Tips for Writing for Adult
Online Learners
When developing e-Learning training
materials, you need to carefully plan what you are going to write. In fact, the writing in an e-Learning course represents
your voice, the voice of the instructor.
It is the “star of the show” and must be engaging, well organized, and
clear. Your writing must also address
all of the learning objectives so that participants who complete the training are
able to achieve the instructional goals of the course. And, don’t forget about who you are writing
for! Know who your audience is and write
specifically to engage their interests and meet their needs.
Here are some important things to remember
when writing for adult online learners.
Adult Learners:
·
Adult
learners need to be able to immediately connect what they are learning to what
they already know. Training needs to be
task-centered and provide authentic situations, illustrations, and problems for
participants to solve. Adult learners
also need to be given opportunities to reflect on the content as part of the
process of applying it to their current situation.
·
Be
aware of what adult learners already know about each topic. Information that is considered to be common
knowledge can be referred to but doesn’t need to be explained in detail in the content. If you feel that the information is critical
to include, a good option would be to include it as a resource page that can be
accessed at the discretion of the learner.
Organization:
·
Start
by defining exactly what you want participants to learn and to be able to do
after completing the training. Clear
goals and learning objectives tell participants why they need to complete the
training and what is expected of them.
Clear learning objectives also provide a roadmap for developing the
content, activities, and assessment.
·
After
you have determined what the goals and learning objectives are, develop a
clear, concise outline of the content before you start writing.
·
When
the outline is complete, check the goals and learning objectives again to be
sure they match the content. Follow your outline to write the content.
Content:
·
Introduce
the content to your participants. Draw
them in. Make the participants the
center of the learning experience. Help
them understand why this training is important to them. Let them know how the content is organized
and how long it should take them to complete the training.
·
Keep
your writing focused. Only include
information that is directly related to the topic and learning objectives. Sidebars might seem to add interest to the
content, but in an eLearning situation they are very distracting to the learner
and cause confusion. If the information
is important enough to include, then it needs to be covered under a learning
objective and have a place in the outline.
·
Content needs to be interesting, relevant,
and meaningful to the learner. Use
illustrations that your audience can identify with. When possible, incorporate stories, examples,
and scenarios into the content to give the information context. Use real people in real situations. Adding drama and emotion helps engage
participants and helps them remember the content.
·
Write
using a conversational voice, as if you are talking directly to your
participants. Conversational writing is
about connecting with your audience. It
sounds natural and genuine, especially when read aloud. Here are some additional things to remember
about writing in a conversational tone:
o
Use contractions like you would normally use
when you are talking to someone.
o
Don’t be afraid to ask your participants
questions.
o
Use “I” and “you.”
o
Use an active voice with action verbs: “He passed the salt to her.” Rather than “The
salt was passed to her.”
o
Read aloud what you have written and listen
to how it sounds.
·
Write
using short, concise sentences and paragraphs.
Start every paragraph with a strong topic sentence to help learners
understand what the paragraph is about with just one reading.
·
Start
each main section with a brief introduction that gives participants a general
idea of what the topic is about, why it matters to them, and how it connects
with previous topics. At the end of each
main section, summarize the points that participants need to remember.
Topic introduction
example: In the last section we learned about the
capabilities of the RNR Tool and how using the tool streamlines program
selection for individual offenders. In
this section we will learn more about the RNR model and the framework behind
the tool.
Topic summary
example: The RNR Tool is a
valuable aid to law enforcement workers.
By matching specific characteristics and information with a database of possible
programs, it provides a reliable method for accurately identifying the programs
that will be most beneficial to individual offenders. Next we will look at how the RNR Tool relates
to the RNR model framework.
Practice: Did you notice that this summary example
needs some work? It might be OK for a
print document, but is not optimal for an online learning module. Read it out loud and you will see what I
mean. Rewrite the paragraph so that it
has shorter, more concise sentences and is easier to read.
Suggested re-write: The RNR Tool matches specific characteristics
and information about offenders to a database of proven solutions. The report the tool generates identifies
specific programs for each individual offender.
The report also predicts how effective the suggested programs will be
for each offender. Next we will look at
how the RNR Tool related to the RNR model framework.
