Whether you’re an online course creator or any other education provider, you need to understand visual learning in e-learning. Using visual learning meaningfully will ensure you have better learning outcomes.
Visual learning is absorbing and retaining information by seeing it. This type of learning is a widely recognized and highly effective learning style. Many studies show that learners learn best when they see information in visual format. Visual learning makes ideas and concepts easier to understand and retain.
Why visuals accelerate comprehension and retention
The brain processes visual information faster than it processes text. It can identify familiar images in milliseconds. Reading words requires more cognitive effort than processing visuals. Visuals bypass some of the language processing that text requires.
Visual input directly engages a number of areas in the brain. The cortex is largely devoted to processing visual information. This enables learners to create mental representations and make meaningful connections that enhance their understanding.
Visual memory in education reduces cognitive load. It frees up mental resources for deeper understanding and processing of the subject matter. Visual aids like charts and diagrams work so well because they help learners to identify patterns and relationships. The brain is able to store and retrieve visual cues and this improves retention and recall of information.
The process of interpreting and manipulating various types of visual information makes learners think critically. It helps them to develop problem-solving skills that greatly benefit them in any workplace situation.
Using the right video hosting will help you to deliver visually rich content to learners. Whether it’s charts, diagrams, images, or other visual media, a multimedia video hosting platform will handle it all efficiently.
The role of video in reinforcing visual learning principles
Learners today grow up spending time on social media and streaming platforms. They are familiar with watching videos, which makes video an effective tool in e-learning. It is more than just a supplementary tool. Video learning science supports its use for a range of benefits, including more engagement, motivation, and understanding.
Help attract and retain attention
The combination of visual and audio in videos helps to capture and maintain the attention of learners. The brain stores verbal and visual information in two different but interconnected channels (Dual coding theory). Activating both channels helps with retention of information.
Allow for self-paced learning
Learners can learn at their own pace when watching videos. They are able to pause and replay sections that are hard to understand. This enables them to master a concept before they move on to the next one.
Visualize processes
Using video means that learners don’t have to process static images or text alone. Videos are able to demonstrate complex processes by using animations and real-world scenarios. Rather than static slides, videos show processes unfolding in real time. This makes it great for demonstrating tasks or showing cause-and-effect relationships. A science teacher is able to demonstrate a cellular process with an animated video that’s very difficult to get across when using static diagrams.
Evoke emotion
A well-designed scenario or animation in a video can evoke emotions that trigger the amygdala and strengthen trace memory. In corporate training an emotional hook helps employees to absorb the message. It is far more effective than trying to absorb blocks of text in a manual.
Promote active learning
Videos promote active learning because they contain interactive elements. Branching scenarios or embedded quizzes require learners to make choices and answer questions. This gives them visual feedback. Even a visual prompt like giving learners a link to click makes them take action rather than viewing content passively. Allowing learners to actively engage with and manipulate visual representations enhances their understanding.
Simulated environments offer learners the opportunity to learn in a hands-on way and see the consequences of their choices. This is particularly helpful in the healthcare field.
Support diverse learning needs
Neurodivergent learners often struggle with text. Visual learning provides them with a cognitive video learning style that specifically suits their needs. The visual cues and patterns help them to remember and transfer knowledge to new contexts. The use of video messaging offers you a way to communicate with learners, answer questions, and get feedback.
Visual learning complements and enhances all the other styles of learning. As an online educator, you need to balance different learning styles to suit all types of learners.
Ensure consistency
Once you have a great video, such as an animated compliance video, you can share it over and over without the variability that comes with live instruction. The consistency ensures that every learner receives the same high-quality material no matter where or when they watch the video.
Technology plays an important role in visual learning. Combining a video hosting platform with a learning management system (LMS) enables you to facilitate the hosting and distribution of your visual learning resources.
The Cincopa video hosting platform integrates with an LMS and you are able to offer both live streaming and video-on-demand to learners. Learners are able to watch videos at their own convenience and engage with them in a way that suits their learning styles and preferences.
Case examples of visual-first e-learning strategies
1. Onboarding new hires
Many companies today use onboarding videos to visually walk a new hire through a company’s workflow. Animations may highlight how documents flow from one department to another and a voice-over narration offers verbal reinforcement.
2. Software training
A global tech company had to train many employees on a new customer relationship management (CRM) platform. The L&D team created a short video series that combined live screen captures with animated overlays.
Each module showed a workflow, such as generating a report, with motion graphics highlighting data fields and buttons. One of the video learning benefits of using live screen captures with overlays was to reduce help desk calls by 30%.
3. Compliance training
Stories with relatable characters help to make compliance training more engaging. A financial services firm developed animated stories showing realistic ethical dilemmas employees might face.
The characters gave visual cues guiding viewers to notice crucial details, such as a colleague sharing insider information. Post-training assessments showed that employees were much better at identifying policy violations than when they had to rely on text-heavy modules.
4. Product knowledge
In a retail environment, employees need a good knowledge of products. A multinational retailer launching wearable devices needed frontline staff to quickly master their features. The company created a series of microlearning videos. They showed product specs in 3D with rotating views.
Narration and call-out text supplemented the 3D images. Employees were able to watch the videos on their mobile devices during their downtime. Product knowledge improved significantly as seen in mystery shopper scores.
5. Leadership development
A healthcare firm wanted to improve leadership qualities in mid-level managers. In the short videos it created, learners had to guide a character through hard conversations. They had to manage conflict, offer feedback and motivate a team. They had to read visual cues like body language and facial expressions to offer advice and make the right decisions. Completion rates were high and follow-up surveys showed that managers felt more confident in leadership and daily situations they had to manage.
Whether through screen capture, 3D rendering, animation, or other visuals, each of the above examples shows the use of visuals to anchor main messages and simplify complex information.
The Cincopa video hosting platform helps you to deliver visually rich video content. It has customizable video players that help to reinforce your brand image in the minds of learners.
You are able to create playlists of videos to offer learners a consistent learning path. You need to use analytics to gain insights into the effectiveness of your visual content. Cincopa has advanced analytics that show you how your learners engage with videos. Using these insights helps you to improve your videos and boost learner outcomes.
Conclusion – Video as the ultimate visual learning tool
The use of video supports visual learning in e-learning in many ways. The payoff of using video is substantial. Faster comprehension reduces training time. Better retention lowers retraining costs. Higher engagement results in measurable gains in performance.
If you’re an online education provider, video will be your main medium for delivering visual learning. From animated explainer videos to live demos, it helps learners to understand and retain information. Visit the Cincopa home page where signing up for a free trial allows you to explore how to use video as the ultimate visual learning tool.
