Something that came to my attention about a year ago is our overuse of the word will. Writing Tips eLearning AttentionBy Shelley A. Gable. Learners can be fickle, quickly slipping into distraction or boredom if we ask them to read too much. Though highly interactive , problem-based eLearning can help maintain engagement, completing these activities usually requires learners to read words that we write. In a culture of multi-tasking skimmers, we must write as clearly and concisely as possible to help keep learners motivated. Practical Writing Advice from George Orwell. Compare.

Regardless of the extent of your background in instructional design, I think just about everyone can agree that capturing learners’ attention at the start of an eLearning course (and engaging interest throughout) is critical. In the spirit of sharing some basic ideas while keeping this simple, below are seven techniques designers can use to capture learners’ attention at the start of an eLearning course. Referring to the pre-course communication at the start of a course can be a great way to grab the learner’s attention. By Shelley A. Gable. It gets your adrenaline pumping.