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How eLearning Improves Retention

FCU eLearning incorporate many elements that make learning new material, a new process or a new program more fun. Making learning more fun -- or interesting -- is what makes it more effective. If you aren't pulled into the material, you really aren't learning as well as you could be. This is what makes FCU eLearning so great for so many types of learning. Obviously, every type of training can't be turned into eLearning, but many can -- like lending concepts -- with excellent results. The keys to successful eLearning include:

• Varying the types of content - Images, sounds and text work together to build memory in several areas of the brain and result in better retention of the material.
  
  
• Creating interaction that engages the attention - Games, quizzes and even the manipulation of something on the screen creates more interest, which in turn builds better retention.
  
  
• Providing immediate feedback - FCU eLearning courses build in immediate feedback to correct misunderstood material. The more immediate the feedback the better, because each step of learning builds upon the previous step. If no feedback is given, then the next step may be building upon an incorrect interpretation.
  
  
• Encouraging interaction between eLearners and eInstructors - Chat rooms, discussion boards, instant messaging and e-mail all offer effective interaction for eLearners, and do a good job of taking the place of classroom discussion. Building an online community significantly influences the success of online programs. The FCU Forum has proven to be a very key part of our eLearning experience.

Self-Paced Factors

• FCU eLearning lets you go through the content at your own pace. This helps avoid missed information in situations where you either have to leave a module for an outside emergency or you just don't catch what the instructor said.
  
  
• FCU eLearning courses offer user-controlled elements that just aren't feasible in regular training classes. For example, differentiating the sound of an irregular heart beat from that of a regular heart beat by clicking on icons on the screen allows the learner to listen at their own pace and replay the sound as often as they like. This self-paced element is one of the things that makes eLearning so effective.

Interactive Factors

Another element that eLearning offers is interactivity. This type of interactivity can be in the form of simply clicking on appropriate responses to questions, clicking to animate an object or start a process, or dragging and dropping items to practice a skill.

Interactive games based on the training message are also very effective at improving learning. Now, you may be thinking of "Doom" or "Tomb Raider," but gaming in a training setting doesn't have to be quite that elaborate -- although it certainly can be!

Think about games where you go through a series of tasks, learning about the environment, and use tools you've discovered along the way. Those same techniques can be incorporated into many types of learning programs. Games can take you through an adventure in almost any type of scenario. Being able to explore, try, succeed or fail makes good training.

Motivating Factors

Being motivated to learn is half the battle. Knowing the course you are taking is going to have some "fun" elements like video, audio, animation and the "gaming" scenarios mentioned above creates more interest and curiosity in learning. This, too, leads to better retention and faster learning.

Other motivating factors with eLearning are the conveniences that it offers, such as being able to go through the course any time and anywhere (almost). It is much easier to work training into a busy schedule when you don't have to take two days off to travel and then sit in a classroom.

Related Information:

• eLearning Benefits

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