Pop quiz! 1. What do these people need to do? A. Put out the fire B. Describe the techniques used to extinguish a fire 2. What does this woman need to do to stay in business? A. Sell flowers B. Explain the principles of the flower-selling process 3. This […]
Could animations hurt learning?
15 June 2009 By
A recent study suggests that the common habit of “building” information on a slide can interfere with learning. The researchers used Camtasia Studio to create two presentations on information security. The audio narration was the same in both presentations. The visuals were the same, too, except one presentation used an average of 3.4 animations per […]
Four ways to move your learners from clueless to confident
13 May 2009 By
I climbed onto the tram, folded my ticket, and with some trepidation stuck it into an unmarked metal box. A happy ding announced my success. I did it! I correctly rode a tram in Amsterdam! Small victories like these make me love to travel. Every day I move from clueless to confident as I tackle […]
Less text, more learning
26 January 2009 By
Do stakeholders want to add text to your materials? Here’s one study you can use to show how wordiness can hurt learning. The study compared three lessons about the same weather process. All lessons used the same illustrations but varied in the number of words. The lesson with the fewest words resulted in the most […]
Why you do not want to sound like a robot
19 January 2009 By
“We shouldn’t use contractions because…” Let’s debunk all that.
Elearning ROI: Can we lead the way?
23 October 2008 By
Want to show that your elearning adds value? Tom Kuhlmann recently suggested these steps: Meet your customer’s expectations Align your projects to real measurable objectives Control production costs Measurable goals and controlled costs are vital. Of course, we also want to meet our customer’s expectations–but are those expectations always best for the business? Sometimes we […]
How to add emotional impact with evocative images
16 June 2008 By
The right image can turn a blah message into a memorable, meaningful experience. But how can you find stock images that aren’t, well, stock? Here are some tips that might help you use stock photos to reach your learners’ hearts as well as their minds. Aim for the evocative In a previous life as a […]
Be an elearning action hero!
12 May 2008 By
This quick, visual approach to instructional design helps you change what people do, not just what they know. It keeps your team members focused on a measurable business goal, and it can keep stakeholders from adding extraneous information. Read more
How to turn your learners into compulsive completers
27 March 2008 By
“I don’t have all 217 Jubumba Beanie Bops!” your child cries. “I only have 216! I have to have the last one! Just one more! Pleeease!!!” Your child has been possessed by the Compulsive Completer, a beast that lives in all of us. From deep within our brains, it intones, “Must! Complete! Collection!” The closer […]
How to recognize elearning bloat
10 March 2008 By
A fun video shows what happens when stakeholders think every detail is important.
