# Better Than Bullet Points

## Metadata
- Author: [[Jane Bozarth]]
- Full Title: Better Than Bullet Points
- Category: #books
## Highlights
- The problem with most learning objectives is that they “tend not to relate to anything anyone will actually be able to do in this world.” Roger Schank, Lessons in Training, Learning, and e-Learning ([Location 401](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=401))
- Richard Mayer, famous for his research on multimedia learning, offers his “Select—Organize—Integrate” (SOI) model as a rubric for approaching the issue of cognitive load. How can we help learners know and acquire what matters? Table 2.2 offers some suggestions. ([Location 459](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=459))
- Mayer’s principles of multimedia learning especially relevant to the purposes of this book are: ([Location 463](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=463))
- Table 2.2. Mayer’s “SOI” Model ([Location 464](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=464))
- 1. Multimedia principle: Learning is enhanced by the presentation of words and pictures rather than words alone. Figures 2.2 and 2.3 show an example. ([Location 475](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=475))
- 2. Coherence principle: Learning is enhanced when extraneous material is omitted. Figures 2.4 and 2.5 show another before-and-after example. ([Location 482](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=482))
- 3. Split attention principle: This is a common problem with narrated e-learning courses. Designers add word-for-word audio voiceover to match the on-screen text. Different parts of the brain process visual and auditory information at different speeds (we usually read faster than a narrator talks); splitting attention this way causes the material to compete for the learner’s attention, creates overload for the learner, and greatly reduces the learner’s ability to take in the information. ([Location 489](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=489))
- 4. Redundancy principle: Similar to the split attention principle. Mayer found that presenting animation with narration was more effective than animation plus narration and on-screen text. ([Location 493](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=493))
- 5. Contiguity principle: Learners learn better when on-screen text and visuals are integrated rather than placed apart. The valley images shown in Figures 2.6 and 2.7 illustrate this. ([Location 494](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=494))
- Rather than ask, “How can I teach this?” ask, “How can my participants learn this?” Nanette Miner, Ed.D., The Accidental Trainer ([Location 520](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=520))
- Finding the right approach and an interesting treatment can be challenging. There’s nothing wrong with looking around to see how others have approached a topic or type of content. And brainstorming, free-writing, and free-association exercises can help. Try sitting down with a blank sheet of paper and jotting down every word you can think of associated with a topic. Figure 2.13 shows a list of words I came up with when designing a module on the organization’s complex employee discipline process. The word that popped out at me was “maze”; this ended up forming a metaphor for the treatment, a simulation that took a supervisor on an online walk through the “maze” of the process. ([Location 536](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=536))
- Look for ways to capture the richness that a good instructor brings to the classroom, such as responsiveness, a sense of humor, engagement, interesting stories and examples, and immediate feedback. ([Location 574](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=574))
- Also, when considering moving a classroom course online, approach it not just as converting one form to another, but as an opportunity to improve the existing product. This is a chance to cull the extraneous, nice-to-know information, to improve what’s already there, and to leverage technology for what it can do: for instance, a plain-vanilla paper-and-pencil classroom quiz can be reborn as a dazzling, engaging, seductive online test. ([Location 575](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=575))
- Another issue to consider: How old is the classroom program? How recently was it updated? Is content still current? Are there newer means of delivering the same content, perhaps through electronic aids or other performance support tools? ([Location 583](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=583))
- Example: Equal Employment Opportunity Training Program ([Location 604](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=604))
- Too much information on laws, little on how to apply ([Location 609](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=609))
- Note: This is probably true with most classes. Too much information, by but little on how to apply. Must constantly ask so what?
