SEEING/HEARING LEARNING

June 17, 2013

From a blogspot posting by Shalini Grover we find her thoughts on video-based learning.
https://shalinigrover.blogspot.com/2007/07/benefits-of-video-based-e-learning.html The following are her introductory remarks:

“Learning is a social process. It involves active acquisition of new knowledge and understanding through group and peer interaction — the key learning skill being communication.

Human beings gain much of their initial understanding of others through our sensory capabilities — both visual and auditory. According to some studies the written word only communicates 7% of what we mean. Voice tones and inflections can account for as much as 38% of the understanding a normal conversation. Where you place emphasis speaks volumes that are very hard to accomplish with words only in PowerPoint slides. With video you can add another 55% to understanding. Video allows you to include all those body language cues we all use — the smile, the twinkle of the eye, the raised eyebrow, the lean, the crossed arms, the tilt of the head. The instantaneousness of moving image and impact of human voice is very powerful.”

To quantify the value of visual learning, we can cite the following statistics:

• Learning occurs 38-70% faster than with traditional (stand-up and lecture) instruction.
• Course content is mastered 60% faster than with traditional instruction.
• Studies show that participants increase understanding by more than 50%, resulting in greater learning gains than with traditional instruction.
• Participants also demonstrate 25-50% higher content retention and 50-60% greater consistency in content understanding than with classroom instruction.

Moreover, visual-based media courseware is affordable. Learning while using visual-based media can be accomplished for only a fraction of the cost of other training delivery methods — including stand-up instruction.

Currently, nearly two-thirds of our citizens are at risk because of the changing job requirements in America. At the very least, a lack of familiarity with “PC Skills” will leave the majority of Americans ill-prepared to maximize their own economic opportunities throughout their lifetimes. Print materials, live-lecture instruction, computer-based training (CBT), and integrated-learning systems (ILS) have generally failed to address the learning needs of this majority.

In terms of literacy, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress issued by the Department of Education, only 25 percent of this nation’s fourth graders and only 34 percent of our high school seniors are able to form opinions from what they read.

It is also not insignificant to note that more than 30 million working adults are functionally illiterate — that is, they cannot read above a third or fourth grade level.

Visual learning can equip individuals with marketable skills, allowing them to free themselves from public assistance rolls and giving under-employed adults the tools to gain promotions.

For most adult workers and students alike — knowledgeably designed media instruction, with full motion video and optional word-for-word audio, is the best way to achieve learning success.