Enspire Learning Blog

We’ve all sat through a class or training session where we’d prefer to examine our fingernails or doodle in our notes rather than listen to the teacher. Boredom in the classroom inhibits the learning process, drastically decreasing the likelihood that we’ll retain information given to us during the class. On the other hand, we’ve also all had teachers who were engaging, effective, and, importantly, genuinely funny. There is a correlation between comedy and successful teaching; humor is often used to combat boredom in the classroom and ensure that learners stay engaged.

Just as humor is an effective tool in the classroom, it can be applied with great results in an e-learning environment. Internal research at Enspire has discovered four key facts about using humor in e-learning effectively.

1) Humor is necessary. When tasked with learning a particularly difficult or unexciting concept, learners may disengage from the activity. Humor keeps them interested.
2) Research your audience. When designing a course, it’s important to note who you’re teaching. Some audiences may expect “just the facts, ma’am,” while others may be open to a more light-hearted course.
3) Visual humor is universal. As this article by Tony Burns suggests, graphical humor “can provide entertainment that transcends cultural barriers,” making it the most effective when designing a course for a diverse audience. One game developer at Enspire discovered this firsthand at a conference in Guatemala; the visual humor he employed received the greatest response from his audience.
4) Subtlety is key. Humor that seems forced or unrelated will not help the learner and may in fact distract him or her from the task at hand.

To see these guidelines in action, check out Enspire’s Business Process Improvement course on our demo page.