Forum Discussion
Is using voiceover adding any value to e-learning?
I have just come off a conference call where we were discussing whether the use of voiceover in e-learning adds any actual value to your content. I cannot find any articles online about this and tho...
When scoping a project I think the use of audio is the 4th or 5th question on my list, it helps to manage client expectations.
It really depends on how you plan to use the audio, repeating the text on the screen will mean that either the audio or the text are redundant, people read faster than the audio so will always be waiting for the audio to finish. I am not aware of any research that categorically states audio is better for learners or no audio is better for learners and it is normally a client preference thing. I have seen research for and against audio but often it falls short of a definitive decision, and I do wonder if some of the research is biased towards the authors preferences.
I would also be aware of the market you are producing content for, most US based learning is audio led, whereas in the UK, I feel it is about 50/50 with/without.
In my opinion if you design a course without audio, it is not simply a case of bolting audio on, at this stage will (ideally) need some redesign of the course.
I have built lots of great courses with audio and without audio. One place where I find audio to be a real benefit is in Microlearning where a good pacy audio will move the users through the course quickly.
I'd agree with Phil on understanding the market that is consuming your eLearning. I share the same experience that US customers have minimal text on screen and rely on audio, whereas in the UK we tend to lean towards on-screen text.
