I've been doing eLearning design for 10 years now. The first 5 strickly with Authorware, the last 5 with Captivate, Flash, etc. I have recently begun a job with a company that has been using Adobe Presenter, and wants me to continue using it. Very simplistic program, but my main question is what is the current fascination/popularity with eLearning courses in which the menu or index is ALWAYS on display taking up as much as 1/3 of a screens real estate? Adobe Presenter, Articulate Presenter and others all do this. I've developed several hundred eLearning courses/simulations in which all screen real estate was devoted to content, with a one-click option (sometimes a rollover) for getting to the menu or index. To me, having a menu or index always visible in eLearning is synonomous with reading a book in which EVERY page contained the table of contents. That would be a ridiculous waste of space, right? Comments welcome and appreciated.

Hi Kildebeck:

I think you are asking a really good fundamental question. To rephrase your question, Does a navigation system show on the screen help or hinder learning?

I think the answer(s) vary depending on who you ask. For example, Michael Allen in his book Guide to e-Learning says it is an imperative to “Let learners see the boundaries of their universe.” And, suggests the use of a navigation system and content information. Clark & Mayer in e-Learning and the Science of instruction, indicate that research has shown that “people learn better when extraneous material is excluded rather than included (the Coherence Principle).” Charles B. Hodges in is paper from The Journal of Interactive Online Learning lends credence that and a simple and easily understood navigation system within the learning experience is motivation based on the research of Hardre, & Reeves.

I suggest the answer is a question of balance. Navigation provides the learner with the control desired by adult learners and aids the global learner with a scheme of the learning universe. On the other hand, the navigation system should not be intrusive and take away from the learning content. For example, my television has channel and volume controls on the front but when I am watching screen I am not aware they are there.

Go for the best of both worlds.

Hope this helps,

Cj

While the visible menu is the default, it can be turned off or limited to the "forward/back" buttons.

I am sure that the menuing options are given for maximum flexibility. eLearning is only one use for these tools. Many people are using them for website information such as product overviews, sales and marketing, info, etc-- and I can see where a menu would be appealing so that people can navigate around as they view sales info.

I would say it depends on your audience. Believe it or not, some groups will get confused by a menu button, rather than having it open on the left. Or, they'll simply think it's more intuitive and less frustrating to have it easily accessible.

That said, the majority understand alternative menu systems now, and Flash is more appropriate (Authorware seems to be fading).

I would only be theorizing here, but I would say the biggest reason that rapid tools use this scheme is for profit maximization. Building and maintaining a more complex menu system would mean higher costs for the software company.

Sheldon Murphy
Solid State Learning
www.sslearn.com

Kildebeck:

You are correct in rationalizing or questioning so much real estate for navigation? When in the learning unit, keep the navigation simple. Not all of the navigation items are needed in every page.

Good luck with your project!

~Eileen Dittmar