Personalization

**PERSONALIZATION**

**Summary:**

Personalization principles play a key role in enhancing e-Learning today. There are three main principles that make up personalization and these principles help to guide us in the language that we use in e-Learning. These principles are to use conversational rather than formal style, to use effective on-screen coaches to promote learning, and make the author visible to promote learning (Clark & Mayer, 2011). Each of these principles build off of the other one but still have a separate important role in personalization.

The first principle, using conversational rather than formal style, shows that in e-Learning students do better with a conversational style of communication. Students can better relate to the material and comprehend it if the style feels like they are interacting with a person or instructor. Students feel like they can almost interact with the material. The second principle, using effective on-screen coaches to promote online learning, is important because students get a real and interactive feel from this sort of learning and it makes the material more interesting and engaging. This type of personalization occurs when having an on-screen character, or pedagogical agent, that is there to "help guide the learning process during an e-Learning episode" (Clark & Mayer, 2011, Chapter 9: Applying the Personalization Principle. Use Conversational Style and Virtual Coaches). By using an on-screen coach, learners can easily navigate through the webpage through the entire lesson. The third and final principle is to make the author visible to promote learning. This principle is all about making sure the information being taught has a voice. This gives the material that much more depth and makes it easier for the learner to understand and process.

By using all three aspects of the personalization principle in e-Learning the student gets a great experience. They are able to read with rich language that has more of a personality a language that is interactive and that a student can relate with. They can not only understand the material better but enjoy themselves while doing it.

Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2011). e-Learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumer and designer of multimedia learning (3rd ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection.


 * Examples: **

BBC Learning English provides a variety of lessons to help learners master English-speaking skills. Lesson 15 models correct phone etiquette in the workplace. It utilizes the Personalization principles by including a visual image of the two co-worker sand informal language because the co-workers spoke in a conversational tone. Although the graphic used was a static image, it was humorous and provided a visual of the two co-workers. The text was provided both in a script form so learners could follow along and learn the correct phrases to use in the situation plus in audio. Finally, the lesson included an interactive quiz of the lesson with friendly easy to understand directives.

“Episode 15: Improving your telephone manner” (2012). English at Work. BBC Learning English. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from the World Wide Web at []

To allow for greater personalization the designer can add a coach or guide by using video of this coach that will guide the participant through the training or by creating an animated avatar. The avatar will also add that feeling of working with a real person because the designer can add human-like features, gestures, and voice. Two examples of programs to create avatars are VCom 3D Characters and Voki Characters. The VCom3D site specializes in creating Signing Apps and the Voki page will allow the visitor to see the different ways that avatars can be used in the classroom.

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