- quick references (FAQs, tabs, color coding, etc.), ([Location 614](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=614))
- due to spiral binding, no discretion in reorganizing or adding to manual ([Location 614](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=614))
- program is mandated, resulting in many learners as “prisoners” ([Location 617](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=617))
- Provide test-out sections so those with prior knowledge can go straight to new learning. ([Location 618](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=618))
- Move legal details to optional links. ([Location 622](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=622))
- Eliminate portions that replicate other training. ([Location 622](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=622))
- Use “What would you do?” scenarios ([Location 633](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=633))
- Incorporate relevant “war stories” into the online material. ([Location 635](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=635))
- Note: Testimonies
- The final step in transforming classroom training to PowerPoint-based e-learning is to create a storyboard from which to work. ([Location 640](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=640))
- Storyboarding and creating mockups of your program will help you organize your thoughts and ensure that your ideas flow logically, without gaps or overkill. ([Location 644](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=644))
- PowerPoint is itself a great storyboarding tool. Using the slide sorter view will help you get a “bird’s eye view” and see the whole program at once, not just a screen at a time. You ([Location 646](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=646))
- Using the “notes” format (click “view,” then “notes page”) gives you room below each slide for capturing ideas about navigation, multimedia, and narration and can provide guidelines for instructional designers or graphic artists with whom you might work. ([Location 648](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=648))
- “Remember, the goal of storyboarding is to plan as much as possible before you begin to actually create your online materials. It’s much easier to erase or throw away and create new drawings and slides than it is to redesign a completed program!” Dede Nelson, Instructional Designer, NC State University ([Location 655](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=655))
- “Learning objectives is where you’re going; the storyboard is your road map. There is a big difference between a well laid out resource with clear learning objectives and a jumble of badly linked slides.” Dr. Simon James, Lecturer and Multimedia Expert, University of Tasmania ([Location 684](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=684))
- As with most things related to e-learning, less is more: your goal should be to create an attractive, clean interface that gives the learner clear direction about what to do next (see Figure 3.1). The carefully designed GUI supports the learner; the poor one can cause the learner to give up in frustration. ([Location 722](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=722))
- In designing the GUI, keep in mind that online learners need to always know four things: 1. What to do next 2. How to get home 3. What’s going on 4. How to get out ([Location 728](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=728))
- At minimum, the program should include navigational information indicating next screen, previous screen, home screen, and links to help and/or contact information. ([Location 734](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=734))
- Labeling the icons on the first screen never hurts. ([Location 739](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=739))
- If you are using audio or video, include information for learners so they will know how to adjust the volume on their computers. ([Location 744](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=744))
- Consider including a screen counter or progress bar to indicate to learners how much of the program has been completed/how much is left. ([Location 745](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=745))
- Tell learners what’s happening. Often video clips take a moment to load, or there may be a delay as documents open. Advise learners of this so they don’t assume something’s wrong. Include information such as, “Click here to open a Word document...” or ([Location 747](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=747))
- On a philosophical note: it is the nature of e-learning to require discretion and self-direction on the part of learners, and at some point we must learn to trust them. ([Location 778](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=778))
- unless the content of the e-learning program is teaching a step-by-step procedure, why shouldn’t the learner be allowed to choose the order in which to view topics? While you don’t want learners getting “lost” in your program, engagement and persistence are supported by learners feeling a sense of control. ([Location 781](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=781))
- “Interface design has nothing to do with instructional design but has everything to do with effective e-learning. Proper placement of buttons, navigational aids, and screen tools can make or break your e-learning project, no matter how effective the instructional design.” Thomas Toth, Technology for Trainers ([Location 824](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=824))
- Working with Z eye movement in mind supports what is known in the Web world as maximizing your screen “real estate.” Figure 3.14 illustrates the real estate concept. How long does it take to even notice the line that says “nearly invisible”? ([Location 846](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=846))
- Figure 3.14. Value of Screen “Real Estate” ([Location 849](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=849))
- Lesson Learned In maximizing your screen real estate, watch out for how much space logos and other branding elements consume. Consider placing logos and similar items only on the first and last slides rather than on all slides. ([Location 851](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=851))
- When testing your e-learning program, actually sit and watch learners going through it. What seems intuitive or clear to you may not be clear to them—and watching them interact with the material will give you ideas about how to fix it. This will also give you a sense of how much time different screens, quizzes, or interactions may take to complete. ([Location 920](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=920))
- A glossary of terms and acronyms ([Location 934](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=934))
- A site map is especially important with modular programs created with PowerPoint. As PowerPoint does not support bookmarking, learners cannot leave a program and subsequently return to the same screen. A site map allows them to get back to the general area at which they left off. The site map also lets learners search a program and return to parts they wish to review. Figure 3.32 shows an example of a site map. ([Location 935](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B004IPPIJ6&location=935))