Free Images for Universal Symbols

Here is a set of 50 symbols that are used across the globe to help passengers and pedestrians. These could come in handy as you look for symbols/icons to use in your next online course.

Take a look at these Universal Symbols. (They are free to download and use.)

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Add Flash Activities to your next course.

eLearning Must Look Good

We are shallow people! Let me explain why I say that….

The other day I was on an airplane and watched the person next to me “read” a magazine. He basically flipped quickly through the pages and stopped occasionally on a pretty picture and usually started flipping again. At one point he stopped and seemed to read a bit.

When we create eLearning we should remember that people don’t read…they scan!  We all do it. We quickly scan a page to see if there is any information that interests us. Then if that passes our “interest” test we might actually read a sentence and possibly the entire paragraph. Do we develop our eLearning with this in mind? Do we think that people will read all of our text? (Here’s the secret…they won’t.)

Our training must look good and capture the attention of our “shallow” learners. If we do that they may start to pay attention and read.

Here some things to think about when making your eLearning look good:
1. Color – Choose colors that work together. Your marketing department may have some swatches you can use. Focus on branding.
2. Skin – Make your course skin look fresh and up-to-date.
3. Pictures – Create images that tell a story. They could even replace some of your text. Don’t just use image placeholders.
4. Less text – Users aren’t reading it anyway so thin out the text.
5. Consistency – Make everything look like it belongs together. (Standards)
5. Interactions – Break up your content and make it engaging.
6. Fonts – They can add some style to your course just don’t go crazy.

Additional Resources:
Articulate (Tom) did an article on why looks matter.
e Learning Templates that look great and are branded.
Fresh Articulate Skins.

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eLearning Activities and Interactions

Everyone is always looking for ways to make their eLearning more interactive. There are many ways to do this. Here are just a few:

1. Interactions
There are many times when you have various concepts or “chunks” of information on a page. You could break it into multiple pages or divide it into sections. For example use tabs and dividers so that the user only sees small parts at a time. Here are some tabs and dividers.

You could also use some type of simple flash memory cards or drag and drop.

2. Scenarios
If you have a lot of information to share you could package it into a scenario. This is a good way to make it “real”. It also helps the user understand how it relates to them and why they should pay attention. Scenarios don’t need to be complex. They nay just be a simple setup page and a question or two.

Here are some scenario examples:
”The company has recently opened 3 new offices and a launched a new website. What products might help this company process customers’ payments?”
“You see a customer at the counter complaining about their cold food. The customer is visibly angry. As a manager what should you do?”

Here is a simple eLearning scenario template.

3. Case Studies
There are times when your scenario needs to be more in-depth. I like to use case studies when a scenario is too simple. A case study would be more intense and could include background information, bios on persons involved, current setup/date/time, multiple phases/steps, twists along the way, and decision points. Case studies take some time to create but can be very engaging.

4. Quizzes
Knowledge checks can keep a learner’s attention. You could even do quizzes before the course content is presented. This might be a good way to help the learner start thinking about the content and to give them a preview of what’s to come. Theses quizzes could be combined to create the final test. Here are some fun quiz templates and games.

5. Hands-On Demos
Many people learn by actually trying out the system (hands-on approach). Online training is a great way to give learners a way to try out a system without being live. You can recreate a series of steps in a software transaction and package it as a simulation. Learners could have three options:

• Sit back and watch a demonstration of how the software works.
• Be prompted where to click and how to navigate the software.
• Be tested to see if they can use the software without any help.

It is basically the “Tell them, Show Them, Let Them Do It” approach. Simulations are a great way to let learners practice in a safe environment.

6. Learning Games
Is there a way to make your course fun and still educational? There are many types of game ideas from word puzzles, Jeopardy, and Millionaire to more complex, immersive games.

There are tons of ways to create interactive content. Most of the time it just takes a little extra thought.

Related articles:
Check out this past article on brainstorming.
Awesome eLearning Do’s and Don’ts.

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Visit our other sites: eLearning Activities, eLearning Games, Articulate Skins.

Branding Online Courses

The other day I participated in a networking group and we helped other start-up companies brainstorm their businesses. One of the speakers shared ideas on branding. Branding is very important to a new company and I’d like to extend that to eLearning courses as well.

