Use The 8 Second Attention Span with Learning Management System to Captivate Learners
A popular belief is that the human attention has shrunk due to the increased use of technology. Though it takes complete mental focus and also undivided attention to reap the best benefits of eLearning, but what if the attention span of your readers are short?
Some education and learning experts are of the opinion that instructions and e-course must adapt to the much lowered attention span.
In this blog, we will discuss what it means by the 8-second attention span and how it relates to the Learning Management System of an organization.
Did You Know That Human Attention Span is Less Than That of a Goldfish?
According to researchers, the average attention span of an ill-focused goldfish is approximately 9 seconds, and a new study conducted by Microsoft Corp has stated that people now lose concentration after 8 seconds, thereby highlighting the increasingly digitalized lifestyle of the human brain. Heavy multi-screeners often find it very difficult to filter the relevant materials and are often distracted by multiple streams of media.
Online learners usually have lots of distractions that they have to deal with on a daily basis. Mental roadblocks, packed schedules and even technology are responsible for dividing their attention. Though micro attention spans are not necessarily a bad thing, but learning organizations can use them to their benefit by imparting bite sized bits of knowledge that are much easier to digest.
Are You Making The Most of Short Attention Spans in e-learning? Here is how you can do it:
Include manageable milestones with rewards:
Usually a short attention span and long term goals don’t mix together. Most online learners give up before they actually achieve their learning objectives. And many times they are so absorbed on the finish line that they fail to retain the information along the way. So, it is best to break the eLearning course and make it more manageable with targeted milestones that are paired with rewards. This helps to bring the learners one step closer to achieving their goals and also motivates them.
Offer a bite sized training library:
Short attention spans and micro learning often go hand in hand and bite-sized eLearning activities help to prevent cognitive overload and also reinforce the key takeaways. Create a micro learning online library that helps the learners focus on their personal gaps. You can categorize the library based on the topics, specific tasks and interest so that they can quickly find their ideal resources.
Why not start a social media group?
Social media can be a distraction for the online learners having short attention spans, but it acts as a valuable online tool that offers group collaboration. Starting a social media group where they can share tips and insights with their peers can often be of great help. It takes only a few minutes to comment or create a post and share valuable resource links for the other members. They can invite online learners to start their groups and also explore personal interests.
Using a progress tracker in your LMS can help to boost motivation:
Opting for an interactive tracker with your LMS platform will help to engage and entertain the learners. They can be in various forms of a clickable eLearning course, like board games, map or even a level based layout. A personalized progress tracker is more beneficial as it empowers and motivates the students. They can monitor their performances and check their milestone. They can handle a task at a time and return to learning once they are focused.
Using an infographic can boost engagement:
Infographics act as great memory retention tools that offer a recap of topics, tasks or trends. Select an LMS development platform that helps to include images, graphs and also other relevant visuals that can improve understanding. Online learners absorb more information if there are infographics, use numbers, sub-headers, charts for statistics and other short text explanations.
Add some online training simulations:
Another most challenging aspect that online organizations should consider is losing the learners halfway through the online presentation or some walk-throughs. And this means they are unable to master any complicated task within the short span of time that involves various steps. Instead of just reading about the task, offering some online training simulations will help the students to stay engaged with the course modules.
“In this digitized world more and more organizations are using LMS platform to boost their overall business growth. Short attention spans are no more hurdles that prevent the online learners from gathering information. Adding interactive activities through your chosen LMS may help to captivate your audience.”