We’re finally here! The last of this particular countdown series. Last week, I wrote it would be about the one thing that is always a constant in learning. That one thing? The Learner. Did you guess correctly? Here’s me giving you a remote hug. There’s a saying that change begins and ends with people—well, learning begins and ends with people. Here are seven open secrets about learners:

Learners want to learn. No one will say no to content that gives them the knowledge and skills to do their jobs even better.

Learners want you to respect their time. They may not have a choice but would prefer to say no to learning that wastes their time. Imagine having to sit through a one-hour module that could be covered in a 10-minute course. We’re big believers in micro-learning.

Learners want good experiences. The user interface should be intuitive and straightforward, and there should be enough interactions to keep it interesting. I’ve seen courses that make the learner click on everything so much so that it becomes tedious.

Learners want to be engaged. You can engage a learner with even the most boring content. I like to add gaming elements and branching scenarios to bring a course to life.

Learners like multi-faceted. Some of our best courses were designed based on multi-media approaches. Learners get a course made up of modules, games, scenarios, explainer vignettes, videos, assessments, and more.

Learners want clarity. They have expectations too. They spent the time to take the course, so what they expected to do or do differently?

Learners want to learn with their preferred style. Don’t force them to sit through “page-turners” and trap them with audio. We use Adapt to build many of our courses and worked on a way to allow the learner to choose where to read it, hear it, or read and hear it at the same time.

My next blog is coming up, and I still haven’t decided yet on the topic. Feel free to reach out if you have any ideas. What do you want me to write about?

Lydia