Creating your eLearning course with audio? There are a couple of rules that you may want to look into first. Using audio is very helpful because it helps to keep the interest of your learners on the screen. Not only that, audio can be used in such a way that permits on-the-go learning – regardless of where the learner is.
It is said that successful elearning courses use several multimedia elements that are in sync with one another. You need to find the balance for each one – video, images, graphics and audio.
If you are putting audio, here are a couple of tips that you may want to implement in your course.
- Choose high quality audio, or none at all. Audio should be clear – always. Even if you prepared visually stimulating slides, images or graphics, broken audio will distract your learners. Unless you can get it to be clear, then do not use it at all. Not only that, make sure that your audio can be adjusted in terms of volume so your learners can be comfortable in listening to your elearning course.
- Do not be too redundant with your text and audio synchronization. Try not to have the text show every word that your audio will say. The best way to combine text and audio is to simply show highlights of the audio script in your text. This is a great way to emphasize points and not occupy both sight and hearing senses. Redundant content can be quite boring.
- Use a combination of audio and visuals for complicated topics. When you are discussing complicated subjects, it is best to pair your audio with even the most simple visuals like graphics or images. This makes retention more likely to happen. Not only that, your visuals can reinforce what your audio is saying.
- Understand the power of background music. Did you know that music is a great way to stimulate the subconscious so learners are more inclined to absorb what you are trying to teach them? By choosing the right background music, you can actually improve the elearning experience in your course. You can help them concentrate and you can increase retention just by having the right background music. This can useful when you are showing a slide of photos, etc.
- Make your audio professionally by hiring a voice over actor. While hiring them can incur additional costs, you may want to make the expense – especially if you want to make your course successful. Voice over actors know how to manipulate their voice to sound professional and personal at the same time. Proper diction and clarity of sound can also be enhanced by these actors so it should be worth the investment.
Use these tips to make sure that the audio you will create can compliment the content that you have in your course. By creating your audio well, you can boost the elearning experience for your learners by keeping it from being too dull or complicated. The audio in your course can help increase the retention of the information that you are sharing with your learners.
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