Designing effective learning paths: Tips for consultants and trainers

Table of contents 

1. What is a learning path?
2. What are the benefits of learning paths for your learners?
3. Tips for consultants and trainers to design effective learning paths
4. How to set up learning paths with Easy LMS

What is a learning path?

Learning paths form when you set your online training in a specific order. They act as a guide, helping learners feel confident and empowered.

Incorporating learning paths into your online training is an approach to designing an e-learning course or exam. You can alter the direction of your training by changing the order in which participants have to take it [1]!

What are the benefits of learning paths for your learners?

Creating online training can be time-consuming, no matter the industry. You want to ensure the learners get the most out of it. Learning paths are beneficial because they make the learning content digestible and cohesive [2].

Some of the learning path benefits include:

• Increased confidence for learners.
• Reduced work for training consultants.
• Goals are easier to track for both the training consultant and learners.

Benefit 1: Increased confidence for learners

It’s comforting to feel guided, particularly when the online training is complicated. Learning paths give learners confidence that they are following their training in the correct order. Plus, knowledge grows as each course level is passed; learners will feel more and more empowered over time.

Knowledge grows as each course level is passed; learners will feel more and more empowered over time

Benefit 2: Reduced work for training consultants

Without learning paths, learners might get confused. A lack of clarity leads to more questions for training consultants. Learning paths make training self-explanatory and easy to follow, helping learners connect the dots independently.

Benefit 3: Goals are easier to track for both the training consultant and learners

Have you got a list of goals that your learners need to reach? Tracking if they have taken the knowledge on board is more tricky when there is no set order for the online training. It’ll be easier to see where problem areas arise for learners when online courses appear in the same order for everyone.

Tips for consultants and trainers to design effective learning paths

We’ve established that learning paths can be beneficial for learning. But how do you get started? Embrace these three handy tips [3]:

• Make your training offerings flexible.
• Make it bite-sized.
• Incorporate milestones.

Tip 1: Make your training offerings flexible

Enjoy the flexibility that learning paths give you. While they are a great way to ensure all your learners' training is in the same order, you can also incorporate multiple learning paths into the same course.

This is good to remember when designing courses for multiple customers from the same industry. They might need to take the same training but in a different order, depending on which knowledge needs to be prioritized per customer. Learning paths are an easy, time-efficient way to tailor training to different customers based on their specific needs.

Tip 2: Make it bite-sized

Harness the inherent power of learning paths! Learning paths are all about keeping training bite-sized. They take an overwhelming or complicated topic and provide learners with a simple path to follow. They’ll be finished before they know it.

Keep this in mind when designing your learning paths. Transform your program into small steps that learners can take in the pockets of time amid their busy schedules. That way, they grow their knowledge continuously, and it will also help them avoid information overload!

Transform your program into small steps that learners can take in the pockets of time amid their busy schedules

Tip 3: Incorporate milestones

Make sure to incorporate indicators of progress as the learner journeys along their learning path. For example, create weekly checklists that your customers' learners can follow. Or, give them more autonomy by creating mandatory modules and optional ones.

You might also consider adding a progress bar at the top of your learning path so the learner knows how much of the content they’ve completed.

How to set up learning paths with Easy LMS

Welcome to Easy LMS’s Academy, your dynamic online learning platform designed specifically for you and your customers. With this powerful tool, you have the freedom to establish groups within your Academy that align seamlessly with your customers' unique departments, including HR, communication, and office management.

But that's not all. The true magic lies in your ability to fine-tune the training materials for each group, crafting a tailor-made learning path that leads your customers' employees through a curated sequence of courses and resources. The process is a breeze. In your Academy, design custom learning paths effortlessly by intuitively dragging and dropping your Courses and Exams into the preferred sequence. Then, take it to the next level by ensuring your participants complete the content in that exact order, creating a learning experience that's as engaging as it is effective.

Useful resources

1. Shift
2. eLearning Industry
3. Thinkific