“I am too old for e-learning” – Do you know people who would say this? For many older employees, further education is still closely associated with flip charts, chairs, and a free lunch. Find out in the article 5 tips on how you as an HR person can make digital further education particularly attractive for older individuals.
That the ability to learn does not diminish even in advanced age has already been explained by my colleague in this article: What Hänschen doesn’t learn... – The myth of learning in old age
However, many HR developers face the challenge that older people tend to be reluctant to adopt new methods. This mainly includes digital learning, which is often associated with many prejudices: E-learning is impersonal, complicated, and yields no results?
Symbolic image: Too old for e-learning? – Not if you as an HR person follow certain tips!
If you follow a few tips, the exact opposite is true! E-learning can be very personal despite spatial distance; with the right technology, it is also simple for individuals without IT experience and has a high learning effect.
Tip No. 1: Simple technology for e-learning
Everything starts with the foundation: your tool for e-learning. Not every learning platform is suitable for people with technology aversion. When choosing your platform, make sure it meets the following criteria:
Intuitive operation
Easy registration
Clear navigation
Ability to guide the user through the course
Especially the last point is a crucial aspect for older e-learning participants: Can they be “taken by the hand” digitally? Participants should always know,
where to click next
where to find help
what is expected of them
when the next task is due
Technically, you can facilitate older employees' participation in e-learning with the following features:
Email reminders
Automatic, staggered release of content (not everything at once)
Visually prominent help button
Clearly identifiable display of which content is still to be processed
Now try simple technology for e-learning
Easy to use, simple for all age groups, and without IT knowledge! This condition has been met by the blink.it platform from the very beginning. Convince yourself with a free and non-binding demo!
Tip No. 2: The Sandwich Method
An important aspect: Gradually get your older employees accustomed to new methods in e-learning. Blended learning is perfectly suited for this: Combine the best of both worlds, in-person and digital.
In-person-Online-In-person: With the blended learning model “inverted sandwich,” you pick up older employees in a familiar environment and gently introduce them to new digital methods.
The inverted sandwich model is the best choice for older participants:
Start your further education with an in-person measure. This way, you bring all participants “on board,” clarify questions, and alleviate the concerns of individuals with technology skepticism.
Next comes the actual digital further education, the e-learning. Ideally spread over several weeks to ensure a connection to everyday life and give your participants enough time.
Conclude your further education with another in-person measure. This can be a meeting in person or even a phone call.
Tip No. 3: Learning Culture! Actively involve older learners
No learning culture means no successful learning. This applies particularly to older employees, who may feel quickly unsettled: What is allowed, what is required, where can I find help? Our tip: Actively approach older employees and involve them. Ask them about their wishes and concerns – and discuss solutions with the trainers.
What can also be helpful: Choose a lighthouse participant. This can be an older person who has already completed an e-learning course. For example, conduct a short video interview with this person and use the video as a “promotional measure” for your e-learning, for instance in the intranet or directly in the online course.
💡You can find more about the topic of learning culture in companies in our free guide:
Tip No. 4: Videos with a double advantage
The technology is set, the model is planned – what are suitable contents for an e-learning experience that best engages older employees? Clearly: Videos. Moving images have a double advantage for people with IT skepticism:
Videos are easy to consume: You click on a big picture, done.
Videos convey closeness, which is often lacking in e-learning.
Especially self-shot videos score points with older employees who wish for flip charts and eye contact. This way, they can see the trainer, even though they are spatially separated.
Videos from and with executives are also a hot tip for e-learning skeptics: The statement from the boss “I stand behind you, this is a good measure” significantly increases the willingness to participate in e-learning and successfully complete it.
As an example of such a motivational video from executives, I show you a video from blink.it CEO Konstantin Ristl. Konstantin embedded the video in an online course and shared it with all participants.
In this example, less the content of Konstantin's video is important than the framework: A simple environment (the video was shot in lockdown from the home office), a short duration (under 2 minutes), and a direct address!
Konstantin Ristl to blink.it employees: An example of a motivating video in e-learning to engage all participants and strengthen them.
Tip No. 5: No call to action, no action
Let's get to the last ultimate tip for older participants in e-learning: The call to action, also known as Call-to-Action. This point seems so obvious for many trainers, and yet I keep finding that it is neglected. Feel free to exaggerate a bit and really incorporate calls to action EVERYWHERE:
At the beginning of each content (introductory text)
At the end of each video
At the end of each content (forwarding to the next content)
As an HR developer, ensure that your trainers use sufficiently clear calls to action. It is particularly important for older people to know what to do next. Course creators often do not realize that the next step is unclear because everything is familiar and understandable for them. Therefore, my tip is to incorporate more calls to action rather than fewer. However, these should naturally remain clear and unambiguous.
You can learn more about the topic of calls to action and find some practical tips in this blog article: 5 examples of good calls to action in blended learning
Conclusion: How to engage older employees in digital further education
Let's recap the 5 tips:
Use simple technology as the platform for your e-learning.
Gradually get technology skeptics accustomed to digital with blended learning in the sandwich method.
Ensure a good learning culture and actively involve older learners in e-learning.
Focus on videos, especially from executives as motivation for participants.
Ensure that there are sufficient calls to action in the online course, so that the next step is always crystal clear. Good luck with your next further education measure with technology skeptics!
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