What are some best practices for creating recognition cues in e-learning content?

1 Why recognition matters for e-learning

E-learning content often involves presenting new information, concepts, or skills to learners, who are expected to absorb and apply them in various contexts. However, human memory is limited and prone to forgetting, especially if the content is complex, abstract, or unfamiliar. Therefore, e-learning designers should aim to reduce the cognitive load and memory demands of learners by providing recognition cues that help them recall and use the content effectively. Recognition cues are visual, auditory, or textual elements that trigger associations, reminders, or feedback for learners.

2 Types of recognition cues for e-learning

Recognition cues can be classified into three main types: navigational, instructional, and evaluative. Navigational cues are those that help learners find their way through the e-learning content, such as menus, progress bars, breadcrumbs, or icons. Instructional cues are those that help learners understand and apply the e-learning content, such as headings, subheadings, keywords, summaries, examples, or diagrams. Evaluative cues are those that help learners assess their learning progress and performance, such as quizzes, feedback, scores, or badges.

3 How to create effective recognition cues for e-learning

To create effective recognition cues for e-learning content, e-learning designers should use consistent symbols, colors, fonts, and layouts to avoid confusion and increase recognition. Labels, titles, and instructions should match the learners' expectations and vocabulary. Multiple modalities, such as text, images, audio or video can reinforce the e-learning content and cater to different learning preferences. Repetition, spacing and chunking can help reinforce key points and concepts while interactive and engaging elements, such as quizzes or scenarios can test the learners' knowledge and skills with immediate and constructive feedback.

4 Benefits of recognition cues for e-learning

Using recognition cues for e-learning content can have a plethora of advantages for learners and e-learning designers alike. It can improve the usability and accessibility of the e-learning content by making it easy to navigate, understand, and apply, resulting in enhanced learning outcomes and satisfaction of the learners. Additionally, it can reduce the development time and cost by using existing or standard recognition cues rather than creating new or custom ones. It also increases the scalability and adaptability of the e-learning content by making it easy to update, modify, or reuse.

5 Examples of recognition cues for e-learning

To show how recognition cues can be used for e-learning content, here are some examples of e-learning courses that utilize them effectively. Duolingo, a popular language learning app, uses images, audio, colors, icons, badges, and quizzes as recognition cues to help learners learn new words and phrases. Codecademy is an online platform for learning coding skills and it uses syntax highlighting, autocomplete, hints, feedback, and progress indicators as recognition cues. Lastly, TED-Ed is an educational website for creating and sharing animated videos and it employs headings, subheadings, summaries, questions, and links as recognition cues to assist learners in exploring different topics.