Dear trainers, if you have experienced e-learning either as a student or as an instructor or developer, what are the things that, in your opinion, makes e-learning suck?
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Training that is designed like a PowerPoint. I.e. a linear progression model through various slides that are typically just a header, body text, and to get really crazy, an image, video, or multiple choice question to break things up.
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Yea. I’ve been looking at some e-learning developed by some very large organizations (billion dollar organizations) and they can’t come up with anything better than what you describe. Is that a failure of cost, of imagination, or simply that learning is low priority?
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companies want training and they want it quick
this is really the limiting factor for most of my deliverables. matching stakeholder expectations with budget and timelines is a new conversation every request.
Everyone wants something ‘engaging’ but they don’t want to pay for the time it takes for it to be engaging.
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Lack of innovation is a definite. Organizations not knowing what good elearning even looks like is an interesting insight.
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Preachy and clueless avatars
-Stock photos with overacting business people
-Themed e-learning that has nothing to do with the subject, e.g. a Harry Potter or Star Wars themed compliance e-learning
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E-learning that should never have been an e-learning, but instead half a page of text for you to look up when the need is there
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Childish cartoon assets/characters
Man, I really hate e-learning 
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In the past we’ve built a lot of training where brainstorming session 1 was what the theme is, then later found ourselves painted into the corner by it.
My argument lately is that theme should come later. Content outline, then the interactive elements planned and prototyped, THEN the theme and story.
I think it’s especially true when it comes to super-interactive stuff. If your game isn’t enjoyable, intuitive and informative as Generic Cube’s Adventure In Default Background Land, the theme will never save it.
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When there is a huge block of text on each slide that is read to you and it doesn’t let you proceed until the audio is done. That to me is the most common and number one sin in elearning development.
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