How can storytelling enhance E-Learning pedagogy in faculty development?

Storytelling is not only a powerful way to engage learners, but also a valuable tool to enhance E-Learning pedagogy in faculty development. In this article, you will discover how storytelling can help you design and deliver more effective, meaningful, and memorable online courses for your colleagues and students.

1 Why storytelling matters

Storytelling is a powerful way to communicate information, emotions, and values. It is also an integral part of human culture. In faculty development, storytelling can be used to enhance E-Learning pedagogy in various ways. For instance, stories can capture attention and interest, build rapport and trust, facilitate understanding and retention of course content, as well as stimulate reflection and action. Furthermore, stories can simplify complex concepts, illustrate examples and scenarios, and reinforce key messages and learning outcomes. Ultimately, stories can challenge assumptions, provoke questions, and inspire change and improvement.

Add your perspective

Keith Koh

Learning Practitioner with a passion to design training solutions that generates business results
Report contribution
Storytelling provides context to the subject matter and makes up for the lack of immediate interactions available in classrooms. It also allows learners to be immersed in the right perspective or environment that the designer hopes go bring them to.

Like
David Mwanyimi Bushabu

Teacher at Tesol
Report contribution
Storytelling must be contextual. Not taken at random. The storyteller should prepare it ahead to know when and where to insert it. It requires care in its selection.

Like

2 How to use storytelling in E-Learning

Storytelling can be effectively used in E-Learning to engage learners and help them better understand the course material. Before crafting your story, it's important to define your purpose and audience, so that you can tailor your story to your learning objectives and learners' needs. You can choose different formats and styles for your story, such as text, audio, video, animation, infographic, or interactive game. Additionally, you can use various storytelling frameworks, such as the hero's journey or the problem-solution-benefit model, to structure your story. Lastly, you need to incorporate your story into the course in a way that supports your pedagogy and enhances the learners' experience. This could include using your story as an introduction, case study, simulation, scenario, quiz, feedback, or summary.

Add your perspective

Isabell Grundschober

Researcher and Lecturer in Instructional Design and Educational Technology
Report contribution
Sometimes, eLearning courses seem a bit anonymous and "distance". Give your learners the chance to get to know you and how the topic of the course is a passion of yours. Use storytelling for that and share your story. Try to make it exciting and passionate. This is a great start in the introductory phase of your course. At the same time like that your are a role model regarding sharing something about onself in a professional way with others. Use a short video or audio file for your story. Connect it with a task encouraging your learners to share something about themselves in connection with the course topic, e.g. in a forum, a digital board, a video on flipgrid or similar.

Like

3 What are the benefits of storytelling in E-Learning

Storytelling can bring many benefits to E-Learning pedagogy in faculty development, such as increasing learner engagement and satisfaction, improving learner performance and outcomes, and enhancing your teaching skills and reputation. For instance, it can make your course more interesting and enjoyable for learners and help them relate to the content. Furthermore, it can help them remember concepts and skills, apply their learning to real-world situations, and showcase your expertise as an instructor. Ultimately, storytelling can help you establish credibility, authority, and influence in your field.

Add your perspective

4 What are the challenges of storytelling in E-Learning

Storytelling in E-Learning pedagogy in faculty development presents some challenges, such as finding the time and resources necessary to create high-quality multimedia stories. Additionally, it can be hard to strike a balance between story and content; if it is too long, complex, or irrelevant, it can distract or overwhelm learners. Lastly, measuring the impact and effectiveness of storytelling is difficult, and various methods and tools may need to be used to assess how the story influences learners’ engagement, satisfaction, performance, and outcomes.

Add your perspective

Keith Koh

Learning Practitioner with a passion to design training solutions that generates business results
Report contribution
Storytelling needs to take into consideration culture and demographics of the audience, otherwise the story will be lost to them. Another challenge is the difficulty in keeping the story current or relevant. As technology or times changes, story will need to be updated. For example, stories which talk about covid now and from 2 years ago will have very different spin to it... As it should.

Like

5 How to improve your storytelling skills in E-Learning

Storytelling is a skill that can be mastered with practice and feedback. To improve your storytelling skills in E-Learning, you can read and watch stories from different sources, genres, and formats to understand how they are structured, written, and delivered. Additionally, you can experiment and iterate with different stories, formats, and styles in your courses to get feedback from your learners, colleagues, or friends. Lastly, you can learn from experienced storytellers or experts in your field by observing how they use stories in their courses or presentations and asking for tips.

Add your perspective

Keith Koh

Learning Practitioner with a passion to design training solutions that generates business results
Report contribution
Also, stay curious and keep asking why. By constantly challenging the status quo, we keep our minds sharp. Talk to people, observe them, experience their lives. Many designers try to only sit in front of their computers without going out to discover (and rediscover) their audience and surroundings. End result are stories which lack depth and become uninteresting.

Like

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

Add your perspective

Keith Koh

Learning Practitioner with a passion to design training solutions that generates business results
Report contribution
When designing stories in training, always consider sustainability. How can you maintain and update the stories, yet maximise the results. There are balances to be striked.

Like

E-Learning

+ Follow

Rate this article

We created this article with the help of AI. What do you think of it?

It’s great It’s not so great

Report this article

You're aiming to enhance virtual classrooms. How can you blend expertise for immersive gamified learning?

See all

How can storytelling enhance E-Learning pedagogy in faculty development?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Why storytelling matters

2 How to use storytelling in E-Learning

3 What are the benefits of storytelling in E-Learning

4 What are the challenges of storytelling in E-Learning

5 How to improve your storytelling skills in E-Learning

6 Here’s what else to consider

E-Learning

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

More articles on E-Learning

More relevant reading

How can storytelling enhance E-Learning pedagogy in faculty development?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Why storytelling matters

2 How to use storytelling in E-Learning

3 What are the benefits of storytelling in E-Learning

4 What are the challenges of storytelling in E-Learning

5 How to improve your storytelling skills in E-Learning

6 Here’s what else to consider

E-Learning

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

Explore Other Skills