Branding a course is more than just putting a logo in the corner. It’s also more than just some pretty colors.

So, what should we think about when creating a brand for our training? Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• What should people “think” when they hear about your group/training?
• What should users “feel” when they take your course?
• What does your course visual style say?
• What expectations do you want to create?
• What “style” of audience do you have?

Branding is your overall presence. It is you.

Here are a few companies to think about:

• Google (what do you think about when you hear the name? What have you heard about their “style and brand”?)
• Apple (would you recognize one of their products in a line up with others? What would you expect from Apple?)

If you took some online training from Apple, what would you expect that training to be like? Probably simple colors, sleek design, cool, informal, and very user-friendly. Everything they do should be inline with their public brand.

Here are a few features/parts of your course to consider when branding your training:

• tone of text
• color pallet
• pre-work / post-work
• availability of contacting a real person
• use of job aids and resources
• style of visuals (simple, technical, corporate, cartoon)
• testing (present or not, certification programs, how data is used)
• mandatory vs optional
• use of text, font, and formatting

Here are some more ideas for branding your training.

What else should we be looking at and considering?

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Check out cutout people pictures and eLearning interactions.

Taking Pictures for eLearning

It is really nice to have a library of “people poses”. There are many times when I need pictures of a person in multiple poses. We’ve used iStock to purchase some and we’ve also made our own.

Here are some tips to create your own:

The Spicy Learning Blog – Top five tips for running a successful photo shoot

Here are some People Poses that we’ve created.

Create a Look and Feel for eLearning Courses

The look and feel (branding) of your online training is VERY important.

Benefits of a good course brand

• Makes an impact – Learners want courses that look good. It gives an impression of professionalism and expertise.
• Attracts attention – We look at things that attract our attention. Once we attract attention a learner may actually start to read our content.
• Minimizes distractions – A good design adds to the course content and doesn’t “get in the way”. It shouldn’t distract from the learning.
• Ties the company together – If the course “looks” like the company it gives a sense of belonging.

How do you start creating a look and a feel? Here are some posts:

• The Spicy Learning Blog – Top five tips for creating a look and feel for a new client
• eLearning Brothers – Brand your online training

Want to create some branded templates? Why are they valuable?

• Why use eLearing templates in your course?
• Creating Flash Templates for eLearning

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Need some Flash Interactions for your course?

The Power of PowerPoint Master Slides in eLearning

Master slides in PowerPoint are very powerful and they are easier than ever to do with PPT 07. When using a rapid e-Learning authoring tools that runs off PowerPoint I always start with a template that uses master slides. (or I build one to use throughout the course.)

Why do I like master slides: Templates – You can create a bunch of master slides and then save it as a template.That allows you to chose from many different layouts with just one click. (see last image below.) Page Design – Create a different layout for each type of learning interaction. Build master slides with 1,2,3…. boxes, scenarios, title page, pre-quiz, course evaluation, etc. (see the example images below.) Consistent Layout – The text boxes and images for each layout are always in the same spot. It makes the presentation/course look clean and professional when things don’t “jump” around. Easy to Share – If you work with multiple designers it is easy to share the file so that everyone is using the same layouts. It’s Fast – Once you build some master slides it can really increase your design speed. You don’t have to “fiddle” with the layout of each page. Just click New Slide and choose a layout. Reusable – You can quickly select the master slides and make changes. These changes will be reflected on every slide/page that used that master slide. Quickly change fonts, text positions, colors, etc. Here are PowerPoint course templates and styles for eLearning that we’ve created. I hope that they speed up development and make your courses look great! Happy eLearning!

Handwritten Fonts – Where to Find Them

I’ve come across various posts lately about handwritten fonts and they can be a great addition to an online course.

Examples of handwritten fonts being used:

Here are some free Handwritten Fonts:

• Articulate
• Da Font
• TripWire Magazine
• Instant Shift

Great Post: Tom and the Rapid eLearning Blog on when to use handwritten fonts.

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Checkout PowerPoint backgrounds for your eLearning courses.

eLearning Graphics – They Make a Huge Impact!

