Here’s another alternative to the Next button: fast-paced interactive conversations from the makers of “You Don’t Know Jack.”

In a comment on the elearning samples page, MM pointed to these examples by Jellyvision. Wow. Quick, lively, occasionally snarky, and always richly human. As Jellyvision says, “It’s conversation rather than presentation.”

What can we learn from them? (more…)

The elearning samples page lists more than 35 inspiring interactions. Why did so few corporate courses make the final list?

One reason: The people who designed the interactions knew the following 3 Secrets of Shortness.

1. Forget the intro

Typical course: “Welcome to the Widget Functionality course! Widgets are undoubtedly an important part of our lives, and understanding how they function will help you gain the most benefit from their use. In this course, you will learn how widgets work.”

Interactive: “How Widgets Work”

2. Show, don’t tell (more…)

Tom Kuhlmann has posted a thought-provoking demo that shows four ways to approach narrating a course.

The first three slides use some sort of narrated text. The final slide shows the best approach for that content, which is narration with visuals and no text.

My concern is that many people assume that narration is best for all content. However, research suggests that narration should be used only in certain situations.

(more…)

The latest addition to the elearning samples page is a collection of activities from the National Museum of Australia.

Some of the activities show a “mystery object” and have you figure out what it is. This activity has you enter your first guess and then revise it later after you’ve gotten more information.

The Flash has a leisurely start, probably to accommodate loading over dial-up. But once you’re in it, you’ll have fun with the mystery.

Here’s the first in a sporadic series of makeovers. I’ll grab some elearning that might need perking up, add some perk, and put it here for you to critique.

The first sample comes from the US government, which published Teen Worker Safety in Restaurants. There’s a lot to the site, but I’ll focus on just one aspect.

Like many instructors, the authors tell, and then they show. I think it can be more powerful to reverse those steps and show, then tell–especially when you’re talking about possible amputation. (more…)