Is Your E-Learning Changing Behaviours or Just Ticking Boxes?

To facilitate effective workplace learning, you need teaching tools that do more than just transfer knowledge — that knowledge needs to truly stick. Yet, far too often, e-learning becomes more of a checkbox exercise, designed to meet compliance requirements or training quotas without actually driving behaviour change through learning.

Here at Sliced Bread Animation, we believe learning should be consistently engaging and immersive while making a measurable impact.

Learning by Doing: From Box-Checking to Behaviour Shifting

We’ve all experienced subpar e-learning modules at some point. You click through a dull training programme, skim the content, tick answer boxes next to some multiple-choice queries, and move on. At no point during this process do you feel like you’ve learned anything meaningful.

The problem is that traditional e-learning modules can be completed with passive consumption — you don’t need active participation or deep focus to succeed. However, the ultimate goal of training is to transform the way people think and act in the workplace, not merely inform them of some interesting facts. This is especially true in complex industries like healthcare and cybersecurity.

The Learning Pyramid

That’s where learning by doing enters the equation. Way back in the 1960s, the National Training Laboratories Institute created the Learning Pyramid, which suggested that some methods of learning work better than others. Even today, 60 years later, the Learning Pyramid is still a popular reference point for learning modules.

While society has changed quite a bit over the years, the core of the Learning Pyramid still largely holds true and is applicable to e-learning modules. In short, the Learning Pyramid asserts that we retain only 5% of the information we hear in a lecture and 10% of what we read. On the other hand, when we practice active methods of learning by doing, we can retain 75% or more of the information.

Keep Each Section Brief

Of course, active, participatory learning isn’t always an option. According to Science Outside — a nonprofit organisation focused on improving science education in the classroom — when learning by doing isn’t feasible, it’s best to keep lessons relatively brief. This helps us adapt our teachings to “the energy demands of authentically listening.”

Regardless of the topic, the typical person can only listen authentically for around 18 minutes before they start to lose interest and fake their attention. That’s why TED Talks are limited to 18 minutes!

If 18 minutes isn’t enough time, make sure to change the structure of your learning activities at least every 18 minutes to maintain engagement. For example, you can shift from a group discussion or demonstration to a “doing” segment where your learners practice the skills they just learned. Even in interactive e-learning models, this occasional shift in structure is still a good rule of thumb to keep your learners engaged and alert throughout the module.

How Gamification Boosts E-Learning

When it comes to driving behaviour change, gamification is one of our most effective teaching tools. Gamification is the practice of introducing elements from games into learning experiences to make them more interesting and memorable for learners.

According to a meta-analysis in the Educational Psychology Review journal, gamification elements significantly improve cognitive, motivational, and behavioural learning outcomes, especially when the module includes elements of storytelling and social interaction. In short, when your learners feel more engaged, they’re more likely to finish the training, recall the information, and successfully apply it.

Sliced Bread Animation specialises in pairing animation with gamified, interactive storytelling elements. This mixture can turn a mundane, boring topic into a meaningful, memorable experience that leaves a lasting impression. Whether it’s a compliance course or a complex procedural training module, we create e-learning that transforms, not just informs.

Transform Your E-Learning Experiences

We’ve helped a broad selection of organisations from various industries create e-learning modules that create genuine change in the way employees think and act in the workplace. When people learn by doing, their mindset shifts from absorbing information in a passive manner to actively applying it in controlled environments. This is the type of interactive learning that translates successfully to real-world applications.

Contact Sliced Bread Animation for more information about how our expertise in gamification and animation can help you create an interactive e-learning module that drives genuine behaviour changes.