learning boosts
learning boosts

Learning Boosts

(LURN-een BOO-sts)

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What is a Learning Boost?

Learning boosts are a learning program strategy in which learners are sent short pieces of information, activities, or quiz questions to boost retention of a particular topic or subject.

Other Common Names

Other common names for learning boosts include:

  • Refreshers
  • Nudges

Key Properties of Learning Boosts

  • Small amounts of information, content, or questions sent to learners after a learning experience
  • Require learners to recall and retrieve information
  • Help the learned content in the learner’s short-term memory (helps fight the Forgetting Curve!)
  • Focus exclusively on content already covered
learning boosts

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Elements that bond with Learning Boosts

instructional designInstructional Design

Learning boosts can’t be an afterthought or something trendy to stick at the end of a course on a whim. Careful planning about what would be most valuable to reinforce, as well as how and when to reinforce it are key considerations that need to be baked into your course design.

emailEmail

People expect to get work-related emails and, like text tools, there are a variety of email-based tools you can use to automatically distribute short videos, bursts of information, job aids, polls, or quizzes to help remind your participants about the most important aspects of your course.

spaced learningSpaced Learning

Learning boosts aren’t simply something to send out after a training program has concluded. Multipart learning experiences—whether asynchronous online courses or multiday or multiweek in-person training programs—can integrate short quizzes and boost previous learning before moving on to new content.

text toolsText Tools

People typically leave text messages unopened much less frequently than they leave emails unopened. In that sense, text messaging can be a very effective way to communicate with participants following a course. There are a variety of tools on the market to help set up short, text-based quizzes or information nuggets that are sent automatically at a cadence that works for your program.

follow upFollow-up

This can take the form of supervisor support or messaging from you to your participants after a course has been completed. Instead of allowing a certificate of completion to be the final thing your participants experience, sending periodic communications (and quizzes) or providing collateral for participants to use with their supervisors can assist in boosting post-course retention.

Books Related to the Topic of Learning Boosts