Online learning 'must engage users'

E-learning can be a highly effective way for employers to train new recruits, but companies must make sure the experience is as engaging as possible.

This is according to Kurt Tiltack of management consulting firm Pathways, who told Canadian newspaper the Globe and Mail that connecting with the student is a vital part of online learning.

He commented: "The learner must be engaged. There should be an activity of some kind after every two or three slides."

Mr Tiltack explained that students should be required to actively participate in e-learning programmes, rather than sit passively as if they were in a traditional lecture environment.

"You have to give students a change every 15 or 20 minutes," he told the publication.

The expert also suggested that typical online learning modules should be no longer than 20 to 30 minutes in duration.

One group set to benefit from e-learning in the UK is the emergency services staff working at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Last month, it was announced that police, fire and ambulance personnel will be given a 30-minute online training package from the National Policing Improvement Agency.