“In the beginning there was a blank slide. All eLearning designers dreamed of the endless possibilities. Wondrous content could spring into life. However, something went wrong… Bullet points sprang up like weeds. Clip art infiltrated the blank space. Bad color schemes and ugly fonts polluted the slide. The dream of engaging, [...]
Have you ever wondered how to cutout an object from a background? In this tutorial I show a quick and effective way to remove a background using Adobe Photoshop. Want pre-clipped People Pictures? Check out our People Pictures.
I don’t remember how I came across this Google book preview but it has been an interesting read. eLearning and the Science of Instruction (Ruth Colvin Clark, Richard E. Mayer) Chapter 8 of the book has some great points that I’d like to share, “Applying the Personalization Principle” (page 160). Ways to Personalize eLearning 1. [...]
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 [...]
Video is becoming easier to shoot, edit, and use in training. However, just because we have the ability to make videos doesn’t mean they are worth watching. I ran across a nice video series on Butterscotch.com about “How do I…Shoot Better Video?“. It gives some nice tips to make our videos better. The first two [...]
Most online courses have toooooo much text. I’m a huge fan of info-graphics. Whenever I travel I like to look at the front page of USA Today. There is always an info-graphic that shares some information. It could be something about oil production and gas prices or dogs owners and where they live. The trick [...]
Color impacts your courses and your learners. Choosing the “correct” colors can hinder or increase the speed of learning and retention. Colors can affect mood, have different meanings in various cultures, and bring immediate things to our minds. Here is a quick summary of each color’s psychological effect. Red is a stimulant and can evoke [...]
Pre-developed Templates! That’s the secret sauce! We have been making and using eLearning templates for years. If you need to quickly develop eLearning courses, using templates is the way to go. I developed this entire course in about an hour! In my example below I used Articulate, a rapid eLearning software that leaverages PowerPoint. I [...]
Are you ready to become an Articulate Ninja? We just launched Articulate Training videos! We are excited to announce our new Articulate Training Videos! Now you can sit at your desk and follow along as we show you how to use this software. Use the videos when you need them and use them for a [...]
eLearning can be exciting, challenging, and effective! Making a great course starts with great instructional design. Do these statements seem familiar? I want to create courses that learners want to use. I need great ideas for my next course. I wish I could replace boring content with fresh, challenging, and realistic activities? The other day [...]
Are your courses stinky? Do you have boring PowerPoints? Try some “eLearning Deodorant” to stop the stink! It doesn’t need to take a lot of time and money to create better courses. It just takes a bit of inspiration…not perspiration. Here are some quick and easy tips to make your content pages more interesting. You [...]
There are lots of courses out there that are basically next…next…next…next. Cathy Moore did a post awhile back about how to make linear courses more interesting. Her basic idea is that you must MAKE them WANT to click the next button. Quick and easy tips: – Use incomplete thoughts (entice them to click next) – [...]
It’s now 2011 and every eLearning designer knows that creating a page full of text is not effective design. So, as we try to create more engaging and creative courses we are using more images, animations, and audio. What does “science and psychology” say about how these impact learning? Here are some thoughts that I [...]
