Creating Content

Hi Erika,

one possibility could be to use an interactive pie chart for example, where the learner could click on a segment to then display the relevant information on a new layer. This allows for lots of content to be displayed while maintaining an easy to use interface, the pie chart. 

Depending on the stats you are detailing, you could try and find a relevant image that has some connection with the stats and then create hotspots at various points on the image where the learner can click to see more detail. 

Just a couple of ideas that jumped into my head. Hopefully may help. 

Good luck

Hi Erika! Welcome to the forum!

Here's a fun idea that a user (Rapid eLearning Templates) contributed to the forum in the past, that might inspire you for this project: Large Interactive Infographic.  It's essentially an infographic (information/data) but that is presented in a really fun, interactive and animated way.

You might also want to check out eLearning Examples because that website has a ton of examples of cool interactivities.=)

Today I was revisiting the 'crisis of credit' visualized on Vimeo http://vimeo.com/3261363  that might give you some ideas on statistic presentation.

Or this one from Girl Hub: http://www.girleffect.org/why-girls/#&panel1-2

Or this one from Girl Hub: http://www.girleffect.org/why-girls/#&panel1-1

Transparency International has done some incredible info graphics that you could check out for ideas.  One sample is at: http://www.transparency.org/research/bps2011

The corruption perception index by country infographic is nice as well: http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2012/interactive/

Hope this helps.  Somber topics with statistics can be difficult sometimes.

Is there a way you could build a story about someone experiencing the situation you are tasked with telling about and let the learner make the choices for the person in the story with the learner experiencing the ramifications of the choices by branching situation into better choices or worse choices?  Sort of creating an upward spiral story or a downward spiral story with information given to the learner along the way to help them make better choices?

Think about how you could emotionally connect with the learner based on the choices they make - to get them to care about the person in the story so the learner just doesn't choose the worse possible scenario just to see how bad it will get.

Good luck!

Jennifer

Nicole,

I really appreciate your help. The topic is Suicide Awareness and there many many stats. I really like the infographic. Thank you so much for the help and responding!

Jeff,

Thanks for your help as well. I was thinking of having them drag and drop the numbers onto the relevant sentence. LIke a fill in the blanks but . . . I don't know how well that retains their knowledge. Thank you so much!

Welcome to the forum, Erika. We all face this problem, and we all feel cheap when we realize we're just presenting information.

1. In what situations do they need to actually use the content? Can you build a real-life scenarios (even small ones, perhaps a series of questions) around such a situation?
2. Put some of the content in the formal questions you ask.
3. Tab-like interactions, timelines, and markers help you break up information so it's not overwhelming.
4. Keep slides on the shorter side (say, one to two minutes if you are just presenting info)
5. Play the A side of Rush's 2112 in the background for your learners (kidding...sort of)
6. Have first-rate voiceover person (if you use VO)
7. Have empathy for your learners and put all the non-essential stuff up in documents the resources tab.

Hope one idea helps at least. --Daniel

Jennifer, 
I love your idea about getting the learner emotionally involved. And I think my topic could lend itself well to that as it is suicide prevention. I'm sure I can use that towards the end of the course. But first I have to get them all of the information they need to know in a non-boring way. Thus my challenge and I am a newbie so I am seeking all the advice I can get. Thank you.

Daniel,

It is nice to know I am not the only one that has this conflict of boring-ness. I don't' want to give them a PowerPOint from 1993. But  my subject matter doesn't lend itself to doing anything "cutesy" as some would say. It is an emotional topic and I would to invoke that, however I also have to be uber respectful of the content. I'm trying to use scenarios when possible however I have to give them the info first. Thanks for your help.

Erika

Hi Erika - 

Is there any way you can post some sample content or slides from your current project? It might help some of us offer more specific interaction ideas.

Your topic is about as emotional as a topic can get. The "prevention" part is actionable so that helps give us some ideas for process-based interactions (signs to look for, things to say/do, etc).

A few of my favorite examples might give you some ideas:

CNN multimedia project on a serial killer. What I like best about this one is the way it's chunked into concise topics. It leads with the history of the case. It's a single slide that summarizes the story with emphasis text for numbers, victims and key players.

The rest of the topics have photos and audio interviews with people around the case. What's powerful is that the project isn't narrated by some person removed from the course. Instead it's narrated by people directly involved in the case. 

This type of format could work for your project since the first-person audio drives the narrative while using photos and text to support the audio. The narrated voices of those around your topic (family, medical, friends) can really add an emotional component while lending authenticity to what you're teaching.

One of my all-time favorite audio slideshows is this one from the Star Tribune: A Prayer for Father Tim

What makes it so powerful is the combination of audio and photos. This style could be more of an overview or intro piece for your project where friends and family remember their loved ones (audio) while photos fade in and out.

It's not easy to top an ambient background track from Rush, but stranger things have happened.

I think you should try to get the learner emotionally involved at the beginning of the course.  Use a scenario as the "hook", the reason that the information you are going to present is important. Give them a reason to want to complete the course.  Then, you can use all the great ideas from the others for interactions as you are providing information (Interactive charts, interactions like in the "cloud" example, etc.)  A second scenario at the end could help them cement the information you have provided. 

Hi Erika,

Did you get a chance to look at the links Jennifer St. George posted? This one especially did a great job of using really simple graphics to represent a serious topic.