Stuck with producing a linear course? Here are 5 ideas that add some life to the boring Next button.

1. Yay!
I get to click
the Next button!
5 ways to make
linear navigation
more interesting

2. Sometimes, we can’t get
what we want for our learners.
We don’t have
the budget for
that.
We don’t have
the time for
that.

3. As a result, you might be
stuck with this:
Unfortunately, the path through a
linear course can feel like this...

5. Conveyor-belt courses let learners
click Next without thinking.
But isn’t thinking the whole point?

6. If you have to create a Next-button
course, you can use the button to your
advantage. You can encourage learners
to:
1. Pause at the Next button.
2. Think.
3. Want to click the button.
So the path through the course
becomes more like...

8. In most linear courses,
a slide contains a
complete idea. It tells
you everything you
need to know.
You click Next simply
out of obedience.
OK, click the Next
button now.

9. Instead of finishing every thought
on a slide, what if we made
learners feel like...

11. 5 ways to make learners
want to click Next
The following techniques work
because they make a slide
incomplete. They keep the learner
a little off balance.
1. Ask a question
2. Use an incomplete sentence
3. Suggest a sequence; build a list
4. Compare & contrast
5. Create a dilemma

12. 1. Ask a question
End the slide with a question.
What kinds of questions work well?

13. Questions that work well
Make learners gauge their existing knowledge:
How do most identity thieves get
their information?
Ask them to predict what’s next:
What could happen to Stella’s data?

14. More questions that work
Ask for advice:
(A worker sees a colleague install
what could be a keylogging device.)
What should she do?
Set up a mystery that will unfold through
several slides:
(A client discovers her identity was
stolen.) Was it the firm’s fault?

15. Questions to avoid
Questions that the next slide won’t answer:
Do you know someone whose identity
has been stolen?
Questions no one cares about:
How many times per hour is someone’s
identity stolen?
You could end every slide
with a question, but...

16. ...that would get annoying fast. So here’s
another technique:
2. Use an incomplete sentence.
End the slide with the beginning of
an interesting sentence.
Sarah opened the attached file
and discovered...
You might think that shredding
the document is good enough,
but...
3 more tips to go!

17. 3. Suggest a sequence; build a list
This is easy to combine with other
techniques, like the incomplete sentence:
First, the spear phisher researches
his victim online. Then...
You could also use this technique to build
a graphic.

18. 4. Compare & contrast
Follow one slide with a slide that contains
contrasting information. Do this in a series
so the learner recognizes the pattern and
tries to complete it.
For an example, see
http://www.slideshare.net/jclarey/meetcharlene

19. 5. Create a dilemma
Someone just
bought Antarctica
with my credit
card! What can
I do?

20. 1. Ask a question
2. Use an incomplete sentence
3. Suggest a sequence; build a list
4. Compare & contrast
5. Create a dilemma
What else should go on this list? Share
your ideas and get more tips here:
http://blog.cathy-moore.com
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