How to Motivate Learners: 7 Surefire Learner Engagement Strategies

5 simple ways to engage and motivate learners

The following five key learner engagement techniques can boost a learner’s enthusiasm for new knowledge and skills. What’s great about these engagement strategies is that they work across different courses. And are best practices for motivating every learner, no matter the type of training content.

1. Set clear learning goals

Learners perform better when they know what’s expected of them. Setting and communicating clear learning goals is a vital learner engagement strategy.

Invest time in understanding your learners’ development needs and how they relate to broader business goals. There should be some overlap between the two in any eLearning course. For example, a communications course should consider the personal goals of a learner who seeks to improve their self-confidence in high-pressure communication scenarios, such as salary negotiations.

A first step, ask learners about their previous learning experiences. You could do this through surveys, light testing, or an informal chat during onboarding. Either way, doing your research and setting clear and relevant learning goals is a powerful engagement technique and a good way to nurture engaged learners.

The next step is to convey these goals in a language learners can relate to. Starting a course with a personal goal-setting activity is a good way to encourage learners to invest emotionally from the get-go.

2. Make learning convenient

Convenience in training is no longer a nice-to-have. In the modern workplace, where workers are time-poor and often spread across the globe or even in different time zones, it’s one of the most important learner engagement strategies. 

Here’s where choosing a good eLearning platform comes into its own. Combining a quality LMS with just-in-time and microlearning learning principles ensures training is relevant and easily digestible. Which all adds up to a powerful learner engagement strategy and more engaged learners. 

How does this all work? A good LMS creates a learning environment where courses can be accessed anytime, anywhere. It provides learning material on mobile devices, both online and offline. It supports multilingual functionality. It also makes blended learning and synchronous and asynchronous training easy for all.

Using an LMS, you can build a learning program where content is structured into small, manageable, easily digestible chunks. And deliver the most important content up front so learners don’t have to dig for it. You can refer learners to quality external online resources, like YouTube videos. Or quick-access internal resources learners frequently want to engage with. These could be templates, tools, short videos, checklists, or even infographics summarizing a procedure. Apply this principle to assessments, and you’ve got another powerful learner engagement strategy.

3. Get creative with course content

Although engagement doesn’t equal entertainment, boredom can sometimes equal disengagement. The problem is that monotonous content presentation is one of the three key obstacles employees find the most challenging with training at work.

Designing courses to keep engaged learners from zoning out is a balancing act. For every learner, the boredom threshold differs. And, often, a one-size-fits-all approach equals disengagement from most participants. The good news is you can stop learners from losing interest in a course by using active engagement strategies.

First, understand your training audience—their needs and the kind of content and scenarios they find relatable and inspiring. And ensure courses and assessments are pitched correctly. They should be challenging enough to prevent boredom but not too difficult. Finally, deliver learning content that’s creative and sparks a reaction. Just remember that fun is a means to an end, not the end goal. Offer learners different ways to interact with the content by incorporating interactive elements into online learning. For example, use quizzes, discussions, and group activities to keep learners engaged. Content formats that keep learners coming back for more include infographics, short, sharp video content, and scenario-based training activities that simulate real-life, high-stakes decisions.

4. Reward learners for engagement

As far as learner engagement techniques go, acknowledging the effort learners have invested in learning is an obvious choice. But how best to do this?

To increase learner engagement, start by understanding what motivates and inspires learners to keep improving. Is it friendly competition with peers? Is it a personal progress bar providing a visible improvement measure from one assessment to the next? Or is it, perhaps, acknowledgment from the course instructor or a subject-matter expert?

Most likely, it’s all of the above.

Once you’ve pinpointed your key motivators, the next step to boost learner engagement is incorporating reward cycles into your learning experiences. If you’re thinking about how to engage learners, leaderboards, badges, and certificates are simple but effective ways to do this. Certificates can be one of the most effective engagement techniques, particularly if signed by the instructor, a higher education institution, or the CEO.

5. Create open communication channels

Improved communication can resolve many of the common barriers to learning. As part of your learner engagement strategy, create courses that are supported by open communication channels.

