{"id":2035,"date":"2014-06-12T14:59:32","date_gmt":"2014-06-12T11:59:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.talentlms.com\/?p=2035"},"modified":"2025-05-21T12:31:24","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T09:31:24","slug":"update-e-learning-design-toolbox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/update-e-learning-design-toolbox\/","title":{"rendered":"Update your E-Learning Design Toolbox"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever died during a Power Point presentation? I am on my ninth life! We all have seen too many of those monotonous ramblings that have summoned the paramedics. Despite such dismal statistics, e-learners continue to toy with Power Point to create courses that damage more than build the learning process. Let me explain how the human mind works (and help you restructure your e-learning design toolbox).<\/p>\n

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The Candy Shop Dilemma<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You are walking down a lane and you come across two shops. One displays a sign that says \u201cBuy two candies and get one free!!\u201d On an impulse, you want to grab the freebie. \u201cOne for me, one for Diana and one for Cameron\u201d, you have it all figured and open the door to get into the store. However, your vision periphery on the left catches a red. \u201cIs that an orange color?\u201d You wonder, unsure, and turn to confirm. \u201cWait, that\u2019s a Reese\u2019s candy!\u201d You recognize the familiar, the door of the store slowly slipping from your grasp. As you inch closer to the sign displayed on the next store, you can see all your favorite candies, mouth wateringly half peeled. There\u2019s no deal, but you decide to check out what variety they have.<\/p>\n

So who got your business? The shop with a lackluster, black and white sign or the one with the visually appetizing (and sinful) images of candy? Never underestimate the power of a visual. While a dull image fails to stimulate cognitive processing, the over-use (abuse) of images pushes the mind to the brink of cognitive overload<\/a> (Stull & Mayer, 2007). Cavemen and the pharaohs knew what they were doing when they used pictographs and hieroglyphics to communicate.<\/p>\n

Moral of the Story<\/strong><\/p>\n

Images and visual elements are your best marketing tools. Was it any surprise when Richard E. Mayer<\/a> (2009, 2014) came up with The Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning<\/em><\/a>?<\/em> Let\u2019s walk through the twelve multimedia instructional principles he put together to create meaningful learning experiences. Hold the thought, watch the 7 Tips to Beautiful Power Points to get the idea first:<\/p>\n

7 Tips to Beautiful PowerPoint by @itseugenec<\/a> <\/strong> from Eugene Cheng<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n

Now, do not assume that I am promoting Power Point as the perfect course development tool. I am merely pointing how most of us have failed miserably in utilizing a simple tool to create powerful messages. Would you try an entree` if it was less than appealing? While there are definitely better tools, check lists<\/a> and modern templates<\/a> to create a course, a list with a strong scientific backing takes the trophy!<\/p>\n

Mayer\u2019s Best Practices Rules<\/strong><\/h2>\n