Leveraging Behaviorism In eLearning Development: Top Tips

Leveraging Behaviorism In eLearning Development: Tips For Effective Course Design

There are many theories on which Instructional Designers can base the design of their eLearning courses. And, as most of them have originated from the field of psychology, they do a great job of delving deeper into the way people learn and the factors that influence their learning processes. The first of the learning theories we will get into in this series of articles on the relationship between learning theories and eLearning is behaviorism. We will begin with a brief overview of the origins and basic principles of behaviorism and continue by discussing 6 ways in which you can leverage behaviorism in eLearning development and design.

What Are The Origins Of Behaviorism?

Behaviorism is a foundational learning theory that emerged in the early 20th century by psychologists such as B. F. Skinner and John Watson. This theory emphasizes the significant role that environmental stimuli and consequences play in the way people, especially children, learn. In other words, it supports the idea that new behaviors are developed by interacting with the environment, and their modification is possible through reinforcement, either positive or negative.

Although all of that sounds a little too theoretical, behaviorism is the root of many common learning practices, such as structured learning, repetition, immediate feedback, and rewards. Behaviorism is also especially evident in gamification in the form of levels, feedback, and reinforcement through rewards or consequences.

Based on this information, there is a lot that connects behaviorism and eLearning development. Now, let’s explore some practical applications that you can implement in your online courses.

6 Ways To Implement Behaviorism In eLearning Development

1. Establish Measurable Learning Objectives

Behaviorism is based on measurable and observable outcomes. In fact, it was created as a reaction to introspective psychology, which focused solely on subjective reports. Therefore, if you are going to implement this theory in your eLearning courses, you must set clear and measurable learning goals from the get-go. Specifically, you must know exactly what you want learners to have achieved by the end of the course and come up with specific metrics that will provide concrete data to monitor the effectiveness of your eLearning initiatives whenever it is necessary.

2. Use Repetition

Repetition is the mother of learning and also an important practice of behaviorism. Learners must be exposed to a new piece of knowledge multiple times to be able to retain and recall it in the future. Repetition, however, is an art on its own; seeing the same information over and over might benefit retention but not engagement. A technique you can implement is spaced repetition, which involves leaving gaps between exposures to new information. Repetition can be easily integrated into your online learning course through quizzes, interactive exercises, and games.

3. Incorporate Immediate Feedback

According to behaviorism, learners should receive immediate feedback on their learning progress. The reasoning behind this is that it can improve learning by reinforcing correct behaviors and highlighting mistakes, thus reducing the chances of repeated errors. An effective way to implement this practice is through automated quizzes. Specifically, when designing a quiz, make sure it immediately indicates whether an answer is right or wrong rather than making learners wait. Explaining why an answer is incorrect will further enhance the learning experience, giving learners the necessary information to improve their performance.

4. Use Gamification-Based Reinforcement

Gamification encompasses various reinforcement techniques rooted in behaviorism that can be used in eLearning development. First, there are badges, achievements, and certificates that serve as extrinsic motivators to encourage learners to remain engaged in the learning process. Then, point systems and leaderboards create a sense of competition and motivate learners to keep progressing and gathering points to maintain their ranking in the leaderboard. Another behaviorism-based element is the use of progress bars and leveling-up systems. These visual representations of learning keep learners engaged and motivated by showing them how close they are to reaching a new level.

5. Leverage Microlearning

Breaking information into smaller, more manageable chunks will lead to better results when leveraging behaviorism in eLearning development. In other words, you need to keep in mind the basic principles of microlearning and provide your audience with bite-sized content that will be easier to understand and retain. At the same time, microlearning ensures that learners receive immediate feedback on their progress, thus enhancing the learning experience. This approach will allow you to create a better-structured learning journey, gradually leading learners from easier to more difficult concepts.

6. Ensure Structured Learning Paths

Structure is an essential element of behaviorism, as it establishes a clear framework not only for learning but also for assessing learning effectiveness. When creating an eLearning course based on the theory of behaviorism, it’s important that you have a clear structure in mind to ensure that learners receive consistent stimuli, reinforcement, and feedback. There are many ways to maintain consistency throughout your eLearning course, such as ensuring the modules follow a logical progression, providing uniform navigation, offering clear instructions every step of the way, and delivering overall feedback reports at predetermined intervals.

Conclusion

Behaviorism has a longstanding history and continues to be a significant part of eLearning development and design. It is a valuable tool for Instructional Designers, who often incorporate its principles into their eLearning courses, whether intentionally or not, every time they set clear learning goals or incorporate elements such as repetition, rewards, and gamification. However, it is best to read more into the theory of behaviorism to better understand how and why it works, and expand more on the tips we shared in this article. This way, you will be able to apply behaviorism in eLearning development successfully and maximize the impact of your eLearning initiatives.