Why your eLearning is boring (And how to fix it)

TL;DR: eLearning gets boring when it's just converted PowerPoints with voiceover and recall quizzes. The fix: scenario-based learning, meaningful practice, relevant examples, and content broken into digestible chunks. Plus, completion rates mean nothing if behaviour doesn't change, measure what actually matters.

Let me paint you a picture:

Your eLearning course opens with 15 slides of text explaining company policies. Each slide has voiceover reading the exact words on screen. Every 5 slides, there's a multiple-choice quiz asking learners to recall what they just read.

Be honest: would you finish that course?

Probably not. And neither will your learners.

The boring eLearning problem

In my last newsletter, I talked about why learners don't start eLearning. But even when they do start, most courses have a different problem: they're mind-numbingly boring.

And I don't mean the topic is boring. I mean the experience is boring.

Here's what boring eLearning looks like:

• Long, dense, linear content that overwhelms learners
• Text-heavy slides with voiceover narration
• No interaction except clicking "next"
• Quizzes that test recall, not understanding
• Generic content that doesn't connect to the real world

Sound familiar?

Why this happens

Most eLearning gets boring because of one of two reasons:

1. Someone converted a PowerPoint presentation into eLearning (Maybe even using AI to speed up the process)

Just because you can turn slides into eLearning doesn't mean you should. Information delivery isn't learning. It's just... information delivery.

2. There was no proper instructional design The content expert knows what needs to be taught. But they don't necessarily know how people learn, how to structure content for engagement, or how to create meaningful practice.

What works

The fix isn't necessarily expensive or complicated. You don't need Hollywood production values or cutting-edge technology.

You need:

Scenario-based learning where people practice real decisions in safe environments

Interactive elements that require thought, not just clicks

Relevant examples that mirror actual workplace challenges

Meaningful practice that builds capability, not just tests recall

Content that's broken into digestible chunks instead of overwhelming walls of information

The Content Relevance Problem

Here's something that makes eLearning even worse than boring: when it's irrelevant.

Generic eLearning that doesn't reflect the real world means people don't learn anything they can use. When examples feel fake, scenarios feel contrived, and the language doesn't match how people work, learners mentally check out.

This is almost always a failure of analysis. If you don't know:

• What people do in their jobs
• What challenges they face
• What success looks like in their context

...then you can't design learning that matters to them.

The full breakdown: Why eLearning Fails (and what to do about it)

The Measurement Problem

Here's the final piece: even if learners complete your eLearning, that doesn't mean it worked.

Completion rates tell you who got to the end. They don't tell you:

• Whether anyone learned anything
• Whether anyone can do anything differently
• Whether behaviour actually changed
• Whether performance improved

If your only success metric is completion, you're measuring compliance, not learning. And you're incentivising exactly the wrong behaviour: clicking through as fast as possible.

Creating eLearning that actually works

Every problem I've described has a solution. But they all require the same thing: proper instructional design from the start.

Not added at the end to "make it pretty." From the beginning, shaping what gets included, how it's structured, how it's presented, and how success is measured.

If you're ready to stop creating boring, ineffective eLearning:

📦 Instructional Designer's Starter Pack Includes an analysis template to identify what learners really need, design template for structuring engaging content, and a storyboard template for creating interactive experiences. Get the Starter Pack

🎯 From A to D Program Let's work together on your personal project. In 3 weeks of 1-1 sessions, we'll conduct proper analysis, design eLearning that's engaging and relevant, create scenarios that let people practice real skills, and set up measurements that show real impact, not just completion rates. Learn about From A to D

That's it for this focus on why eLearning fails. Next time, we'll dive into where most eLearning projects go wrong: the DIE phases of ADDIE.

Speak soon

Lisa

P.S. If you're working on eLearning right now, ask yourself: "Is this boring?" If yes, you probably already know what needs to change. Need help making those changes? That's what I'm here for.