Judging Books By Their Covers

I found the article sent to us a couple of weeks ago from the Rapid e-Learning Blog kind of interesting when it spoke about the importance of presentation, consistency, and attention to detail in an e-Learning product. Here's the link in case you don't have it.

http://www.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/why-looks-matter-in-e-learning-courses/

One of the first things I think a lot of people notice about learning products or any products for that matter is the way that it looks. The way it first strikes them. The first impression. It goes for people, books, institutions, and e-Learning lessons. The article talked about a lot of important things such as color scheme and design, but the one point he made that stuck with me was the consistency and attention to detail-learning about fonts and using consistent styles of graphics to name a few. Some of my younger students today pay absolutely no attention to these things and it seems to be a growing trend among students of mine to blow off the small touches to detail that should be addressed. For me, if I notice an error or flaw in a PowerPoint or any material used during instruction, it becomes a huge distraction. For some learners, they may begin over time to question the reliability of the content if things seem hastily thrown together. Either way, having seamless, consistent products will enhance the learning process. I will stop talking now as my soapbox has collapsed.