10 Tips to Optimize Your E-Learning
By Beth Archibald Tang
Digital learning: You love it, you hate it, you praise it, you curse it. It's a solution to your training problems; it can also be a challenge. Here are 10 tips to optimize the experience for learners and instructors.
Tips for Learners
1. Technical assistance. Using unfamiliar technology will inevitably require some help, but you should do what you can to minimize technical difficulties. For one thing, ensure that all your equipment meets the basic hardware and software requirements of the course. Then practice using the software, running the tutorials, and scanning the manual or browsing the help files.
2. Netiquette. Remember your online manners. Lively, on-task discussions belong in the online classroom; personal attacks do not because they take away from the learning process and demean other participants. You should be as familiar with the discussion board or listserv policy as you are with the class participation requirements. If you're new to Netiquette, here are a few Web links:
3. Preparation. The freedom to learn asynchronously requires extra motivation and time management skills, especially if you're scheduling around work and home life. When the instructor sets a due date for an assignment, you should complete it on time. Creating a space away from distractions will help you focus on the material. If time allows, you should read ahead for the next lesson and prepare questions while reading the assignments or participating in class discussions.
4. Shortcuts. Keyboard-based shortcuts can reduce mouse time and prevent wrist injuries. Here are a few tips for PC users:
- Tab will move you from link to link.
- Alt-Tab will allow you to toggle between windows, for example, MS Outlook, Internet Explorer, and Word, without having to select them from the task bar.
- Control and left or right arrow will move you from word to word, backward or forward, respectively.
- Control and up or down arrow will move you from paragraph to paragraph, up or down, respectively.
- Control-X will delete highlighted text; Control-Z will undo the action.
- Control-C will copy text, and Control-V will paste it.
- Control-A will select all text.
Mac users can turn to www.unl.edu/compsale/shortcuts.html for shortcuts.
Tips for Instructors
5. Communication. Some online courses require participation via threaded discussion boards, email groups, or chat rooms. In those formats, it's important that learners get timely responses to questions. If a question requires additional thought, you should acknowledge the question and indicate that you'll respond soon. Take advantage of email tools such as MS Outlook's Out of Office Assistant, which can send automatic emails stating when you'll reply.
6. Fonts
- Type and style. Used judiciously, varying font size and type can indicate emphasis and increase interest. You should avoid exotic fonts, however, because not all computers will have them, and such fonts are hard to read on screen. A readable balance is best achieved with sans serif fonts--contrast this M with this sans serif M--but it's best to allow users' settings to preside. Also, don't overuse bold and italics. Underlining should be used sparingly, if at all, because the effect could be confused with a live link. More information about font type and style is available at the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Accessibility Initiative (very technical). Also see, the Tufte book review on visual displays.
- Color. Just as important as the font type and style is its color. Don't base discrimination of information solely on color differentiation: Some learners may be color-blind. Also, don't hinder readability with poor contrast between background and text. For more information about colorblindness and the Web, see the Visibone color blindness resource and the Visibone color laboratory.
7. White space. We can't say enough about chunking text. Separate main ideas into readable sections. It's better to scroll down than to scroll across. As you chunk lesson information, apportion information on the screen--for example, use bullets to emphasize a series of important points. Be generous with navigation points (top, back, next, menu, exit) placed in screen-sized chunks to help readers maneuver and reduce mouse use and scrolling.
Bonus: Also, keep pages to about 35 to 50K in file size and about three pages of printed text. If you can count to 10 and your page is still loading, it's taking too long. Be judicious with graphics, images, and animations. They can significantly increase download times and distract from the text if their points are unclear.
8. Hidden links. Navigation should be easy; don't hide the links with cutesy effects. Links should look like links--underlined text where the cursor changes to a pointing finger when the mouse rolls over the text. The default (expected) colors are blue for unvisited links and purple for visited ones.
Wording of the links should be carefully chosen as well. "Email the Webmaster" or "Email the instructor" may be frustrating when learners' browsers are not configured to their email. Provide the actual email address as part of the link, for example, "Email the Webmaster (Webmaster@astd.org)." A nice extra step is to include such contact information at the bottom of every page, along with "last updated" and "last reviewed" dates (the latter for pages whose content does not require constant upkeep).
Bonus: Using "click here" is passé, so make sure that underlined text can stand on its own. Here are some examples of link phraseology:
Bad standalone: Here are this week's discussion questions.
Good standalone: Review Unit 7 with these discussion questions.
9. Accessibility. Accessibility is easy navigation, not only for people with disabilities, but for everyone. Accessibility aids, such as alt tags (the words that describe an image when the cursor is placed over the picture) and transcripts of audio files are helpful for learners with disabilities who may require screen readers to tell them what's on the page. But alt tags are also helpful for people who have decided to turn off images because they don't want to slow down their already sluggish Internet connections.
Did your programmers verify accessibility? If not, at least make use of the Bobby tool, which analyzes Webpages for their accessibility. You should also be familiar with your organization's accessibility guidelines, as well as any applicable agency, state, or federal requirements. For more information about federal accessibility requirements, see Section 508 and the international accessibility guidelines at the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Accessibility Initiative.
10. User testing. Webpage design is independent of the content. Just as instructors and educators assess the validity of test questions, so should they assess the design of the e-learning vehicle. Consider these questions:
- Can the learners determine where they are and navigate the site easily?
- Has the coding been validated?
- Do all the links work?
- Does the e-learning really require the effect of that snazzy plug-in?
Another crucial question also deserves an answer: Can the learners get help easily when problems arise?