8 Different Ways of Using Avatars in Your E-learning Courses

Do you want to make your e-learning courses appealing? Then, you are at the right place. In this post, I will share how to use avatars in different ways to make your online courses engaging and help your learners focus better.

1. Use Avatars to guide learners through the Course

Avatars are used for guided learning, as they hold the learner’s attention and make him engaged. We have used an ‘ant’ as an avatar in a course on supply chain management. The ant guides the learner throughout the course and makes him understand the basics of the supply chain management.

2. Use Avatars to ask icebreaker questions

Using avatars to ask icebreaker questions makes the online course more interesting. Introducing the course with icebreakers helps you get your learners into the right mood and grab their attention quickly. You can pose a series of questions to your learners in the context of their learning need. We used avatars in one of our courses on performance management where we used icebreaker questions.

3. Use Avatars in the introductory slide

You can effectively set the stage for learning by using avatars in the introductory screen. Avatars used in introductory screens need not be a vector image; it can be the image of a person. Depending on the content, we need to choose an avatar. For example, we used the image of a doctor as an avatar in a course on panic disorder, which went a long way in grabbing the attention of learners.

4. Use Avatars to explain topics

Avatars can be used to present content when there is text on the screen (in a bulleted format) that is in sync with audio. Let’s look at an example from a course on building a positive workplace culture. Here, we introduced an avatar, which presents information on 5Ps that the learners need to know to create a positive workplace culture, in synch with audio. This makes them more engaged in the course.

5. Use Avatars to provide advice, helpful tips, and highlight important points

Learners will be more engaged when avatars are used to provide advice and tips and highlight important points, and this will help them complete the course. Here is an example from our course on safety awareness where an avatar provides a few important tips to make the home a safer place.

6. Use Avatars to assess learners’ knowledge

Using avatars in an assessment to give feedback will make the learner more engaged. Avatars can be used to assess learners’ knowledge and help them retain the learning longer. Here is an example from a technician training course, where we used an avatar whose expressions change based on the answer selected by the learner.

7. Use Avatars in scenarios

Avatars play a key role in scenarios. In our course on a sales process, we used a conversation-based branching scenario. This type of scenario leads the learner to different pathways, depending on the answer he chooses. This conversation between two characters helps the learner retain the learning and apply it easily.

8. Use Avatars for storytelling

Using avatars in stories makes the course lively. We designed a course for training HR managers, and this course was about the policies and processes they should know and follow while recruiting new employees. The course revolves around the story of Bob, the new HR manager who needs to tackle talent crunch and recruit new employees. An avatar guides Bob at each step of the recruitment process, helping him complete the process successfully. By the end of the course, the learners understand the process of recruitment.

While creating an e-learning course, try to create an avatar which supports the content, to make the course interesting. How do you use avatars? Do share with us.