flexible and convenient, and that works with their busy schedules, not against it. With many modern workers operating remotely or across different time zones, training materials that are available 24/7 provide employers with a very effective solution for accessible training at any time. Online courses are also readily accessible through mobile-friendly apps and devices, making eLearning even more convenient for your staff.

A good investment for your employees and your business

Making sure staff have the right tools and systems for training will go a long way in making your employees happier and more satisfied in their jobs. It also makes sense for employers – with learning and development taking up a significant part of the budget for most organizations, it’s important for employers to see a positive return on their investment.

By investing in eLearning, you’ll be showing staff that you’re putting their needs first, while allowing them to take charge of their own learning and professional development. If you’re interested in finding out more about eLearning and effective training solutions, visit the Go1 website and see how online learning can work for your staff.

How eLearning can help you avoid cookie cutter training

Webinars are a great way to deliver a presentation, host an event or increase sales lead for an online audience. What’s more, this technology provides you with a very easy and cost-effective way for your audience to consume information – wherever and whenever they like.

This convenience and flexibility has made webinars a very effective method of learning for students and professionals across all industries. But how can you make sure your webinar is a success for your audience? What is it that makes some webinars great, rather than simply okay?

We’ve put together 5 top tips to help you create a successful webinar that your audience will love.

First up, you’ll want to get your audience excited about the webinar before it takes place. This is a vital part of making sure your webinar is a success. There’s no point creating the perfect slide pack or presentation if there’s no one to deliver it to.

You can generate interest and excitement by promoting your upcoming webinar across social media channels. It’s best to create a unique hashtag beforehand, for participants to use when posting questions, comments or images around the event. This will help build an online community, as posts about your webinar will be linked under one consistent hashtag.

It’s important to take the time to write a proper script for your webinar, which works as a storyboard for your content. Even though you think you have the knowledge or experience to speak for an hour on your topic, you’ll greatly benefit from having a script.

Start with a simple welcoming note, with your first slide containing a relevant and engaging image and the webinar title of your webinar. Your next slide might like to remind your audience to feel free to ask questions throughout the webinar.

Be sure to include the social media handles, such as Twitter, of your company, event or speaker when you prepare your slide pack. You’ll want your audience to be able to direct questions, comments and feedback both during and after the webinar. You should also provide relevant contact information for your organization and speakers.

Like it or not, when it comes to technology, looks matter. When faced with so many choices of webinars online, people aren't likely to sit through something that's unpleasant to look at - they'll simply switch over to something that captures their attention!

Putting some effort into making your webinar slides look good will go a long way in keeping your audience interested and engaged. You don’t need to be a graphic designer to make your webinar aesthetically pleasing. There are plenty of handy templates available online. Choose simple, consistent color palettes and images and your slide deck is sure to look good.

The most important thing to remember about webinars is that you need more images than text. You don’t want to bore your audience with endless slides containing slabs of text. So make sure your images outweigh your copy.

Webinars work very well when combined with other forms of media, such as short videos, audio and animation.

How can you complement your webinar with these different kinds of elements? Think about how your audience can use them throughout the webinar, as well as after. This will keep their attention and interest and help them to interact more with your content.

For webinars that walk people through a particular process or product, you could include a real-time demonstration rather than just screenshots or images. Audience polls work well as part of a webinar, providing an easy and instant way for individuals to participate, while also adding value to the content.

Last but not least – don’t let your sound let you down. Audio is a critical part of your webinar; it’s one of the main reasons people choose to watch and listen to a webinar rather than reading. Creating a great webinar, only to have audio issues on the day, is a real let down. For both your audience and you.

So first of all, make sure you record your webinar in a quiet, preferably sound-proof, location. Do a complete dry run of your webinar before launch, testing all media elements. Then carry out a thorough sound check on the day, just before your webinar goes live.

Hopefully this has provided you with some useful tips, that will help make your webinar a greater success. For more help creating effective and engaging webinars, why not enroll in Webinar Fundamentals? This free online course, led by webinar expert and instructional designer Sally Norred, walks you through the basics of creating a webinar for your business. You’ll also get expert advice on choosing the best webinar tools and hosting software, which is vital for your webinar’s success.

How to create a successful webinar that your audience will love

Many eLearning professionals are familiar with the Discovery Learning model and its application to online learning. If you’re new to the industry, you might like to know more about this learning methodology and how it can help improve your eLearning practices.

As its name suggests, Discovery Learning is all about letting students explore solutions and subject matter – on their own, with less instruction than we usually see with traditional teaching methods. How can this methodology help students to learn more effectively?

With Discovery Learning, students experience self-guided learning, which has the benefits of allowing them to become far more engaged in the learning process while retaining a greater level of knowledge. In this way, learners are given the power to explore topics on their own and develop the confidence to successfully apply new skills to real world situations.

Let’s look more closely at the Discovery Learning model and how you can use it for more effective eLearning with your students.

The first person to define and introduce the Discovery Learning model was Jerome Bruner, an American psychologist, in 1961. From Bruner’s perspective, learning needed to be primarily about discovery, with instructors working as facilitators to create the necessary training materials and provide structure to the learning environment.

As a method of inquiry-based instruction, Discovery Learning encourages learners “to build on past experiences and knowledge, use their intuition, imagination and creativity, and search for new information to discover facts, correlations and new truths.” Under this model, learners have the opportunity to look at the problem from every angle, allowing them greater scope for reflection and understanding of core concepts and ideas.

While Discovery Learning can use various techniques, the goal will always be the same – and that is, for learners to arrive at a result on their own. In this way, the learning experience can be enriched, as individuals use the resources and knowledge they have to reach a conclusion, instead of being given the answers directly by their teacher or instructor.

The benefits of Discovery Learning for students

In this way, Discovery Learning sees students and learners exploring situations, performing experiments, searching for new information and raising questions. All of these practices are designed to build curiosity and interest in students, helping them to achieve new ways of thinking about problems and solutions.

Most eLearning professionals know the benefits of using short, concise modules to keep students engaged with online content. The Discovery Learning model works well with this approach, favoring the use of small amounts of information delivered over time, allowing learners to discover and retain knowledge in a more successful way.

Following the principles of Discovery Learning 