As a learner engagement strategy, online communication is particularly powerful. It can support casual group discussions, guided peer learning, or informal spaces for asking questions. Both structured conversations (for example, instructor-led) and unstructured conversations (for example, learner-initiated) can contribute to a sense of community and open communication.

Learner engagement strategies for corporate learners

Corporate learners have unique demands and expectations on top of their general needs as learners. The following learner engagement strategies address those expectations and improve the overall learning experience for adult learners.

1. Offer real-life rewards for successful training and improved performance

In addition to the types of acknowledgment mentioned earlier, corporate learners are also motivated by rewards that impact their everyday work lives.

These rewards can include:

• Promotions
• Job expansions
• Paid time off
• Performance bonuses
• Discounts in favorite stores
• Gym memberships

Other forms of reward can be more personal and employee-specific. For example, some employees are motivated by the opportunity to train other employees and share their knowledge and skills.

Public praise can also be a successful learner engagement strategy for corporate learners. Why not take acknowledgment further by having instructors share training success stories in a meeting or through a short video?

2. Use on-the-job training and relatable simulations

Corporate learners focus on translating their learning experiences into improved job performance. They’re likely to be more engaged when asked to deal with real-life workplace issues like the ones they frequently encounter in their job roles.

With this in mind, use practical ways to motivate learners, such as simulations, case studies, and scenario-based activities that ring true to experience. Where relevant, design part of the course in a more practical way to incorporate job shadowing or other forms of on-the-job training. By shaping the learning environment this way, learners can practice their new skills and deal with tricky situations first-hand.

How to engage learners using AI: 10 engagement strategies examples

Generative tech is upending processes and improving performance across the workplace. And L&D is no exception. There are a number of different ways AI can be used in learning and development, particularly to underpin, enhance, and elaborate on traditional learner engagement strategies. Here’s a top 10 breakdown:

In the next chapter, we will take a closer look at such features and how an LMS can be used to motivate and engage learners.

1. Course creation and personalized learning paths

With access to an AI course creator, L&D teams can consistently generate courses with compelling content. By analyzing learner behavior and preferences, AI can also create tailored learning experiences that match individual needs, learning styles, and pace. 

2. Adaptive learning

AI-powered adaptive learning systems adjust difficulty and content based on real-time learner performance. This ensures the material remains challenging yet achievable, preventing boredom and cognitive overload.

3. Interactive learning environments

Tools powered by AI, such as chatbots and virtual assistants, can provide instant feedback, answer questions, and guide learners through complex topics.

4. Gamification and motivation

AI supports gamified learning experiences by tracking learner progress and providing rewards or challenges that enhance motivation and make learning more enjoyable.

5. Intelligent content recommendations

Using recommendation algorithms, AI can suggest relevant learning resources, additional reading, or other courses based on a learner’s interests and performance.

6. Natural Language Processing (NLP) for better communication

Technologies like NLP linked to AI support more intuitive interactions in e-learning environments. They make it easier for learners to ask questions and interact with course content in a conversational manner.

7. Real-time performance analytics

Working live, AI can provide ongoing data on learner progress. This enables instructors and learners to identify areas of improvement and strengths as and when they emerge.

8. Reducing learner isolation

AI creates collaborative learning environments by connecting learners with peers or mentors based on similar learning goals. This fosters a sense of community and combats feelings of detachment and disengagement often experienced in online learning.

9. Automating administrative tasks

By taking on time-consuming tasks like grading and course administration, AI frees instructors to focus more on engaging with learners.

10. Accessibility enhancements

AI technologies can help learners with disabilities by providing features like speech-to-text, automatic translations, and customized learning environments.

Using learner engagement strategies to increase motivation

This chapter discussed some practical tips and tactics for motivating and engaging learners. These engagement strategies are important for all types of learners, including employees. But without the support of an effective LMS solution with rich features and advanced flexibility, they’re engagement techniques that won’t get off the ground.

In the next chapter, we examine these features and how an LMS can motivate and engage learners.