Nowadays, we are facing an economic recession and there is unemployment everywhere. Every educational institute has been closed due to this pandemic. Further, it led to a major disruption in the education system around the world. According to The Print, almost 320 million students were affected due to this pandemic in India. Today, it is almost impossible for a student to attend their classes physically. Hence, due to current situations, the gap between the schools and students is getting wider day by day.
The 21st century is the age of technology and this technology has impacted education on a large scale. Today, from the workplace to the classroom, learners are enjoying the advantages of online courses through Learning Management Systems, training modules, or the mixture of both online and offline learning, which is termed as blended learning. However, sometimes we get so engaged in online learning that we forget about those human learners who are on the other side of that computer screen. But true education is that which should be granted without violating the rights of others. Hence, the best education system should be designed in such a way that must strive to bridge the gap between our human learners, the consumers of our content, and the online learning technology we use in our studies should be one of the best learning management systems available in the market.
A Glance at Learning Factors
One of the most common complaints learners have about any particular type of learning is engagement, that is, being less user-friendly. Learners who have some technical and online learning experience find it less difficult to engage and can somehow figure out how to navigate online. However, in the case of learners who are less familiar with online education, they might struggle if the learning management software is not user-friendly and sometimes become discouraged to the point of giving up. To bridge this learning gap, online learning developers should implement and design courses accordingly.
Our Brains prefer recognition over recalling
Clarity, user-friendliness, and consistency should be the objectives of designing one of the best Learning Management systems for uploading online courses. The human mind always prefers recognition over remembering. Hence, courses should be created according to the audience.
Learner’s load should be minimized by avoiding unnecessary visual clutter. It is not always preferred to overload a page with text and images; white space on a web page is preferable too. Proper guidance and navigation tips must be included in the courses for every required step.
Our Brains prefer chunking by seven
Chunking is a term and concept to remember. According to research, short-term memory has a capacity of about “seven plus or minus two” chunks. To carry many things at one time can cause the human brain to lose something or trying to grasp many concepts at once can cause learners to “drop” that information.
Hence, one of the important things that we should focus on while developing an online learning course is how much content can be accessed by the learner at once.
Our Brains like to organize information
There’s a saying, “A place for everything and everything in its place”. Just like our homes gives us the feeling of organization and structure and helps us feel comfortable. Just like that, Learning Management Softwares should feel like the home of the learner. As it is for our mind during the learning process. Our eyes like to record things on the screen, such as a header with a logo at the top of the page, smooth navigation controls, etc. Hence, proper placement of information helps learners to recall everything easily when needed.
Our Brains like patterns
In our younger years, we loved to play with toys of different shapes and as adults, our mind still likes patterns so that’s why it is so important to use consistent screen design with clean and clear structures and well-grouped objects by function or appearances. Visually appealing grouped objects help learners to remember more things when compared with irrelevant information connected with learning content.
Conclusion
Effective online learning courses should be designed accordingly with objectives like including the brain’s preferences for recognition, organization, chunking, and patterns.
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