E-learning has the potential to break down barriers in education by building capacity in students around the world at a low cost. However, instead of inspiring students and helping them acquire new skills, many e-learning courses are boring. They fail to actively engage students and, therefore, fall short in helping them reach their full learning potential.
In this presentation, I will identify four key reasons why many e-learning courses are uninteresting and ineffective in achieving learning objectives. Specifically, I will highlight that e-learning courses are unlikely to succeed when they (1) are based on unclear learning goals, (2) are developed without information about students and their needs in mind, (3) are not designed to accommodate different learning styles, and (4) do not make effective use of powerful and affordable software. I will also explain how educators can overcome these limitations of e-learning courses by using best practices in instructional design. In particular, I will describe how educators can make e-learning courses interesting, engaging, and effective by learning about their students and tailoring e-learning content to them, developing high-quality content, identifying the most important information to include in a course, incorporating interactive elements, following an organized course structure, creating a user-friendly interface, and including learning assessments. When educators design e-learning courses effectively, they do not only expand opportunities to support active student learning. They also successfully leverage the power of technology and digital learning strategies to help students expand their knowledge and skill set and thrive in a global world.