How to Weave Hard Facts and Emotions into your eLearning Lessons – Tip #41

Balancing Act: What we know vs. what we feel

W. Tecumseh Fitch is a professor of Cognitive Biology at the University of Vienna. In his article on learning instincts he argues that human beings have an innate instinct (nature) to learn and develop skills necessary for us to survive and flourish. At the same time, these instincts are shaped by the things we experience and the realities we observe (nurture). Professor Fitch explains that what and how we learn is both instinctive and rational. We need both of these to complete our learning.

As designers of learning, we can conclude here that to make our lessons more effective, we need to strike that balance between making our learners feel and retaining valuable information.

Checkpoints to ensure success

Ask yourself the following guide questions to see if you are on the right track:

• Does this contain elements
  that will work for all learner types my group?
• Is there an opportunity for
  my learners to share similar stories,  devise a solution, or
  interact with the module in any way? (See Link)
• Does this make use of a
  satisfying and relatable emotional climax?  (See Link)
• Does this excite the learners to learn more? (See Link)

Tip #14: How to Add Suspense to eLearning Stories 

Tip #33: “Oh my Gosh Learning!” Using Problems, Diagnostics and Solutions in eLearning 

Tip #37: Making Learners Cry by Using Positive Stories 

Tip #38: Making Learning Styles Come Alive in Interactive Stories