It is common to use multimedia in e courses. This is a great way to keep the audience engaged and engrossed in whatever is being taught. It is one of the ways the technology is harnessed in order to improve the elearning experience of the learners.
But just like any project, it is important for developers to understand the various elements that they are including in online courses. You want all the content, tools, materials, and activities to work in harmony with each other. Apart from that, you want to maintain the benefits that make elearning special. You want to ensure that it promotes a self-paced learning that provides the right information just as it is needed.
The thing is, elearning is a lot different from traditional learning in a classroom setting. The learning materials need to be designed efficiently and effectively for it to be used in digital form.
This is where multimedia elements become a useful part of e courses. However, you need to be careful when you are creating it. You want to ensure that it will result in a great experience for the learners so it will lead to a love for the pursuit of learning.
To make this possible, here are the different considerations when you are creating multimedia elements for your elearning course.
- Visual elements win over plain text – but keep it minimal. It is a fact that the learning experience is better if it is done in a visual manner. However, you have to remember that less is always more when it comes to learning. Anything in excess might end up and clutter and it could compromise the learning experience. Avoid making the lesson confusing by putting only what is necessary.
- Limit the multimedia elements. 2 to 3 is usually enough for the whole course. Make sure that there are graphics and narration so the visual and auditory senses are stimulated. If you can, an animation is also a great idea. It is more engaging for the learners.
- Start with the simple before the complex content. It is always a good idea to ease the learning process by starting with the easy concepts before diving into the difficult topics. This will keep the learners from becoming too overwhelmed at the start of the lesson. This also allows them to process information gradually.
- Present word and graphics together. It is believed that this creates the most impact in the minds of learners. This is how you can ensure that there is harmony in e courses regardless if you are using different elements to highlight an important concept.
- Do not forget about breaks. Do not use the multimedia elements one after another. Make sure there are breaks in between to help the learner rest their minds.
- Consider self-paced learning. This is very important. Most of the time, learners prefer e courses because of the convenience of a self-paced learning experience. That means you should try to segment the courses so the learners have the option to pause the learning process and then proceed when it is already convenient to learn.
Think about these tips when you are using multimedia elements in e courses. You do not want to waste your time, energy and money in creating these courses – only to have it fail because you went overboard or so little.
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