I’ve taken a lot of online courses over the years. Some were mandatory boxes to check, while others I signed up for because I was genuinely curious. And here’s the truth: some of those experiences inspired me, challenged me, and stayed with me long after they ended. Others? Well… let’s say I was watching the clock the whole time, waiting for that “completion” badge to pop up.
What I’ve learned is that it’s not just the topic that determines whether a course is effective, but also the design. How the lessons are structured, how I’m asked to engage, and even how the course “talks” to me, those choices make all the difference between a forgettable obligation and something that sparks real growth.
Let me share two courses that stand out: one that fell flat, and one that really changed me. Looking back now, I can see exactly why one worked and the other didn’t, thanks to Mayer’s Multimedia Principles and Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction.
The “Just Get Through It” Course
Course Overview
One year, as part of my professional development requirement, I was required to take an online asynchronous training course called “Building Creativity in the Classroom through Project-Based Learning (PBL)”. On paper, it sounded promising. I’m a huge believer in PBL, and I love helping students think beyond worksheets and tests. But the course itself? A different story. It was one hour of watching a video, answering multiple-choice questions, moving on, and repeating the process. If you didn’t get the quiz score you needed, you could retake it until you passed.
What Didn’t Work
From the first video, I felt like I was in “compliance mode” instead of learning mode. The narration was monotone, as if someone were reading from a script. The videos were long, without breaks to pause or reflect. Much of the content felt redundant, like filler to stretch the time rather than insights that could actually help me grow.
Looking back with Mayer’s principles in mind, I can see the cracks clearly. The course ignored the Coherence Principle (keep only what’s essential), skipped the Segmenting Principle (break content into digestible chunks), and forgot the Personalization Principle (make it feel like you’re talking to real humans, not robots). Without these, the whole thing felt flat.
As Clark and Mayer put it, it’s not the technology that creates learning, it’s how it’s used. This course relied heavily on the medium (videos and quizzes) without considering the learning outcomes.
Did I Learn Anything?
Honestly? Not much. I already knew the basics of PBL, so nothing felt new or practical to me. The training seemed aimed at pre-service teachers just dipping their toes into the idea, not experienced educators trying to refine their practice.
Here’s where Merrill comes in. He points out that learning sticks when learners actually apply new knowledge. Imagine if the course had asked me to take a dry lesson plan and redesign it into a PBL-friendly one. That would have been the Application Principle in action. Or if I’d shared my PBL experiences on a discussion board and learned from others, that’s the Integration Principle. Instead, it was watch, quiz, repeat. And the learning never left the screen.
The “This Changed Me” Course
Course Overview
A few years later, I had the opportunity to participate in a six-week online SEL institute that focused on helping students build a growth mindset and emotional intelligence, while creating positive school climates. This one was different from the start. It wasn’t about checking a requirement; I actually wanted to be there. And even if I hadn’t, the design itself would have drawn me in.
Each week included a live webinar (recorded for replay), reflection prompts, and practice activities. And here’s the key: it wasn’t about memorizing definitions. It was about practicing and living the concepts. The design was thoughtful and human. The institute broke each week into small, manageable modules (Segmenting Principle). Lessons incorporate blended visuals, narration, and real-life stories (Multimedia Principle). The tone was warm and conversational (Personalization Principle). Overall, instead of feeling like a training, the online institute felt like a mentorship.
Merrill’s Principles in Action
This institute was basically a playbook for Merrill’s First Principles:
Problem-Centered: Real challenges, like “How do you respond to student conflict?”
Activation: Each session started with me reflecting on my own experiences.
Demonstration: Trainers modeled strategies through examples and role-plays.
Application: I had to try these strategies in my classroom during the week.
Integration: We shared reflections and feedback with peers.
This is precisely what Merrill describes: learning that sticks because you’re solving problems in authentic contexts.
Why It Stuck With Me
The difference was practice. I wasn’t just learning about emotional intelligence; I had to try it, sometimes fail at it, and reflect on what worked. The eLearning Industry guide to Merrill’s principles sums it up nicely: when learners activate prior knowledge, apply skills, and integrate them into their world, they walk away with something that lasts. That’s precisely what happened for me.
Final Reflections
Comparing those two courses still teaches me something today. The PBL training was about compliance, and I walked away unchanged. The SEL institute gave me challenges, reflection, practice, and community, and that’s why it changed me.
Ultimately, it’s not about whether a course is online or in-person. It’s about design. And the choice between “tick a box” or “transform a perspective” is what determines whether learning fades or lasts.
My biggest takeaway? Digital learning is most powerful when it feels authentic, when it gives learners chances to do, not just watch. When it encourages reflection, application, and sharing, that’s the kind of learning that sticks. And it’s exactly the kind I hope to create for others.
Further Reading
If you’re curious about some of the ideas I mentioned, here are a few resources worth exploring:
Clark, R. & Mayer, R. E-Learning and the Science of Instruction. A great book that explains why it’s not the tech itself, but the design choices, that actually make learning effective. To purchase the book click here.
Merrill, D. First Principles of Instruction. A foundational piece on why learning sticks when it’s problem-centered, active, and applied. Direct Article Link
eLearning Industry. Merrill’s Principles of Instruction: The Definitive Guide. A clear, practical breakdown of how these principles look in action. https://elearningindustry.com/merrills-principles-instruction-definitive-guide
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