On the wooden kitchen table, there were three bowls of porridge. Goldilocks was rather peckish. She tasted the porridge from the first bowl.
“This porridge is just too hot!” she howled.
Next, she tasted the porridge from the second bowl.
“This porridge is just too cold,” she shivered.
So, she tasted the last bowl of porridge.
“Yum, this porridge is just right,” she said with a cheeky grin as she winked and ate it all up.
Heard about Goldilocks? Do you remember one of the better-known fairy tales, Goldilocks and the Three Bears? So, what was Goldilocks presented with in the fairy-tale? Yes! Three bowls of porridge which were “too hot”, “too cold” and “just right”. You must be wondering what does this have to do with learning? And what is Goldilocks principle?
The Goldilocks Principle is the cognitive effect that people, when confronted with similar choices, tend to gravitate towards the more moderate option. E-learning experts usually suffer with “The Goldilocks Syndrome”. Now, what is Goldilocks Syndrome? Well, this is when the content becomes too hot, it means it’s taking a toll
on the learners where the learners are trying hard to grasp the content. At the same time, content can also run too cold. This is when the content doesn’t even scratch the surface of the learner.
So, what is the "just right" content?
1. Making the content digestible
Whether you are talking about a fairy tale porridge or a real bowl of e-learning experience, digestible content is a very important factor. The e-learning course should offer the just the right amount of content to irk the right amount of interest in learners and keep them fully engaged.
2. Get your audience right
To create e-learning courses that are digestible, you first need to define what is "digestible" for your learners. This is where the power of selection comes into picture. Choosing the "just right" topics and presenting it to your learners plays in important role in effective-learning. The choice of presenting the right topics to the right learner is of utmost is importance. For this you can conduct surveys, interviews, focus groups and diagnostic assessments.
3. Avoid Intellectual Overload
To avoid the intellectual over, target your e-learning courses around the learning goals and objectives. Get the difference between "must know" and "nice to know" information. You might have ideas that you think your learners will find it interesting. But, at the end of the day, if this doesn't serve the purpose or match with the key learning goals, then it's best to leave them. Contrary to this you can enrich your e-learning experience by contributing more than bare minimum.
4. Avoid Choice Overload
Choosing the “just right” topics for the course and presenting it to the learners plays a key role in effective learning. Asking the right questions is key.Do users feel prepared to apply the training at work? Does the content spend too much time on one portion of the module with too little content devoted to another section? Get into the nitty-gritty of feedback and you’ll be able to fill the gaps left in the content.
5. Adding the right amount of interactivity
From scenarios to simulations, to click and learn, there are various options to integrate interactivity to your e-learning courses. But, the right amount of interactivity with the right amount challenge will do for an effective e-learning course.
6. Provide additional online resources
Additional resources provide an experienced learner the capability to explore the topic on their own. Extra articles, links, videos and tutorials provide an extra boost to your e-learning course. As a result, you do not have to worry about frustrating or paralyzing your learners.
Conclusion
The story Goldilocks has a jittery ending, but your training doesn’t have to drive your learner away. By gauging your current goals and filling learning gaps along the way, your training won’t be just another cautionary tale. A happily ever-after is within reach if you can create "just right" e-learning experience.
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