In developing e-learning content for a learning management system, course developers often find out the hard way that in many respects, less is usually more. This truism applies specifically to the writing style of the e-learning content. “Less is more” means creating strong and interactive content which uses concise, simple, and personalized language.
Naturally, there are many decisions involved in writing and preparing e-learning content. These choices include everything from navigation to media features, to what kind of writing tone best suits the content–the latter being the most important consideration you’ll take. In the same way that a boring or amazing professor has the power to make or break a class, a strong or weak writing style can either enhance or damage your e-learning course.
So, how do you infuse your course with a powerful writing style and effective tone?
Courses that merit a student’s time and dedication are usually grounded in an author’s personal experience and subject matter expertise. And taking into account the infinite amount of course topics that are taught in higher education and training programs–not to mention the different learning and pedagogical styles–it makes sense that the appropriate writing style greatly depends on the context.
So why does “voiceless writing” still reign supreme over the e-learning world? Many content creators have yet to discover their authorial voice and use it to create engaging and effective content.
It’s unfortunate but still true–the most popular style of e-learning content writing has involved “voiceless writing,” in which a writer strives to do away with her or his own voice. The goal is to create a formal tone without any moisture or color peeking through.
However, studies show that students respond better and are more engaged with learning content when it is presented in a more interesting and unique way, with a more nuanced and personalized tone. And many e-learning authors are warming up to the idea of writing with a voice, and doing away with voiceless writing.
Unfortunately, course writers sometimes fall into the bad practice of intentionally writing difficult-to-read content. It is often an attempt to arouse interest and respect for the content. Although it’s true that sometimes, bland and stiff writing is simply unavoidable, the idea of creating content with the ideal of formality and facelessness (exacerbated by wordiness for the sake of wordiness) is simply ineffective.
So be yourself in your writing. Avoid this error which is so common to learning management system content writers, and strive instead for concise and readable content. You want to make students feel as if you are speaking directly to them; when you’ve done that, you’ve succeeded.
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