Many online courses are text-heavy and have very little multimedia. Learners with learning disabilities, or those who demonstrate strengths in auditory learning, may not perform well in these courses and often drop out. Providing audio components that allow these learners to listen to online text content and participate in audio discussions enables them to access information in a preferred format, and can enhance learning for others as well.

Participants in this session will learn how online courses that incorporate Audioboo discussions, audio pedagogical agents, and tools such as SoundGecko enhance learners’ ability to understand content. Incorporating audio into assignments, activities, and discussions helps learners to provide more in-depth responses that are well-organized and thought out—a significant improvement over text-heavy courses.

In this session, you will learn:

  • The importance of audio in online courses to meet diverse learners’ needs
  • How to use online tools to facilitate audio discussions and activities in online courses
  • How to use Audacity as an audio-editing tool to record and edit audio content
  • How to use online tools to read text-based content aloud

Audience:
Novice-to-intermediate eLearning professionals. Prior knowledge of social media and recording tools (such as basic or laptop-embedded microphones) will be beneficial.

Handout(s)

Recording