7 Mistakes to Fix for Effective E-Learning

7 Mistakes to Fix for Effective E-Learning

E-learning slowly but surely wins ground even in the most traditional and conservative institutions, and today almost every school and every organization relies on e-learning if not completely, then at least to some extent. It is a valuable instructional tool, and if used properly, it opens new possibilities that we could not dream about earlier. However, to ensure effective e-learning you should check if your approach is not hampered by some of the following pesky errors.

  • Too much of a good thing

It is not unusual, both in e-learning and traditional education, to add some frills and gold plating to spark the interest of learners and make the lesson material entertaining – e-learning provides every opportunity for putting some frosting on this cake. True, bare facts given in isolation are more difficult to remember and it is advisable to engage imagination in the learning process. However, too much of anecdotal information, funny facts and irrelevant stats distract students from the key points of the lesson, activating irrelevant prior knowledge and preventing learners from building coherent mental patterns. Focus on the cognitive interest instead of emotional interest.

  • No graphics at all

Though superfluous visual information can be distractive, that does not mean that you should strip your material to the bare bones. Using tables, graphs and pictures to illustrate five key content types: facts, concepts, processes, procedures, and principles always works well, because this way you use both visual and verbal codes. This way human brain has two opportunities to encode the given information into a long-term memory, which is just what we need.

  • Words do not meet the action

By action, I mean the aforementioned visuals. If they are not placed side by side to be seen at the same moment, they are wasted. This is just too much to ask from the working memory of your students. Its capacity is limited, and scroll screens where text is situated somewhere beneath the image overload it. They are a good example of a bad e-learning implementation.

  • Silence

The audio narration adds value to your graphics. One of the strongest points of e-learning is a possibility to combine different technics and enhance the retention of skills by engaging multiple sensory channels. It is especially true if the topic is complex and new to the learner. Big volumes of new information can be overwhelming, so splitting them into two channels is very helpful. If learner concentrates on visual representation of some complex process, adding text with explanation can diffuse learner’s attention and worsen the result. If instead, you provide audio to guide a learner through a complex imagery, it will less likely cause overload with new information.

  • Too multi

However, the learner must not feel besieged by multimedia. For example, explaining visuals by both text and audio only overloads the working memory of a learner and hinders the main goal – effective delivery of a content, and information retention. Researchers suggest a combo of visuals and audio as the most effective. There are cases, when text can (and should) be omitted in order to boost effectiveness.

  • Impersonal representation

Being impartial and providing objective information is one thing, but being impersonal is quite another. Researchers have found out, that people unconsciously use the same communication patterns with inanimate objects as they use in interpersonal relations. Experiments have established that teaching programs that employ first and second person language are more effective than more formal and neutral ones. There must be an image of a tutor – that is more engaging and it makes students treat their tasks with more commitment and diligence – even a voice with no animation works wonders.

  • Over-interactivity

Interactivity is a holy cow of e-learning, and I am by no means trying to suggest that is it overrated. However, it only works well, when it is to the point. A quiz to verify knowledge here, a “replay” button there – this is ok, but do not overuse it. Most learners find the abundance of these toys frustrating and interfering with the information flow. Of course, if you are teaching a particular skill, for example, developing a tutorial on ways to monitor imessages, the action-response circle is a relevant technique. It is crucial to provide a feedback for every step of the way in order to build understanding of the process rather than mindless memorization of action sequence.

Avoiding these regretfully common mistakes will make your e-learning courses effective, and learning will be a trouble-free and enjoyable experience for your students!

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