If you want your employees to have a successful eLearning experience, providing them with feedback is a must. Not only can feedback help ensure that they are on the right track, but it can also be a critical source of motivation, increasing the odds that they don’t become disheartened by any challenges they face.
However, not all approaches to feedback are as effective as promoting success as others. If you want your employees to excel, here are five tips for providing useful feedback for eLearning programs.
1. Provide Both Positive and Constructive Feedback
Since feedback is delivered by the eLearning system itself, you need to make sure that it is designed to offer both positive and constructive feedback. By combining praise and error-correction, the feedback doesn’t skew overly positive or negative, creating a more balanced approach that can ensure missteps are reviewed and fixed while offering encouragement and appreciation for what goes right.
2. Don’t Focus Solely on Extrinsic Motivators
The gamification movement led to the increased use of points, leaderboards, and badges in eLearning programs. While these can have their place in the training system, relying on them too much can actually do more harm than good.
Tangible rewards have the ability to undermine intrinsic motivation over time. The learner may get less joy from learning about an interesting topic as they begin to focus more on collecting the various rewards.
3. Make the Feedback Meaningful
If your eLearning program only uses generic phrases like “Great job” or “That’s incorrect,” your learners aren’t going to pay much attention to these notices after a very short time. In order to overcome this, the feedback needs to be more meaningful.
One approach is to adjust the feedback based on the nuances of the employee’s performance and to deliver it as guidance instead of an overview of their performance. This makes the information more valuable, increasing the odds that the learner will read it.
4. Consider Skipping the Scores
Most eLearning programs give the learner a score at the end of each module or section. However, when you present this number, you may be decreasing the odds that they will actually read any additional feedback.
If an employee is satisfied with their score, they may think that reading the feedback is unnecessary as they already have a suitable level of understanding. Learners who receive very low scores might skip the feedback because they worry it will be overly negative, or they already feel defeated.
Instead of scores, focus on specific written messages. This entices the employee to read through the feedback to learn about their performance instead of just flashing a number that they can assess without additional input.
5. Time Your Feedback Right
Typically, feedback is either delivered immediately or is delayed. Immediate feedback occurs when guidance is provided the moment after a decision is made or an action taken. Delayed feedback is presented only when the learner is deeper in the course.
Which approach is best depends on the kind of information being covered. If the topics are complex or a new skill is being developed, real-time feedback can help keep them on the right track and correct issues early. In contrast, when they are working to apply knowledge, by delaying feedback, you can encourage self-correction and encourage them to take control over their personal learning journey.
Are You Looking for L&D Experts Who Can Help You Integrate Effective Feedback into Your eLearning Program?
With the tips above, you can integrate effective feedback into your eLearning program. If you need skilled L&D professionals to assist you on your eLearning improvement journey, the team at Clarity Consultants can help.
At Clarity Consultants, we have over a quarter-century of experience in the L&D field, giving us the ability to find top talent quickly. If you are looking for L&D experts, the staff at Clarity Consultants can make it easier than ever before to locate your ideal candidates. Contact us to find out more about our professional services and see how our L&D expertise can benefit you.
