Do you want to make e-learning even more interactive and practical for your employees? Then rely on project-based learning and motivate your employees to achieve sustainable learning. We explain how to make it succeed:
Digital learning is becoming increasingly popular in companies. Perhaps you are already using online courses for further training in your company? Then you know one of the biggest challenges for human resource developers: designing learning content to be not only informative, but above all practical. A strong practical relevance and a high level of interactivity are the keys to motivated employees and sustainable e-learning.
We will now introduce you to a method that is practical and action-oriented – and therefore perfectly suited to motivate and sustainably train your employees:
What is "Project-Based Learning"?
Project-based learning is a highly practice-oriented learning method where learners are expected to learn in realistic situations in a self-directed and action-oriented manner. The focus is on planned action and a structured project path. Project-based learning is primarily used in classic classroom teaching. However, it is also excellently suited for digital learning concepts such as e-learning or online courses in companies.
In project-based learning, the focus is on promoting self-organization among your employees:
Employees expand their knowledge by developing new skills in acute situations through problem identification and resolution.
Employees must conduct research themselves and obtain the required information. This also encourages them to exchange ideas with other learners and share their own findings with the group.
It is not just about solving the problem; the path to the solution is also crucial for the learning experience.
Active participation and living through the learning process itself is incredibly important in project-based learning. Pure presentation of information, as in many classic training sessions, is explicitly avoided.
Exactly herein lies the special strength of this method in e-learning. Employees do not just deal with a topic theoretically, but actively work on realistic tasks. This creates a learning process that directly links knowledge with application and problem-solving.
You can divide project-based learning into four phases: the initiation phase, the planning phase, the implementation phase, and the completion phase. In the following illustration, you will get an overview of what is important in each phase:
Phase model of project-based learning according to Elisabeth Kaliva // Our own representation
Characteristics of project-based learning summarized:
The basis is always a question or a problem from a real-life context.
Each course focuses on and promotes the learning goals and skills of your employees through independent solutions.
Your employees must always have the opportunity to make decisions themselves and develop their own strategies.
At the end of the course, employees should be able to present their results in the course and discuss the path to the solution.
Project-based learning hands over responsibility to the learning employees themselves; the role of the course instructor is therefore rather passive. If you use external trainers in your company, you should introduce them to the concept and convey these presumably unfamiliar roles to them.
The course instructor should stay mostly in the background and only interrupt the learning process in emergencies. However, if your employees actively ask for support, it must be offered; after all, you or the trainer as the course instructor still have a leading task. At best, try to integrate yourself into the group of learning employees to observe without influencing the learning process.
As mentioned, the high responsibility of the learners and a rather passive role of the trainer are often unfamiliar at first – for managers, trainers, and employees. To ensure that project-based learning in e-learning is still successful, here are four practical tips for you:
4 Tips for Successful Project-Based Learning in E-Learning
1. Run a test run
To ensure that your "learning project" in e-learning is truly successful, you should in any case go through the course yourself once. This allows you to check whether all important elements and tasks are understandable and doable, and whether your primary learning goal is actually achieved. When planning, you should keep the above-mentioned four phases of project-based learning in mind and plan for them specifically.
2. Promote direct feedback
Encourage your employees to share their opinions and findings directly. What form this takes depends on your LMS: with blink.it, for example, employees can upload their own videos or use the comment section under the learning units. Direct feedback helps you and your employees to improve processes and content.
3. Hand over more responsibility to the learners
An important factor in project-based learning is the independence of the learning employees; after all, the path to the solution is also crucial. If you provide your employees with the necessary basic knowledge and all required resources, they can learn independently and acquire new knowledge on their own. Therefore, transfer the necessary responsibility for their learning process to them and step back from the role of the course instructor.
4. Integrate interactive scenarios and simulations
Create special scenarios tailored to your employees' learning goals. In your interactive e-learning exercises, your employees can apply their acquired knowledge directly and thus retain it in their minds longer. The Blended Learning method is also ideal for integrating active exercises into your e-learning. This allows you to optimally divide theory and practice into online and in-person phases.
Conclusion
Project-based learning makes e-learning particularly effective when employees do not just consume content, but independently work on real tasks and develop solutions.
The great advantage of this method lies in its practical relevance. Employees actively grapple with problems, make their own decisions, and apply knowledge directly in the context of action. This creates a learning process that is not only informative but also sustainable.
However, for project-based learning to succeed in e-learning, it requires a clear structure, suitable tasks, and enough room for exchange and feedback. At the same time, the role of the course instructor changes: instead of presenting content, they accompany the learning process more supportively in the background.
When these requirements are met, a learning format is created that specifically promotes independence, problem-solving, and practical transfer, thus offering particularly high value for further training in the company.
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
What is project-based learning?
Project-based learning is an action-oriented learning method in which participants work independently on realistic tasks or problems, directly applying knowledge in the process.
What benefits does project-based learning offer in e-learning?
The method connects knowledge with practical application. It promotes independence, problem-solving, collaboration, and the transfer of new skills into daily work life.
What are the phases of project-based learning?
Project-based learning can be divided into four phases: initiation, planning, implementation, and completion. This gives the learning project a clear structure despite the high level of self-responsibility of the participants.
What role does the course instructor take in project-based learning?
The course instructor accompanies and supports the learning process instead of presenting solutions. Participants should make decisions as independently as possible, develop solutions, and gain experience.
How can project-based learning be implemented in an LMS?
An LMS can provide tasks and resources, as well as enable exchange, feedback, and the presentation of results. Interactive scenarios and simulations can additionally reinforce practical relevance.
