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 thought I might pose the question to the community.
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We have just completed a large part of a project for a major client and we made the active decision to not include voiceover and they are very happy with the results, but other people seeing the content from outside that organisation have asked \"Where is the audio\" because that is what they are used to hearing in e-learning. No-one at all has said that the content would be enhanced with the use of voiceover (the content does utilise some video).
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Our argument is that the use of audio does not actually add anything to the content if you have just a verbatim voiceover reading the content on-screen, in fact we believe this to be a distraction and will encourage the user to switch off and just listen to it and do something else in tandem and subsequently tuning out entirely.
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Does anyone have any opinions? I would love to hear them. Also, I am really interested in some statistics and actual research into the use of audio with online learning. There must be something out there.
Agree the analysis part would have picked up if audio was required (by the client) and also justify the design decision not to include it.
Agree the analysis part would have picked up if audio was required (by the client) and also justify the design decision not to include it.
I think voiceover can add value. However, we should ask ourselves if it is\n
necessary and if we want it, ask what value it provides. After all, it adds\n
time and money. Is there a decent return on this investment?
\n\n
\n\n
A client recently decided they didn't want voiceover to save money. For two\n
of the modules, it really wasn't needed. The slides (This was a storyline\n
360 project.) had, for the most part, a content title or label, some kind of\n
interesting and supporting visual element and text with key points. There\n
might also be a sentence or blurb set off from the rest of the text giving\n
an interesting statistic, piece of data or a reference to where the learner\n
can find more content. The notes contained more text with information\n
written in complete sentences so it was easy to understand.
\n\n
\n\n
For a third module, most of it was a conversation between various people\n
with only two on a screen at a time. This was a little trickier. On screen,\n
I put the two characters with speech bubbles. There the conversation was\n
very brief and included either the start of the conversation or the key\n
points. I put the more full conversation in the notes. I think the learners\n
may find some redundancy. Hopefully, it won't be annoying. The client liked\n
it. I think it works but would love to hear how others deal with this.
\n\n
\n\n
When there is a story and conversation, I prefer to use voiceover. A good\n
voiceover person can make it come alive and make it more engaging and\n
memorable. However, in this module, I had about 10 characters and this can\n
add to the cost and complexity. Eliminating voiceover avoided that.
\n\n
\n\n
Another thing I think about is where will the learner view the elearning\n
course. Most likely it will be in the office, often with cubes or a more\n
open setting. Or they may view it at home or even a public place like a\n
Starbucks. Wherever - probably no one else in the area wants to listen it so\n
the learner typically uses earphones or earbuds. If there is no voiceover,\n
this is no longer an issue.
\n\n
\n\n
So there is no single answer. This is a design element and therefore we need\n
to ask what is the value, will it help the learner be more engaged, and what\n
is the client's preference and budget. This is why instructional designers\n
should start with analysis and design before jumping in to creating a\n
product.
\n\n
\n\n
I would love to hear more opinions. Thanks!
\n\n
\n\n
Kind regards,
\n\n
\n\n
Susanne Flynn
\n\n
www.SDCsite.com
I think voiceover can add value. However, we should ask ourselves if it is\n
necessary and if we want it, ask what value it provides. After all, it adds\n
time and money. Is there a decent return on this investment?
\n\n
\n\n
A client recently decided they didn't want voiceover to save money. For two\n
of the modules, it really wasn't needed. The slides (This was a storyline\n
360 project.) had, for the most part, a content title or label, some kind of\n
interesting and supporting visual element and text with key points. There\n
might also be a sentence or blurb set off from the rest of the text giving\n
an interesting statistic, piece of data or a reference to where the learner\n
can find more content. The notes contained more text with information\n
written in complete sentences so it was easy to understand.
\n\n
\n\n
For a third module, most of it was a conversation between various people\n
with only two on a screen at a time. This was a little trickier. On screen,\n
I put the two characters with speech bubbles. There the conversation was\n
very brief and included either the start of the conversation or the key\n
points. I put the more full conversation in the notes. I think the learners\n
may find some redundancy. Hopefully, it won't be annoying. The client liked\n
it. I think it works but would love to hear how others deal with this.
\n\n
\n\n
When there is a story and conversation, I prefer to use voiceover. A good\n
voiceover person can make it come alive and make it more engaging and\n
memorable. However, in this module, I had about 10 characters and this can\n
add to the cost and complexity. Eliminating voiceover avoided that.
\n\n
\n\n
Another thing I think about is where will the learner view the elearning\n
course. Most likely it will be in the office, often with cubes or a more\n
open setting. Or they may view it at home or even a public place like a\n
Starbucks. Wherever - probably no one else in the area wants to listen it so\n
the learner typically uses earphones or earbuds. If there is no voiceover,\n
this is no longer an issue.
\n\n
\n\n
So there is no single answer. This is a design element and therefore we need\n
to ask what is the value, will it help the learner be more engaged, and what\n
is the client's preference and budget. This is why instructional designers\n
should start with analysis and design before jumping in to creating a\n
product.
\n\n
\n\n
I would love to hear more opinions. Thanks!
\n\n
\n\n
Kind regards,
\n\n
\n\n
Susanne Flynn
\n\n
www.SDCsite.com
