When you’re designing an e-learning course, it’s crucial to look at the bigger picture and not just the course content itself. Of course, content is the most important aspect of any educational course, however including a post-course evaluation survey for students to complete when they’ve finished allows you to determine if your learning program is working or needs to be modified in any way.
There is so much that can be gained from carrying out an e-learning course evaluation study using online survey software. Let’s look at eight of the most important feedback areas to include:
1) E-Learning Objectives
It’s crucial to identify what your course has done for your learners. When you’ve set out clear objectives, you need to determine whether your course materials have served these correctly. Through asking your learners for feedback in this area you can pinpoint any areas that need more work as well as ones that are giving learners the information they need.
2) Interaction
It’s essential for E-learning courses to be as engaging and as interactive as possible as this is what provides learners with an effective experience. Interactivity helps boost knowledge retention in the majority of cases.
3) Technical Function
Your learners need to be able to use your course both intuitively and comfortably. If they’re providing feedback that says otherwise, it’s time to get back to the drawing board to reassess aspects like navigation and user interface to provide your learners with an educational experience that flows. Ease of access is a huge part of encouraging students to learn, and if your course is filled with links that don’t work or sub-par technology, they’ll lose interest and potentially go elsewhere.
4) Language
Key element of your course is to use language that isn’t filled with unnecessary jargon and is therefore easily understood. In addition, by including appropriate humor and relevant scenarios, your learners can easily identify with, their level of engagement is heightened. With this in mind, the language you use should be to the point, and respectful to learners of all backgrounds.
5) Time
Each topic should be broken up into sections that are not too lengthy while still covering all points of interest and study. A section that’s too short or too long can affect an individual’s desire to study. As a general rule, around 15 or 30 minutes per topic should work for everyone.
6) Visuals
The visual impact of an E-learning course should not be downplayed. Your students can provide excellent feedback on this as they are the people who are using the software on a day-to day basis. You want to ensure all graphics and images are both interesting as well as visually pleasing, while leaving out any unnecessary elements that detract from the learning experience.
7) Quizzes
Your learners are your first point of call when evaluating the relevancy of tests and quizzes and can rate the quality and variety of questions and quiz types. You can then use this information to make future quizzes more relevant and engaging.
8) Value for Money
The last area of feedback you should ask for is an evaluation of the cost of your course. You need to factor in the price of developing and designing the course, the cost of running it and the price per learner. If students report that your pricing is too high compared to other courses of a similar kind, it’s time to study the market.
E-learning course evaluations are an amazing survey tool to find out whether your study materials are right for your learners, and every educational business needs to work these into their business structure. By using survey software, you can do so both easily and effectively.
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