How eLearning Works: Some tips

After reading/listening the death by powerpoint blog for the second time, I am looking out for whether all these guidelines for designing eLearning courses make sense. On How Stuff Works, http://communication.howstuffworks.com/elearning9.htm, there are 13 tips of which some form a wonderful model. For example, the interaction tip states, " Remember to involve the student through the use of interactive elements, but make sure the action builds the message rather than detracts from it." Others do not seem relevant in all settings, such as keeping text to no more than six lines per screen. This specifically reminded me of the Powerpoint slides with no more than seven words per line. Remember, these are just guidelines. Design your course so that it is effective. Don't put pictures in just to have pictures. Make the graphics meaningful and useful. If six lines per screen works, great. If not, eight lines won't make your course a failure. The How Stuff Works link also offers other comments on the psychology of learning, interactive and motivating e-learning, benefits, and planning. Some of the benefits are those that we had thought of on the first day of class.
Check it out.