Picture this: you’ve just created an epic eLearning program. Your content has all the bells and whistles. The scalability factor alone will unify your workforce with consistent training experiences, all while saving your organization time and money. This all sounds promising, but what if you’d like to do a pulse check to see how training is going?
That’s where knowledge checks come in. Knowledge checks measure learner progress and help preserve knowledge retention by reinforcing information most relevant to their roles. But there’s more that your eLearning provider wants you to know.
What Your eLearning Provider Wants You To Know About Knowledge Checks
For adult learners who already bring a wealth of life experience and knowledge, the importance of understanding new information becomes a top priority once learners know the “why” behind training concepts and how their new knowledge will help them be successful in their roles.
Knowledge checks are timely questions that appear on-screen during an eLearning course, prompting learners to apply their newly acquired knowledge. Here’s what your eLearning provider wants you to know:
Align Knowledge Checks With Learning Objectives
Testing your employees on randomized information might keep them on their toes – but how will it benefit them in the long run? Designed to reinforce learning, the primary goal of eLearning knowledge checks is to do exactly what it says – check how much knowledge has been retained by learners. Whether it’s compliance, product knowledge, or soft skills, it’s important to determine how knowledge checks line up with the core objectives of your training program. By aligning knowledge checks with clear learning objectives, your organization can accurately measure the effectiveness of your eLearning program.
Weave Knowledge Checks Throughout Your eLearning Content
Knowledge checks help combat cognitive overload by breaking up training with well-paced reviews. Think of your knowledge checks like a vibrant thread woven into a tapestry. In order for the fabric of your eLearning program to be effective, the construction of your content should weave knowledge checks throughout your eLearning program to ensure consistent opportunities to reflect and practice essential training material.
Keep Knowledge Checks Informal
Do you remember the sinking feeling after seeing an important exam marked up in red? Well, there are actually studies that tell us using red ink to mark incorrect answers not only influences how harshly instructors grade, but actually impacts students’ confidence and ability to recall information. Who knew the value of a low-stakes knowledge check?
Although knowledge checks are an integral part of eLearning, they should remain ungraded. It’s less about whether or not learners get their knowledge checks right or wrong and more about reiterating core learning concepts. Keeping knowledge checks informal alleviates pressure on learners and provides nonconsequential evaluations of their role readiness. When learners get a knowledge check wrong, they receive guidance – not a scarlet letter!
Offer Constructive Feedback
Knowledge checks should offer constructive feedback to reinforce learning objectives. Once learners have responded, your program should provide knowledge and an explanation to reinforce why an answer is correct or incorrect. This facilitates a great opportunity to review information and pulse-check how a learner is doing in the training. Constructive feedback promotes a growth mindset among learners, reframing mistakes as opportunities to hone their skills.
Promote Critical Thinking
Dull training, where? Knowledge checks help keep eLearning an active experience. By incorporating associative questions that prompt learners to reflect and apply new information quickly, knowledge checks can help promote critical thinking during the training process.
3 Examples of eLearning Knowledge Checks
Knowledge checks can be formatted as true or false questions, multiple choice, or drag-and-drop sorting.
1. True or False
True or false questions can be a bit like flipping a coin. While the odds of answering correctly are 50/50, true or false knowledge checks take less time to answer. Incorporating an even mix of true or false questions is the best way to gauge a learner’s knowledge retention. Avoid subjective language that can obscure meaning. By using precise language in true or false knowledge checks, learners can confidently answer.
2. Drag and Drop
Drag-and-drop knowledge checks engage learners by prompting them to label, sort through, and select the right information. Learners can drag words to complete a sentence, match definitions, and more. This level of interactivity keeps learners engaged with training content and focused on key takeaways.
3. Multiple Choice
Tackle knowledge gaps by incorporating multiple-choice knowledge checks! Well-written multiple-choice questions promote higher-order thinking and can make knowledge retrieval more accessible and less daunting to learners navigating brand-new information.
For example, during customer service training, learners went through a practice client call, and their screen gave them two options for responding. Once they make their choice, a voiceover reacts to the right or wrong answer, reinforcing the core learning objectives of the program.
Make The Most Out of Your eLearning Training Experiences
If you’re looking to make the most out of your custom eLearning training experience, sprinkle knowledge checks like confetti! Well-crafted knowledge checks ensure an active learning experience and better training outcomes.
Self-directed learning is guided by intrinsic motivation. Give learners the opportunity to reflect on their progress and understanding of their core learning objectives. And remember to keep knowledge checks as relevant as possible! Want to hear more about optimizing learning outcomes? Hear from the experts!
