5 Problems Learning Designers Face During the Pandemic

For many learning designers, the pandemic has not only been a time of great stress and uncertainty but also the perfect storm in which their skills are being tested to the limits. Of course, everyone has been touched by recent events in some way but the immense demand for online courses and material has meant that learning designers have needed to think smarter, harder and faster than ever!

Let’s take a look at five problems that learning designers face during the pandemic.

1. The Immediate Demand for eLearning Material

The eLearning industry has experienced a dramatic rise over the past decade but the pandemic has significantly increased the demand for online teachings, courses etc. With this in mind, learning designers are not only required to come up with innovative material but also to create and produce this material in a very short space of time. Due to the nature of this pandemic, there was no way to plan for this situation and learning designers are really pushed-for-time when it comes to creating and producing their eLearning material.

2. Keeping Up with the Latest Technology

Learning designers are always having to keep up with new technology and understand the latest software before they can get on with the task at hand. For instance, more than ever before, it’s essential for learning designers to connect with their audience on an emotional level. This communication is critical for defining a target audience, collecting data and designing courses that will “speak” to the chosen audience. However, the nature of remote learning has made it much more challenging to communicate with audiences on any level at all. Because the pandemic has required learning designers to know the capabilities of certain technologies before they can even begin to “speak” to their learners.

3. Delivering a Large Dose of Quality Information in a Short Amount of Time

Recent studies at the Tech University of Denmark explain how attention spans are reducing significantly due to the immense amount of information at our disposal. With the staggering rate at which information is growing online, this attention span continues to plummet during the pandemic. But what does this mean for learning designers?

It means that learning designers are having to sift through a huge amount of data and then condense this information down to a more “consumable” size. Because humans just don’t have time to sit through days-worth of material and expect nothing less from an elearning course than a high volume of content in a short space of time. While this process was manageable before the pandemic, it’s now a real challenge for designers.

4. Respecting the Increasingly Diverse Profile of Online Learners

The profile of online learners is evolving all the time as the eLearning space becomes more and more diverse. Learning designers are responsible for keeping this in mind and creating online courses that can be accessed by people from all cultures and backgrounds. This means learning designers need to be careful about what type of language they use or potential assumptions they might make in course material. In short, this also means that some learning designers are being forced to confront certain prejudices or internal bases before producing their respective eLearning material.

5. Keeping Everyone Engaged is More Challenging than Ever

Keeping the interest and attention of learners is never an easy task for learning designers. This is why fresh content and interesting ideas are always needed and what many learning designers are most concerned about. It’s true, learners are often bored in the classroom but even more likely to be disengaged by a substandard elearning course. Learning designers know about this tendency and the pandemic has forced them to think outside the box. This might mean embracing new technology or creating collaborative material that nurtures a sense of online community. Either way, the struggle is real and keeping everyone engaged is more challenging than ever.