Graphics & Text

In the e-learning world the computer screen is our blackboard. It's our canvas on which people will learn from. So it reasons that we must be judicious in what we place on our student's blackboard. For example, Power Point is a frequent medium for on-line instruction. Research has shown that often people will create Power Point material for the e-learning environment and include a graphic to make the slide "look good". Graphics refers to images such as typical pie chart and bar charts but can also include diagrams, precedural maps, multi-media images, animations and so forth. But often the graphic that is included on the slide does nothing to add to the learning. In other words, if you are going to include a graphic in your content then it should contribute to the message you are trying to convey. Artisitic or "decorative" graphics generally do little or nothing to enhance the message that is attempting being delivered the learning. An example of this might be the following; suppose a presentation is trying to explain basic music theory and included in the slide presentation is an image of someone playing an instrument. The picture is just a decoration that serves no purpose in the instruction. The message here is your graphics need to contribute to the learning you are trying to convey.

Another question related to graphics is; do people learn better in an e-learning environment with just text or with text and graphics? Again research has shown that people learn better when graphics support the text. Many tests have been conducted that show people gain a deeper knowledge of material when there are graphics and text versus text alone. So one question you might be wondering, do people learn better from animations than from still images or graphics? Research has shown No, people do not learn better. You do not need fancy animations to get your point across. People were shown an animation and were shown still images. What was found was the brain puts all the images together and creates it's own animation. In fact, the still images caused the brain to work harder in what is called "active processing". Animation on the other hand resulted in Passive Processing. But this does not mean there is no use for animation. Animations are helpful in the right situations. Animations are very useful to convey "hands-on" procedures. The point is, unless animations are called for you do not have to go out of your way to create a flashy animated presentation to enhance learning. You can accomplish the same level of learning with far less expensive graphics/images.

We also have to consider our audience. Novice learners will almost require a mix of text and graphics if e-learning is to be effective with this group. Whereas, learners with more experience do not require as much of a mix. You might be able to design e-learning for more advanced learners with mostly text or mostly graphics.