Infographics in eLearning

Information Graphics or Infographics use images, charts, graphics, and text to convey the key takeaways. How would this help you and your business? Well, instead of writing or reading lengthy paragraphs, your online learners get a visual overview of the task or topic, which makes it a valuable micro-learning collaboration tool.

But what are infographics in eLearning? Well, virtually any eLearning concept or idea can be changed into an interactive, engaging, and easily digestible eLearning infographic that helps to improve knowledge retention. After all, that’s what we all want, don’t we?

To turn a mandatory process into an engaging one, which further leads to employee engagement. Statistics support this idea and numerous surveys and studies have found that online learners highlight visual information more effectively. Basically, infographics in eLearning might be life-saving when it comes to an efficient training process.

But, we are also bombarded by information almost daily thanks to modern technology. Every time we enterprise online, we are exposed to Facebook posts, YouTube videos, tweets, articles, and a variety of other stuff that overloads our senses.

The thing that makes infographics in eLearning so helpful is that they offer need-to-know information in a visually convincing, but succinct way, which would help you in internalising the information in a more efficient way. Because what is eLearning after all? A way to pass knowledge on in a more efficient way.

Necessary steps

1. Choose a targeted topic. The first and most common mistake when in comes to infgraphics in eLearning is trying to fit too many concepts and ideas into the design. You must focus on one targeted task, topic, concept, or idea to avoid cognitive overload. Doing this also helps you to avail the chance to explore the topic at length, so that the online learners can get the complete picture.

2. Always include striking visuals. Infographics in eLearning are incomplete without high-quality visual elements, e.g. images, charts, graphs, and icons. You should make them with the intention to provoke, without emotionally compelling and be overstepping the boundaries.

3. Make it multi-platform friendly. Most of your online learners can access eLearning content on their PCs, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Such as, your eLearning infographic should have to be more than mobile-friendly, it also should have to be multi-platform-friendly. The most effective way to get this is by using a responsive and ideal design eLearning authoring tool.

4. Double check your data. There is nothing worse than investing money and time for infographics in eLearning just to discover that your entered information which is completely inaccurate or not.

You must double-check every fact to make sure that it’s 100% correct, and that it’s backed by a valid and definitive source, preferably two or more. Moreover, you could rely on your team and ask another member of your eLearning team to review all the facts and information and then verify the references, just to be safe.

5. Maximise the cohesiveness, minimise the clutter. Infographics in eLearning also offer a succinct and short burst of knowledge. Therefore, they should be free of clutter, like extraneous labels and images or lengthy text blocks. Every component of the eLearning infographic must have flow and have a common theme, so you should pay attention to these facts when you organise it.

For example, the first class of the graphic must somehow tie in the last. Why is this important? Because if the information you deliver by means of infographics in eLearning is disconnected, you online learners might try to find connections and relationships where there aren’t any.

Essential metrics

1. Average fill rate. Take some qualified decisions about whether you need or not to run some additional courses based on high-existing course fill rates, or you should cancel the courses that have low attendance. Give informed and quick decisions when you ask for a free or discounted course placement by partners.

2. Average course duration. Understanding the Average Course Duration may help you to keep the track of learner progression and to optimise the training delivery. Put this on the benefits list.

3. Class cancellations. Monitor the trends in Class Cancellations will help you to establish whether you have built enough flexibility into your desired courses. For online learners and students with particularly busy workloads, you should consider offering some self-paced courses or trainings which should be delivered through eLearning to help fit around their normal schedules. This will help you giving the best to your employees, while still managing to deliver the information to all of them.

4. Break-even reporting. Not strictly a metric but an essentially important thing in having a profitable training organisation is evaluating your daily, weekly, monthly or some quarterly break-even points to make sure you maintain a high level of profitability along all the courses you are running.

Keep in mind

Infographics in eLearning imply a powerful and practical online collaboration tool in online training, which could help you in optimising the learning activities of your team and which contributes to the interactivity of the learning process.

Also, infographics in eLearning may be ideal as a collaboration platform for visual eLearning experiences, however, every member of your collaborative team will get benefit from this bite-size social collaboration tool if you use these helpful tips.