Getting learners involved

3. Get creative with course content
Boredom is a catalyst for causing learners to be disengaged. Stop learners from losing interest in a course by using active engagement strategies. Deliver learning content that is creative and fun to interact with. Just remember that fun is a means to an end, not the end goal itself.
Content formats that keep learners coming back for more include infographics, short, sharp video content, and scenario-based training activities that simulate real-life high-stakes decisions.
Combine creative learning material with microlearning principles to deliver the most important content up front (do not make learners dig for it), and refer learners to quality online resources, like YouTube videos.

4. Reward learners for engagement

As far as learner engagement strategies go, acknowledging the effort learners have invested in learning looks like an obvious choice. But how often is it actually applied?
Start by understanding the things that motivate and inspire learners to keep bettering themselves. Is it a friendly competition with peers? Is it a personal progress bar that provides a visible measure of improvement from one assessment to the next? Or is it, perhaps, acknowledgment from the course instructor or a subject-matter expert?
Leaderboards, badges, and certificates are simple but effective ways to incorporate reward cycles into learning experiences.
One learner engagement tactic is to offer a badge for each activity or piece of content completed. Another is to use a leaderboard to showcase high achievers. Certificates can be the most meaningful of rewards when it comes to motivating adults to learn, because they not only want to build their skills, but also to have something to show for it. Consider how completion and achievement can be acknowledged through certificates. If possible, have certificates signed by an authority figure, such as the instructor, a higher education institution, or the CEO.
Take acknowledgement a step further by having instructors share learner success stories in a meeting or through a short video. Here, they can highlight insightful observations made by learners, remarkable improvements, and other noteworthy achievements.