Online learning can completely change the way course material is presented to students. It shifts the learning experience from traditional classroom teaching methods to an e-learning environment where technology can be used to create engaging visuals that can make learning fun.
The use of visuals has been found to improve information retention. In fact, the human brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than text, taking only 13 milliseconds to process an image. According to a study, after 3 days, people retain:
- 10% of what they read
- 20% of what they hear
- 65% of what they see
This suggests that visuals improve students’ power to grasp and retain information. Thereby making it more likely to be stored in their long-term memory, resulting in better information retention. The power of visuals extends beyond just presenting information. Not only do they represent an idea or information, but they can also evoke an emotional response in the viewer, helping to further improve retention and understanding.
According to the Visual Teaching Alliance, it has been found that up to 65% of students are visual learners. This means they are able to learn more effectively when information is presented visually, rather than in text alone. In addition to this, another study found that 40% of students respond better to visuals rather than just text alone, which underscores the importance of visuals in online learning.
Apex Academy Online understands that visuals make communication better and works hard to use that power in their in online courses. Visuals can come in many forms:
- Videos
- Images
- Graphs and charts
- Illustrations and diagrams
- Infographics
- Animated GIFs
Like other learning tools, visuals must be used appropriately, and in context, to maximize the impact they have. This helps with engaging and clarifying the concept for the student. The e-learning environment lends itself more readily to the seamless integration of visuals into course material to offer a more effective learning experience for students.
Apex Academy Online applies visuals throughout its courses to help make the experience fun and interactive for students, while at the same time delivering the following benefits:
Clarification of Complex Concepts
Using a range of images, videos, illustrations, diagrams and infographics allows complex concepts to be broken down into their basic components and presented in a way that is easy for students to grasp. A visual presentation of concepts allows students to take advantage of their strengths in visual learning, making it easier to encode into their long-term memory.
Prevents Cognitive Overload
Cognitive overload is a situation where students receive too much information all at once and have difficulty in processing and retaining it. If online courses are not properly designed, students can be faced with having too many key takeaways presented to them at once making it difficult to retain the information. Using visuals can present information in a way that complements students’ learning, easing the stress and burden of trying to retain the facts all at once. Visuals can present information in eye-catching and innovative ways which can trigger associations in a student’s mind. Instead of having to recall words and numbers, students can visualize pie-charts and pictures making the recall simpler, more effective, and far less stressful.
Apex Academy Online makes extensive use of media in all its forms from graphs, chart illustrations, and video, through to infographics to make the student experience as enjoyable and effective as possible.
Improves Learning Process
The effective use of visuals allows students to process material more rapidly, speeding up the learning process without negatively impacting knowledge retention. The information they need to solve a problem or overcome a challenge can be readily accessible without having to wade through a whole lecture or large bodies of text.
Easily Identify Trends & Patterns
In many courses, it is important for students to recognize patterns and trends in data to understand statistics and their impact on the ideas represented.
Apex Academy Online allows students to quickly visualize information so they can assimilate, understand, and retain it in their long-term memory.
Helps Reinforce Key Learning Points
Once students are introduced to course material, even though they may understand it, they often need refreshers to reinforce the concepts to solidify their understanding. Visual representations, supported by brief textual summaries, offer students a quick and effective way to deliver reinforcement. Combining visuals with text opens the material up to a much wider student audience to embrace visual learners, as well as those who prefer written text.
Apex Academy Online works hard to deliver visually balanced course material that brings together the impact of visual media with supporting text in a way that is aesthetically pleasing to maximize student understanding.
