Want To Make Your Elearning Course Interesting? Think About Movies

movie awardHave you ever thought about comparing your elearning course with a movie? Maybe you should. At least, if you want to make it successful, you need to look into the qualities of an Oscar winning movie.

The idea may sound absurd but believe it or not, both creations have more things in common than you thought.

First of all, they have the same goals. A great movie wishes to capture the attention and interest of moviegoers. After all, there are so many movies coming out all at once. You want cinema lovers to choose you over the rest. The same is true for your course. You want to get the attention and interest of learners so they would want to take your course – and more importantly, finish it. Just like movies, your elearning course should also be memorable. For movies, if you remember the story or even the feeling while watching it, that particular film succeeded in leaving its mark on you. A course is successful if the retention is high.

These and more make movies and elearning courses comparable. So if you want to make your course great, you should look at the 4 factors that will make a movie a blockbuster hit.

Marketing Campaign. There are so many components of a great marketing campaign to make a movie attractive. One of them is the movie poster. Here is the thing. A movie poster has to have a clear title, a short and compelling description of the film and great graphics. The same qualities are considered to be important components of your elearning course. It has to have great graphics. It also has to have a clear title and description to represent the core of the lesson very well. All of these has to be presented in such a way that can be easily understood by the learners.

Actors. The actors actually represent the instructor in the course. A film that cast great actors can elevate the movie even further. This is similar to an elearning program. If the instructor is great, the course will be taken to great heights of success too. While the instructor is reliant on the content (like the actor is to the script), the way he or she delivers the lesson will matter in the success of the course. While there are courses that can be done without the help of an instructor, their presence is still vital in most successful courses – whether they are visible or behind the scenes.

Story. In an elearning course, this refers to the content. Take note that the story in a movie may be appealing but the way it will develop is also very important. In both forms, the film and the course, the story/content has to be presented correctly. Just as the film has to go through the rise and fall of the tale, a lesson has to be portioned and segmented well. Each part has to be delivered correctly and with the right elements that will highlight the cost of the lesson. You should also be aware of the right moments when you should concentrate on engaging your learners. A movie becomes memorable when it elicits the right emotions and reactions from the moviegoers. Make sure you can engage and interact with your learners when it matters that most in your course.

Special Effects. This works hand in hand with the story. A great movie is further enhanced by the special effects. The story is highlighted with the use of technology. The same can be true for your elearning course. You need to know when to use a video, audio, images and other animations to make your lesson interesting. That is how you can also make retention high after your lesson.

As you can see, making your elearning course with the same goals and qualities of an Oscar winning movie is very similar – except, it will not cost you millions of dollars to create.

Image courtesy of pixtawan for FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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