5 Rules for Creating eLearning
I’ve often thought that our eLearning courses are like one big presentation. We’re trying to share information but we’re also trying to capture attention. We can’t have our course just “stand there” and use a monotone voice to try and teach. We must engage, motivate, capture, and excite.
Last week at Learning Solutions I ran across Nancy Duarte and a new book that she has written. I’ve seen her work in the past and have always been impressed.
Here are 5 Rules for Creating World Changing Presentations. (And my comments of course)
1. Treat your audience as king
You should always build a course with the audience in mind. How will they learn most effectively? In what type of environment will they be learning? What do they already know? What do they really need to know? Why should they care?
2. Spread ideas and people
- Use images to convey meaning. Images can be inspiring.
- Replace pages of text with something that “means” something. The course audio can be coupled with diagrams, images, and truly meaningful information.
- Don’t put everything on the screen at once. Sequence information and build the suspense.
3. Help them see what you’re saying
- Brainstorm graphics that can replace your words. You’ll be surprised what can visually replace the text.
- The audio can do the “talking”. You don’t have to write down every word that is spoken.
4. Practice design not decoration
- Don’t put too much on the page. (Less is more)
- One word on the page is OK and can be powerful. It draws attention.
- A picture can fill the whole slide.
- Don’t put stuff on the page just to “fill space”.
5. Cultivate healthy relationships with your slides and audience
- Use fewer words and let the course narrator “connect the dots”.
Check out duarte.com for some inspiration.
Brother Andrew,
As a graduate student in training, I found “5 Rules for Creating eLearning†and your list of ways to create world changing presentations very effective. I agree that the audience is “kingâ€. Much similar to business, the customer is always right, therefore, you must treat the customer like a king. Knowing your audience, just like a customer, will help determine how best to meet their needs. As indicated, a graphic visual appeal is much more effective at helping the audience develop a clear picture and understand the message precisely. I do have one question, when you write “spread ideas and peopleâ€, can you clarify what is meant by spreading “peopleâ€? Does this segment of the rule mean the developer should use more images of people to help the presentation become more inspiring and personable?
I would also like to share a resource that I found especially effective while creating e-learning projects. That resource is a book (which includes a CD with examples) called “e-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning†by Ruth Colvin Clark & Richard E. Mayer. This book outlines several researched principles to consider when using text, graphics and audio to develop e-learning courses. I hope you find it as useful as I did. Thank you for providing such valuable insight.
Carmen
rutraining.wordpress.com
Thanks for your post, Andrew!