{"id":1147,"date":"2019-03-19T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-19T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/maestrodev.wpengine.com\/?p=1147"},"modified":"2024-03-22T20:07:30","modified_gmt":"2024-03-22T20:07:30","slug":"how-to-use-interactions-to-boost-learner-retention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maestrolearning.com\/blogs\/how-to-use-interactions-to-boost-learner-retention\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Interactions to Boost Learner Retention"},"content":{"rendered":"

In today\u2019s world, constant interaction with technology is simply a part of our daily lives. To put this in perspective, people\u00a0spend an average of three to four hours a day on their phones<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 that\u2019s around one-fourth of their waking hours. Access to touchscreens, games, and video content has never been easier, and with the transition to 5G and fiber optic internet, that access happens even faster.<\/p>\n

People\u00a0expect\u00a0<\/em>responsiveness and interaction from technology, and they expected it quickly. If that\u2019s not enough pressure, they also want a fantastic and beautiful experience.<\/p>\n

And when people step out the door to go to the office, these expectations travel with them.<\/p>\n

Why creating a great learning experience matters to you<\/h2>\n

Many businesses work hard to make sure their customers have a great experience with external facing websites and applications. But internally, the employees get older (and often headache-inducing) tools. Often, internal learning and training get left behind completely, with patchwork updates that only increase confusion and inconsistency. When this happens,\u00a0learner engagement suffers<\/a>, retention decreases, and that ROI just doesn\u2019t return.<\/p>\n

One of the largest dangers to learning comprehension and motivation is learner disappointment and distraction. To combat this danger, it\u2019s important to create content that motivates the learner to embrace learning and change on their own. Essentially, you want to create an experience that motivates the learner to motivate themselves.<\/p>\n

To create this motivation, outdated training needs to go. Instead, focus on how to make your learning engaging, relevant, and tangible to the learner. One important way you can make this happen is through carefully crafted interactions.<\/p>\n

Why are interactions important in learning?<\/h2>\n

You\u2019ve probably heard someone say, \u201cI don\u2019t really understand this. But if I could just\u00a0do\u00a0<\/em>it, I could figure it out.\u201d In most cases, the more\u00a0active the learning, the better people retain information<\/a>. This doesn’t mean learning while on the treadmill (though that’s possible), it means learning information that can be actively applied in day-to-day life.<\/p>\n

In order to\u00a0learn<\/em>, people\u00a0do.\u00a0<\/em>For example, learning through experience is the whole basis for internships. It gets students and learners\u00a0out\u00a0<\/em>of the classroom and directly into the workforce. While it\u2019s often not possible to have a virtual, eLearning internship (at least, not yet), we can design learning that encourages the learner to interact with the content.<\/p>\n

The key is to design interactions that\u00a0enhance\u00a0<\/em>the learning\u00a0experience,\u00a0<\/em>not distract from it.<\/p>\n

Design interactions that enhance your learning experience<\/h2>\n

Before incorporating interactions, always take a step back and ask two questions:<\/p>\n