What better way to be introduced to a new task than being shown! Virtual Coach is not only the logical way to learn, it is also the educationally sound way to learn!

• The questions below have been sourced from California-based learning research firm www.brandon-hall.com.
• The educational theory is based on research outlined in the following text. Ruth Colvin Clark & Richard E. Mayer, eLearning and the Science of Instruction, Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer 2003.

Modular learning content development using a visual core rather than an HTML core. This means we think the primary delivery mode should be visual not text!

• Many web-based training solutions are based on html or text with the occasional visual add-in. Virtual Coach is almost completely visual with text only used where necessary to emphasise the visual material.

Visual learning is preferred by more learners than HTML/text centric learning. Core learning principles supported by Virtual Coach are as follows:

• Multimedia Principle = Use words and graphics rather than words alone.
  • In ten out of ten studies of students who received a multimedia lesson consisting of words and pictures performed better on subsequent transfer test than students who received the same information only in words.
  • Across all studies, a median percentage gain of 89% was achieved with an effect size of 1.50. (NB: Effect sizes greater than 0.8 are considered large).
  • Virtual Coach is designed to reinforce learning with visual content 100% of the time.
  • Contiguity Principle = Place corresponding words and graphics near each other.
  • In five out of five studies the learners that were presented with words and graphics fully integrated performed better on problem-solving transfer.
  • Across all studies, a median gain of 68% was made, an effect size of 1.12.
  • Virtual Coach’s ‘Text-on-Photo’ tool enables text to be placed on the visual content.
• Modality Principle = Present words as audio narration rather on-screen text.
  • In seven out of seven studies, students who received animated (visual) content with concurrent narration generated more solutions on a subsequent problem solving transfer test.
  • The mean percentage gain of all studies was 80%, with an effect size of 1.17.
  • Virtual Coach’s primary technique for presenting words is as audio narration
  • Redundancy Principle = Avoid presenting words in both text and audio narration.
  • In four studies students that were not exposed to redundant on-screen text showed a median percentage gain of 79% with an effect of 1.24 over those that were exposed to the redundant text.
  • In Virtual Coach text is very much a secondary focus. Text can be avoided entirely if desired.
• Coherence Principle = Avoid adding distracting clipart, sounds unrelated to content.
  • Students presented with learning content without background music, artificial ‘environmental’ sounds performed significantly better than those where learning content was ‘embellished’ with extras.
  • The average percentage gain from all studies was 105% with a very high effect of 1.66.
  • Virtual Coach avoids the need to add “extras” to make things more real… the visual content is totally real from the start.
  • Resident sound on any visual content can be turned down or off as desired.
• Personalisation Principle = Caters for conversational style audio narration.
  • From five studies, overall, participants who received personalised spoken content (ie first person… “I am going to… You will notice…etc) produced 20-46% more solutions to transfer problems than the formal content group.
  • Virtual Coach is designed to strongly reinforce the personalisation with both content style (ie. in first person) but also with a personalised voice… they recognise the voice!

No (these standards tend to be browser/html/text centric - Virtual Coach is not).

• Virtual Coach is designed to be it's own mini standard for the small to medium sized businesses that do not have the IT infrastructure to effectively implement and manage a SCORM based elearning product.
• Companies and Training Providers should consider the very tangible benefits of the low-cost and broad application provided by the Virtual Coach platform.

Virtual Coach content is designed to be highly modular.

• Content is able to be copy protected.
• The developer of the content owns all the intellectual property.
• Content (including video editing, audio recording, text, & assessments) can be developed without other authoring tools (i.e. entirely within Virtual Coach).

Content can be replicated by the developer as and when desired.

• The application and modules can be copy and distributed by anyone. The use of the content is restricted.
• Developers can decide whether their content is viewable – in preview mode; or whether it is fully password protected.