Online learning platforms provide an excellent opportunity to include diverse learning methods and materials in the teaching. Versatile content benefits different types of learners and creates an engaging learning experience, as well as improves the learning outcomes.
This blog post gives tips on how to create versatile content for online courses in order to maintain different types of learners' interest and enhance their learning.
Different types of learners and different ways to learn
Learners differ from each other in many ways: they have different background knowledge, different motivation for learning, and different study strategies. When talking about learning and teaching, discussions often involve references to various "learning styles". The idea of different learning styles has been a popular way to understand how people learn and there are many different theories that try to categorize these styles. One of the most well-known models is the VAK model, that categorizes learners as visual learners (who benefit from images, diagrams, and visual presentations), auditory learners (who learn best by listening), and kinesthetic learners (who learn by doing and moving).
However, research has not conclusively proven that people always learn most effectively in a certain learning style. In fact, the learning style theories have been widely criticized and largely debunked as myths. Categorizing learners into certain learning styles can even be harmful, as sticking to one specific style may limit and hinder learning.
Instead, it has been found that learners have preferences for how they like to study. Some may prefer to learn new things by watching videos, while others may prefer discussing in a group. This does not mean that these learners cannot learn in other ways, such as reading. Learning is multimodal, and people learn best by combining different senses and learning methods, such as reading, listening, and doing. A diverse approach to learning enhances memory and understanding and benefits different types of learners.
Tailoring online learning content for different learners
Today, the focus is on versatile learning approaches. The key is to choose those learning methods and tools that best fit the subject matter and the learners' needs. It is useful to experiment with different methods and find out what works best in each situation.
To ensure that an online course serves different learners effectively, consider the following aspects when designing the learning material:
- The subject matter: Different topics require different learning methods and learning materials. For example, when training customer service representatives that interact with customers over the phone, it might be useful to provide audio recordings of real conversations. When training customer service agents who respond to customer emails, written examples of actual emails might be more beneficial.
- Learner motivation: How motivated and committed the learner is impacts the learning outcomes. Offer materials that are relevant for the learners' daily work and ensure that the content is clear and appropriately challenging. Explain the learners why the topic is important and what benefits they gain from it. Feedback can also be a motivating factor, so include automatic feedback texts to the course tasks or give personal feedback.
- Learners' prior knowledge: Find out the starting level of your target audience and plan the teaching accordingly. If needed, create courses for different levels, such as beginners and advanced learners. In the course introduction, clearly state what prior knowledge is required in order to be able to participate in the course. Differentiate the material in the course for example by offering optional supplementary material for those who want to learn more about the topic, or for those that need additional revision. Provide guidance on where to find further courses on the topic.
- Learners' preferences: Learners prefer different ways of studying. Vary content formats and task types to accommodate each learner, or offer the learning material in multiple formats, allowing the learners to choose a form that best suits them.
- Different teaching methods and materials: In learning, repetition and revision of the topics is important. Varying content types makes learning more interesting, which helps to maintain focus, leading to improved learning outcomes. So include for example images in the text to illustrate the key points of the topic, or infographics to summarize complex information.
Practical tips for designing a versatile online course
Vary content formats
- Text: use headings and different highlights and divide the text into chapters to improve readability
- Tasks: incorporate tasks and polls into the text to activate the learner, test their knowledge, and improve retention
- Images and diagrams: represent complex ideas visually
- Videos and animations: utilize instructional videos with clear narration, subtitles, and visual highlights
- Mind maps: help learners see connections between concepts
- Audio recordings and podcasts: provide expert interviews or offer the lecture content in an audio format
Use different task types and teaching methods
- Independent study: quizzes, essays, polls, exams
- Learning journals: ask the learners to journal their learning experiences and reflect on what they have learned
- Video lectures: Present content through recorded lessons
- Group works and discussions: give the learners a chance to discuss and study in small groups
- Forums and chats: create a space where the learners can share their thoughts and learn from each other
- Problem-based learning: present real-world problems and let the learners solve them either independently or in groups, applying the knowledge learned in the course
Provide the same content in multiple formats
- Give the learners options to choose from, for example choose one of these three tasks. Offer the same content in multiple formats, for example so that the user can choose whether they watch a video of the topic or read a transcript of the video. This way, the learners can choose the learning method that suits them best.
- Deepen the learners' knowledge by repeating the same content in multiple formats, for example offer both a text of a process and also a flowchart, or offer a vide of a lecture and in addition, a summary of the lecture.
Utilize possibilities offered by technology
- Use learning platforms that support the use of different materials and methods
- For example, the Vuolearning online learning platform allows you to create versatile courses and learning paths that combine different elements, such as independent study, group discussions, chats, videos, learning journals, reflection exercises, quizzes, audio content, and gathering feedback from the learners in order to improve the learning material.
Versatile content benefits all learners
Considering the needs of different learners in online courses benefits the learning experience and enhances the learning outcomes. By offering diverse learning content, varied teaching methods, and flexible study options, you can ensure that each learner gets the most out of the training. So, utilize technology and the possibilities offered by digital learning environments and create online courses that are diverse and effective.