There is no doubt that graphics and images greatly improve online training content. The question is how to properly use them. I’ve come across some good articles lately and thought that I’d compile and list them here.  (the list also includes some posts on graphics that we’ve done in the past.)

Realistic Graphics and Learning: What’s most effective? (The eLearning Coach)

Really…Were These the Best Images We Could Find? (eLearning Brothers)

Don’t use Gratuitous Images in eLearning (eLearning Brothers)

Graphics: Adding Reflections (eLearning Brothers)

5 Common Visual Design Mistakes (The Rapid eLearning Blog)

Visual Design for Instructional Content (eLearning Post)

If you have some more good articles please let me know.

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(Check out amazing eLearning Games, Flash Interactions, PowerPoint Backgrounds, and e Learning Templates)

Using Wireframes to Design eLearning

Here’s another article that I ran across. I think that this is a good idea to do some wireframe sketches of various course elements before adding fonts, colors, and other visual elements. This might help during early review periods to focus on the content instead of the look/feel. It could also help the graphic designers to more quickly develop. Have a read below.

E-learning Development – Is It Time You Started Using Wireframes in Your E-learning Design Process?
By L Scott Hewitt

Wireframes are used as part of the design process is a range of industries. For many people they are most closely associated with 3D design, however an increasing number of e-learning designers are using wireframes as part of their design process.

If you come across people involved in a creative industry such as e-learning design, website design or graphics they will tell you about the time when they showed a design to a client and the first thing that they focussed on was the thing that they didn’t like! After many years working in e-learning and website design I’ve been involved in client meetings where designs have been shown to the client and the whole focus has been how it looks and not how it works. It is not unreasonable to think that if you show someone a visual design that you will get this reaction but does it help you during the elearning design process?

Personally I’m an advocate of the use of wireframes in the design process; they are a fantastic aid for the instructional designer, the client and the graphic design. They provide a focus for how the elearning course will work and how the leaner will interact with the design.

It is not unusual for an elearning designer to get a brief and start straight away creating the visuals and hoping that this is going to be exactly what the client wants. We all know that planning is critical to the success of a project so what not do some planning and build a wireframe?

You can think of a wireframe like an architects plan for a building. Your wireframe should be a simple outline of all of the objects that you are going to place on the page. It doesn’t matter if you are using a development tool like articulate or you are designing from scratch the wireframe can help to define how your elearning course is going to work.

Website designers have been using wireframes for some time with magazines such as .net including the use of wireframes in design articles. There are a number of parallels between elearning design and website design so perhaps its time to add wireframes to your development process?

A well thought out wireframe will map out the structure of a page and breakout the individual functions. Critically they can help the client understand what the page purpose is. If you provide a lavishly illustrated graphic this can often be a distraction and the focus turns to colour, font, size and images. Graphic design is integral to the success of an elearning project but try doing a wireframe first. Initially you may experience some resistance to using wireframes, especially if the client is expecting lavishly detailed design boards!

When talking to the client explain the purpose of the wireframe and how it will help them, explain how they are used to map out how the actual page will work and what the page proportions are. The wireframe can be easily changed and gradually you’ll move away form the “can we have that in blue” comments that are a distraction at this stage.

The wireframe should be carried out at the start of the design process; they should explain how the elearning design will work. For example: when you press a button, what will be the outcome. You can expand your wireframes to all of the page types that you have and you can then create your site map from the wireframes.

Once the wireframe structure has been agreed you can pass this to the graphic designer who can then focus on the visual design and make sure that the interactive design is realised. The first design that you pass to the client can then focus on the visuals and hopefully you’ll avoid the “can you just move this and this and this”. It is much easier to move and manipulate the page at wireframe stage than at the design stage. My own experience is that the wireframe makes the design task easier for the graphic designer and interactive designers can get their ideas across in much more effective manner.

Copyright 2009 – Scott Hewitt
Real Projects – creative e-learning solutions
http://www.realprojects.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=L_Scott_Hewitt

http://EzineArticles.com/?E-learning-Development—Is-It-Time-You-Started-Using-Wireframes-in-Your-E-learning-Design-Process?&id=2901563

Here are some great eLearning templates and online course interactions.

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