The average attention span is under 10 seconds and even shorter if you’re presenting a lecture or your students are reading the material.
Furthermore, E-learning can be especially challenging for students because it isn’t easy to implement different learning styles, such as hands-on or visual learning projects.
Most e-learning modules require a lot of reading, lesson engagement, and explainer videos that lack creativity. That’s why teachers are starting to utilize animated videos and presentations. Not only is it easier to keep your students’ attention with animated learning modules, but you can also gain numerous other benefits from implementing animated software programs into your curriculum.
Benefits of Animation in E-learning
There are many reasons you should implement animation into your e-learning curriculum, but we’re here to discuss the top five benefits your students can gain from using animation to learn.
- Grabs Attention
Our world is continually moving and at an increasingly fast pace, thanks to technology advancements. We can grab numerous resources for essays and reports within hours through research on the web instead of spending days in a library. Moreover, we can watch seminars and tutorials that take minutes as opposed to spending hours on a topic.
All of this has led to shorter attention spans. It’s a well-known fact that children have short attention spans, but teens and adults often focus less too. It’s a combination of continually being entertained and having demanding schedules.
Animated videos for E-learning are great for grabbing your students’ attention and keeping it for more extended periods. Also, you can explain concepts much quicker than a lecture and incorporate multiple forms of media to maintain your students’ attention.
- Encourages Retention
Many people are visual learners, which leads us to the next reason why animation is a great teaching tool. Everyone retains information differently. Some people learn better with hands-on work, others are readers, and some are visual learners. Animation reaches most students because you can implement different types of teaching methods within a single video.
For example, you might incorporate a lecture plus tutorial segment for one section, a music video for another, a creative or artistic skit somewhere in the middle, and so forth. As a result, your students are more likely to remember the concepts.
- Simplifies Complex Information
Another benefit of animated graphics as part of your curriculum is that you can simplify complex information by breaking it down into smaller bits or by using visuals to explain it.
Let’s say you’re teaching a new Algebra concept; animation would give you the ability to demonstrate computations, explain calculations in real-time, and provide visual aids and examples simultaneously. Animations are useful for hard concepts, like patent law training and other test prep materials that your learners may typically find dry and uninteresting.
- Storytelling is More Creative
Whether you’re teaching children, young adults, or grown adults, storytelling is always an excellent way to communicate new theories and concepts. Since it’s one of the more creative teaching methods, it captures your students’ attention, keeps it, and can make remembering the information much more accessible. Besides, traditional learning modules can become mundane, but storytelling gives your students a break from the conventional.
- Ideal for Introducing New Concepts
Introducing new concepts can be particularly tricky, especially if your students do not have any previous knowledge to build on. We see this quite a bit with early learners, such as those in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten.
However, adults are also new learners in certain instances too. Animation simplifies things and can provide several types of learning modules in one, making it an excellent method for introducing new concepts.
Top Animation Software
Next up, here’s a list of the top animation software you can use to add animation to your E-learning materials.
Powtoon
Powtoon is a cloud-based animation software that allows you to create your presentations and videos utilizing their software and graphics. What’s even more important is they offer numerous resources and specialists to guide you through making animation that will fit your needs.
Powtoon has everything you need to make learning videos and presentations, including music, graphics, voices overs that you can create, and more. You can also import your images and graphics to make your videos and presentations more distinct.
GoAnimate/Vyond
Vyond, previously known as GoAnimate, is also a web-based software that allows you to create teaching videos, presentations, and other types of media. Vyond is popular because they try to stay a step ahead of their competitors.
Their goals are to create resources that go beyond videos. Vyond strives for a software program that gives you the most technologically advanced and engaging media you can use for teaching.
After Effects
After Effects is an Adobe software program that also allows you to create animated media and visual effects. After Effects is complex, but with this tool, you can do just about anything. If you’re already familiar with Adobe’s other products, then you may find it a little easier to use.
After Effects allows you to customize your presentations, films, or videos with unique effects and animations. After Effects software also will enable you to implement numerous media types, including music, voice-overs, and more in your animations.
Moovly
Moovly is a web-based animation software that allows you to create videos and presentations complete with visual effects. Moovly is one of the best programs if you’re looking for exciting videos that can teach, train, or present new concepts to workers or students.
You can incorporate graphics, music, or your own unique set up. As a result, many companies use Moovly for onboarding new employees as well as to continue training or make learning more engaging for their students.
Videoscribe
Videoscribe is an excellent animation software for those who are not savvy with technology. That’s because, through Videoscribe, you can hire experts who will help you create an outstanding video. Whether it’s for your students, employees, or to help explain your product to customers, Videoscribe designs unique videos complete with graphics, music, and voice-overs.
Furthermore, if you do not like their pre-existing graphics and animation, their writers, artists, and designers will develop something distinct from your project.
Animation software is a great way to engage your students, create a better learning experience, and aid in their understanding. The key to choosing the right software program for you and your class is to consider a few factors. These include whether you want to design the videos and presentations yourself or if you would prefer to use a template to create them. Once you’ve made your decision, the sky truly is the limit to the E-learning materials you can create.
