{"id":1405,"date":"2013-03-29T09:48:53","date_gmt":"2013-03-29T09:48:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.efrontlearning.net\/?p=1405"},"modified":"2016-05-06T15:51:42","modified_gmt":"2016-05-06T15:51:42","slug":"ten-tips-to-build-interactivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.efrontlearning.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/ten-tips-to-build-interactivity.html","title":{"rendered":"Ten tips to build interactivity"},"content":{"rendered":"
Interactivity is a key component in the learning process. While it\u2019s relatively easy for a teacher in a classroom to interact with the learners and, by \u2018reading\u2019 the situation, involve them in the learning process in the most effective ways, it\u2019s much harder for those producing online learning materials. For one thing, they can only make educated guesses at their learners\u2019 needs, state of mind, attitude to and preferences for learning and so on.<\/p>\n

So, when developing online learning materials, it\u2019s important to define the content that needs to be learned; determine what the learner must do as a result of completing these learning materials, and so decide on the most appropriate \u2018treatment\u2019 for the content. Users must interact with online learning materials to navigate through the materials; amass information and make decisions.<\/p>\n

Considering what the learner needs to know or do – rather than what the teacher wants to teach \u2013 involves you in \u2018interactivity\u2019. So here are ten things to bear in mind about interactivity when you\u2019re developing online learning materials:<\/p>\n

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  1. Allow the learners to control\u00a0their learning<\/strong> \u2013 so they\u2019re more likely to engage with\u00a0the whole learning activity. You should always let them see where they\u2019re\u00a0going on their learning journey and what options they have at each stage\u00a0of that journey.<\/li>\n
  2. You\u00a0should cater for different\u00a0preferred learning styles<\/strong>. Not everyone wants to engage with the same\u00a0type of interaction. Offer learners choices of interaction to go some way\u00a0to \u2018personalising\u2019 the materials and so generate maximum engagement and\u00a0motivation.<\/li>\n
  3. Give the learners a reason to\u00a0explore<\/strong> the materials and gather the information they need.\u00a0Don\u2019t \u2018push\u2019 information at them. Rather, let the learners \u2018pull\u2019 that\u00a0information from the learning materials.<\/li>\n
  4. Challenge the learners\u2019\u00a0understanding<\/strong> \u2013 not just to find out how much they\u00a0already know and, so, how much they need to learn but also to make them\u00a0receptive to new ideas and ways of doing things.<\/li>\n
  5. Give the learners choice<\/strong> over\u00a0how they\u2019ll learn \u2013 building in opportunities for those who need more\u00a0information to get it as well as for those who need less information to learn by experiment and experience.<\/li>\n
  6. Emphasise <\/strong>\u2013 in\u00a0the learning materials – that these\u00a0choices produce consequences<\/strong>. This can be done via establishing a\u00a0scenario with various results depending on the learners\u2019 decisions.<\/li>\n
  7. Generate \u2018tension\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0throughout the materials. If you make learners care about the decisions\u00a0they take, they\u2019ll become more engaged with the learning materials and\u00a0motivated to not only \u2018succeed\u2019 within the parameters of the learning\u00a0materials but also to apply, in the real world, the lessons they\u2019ve\u00a0learned.<\/li>\n
  8. Look for other ways<\/strong> \u2013\u00a0that is, things not specifically related to the materials\u2019 learning objectives – to reward the learner<\/strong> for\u00a0persevering with the learning materials. This could include permission to\u00a0play a game (contained within the learning materials) for a while once\u00a0certain key points are reached.<\/li>\n
  9. Give helpful feedback <\/strong>following any assessments the learners take. That\u2019s easier said than done!<\/li>\n
  10. Make the materials look\u00a0attractive<\/strong> to the user. Visually attractive materials aren\u2019t\u00a0necessarily the most effective – but if they\u2019re not visually attractive, they won\u2019t attract learners\u2019 attention and, so, they\u2019ll be ineffective\u00a0anyway.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Instituted tastefully, interaction can help to make learning materials more intuitive for the user \u2013 making their message more memorable.<\/p>\n

    There are many online learning authoring tools on the market – offering a wide range of features and functionality. In this market, open source solutions are not as well evolved as they are in the LMS market, but some developments are taking place in this area.<\/p>\n

    Among the current key rapid authoring tools are:<\/p>\n