Custom elearning development programming is an excellent way to educate people from all demographics and locations. Because so much of this education is visual, representing races, ages, genders, and all areas of humanity is extremely important. Each group needs fair representation throughout the entire program. This can include using a specific group as the one making the mistake, using one group at a different social status as the other, or having one group consistently portray the dominate role in the script. Simply by using a few different techniques, you can use your educational program with confidence.

Eliminate The Human Element

Instead of using human characters to act out the script for the custom elearning development program, use something else altogether. This could be animals or inanimate objects created to speak and relay the information. These characters aren't always associated with adult learning programs, but they have the same effect.

In many cases, this can even be a corporate brand or logo. It depends more on the attitude and speech used to deliver the messages rather than the actual character. This also gives you the opportunity to add a bit of lighthearted humor to make the program more engaging and entertaining. You might even be surprised to discover how the amount of information retained by the learner increases.

Another great idea for eliminating the possibility of discrimination is to eliminate characters all together. Charts, graphs, and moving text can be used to express the ideas. This is a great way to add in a more interesting audio track with effects and use a wide mix of images and animations. This technique is particularly effective in industries such as the financial and health care sector where you are dealing with a series of processes. This is also a good idea for organizations that already have had custom elearning development programs and are looking for a change.

Anonymous Characters

Instead of using realistic characters to play out the scripts in your custom elearning development course, consider using anonymous figures, particularly for roles that play a negative role in the program. Colored silhouettes work well, particularly with neutral tones such as blue and green rather than pink and brown. These characters have the added advantage of drawing attention away from the figures and move the program toward text and audio used to point out important information or key points to remember. If the program could use a little more visual interest, consider using dense patterns and color styles.

Illustrated figures work well for eliminating race or gender profiling. These characters can still resemble human figures, but aim for styles that are more cartoon-like than realistic. You need to be cautious here however. Be sure to 'dress' the characters in similar clothing or be sure to use a good variation of characters to eliminate the possibility of misrepresenting a particular group. One tip that does help is removing facial features from the figures to eliminate part of the problem associated with gender and race.

While discrimination in educational programs is often not intentional, it can be a disturbing and distracting trait for the groups being 'pointed out' and for all those using the course. These techniques open the doors to incorporate new creative ideas into the medium that often are far more effective than the traditional methods of expressing ideas. The ability to change any element of the presentation is the single biggest benefit of using custom
About the Author: Christine O'Kelly writes for the custom elearning development specialists at Noggin Labs. They are industry leaders in providing performance-based and personalized custom elearning programs. Noggin Labs has worked with a variety of clients, including non-profit organizations and Fortune 100 companies.