How to conclude your e-learning course?

What’s the secret to a good training course? An energetic start and a well-crafted conclusion. Far from being trivial, the conclusion of e-learning courses and modules is all too often neglected. It offers a number of benefits, however, in terms of clarifying and summarizing what has been covered, as well as rebounding and opening up new avenues for dialogue. To ensure you reap all the benefits of your e-learning course, discover how to craft a suitable conclusion.

The conclusion as a transition

The transition between two courses requires particular attention in order to guide the learners and underscore the key stages. This is even more important where the course has been tailored by the trainees themselves. If they have picked and chosen from among your various modules, the chronological indicators may be lacking (1, 2, 3, etc.). How can they find their bearings? Thanks to the clear opening and conclusion of the course.

First step: the summary. The summary screen is your ‘END’. It is practical: it enables you to go back over the key information and helps the learner to self-assess themselves. It is smart: for each point, it provides a hyperlink to the screen in question. It is universal: it intrinsically indicates that the course is finished. It is simple: it is cheap and simple to create.

You can, however, go further. Create a space in which learners can take notes, share their impressions with you and ask you their final questions.

The conclusion of the course

Have you reviewed all the essential points? Shared all the key information? Dispensed essential knowledge? Great! Your work does not stop there, however. It is now time to add the final touch to your e-learning course. The conclusion of your course should do the following:

1. Provide resources: create a screen on which you provide access to your resources and to additional resources via hypertext links. Enhance the learner experience by providing necessary information and appendices directly. Use this space to include other documents you may have alluded to during the course.
2. Provide contact details: the training does not end when the trainee closes their screen. Do you want to keep in touch? Continue the discussions? Create a community? Use the free space in your conclusion to provide your contact details and those of the groups you create.
3. Provide links to other courses: the conclusion is an excellent space for inviting your participants to sign up to another module or course. If your trainees are satisfied with what they have learned and the new courses are complementary to the one they have just completed, you will secure their loyalty and create a community.
4. Leave space for feedback and questions: e-learning sessions may not always be conducive to spontaneous reflections and exchanges. This does not mean we have to cut short any discussion, on the contrary! Include a screen or box dedicated to trainee feedback. If your trainees feel free to leave comments or ask questions, you will obtain relevant and comprehensive feedback. The advantage of offering this type of exchange in your conclusion is that it provides you with a lot of feedback and gives you a precise idea of trainees’ expectations and remarks.
5. Invite the participants to complete a satisfaction survey: again, the timing here is perfect. Your trainees are still in the training process and many of them will be willing to answer your questions. The questionnaire may cover your skills, their skills or both. You can create an enjoyable questionnaire very simply thanks to many free survey tools available.
6. Thank your participants: this can easily slip our minds when communicating remotely, but it is just as important to express thanks after a distance-learning course as after a classroom-based course. Your thank you screen can also lead into the following screens containing your contact details or questionnaires.
7. Issue proof of completion: you can use this space to issue certificates of completion or qualifications. Create a warm and friendly environment congratulating them on their success and encouraging them to pursue the knowledge and skills they have acquired with you.

Pick and choose from our list to create customized screens appropriate to your course. This will enable you to properly conclude your course.

Stay in touch with your learners

The conclusion of your course can also provide the opportunity to stay in touch, bring together your past and current learners and create a community. Take advantage of the many methods available:

• Create a group on a social network: use Facebook or LinkedIn to build a community through groups. Depending on your settings, you can allow your learners to communicate with each other, answer their questions and inform them of news concerning your company or business.
• Send regular emails and/or newsletters: if you prefer one-way communication, consider newsletters or electronic mailshots. These tools enable you to keep your learners informed, send them reminders, offer them new courses and collect their comments. As your emails are not bound by any particular structure or format, you are free to develop a communication tool in your image.
• Direct participants to your company’s online forum or training tool: if your company has an online forum or somewhere where learners can communicate with each other freely, mention it in your conclusion. This way, you will be able to keep in touch with them, communicate with them securely and keep an eye on what is said between peers.

The conclusion of an e-learning course requires little effort and can yield significant results. At the very least in terms of your presentation and the image trainees will take away with them. Take a few minutes to create these additional screens and craft your e-learning course with care.