Making LMS Courses Useful and Engaging

Key Pitfalls in Creating LMS Courses and a Framework for Course Quality Evaluation
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What the article is about:
1
Two Pitfalls of LMS Courses
Why employees may avoid company courses, give low CSI scores, and prefer external training.
2
How to understand if a course is well-designed?
Basic principles of well-designed courses: how to distinguish an effective course from just an information pile.
3
Effective Course Framework
A step-by-step list of actions to help you evaluate a course, understand the criteria of a well-designed course, and set tasks for the contractor who is creating the course.
The Power of LMS in Enhancing Learning

Many companies invest in Learning Management Systems (LMS) expecting to foster a culture of learning. Indeed, an LMS allows for the creation of a structured system, unifies learning approaches, saves experts’ time, and provides a foundation for a blended learning strategy.

However ...
After years of effort, many LMS platforms may remain marginal tools that employees ignore, preferring various alternative sources. New courses go untaken, and those who do engage show minimal results.

Why?

Two Pitfalls of LMS Courses

How to avoid common LMS mistakes that can hinder employee learning and engagement
1
The Content Jail

A common problem with corporate LMS platforms is that they become content jungles. Subject-matter experts continuously upload long texts, hour-long videos, and unstructured materials, leading to an overwhelming mess. Learners struggle to navigate the system, find relevant information, or even understand what’s worth taking. The result? Low engagement, frustration, and avoidance.

2
The “Netflix + Instagram” Illusion
Some LMS providers attempt to compensate for content overload by adopting a flashy, entertainment-driven approach.
As result

The LMS is filled with cartoonish animations, microlearning snippets, and oversized images, with the belief that this will make learning as appealing as scrolling through social media.

And you know what?
As a consequence, the learning process lacks depth, and the content feels shallow and gimmicky instead of meaningful. In reality, most adults can see the difference between entertainment and goal-oriented learning, which should be concrete and concise.

Educational content is often masked as entertainment to spark interest, but...
If employees are resistant to learning, flashy content won’t change that. This could be due to negative past experiences with ineffective training, a lack of understanding about the training's practical benefits, low value placed on learning in the company culture, or a lack of support from leadership. None of these problems will be solved by making the content more animated and handing out badges for completion.
The way out of these traps is to create a high-quality educational experience based on the goals of the company and users, rather than on content and its entertainment value.
How can you assess if a course is of high quality?
Key principles of an Effective Course
  • Helps to solve work-related tasks
    The course is designed based on the needs of the target audience, and employees understand how the material will help them improve their work tasks
  • The quickest way to results
    All materials and activities in the course are designed to solve tasks while minimizing cognitive load
  • Designed with care for real learners
    Overloaded, time-constrained, with short attention spans, potentially lacking effective learning strategies, and demanding in terms of user experience
These three key principles are implemented through various components. We've put together a simple step-by-step framework that will help you assess the quality of any educational product in your company.
Effective Course Framework
This simple, yet comprehensive framework helps you assess course quality, focus on essential criteria, and track their implementation.

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