As technology continues to advance and evolve at an astonishing rate, more and more industries are embracing modern technology and are using it to their advantage. ELearning has come on leaps and bounds over the last decade or so, thanks in part to the fact that eLearning experts have begun embracing visual design. Visual design instantly catches the eyes of the learners, it can enhance user navigation, provide an aesthetic appeal, increase learner engagement, and improve course completion rates in the process. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to be a graphic designer to create a visual design in eLearning, and we’ll look at exactly why that is right now. Here are 6 tips for creating a visual design in eLearning. Try to find compelling images One of the simplest tips when it comes to creating a visual design in eLearning, which also happens to be one of the most effective, is to utilize compelling images. The image … [Read more...] about 6 Tips for Creating Visual Design in eLearning
Graphic Design
How to Focus On “Backward Design” for Creating Online Courses
As course creators, we often design from the top down. We think we know exactly what our audience needs, and in turn, shape our course content around this framework. On the other hand, if we rely on "backward design" (where the content is learner-focused), our eLearning will achieve our objectives better and resonate with our audience. Here's how to stay focused on the learner and implement a backward design in eLearning. Ask the Right Question What do they need to know to be successful? A simple question, but let's break it down a bit. Note the qualifier "successful". This is extremely important. It's easy to be so close to your content that you lose sight of what your learner's goals actually are. I've taken many online courses that have completely failed at delivering the content needed to accomplish my goals. Instead, the designer created a course they wanted - not a course that the learner needed. To ensure you're meeting the need vs. the want, you have to look at things … [Read more...] about How to Focus On “Backward Design” for Creating Online Courses
7 Interesting And Promising Trends To Watch In 2021
What a year 2020 has been, especially for those of us involved in L&D, and more specifically with eLearning! The rise in work from home (WFH) prompted employers to focus more on remote training and development. From onboarding and induction training to ongoing certification and compliance, training teams across all industries have scrambled to adapt to the challenge of delivering content via eLearning. 7 eLearning Trends And Predictions For 2021 As the global training industry evolves to blend into the new reality of distance learning, what’s in store for us in 2021? Well, based on what we’ve already seen in 2020, here are some eLearning trends that we are likely to encounter in 2021: 1. More Emphasis On Train-The-Trainer Programs Corporate workforce capability-building is the cornerstone for global competitiveness. According to renowned management consulting firm McKinsey, as the global pandemic hit, nearly 50% of corporate in-person training in North America came to a halt. … [Read more...] about 7 Interesting And Promising Trends To Watch In 2021
5 Tips on Editing Text for Instructional Design
There's a good chance that text is the bulk of your online learning content. Since the text is the biggest player in most eLearning courses, it’s essential to present it in the best way possible to optimize the instructional design. Here are 5 Tips to edit and present textual content for your online courses! 1. Line Length The optimal line length should be around 60 characters for the best reading experience. Too short, and the reader must constantly scan back and forth quickly, which can be quite frustrating and cause eye strain in bigger chunks of content. Too long, and you risk losing the reader's focus as they try to digest a lengthy string of text. Of course, you don't have to do a character count on each line, but be aware of this guideline to get a feel for what 60 characters of text actually look like when you preview your content. You can play with margins, text boxes, and design elements to shorten/lengthen this. 2. Paragraphs Justified blocks of … [Read more...] about 5 Tips on Editing Text for Instructional Design
Tips for Better Presentations: Moving beyond transition effects and cascading styles and fonts
One of the most common methods of delivering eLearning content, is via presentation slides or decks. While Microsoft PowerPoint is the dominant tool-of-choice for many instructional designers, with GoogleSlides a popular choice, there are other tools available too. Options include Prezi, Haiku Deck, Visme and Emaze – some of which are free, while others are subscription-based tools. The first impulse of trainers and course designers is to master the “wowing features” of these tools, and then to develop content that leverages those features. That might not be the best way to create effective presentations. Tips and Techniques for Better Presentations Whether you use some of the tools highlighted above, or whether you rely on presentation features integrated into your Learning Management System (LMS), you should never make the power (or limitations) of the tools the focus of your presentations. The moment that eLearning content designers do that, they lose focus of that … [Read more...] about Tips for Better Presentations: Moving beyond transition effects and cascading styles and fonts
40 Facts About Color Psychology: How to use colors to improve your eLearning courses
Designing eLearning courses can be a challenging task. These courses are essentially a classroom, and as such, they need to be welcoming, yet authoritative; clean, yet fun and engaging. Color is one of the crucial elements that instructional designers need to understand when creating eLearning content. Color psychology and the abundance of research on the topic should be taken into consideration when making design choices. According to DesignAdvisor, smart color choices can make a brand’s message more effective, increase user engagement, and even increase revenue and conversions. In this blog post, we’ll highlight two of the most critical factors related to color choice when it comes to developing eLearning courses. Choosing the right color It’s hard to deny that colors convey a particular message: red means danger, green means go; yellow is bright and happy, grey is toned down and discreet. Color psychology focuses on understanding the most common human responses to colors and … [Read more...] about 40 Facts About Color Psychology: How to use colors to improve your eLearning courses
