Over the past decade, the world has become familiar with many social networks. Some have become highly popular (for example, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok), while others have not gathered their audience (for example, Google Plus). At the same time, the attitude to social networks can be completely different - from an effective way to know more about the lives of others to a time killer.
But one thing is clear: many users spend hours browsing the feed on the social network. Therefore, it is vital to make the content of the online course catchy. Let's figure out how to make educational content as attractive as a social media feed so that students can consume it with pleasure.
Why Social Media Is a Great Source of Inspiration for Online Course Design
The number of available e-courses is rapidly growing. Therefore, you can quite easily understand what draws attention or, conversely, distracts from learning. And since social networks hold a special place in every person's life, a question arises: what can I do to ensure that my audience actively attends eLearning courses?
Think About Your Target Audience
Before developing the course, it is necessary to think about those who will attend it. So, materials for regular and corporate courses will look different. Knowing who you most want to see in your courses can select the right tone for your entire online course. And it does not matter at all which educational platform you have chosen.
Find Out About the Demands and Preferences of Students
Your students should not be solely content consumers. Think about how you can involve students in the learning process and interest them in exciting classes. To do this, you need to research the target audience:
- Where are your students located, in one region or around the world? Are there cultural features that are not typical of your country?
- Why does your audience need an eLearning course - to learn a new skill or improve an existing one?
- What are the goals of your course? How can students apply their new knowledge into practice?
Once you have a more precise idea of your target audience, start thinking about your learning format and choosing an educational platform. Learn from the experience of professionals who have already launched eLearning courses. Understanding the needs and desires of students will allow you to create high-quality content for online learning.
When you start working on your learning plan, keep in mind the variety of content types - photos, videos, text, and visuals. They can be used in different combinations and with another presentation. Therefore, you can experiment with formats and build communication with your audience.
Work on the tone of voice
It is better to present pictures, videos, and voiceovers of video lessons in a way that the target audience understands you. The presentation also depends on the style of the message (important, funny, motivating, etc.).
In general, the tone of voice should remain the same. But you can always modify it a little to keep students interested in the e-course. For example, exciting facts will always be presented with humor (as in live communication).
When you share helpful information on the Internet, is it not an exciting experience? Here is a basic example: you are on vacation abroad, took a beautiful photo, and posted it on social media. All your friends and relatives immediately liked and commented on it because they liked the picture.
In addition, eLearning should provide the same user experience for students and teachers. So make adjustments to the tone of voice from time to time to keep students interested in your course.
Create Engaging Content
According to scientists' data, about 80% of information people perceive through the eyes. It is the same with educational content: students first review it but do not read it. Therefore, it is crucial not to give the audience a whole "canvas" of text but a full-fledged combination of photos, videos, and visual elements. This approach allows you to maintain interest in the topic at a consistently high level.
The first thing to think about is how you interact with photos and videos on social media profiles. For example, what motivates you to read a post and like it? Then, use the answers to develop your online course content strategy.
Increase Student Engagement
Many creators of eLearning courses try to keep students engaged through ads and social networks. However, it would be best if you used special programs. For example, H5P is a user-friendly page builder with interactive content. It is also suitable to use Storyline and Rise 360 if you have learned how to use them correctly. They are needed both for presenting content and testing at the end of a module or course.
Moreover, the benefits of gamification should not be underestimated because this approach can play a significant role in increasing audience engagement. Create interactive quizzes and mini-games that allow students to check how well they have learned material from previous lessons.
Choose Images That Do Not Violate the Copyright
The issue of copyright is quite sensitive. To not complicate your life by arguing about authorship with other people, you can use images with a free license (CC). Fortunately, there are a lot of them on the Internet, especially on image bank websites. Just type in "Creative Commons Photo" into the search bar, and you will get access to millions of pictures on various topics.
Remember: your main task is to attract and keep the student's attention. Therefore, forget about the "canvas" of text; otherwise, the user will quickly leave the page.
Integrate YouTube Videos
Students worldwide have explored the use of YouTube videos in eLearning. For example, in 2018, a team of researchers from Malaysia published "Social Media as a Complementary Learning Tool for Teaching and Learning: The Case of Youtube." According to the team lead, Sedigheh Moghavvemi, integrating relevant videos from Youtube attracts students' attention.
However, you must be careful when integrating external sources. They should only serve as an addition to your e-course. For example, if you want to explain the main topics, it is better to use an internal player or presentations.
Connecting videos from Youtube can bring significant benefits to your course. But it is important to remember three rules:
- choose your sources carefully;
- use videos up to 10 minutes long;
- offer students the most interesting and valuable facts.
These recommendations apply to courses on any topic, from foreign languages and IT to finance and fitness.
5 Tips for Using Facebook in E-learning
The biggest social network in the world impacts the field of eLearning. You can use it to build communication with your audience. How to do it? Follow our advice!
Create a Separate Space Dedicated To Elearning
Young people feel highly confident in social media. People under 35 get particular pleasure from virtual communication, viewing photos and videos. Therefore, we recommend creating a separate Facebook page dedicated to your online course. In this community, students will ask questions about the course topic, offer ideas for improving the content, and share their learning adventures. In addition, group communication increases the engagement of the audience several times. It is especially true for asynchronous courses when students watch lesson recordings at any time. Therefore, allow students to share experiences and valuable knowledge.
Keep in Touch With Your Students
Stay connected with your audience and other educators. You can do this by publishing posts and direct messaging through Facebook Messenger because it allows you to respond to students' questions more quickly. In addition, you can send notifications about new training courses and webinars, lesson reminders, and homework grades.
Offer Additional Resources To Keep Students With You
E-books, videos, presentations, and other course-related resources will allow students to gain even more valuable knowledge and complete current modules. Give students enough information to have less incomprehension in the learning process. The easier the advancement path, the faster the students start new modules and complete the course.
Divide Online Courses Into Separate Modules
Each lesson should be short but exciting and memorable. This quintessential benefit engages students and increases engagement with content by likes, shares, and comments. In addition, breaking the course into separate modules increases the memorization of new knowledge. Finally, some high-quality photos, videos, and motion graphics will only increase involvement in learning.
Collect Feedback
Facebook allows you to conveniently and quickly collect feedback from students. Just create a poll on the desired topic and wait a bit. You can also post an open question and get answers in the comments. Both methods allow you to understand how satisfied the audience is with the course and what weaknesses need to be corrected. What's more, you can use Facebook to test new features and functionality. It will significantly reduce the budget for feature development.
Conclusion
Let's sum it up. Educational content must be presented in different ways while not forgetting the visual. You must do everything to create a valuable and engaging e-course!
Some online course creators offer courses with a precise sequence of presentation of the material. But there is one thing: they are too predictable. Would you watch the Netflix series knowing what you will see in the next scene? No! Moreover, it is far from certain that you will want to complete this course.
New students need to be attracted by exciting and bright things: beautiful pictures, stories, or videos. They must correspond to the course topic and, most importantly, provide information efficiently and interestingly.
Another vital aspect is creativity. Use your imagination to create public and corporate courses. The tips above will allow you to thoroughly test your solutions and integrate them into your online course as quickly as possible. After all, as a rule, students remember what caused certain emotions inside, and only then can good results be achieved.
We hope that you found our article helpful. If you have any questions about creating content for eLearning, leave them in the comments. We will answer them and analyze the most interesting ones in new articles!