Using an on-screen personality to narrate eLearning

Hi Lauren,

That's a great question! Like a lot of things in e-learning, I personally think there's not a single right or wrong choice. A lot of it has to do with how the narrator is implemented and then integrated into the project.

As Richard mentioned, having a narrator read on-screen text verbatim does tend to lead to learners tuning out. Most people can read faster in their head than a narrator can read a script, so that can make the situation frustrating. As well, repeated content can in some cases lead to cognitive overload.

But that doesn't mean there aren't positive ways to include an on-screen narrator, whether it's live video or an animated/illustrated character. An on-screen narrator can act as a host or coach, leading learners through the content, answering common questions, and giving them additional context. Or they might be a character in an e-learning scenario, and their narration gives you additional insights into their decisions or thought processes.

While I'm sure there are good exceptions out there, generally speaking I most often see on-screen narrators work when the e-learning designer has used their presence strategically to enhance the learning experience. If you can pull them out of a particular course and it doesn't change the learning experience, they might not be worth including in that instance.