10+ learner engagement strategies to boost your L&D programs

Effective learner engagement has the potential to skyrocket your L&D goals. Engaged learners are invested in training and deploying it into real-life scenarios, advancing your overall business targets.

So, how can you ensure your L&D programs foster effective learner engagement? We look at the top learner engagement strategies to give your digital training objectives a boost.

1. Personalization

One of the methods of engaging the online learner is to make the learning personal to them. Tailored programs offer significant value to learners as they acquire and build on skills they can use in their day-to-day roles. Generic courses can disengage learners if the content isn’t relevant to them.

But personalization isn’t just about the content topics — it goes beyond that into context. Make sure your programs can be customized based on learners’ language, location, learning approach and speed of learning too.

2. Incentivized learning

Rewarding employees for the effort they’ve put into learning can be an extremely effective strategy for motivation. Whether it’s a personal progress bar, leaderboard, certificates or role-based rewards, incentivizing learners can increase their engagement and commitment to courses.

3. Collaborative learning

Working with others towards a common goal can directly impact learners’ engagement. Whether it’s a comments capability within your LMS, study groups or 1-1 sessions with coaches, collaboration can help learners get the most out of their courses. Collaborative learning also holds many benefits for your organization — 74% of companies said knowledge sharing has the potential to improve productivity by 40%.

4. Online learning

Different styles of learning work for different organizations. Investing in online learning might be what’s right for you. Online platforms offer many benefits, from engaging courses, adaptive learning, flexible scheduling and more, which contribute to increased learner engagement.

5. In-person learning

On the flip side, in-person learning might be preferred for particular employees. Bootcamp style or face-to-face lessons are often less convenient but keep the learner engaged for the training period. It’s worth conducting an audit to determine the best option for your organization based on impact, time, cost, engagement and other factors.

6. Blended learning

When choosing the best learning style for your organization, the sweet spot might be between online and in-person. Blended learning has many benefits, as it offers the flexibility of online learning and the collaborative element of face-to-face methods.

7. Make it convenient

Whichever method you choose, convenience is one of the most significant factors contributing to learner engagement. Whatever your strategy, ensure your employees have the time to partake in learning at a time that suits them. Not only will this positively impact their level of engagement, but also the application of knowledge in a real-world scenario.

8. Creative content

We’ve all experienced boring content or presentations, leading us to become instantly disengaged. The quality and creativity of the learning experience can make or break engagement. The best platforms are constantly innovating, finding new ways to approach learning and having learner engagement as a core focus.

9. Consider gamification

Gamification is taking over the digital learning landscape. It offers a new way of learning powered by gaming principles to motivate and engage users. And it appears to be having a big impact — 72% of employees say gamified features inspire them to work harder. This shows gamification shouldn’t be ignored when it comes to your learner engagement strategies.

10. Invest in the best

If you spend the time researching options, listing your priorities and finding the best platform for you, then chances are all of the above points will be part of the deal. The best learning platforms offer customization, tailored content, innovation and some even go that step further to embed the knowledge too.

11. Measure the results

Arguably, the most critical part of your learner engagement strategy is the analysis of results. Effective training programs are usually equipped with reporting tools to measure impact, learner engagement and much more. Analyze the results regularly and look for gaps where you could boost learner engagement.

Learner engagement is at the heart of a successful L&D program

No matter how advanced your LMS is, how accessible learning is or how effective your reporting functions are, if you aren’t putting learner engagement front and center, then your L&D strategies are unlikely to perform effectively.

To learn more about the importance of learner engagement, the benefits and the science behind it, head to our resource page for all the essential information.