3 key considerations in learner experience

What is learner experience?

Learner experience takes into consideration the way that a learner feels before, during and after the learning that they are participating in. As it is so personal, a positive learner experience can look different for different learners. For example, one learner may enjoy a course because they gained confidence during it, another might enjoy it because it took exactly as much time as stated and they got the certificate that they needed to get a promotion at work. It can be boiled down to meeting the expectations of the learners at all times as they interact with the course, from first hearing about it, through application, onboarding, delivery, assessment and certification.

What is the impact of good learner experience for course providers?

Learner experience is closely linked to marketing. If you set the expectations of the course clearly at the marketing stage, you know what to deliver on, you get positive reviews, you can use these for marketing etc. You might have multiple marketing strands to target different learner motivations (confidence, time, recognition of qualifications etc.) but as long as you can deliver on these in the course simultaneously that is not a problem. Additionally, good learner experience leads to positive word of mouth about your course, adding to your marketing and ability to recruit the people you can most help (those whose expectations of the course most closely align with what you can deliver). There are other implications for marketing but that's a different post.

3 factors in creating positive learner experience

Learners are essentially customers and customers have high expectations these days. There has never been more choice for products and services and they have never been easier to get, recognized courses can be delivered online providing access to a global market. Learners want what any customer wants, value for money, a customisable experience, and convenience. It might seem like a tall order but it is achievable and the benefits for both those delivering the course and the learner are manifold.

1. Curate emotion
Figuring out why your learners are signed up to a course and validating their motivation for being there is important in creating both inclusivity and motivation. Not all learners are taking on a course for the love of learning. Think about when you have felt that someone, a colleague, a manager, a teacher etc. - just understood you. Now think about a time when you felt the opposite. Which made you more likely to go the extra mile, to show up when you didn't really feel like it, to talk positively about your experience with others?

Learner experience is all about feeling and people remember how you make them feel. Make an effort to get to know your learners and to make them feel seen and valued. This could be a simple form or welcome email to encourage them to say why they are joining. It could be a group exercise in the first session or a discussion board if the course is fully asynchronous. Most importantly, use this information to shape how you address the course. For example, don't let your language around assignments assume that everyone is there for, or has the time to go for, an 'A'. Make room for people to get what they need from the course.

2. Picture your future feedback
Ahead of designing your course, think about what you want to see on feedback forms and what you want to be able to say about your course in marketing material. Then make sure that you deliver on those things. No one wants feedback that focuses on the platform you used and its 'quirks' or about how the lectures just repeated the online material.

You might want people to say:

"My facilitator was so knowledgeable about this topic and shared examples from their own experience"

That can only happen if you design the course to allow you, or any facilitator to do this.

Or maybe you want your next marketing campaign to say :

"Our USP is that our courses allow learners to put their learning into practice and get detailed feedback."

To have social proof of this in your feedback you will need to design this practice into your course. That means a completely different schedule compared to other ways of delivering your training.

No one way of running a course is right but it has to be right for your target learners. Figure out what they need - and what you want them to tell others - and consciousl design your course to deliver on that.

3. What results will sell this course?

Not every learner is the right learner for your course. Do not fall into the trap of thinking your course is successful because it is full. A successful course is one that delivers on what it promises and gets learners from where they are to where they want to be. That is the key to long-term success rather than a few successful rounds of recruitment.

Make sure learners understand what they are signing up for, be accurate and honest. No one wants a surprise once they have parted with cash or invested their time. Think about what you want your marketing to look like - "100% of learners felt the content twas applicable for them at work", "100% of learners found the course time demand manageable"...

Learner experience doesn't just happen, start with the end in mind and work backwards. Think long term and deliver on what you promise, understand that it takes time to build a reputation, don't give in to short term achievement to the detriment of long term reputation, remember there will be more courses that you can develop for their own suitable audience.