How to recognize elearning bloat

When stakeholders think every detail is equally important, the result can be bloated elearning.

This hilarious YouTube video shows what I mean.

To fight the enemy, we have to see it

My favorite writing teacher used parody to help us recognize and remove bloat. Here’s a small example.

The following statement is sort of Apple style–minimal and direct. Your assignment is to rewrite it, packing in as many words and details as possible.

Before

Don’t bring your cat to work, because some of your colleagues could be allergic.

After label

Here’s one possible rewrite: [Read more...]

10 ideas you can steal from news sites

Screenshot from Interactive Bag of TricksSee examples of 10 multimedia approaches in USA Today‘s Interactive Bag of Tricks (from Multimedia Learning). The short presentation includes many links to examples, and you can download a PDF with the key points.

A timely example for people in the US is the Candidate Match Game. Answer questions that gauge your opinion on key issues, and the candidates that most closely match your views rise above the others.

If you like the examples from USA Today, visit the elearning examples page in this blog to see several more from other producers.

5 great ideas from interactive marketing

Dialog bubblesHere’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? [Read more...]

Why you really want to be short

Short and happy dogThe 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 [Read more...]

Makeover: Teen body parts at risk!

Makeover logoHere’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. [Read more...]

Elearning examples are here!

Business man showing offLooking for ideas? Check the new elearning samples page. It links to more than 35 online interactions that could give you good ideas for your own materials.

The list includes everything from interactive infographics to full-blown, movie-like simulations.

I’ve included only materials that I think have good ideas to emulate, and I’ll keep adding to the list.

Know of something good? Please add it to the comments on the samples page or send it to me using the email address in the about page.

For more examples, see the responses to the Learning Circuits Blog Big Question for June.

Visual menus: structure with style

Course using only Next and Back buttons

We expect learners to make complex decisions on the job. Then why don’t we let them decide how to use a simple course?

Novices need structure. But how should we show it?

[Read more...]

I’M IN UR LMS TRACKIN MY COURSES

This post is a short online course created by lolcats. Note how they often use questions to engage the learner. If your feed reader strips out Flash, click the post title to see Wurld Dominayshun: Module 1 in all its glory.

Tool: Keynote

OMG! A blog!

Comic part 1

Comic part 2

Tools: Comic Life (Mac); stock photos
Notes: Completely unscientific pie chart based on information in Do Learning Professionals Make the Worst Learners? by Tony Karrer.