Access to high speed internet access has accelerated the adoption of E-Learning and Computer Based Training. It’s not a “fad” but offers many measurable benefits. Adding Avatars or Animated Virtual Teachers brings educational content to another level.
In an advanced study at Stanford University their research shows measurable effects when content delivery is assisted with integration of an avatar. So, If you are actively involved in the production of Rapid E-Learning Virtual Teachers can raise the effectiveness of your content
The three primary factors and objectives in the delivery of E-learning are;
The Improvement of Performance – as shown in the “Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning” research performed by the US Department of Education.
Increasing Access to material – This allows high calibre content and knowledge to cross borders, student can have access without the conventional physical, political and economic boundaries. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for example have extensive resources from its undergraduate and graduate level courses online. Furthermore; Experts can make up-to-the-minute information available internationally in an instant with minimum costs.
Learner Convenience and Flexibility. E-Learning unlike formal educational delivery is generally self-paced and is normally available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year.
With a e-learning market value in excess of 56 billion dollars it is clearly demonstrated that not only is it a standard education delivery mechanism but with an extensive market, providers are continually looking at new and innovative ways if increasing effectiveness and the introduction of “viable” virtual teachers is a single step that can offer rewarding results and allow content to stand out from the crowd.
What Virtual Teachers or Avatar options are available? Many entries into the avatar market have come and gone over the years, primarily focused upon web representatives, using in most cases unconvincing visual appeal and poor audio delivery. Probably one of the most well know is Sitepal, however being web centric its presence within the e-learning production line is limited to say the least. A solution firmly positioned within the Computer Based Training environment is AlterEgos, giving an extensive character library, automatic lip-synching to either your own voice or realistic Text To Speech and most importantly access to industry output video files ready to be imported directly into your e-learning composition.
Many excellent screen recording and content authoring tools are available including Camtasia from Techsmith (now having a Mac based solution), Articulate Studio from Articulate, Captivate from Adobe, PowerPoint and Keynote, having access to importable video media files is imperative. So using an appropriate avatar creation tool with Flash Video or AVI output is essential.
When you are looking for your own virtual teacher ask yourself the following; Is the production environment for your avatar composition flexible, does it give you different output formats for integration into your chosen e-learning solutions, can your composition work off-line, within a presentation or integrated into another video. What are the “real” costs. Can you give your potential avatar creation tool a complete test before committing to any spend!
Putting over “complex” or “specific” information can be difficult when you are limited to just text and images irrespective of the delivery mechanism, you just can’t beat the spoken word, when combining audio with a Virtual Teacher you have the ideal combination. Don’t fall into the trap of believing that by integrating any old virtual character or avatar into your e-learning content will help your cause, on the contrary, if you integrate a bad one and there a quite a few to choose from, it could have an adverse effect.
You can get a trial downloads from most e-learning solution providers, watch a 5 minute overview using AlterEgos and Camtasia or AlterEgos E-Learning Virtual Teacher or Avatar solution can be obtained from here it may even give you some ideas for your own content.
categories: rapid e-learning,alteregos,e-learning,elearning,computer based training,cbt,virtual teachers,virtual tutors,learning management systems,lms,distance leaning,scorm,lcms,cscl
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