Do you ever feel caught between PowerPoint, Articulate and a hard place? The field of instructional design has advanced beyond traditional slideshows and learning-specific authoring tools that come with hefty price tags and complex features that yield cookie-cutter courses. Common alternatives include live event recordings, “talking head” videos or treating any promotional video like it is training. Hint: it's not!
For designers looking for ease of use and versatility at a reasonable price, Canva is taking the world by storm! This includes the learning space.
Where can you find PowerPoint on steroids, clean animations, video editing, a full suite of stock imagery and videography, templates, recording features, AI translations and brand tools? Canva.
Can Canva do everything? No.
But can it do a lot for the busy or beginner designer? Yes.
Making Masterpieces
I have fallen in love with authoring courses in Canva because it truly is a blank canvas. However, it is one that is approachable because it is both intuitive and familiar. The features enable designs that are efficient and polished. The stock imagery alone is worth the modest subscription.
Having worn many hats in the L&D space, the one that never fit quite right was eLearning designer. I have written quizzes in Captivate and reviewed a course in Rise, but being a learning strategist, facilitator and technologist left little time to design in the “fancy tools.” The need for custom content did not relent however. I needed more than PowerPoint without the time or budget to procure more software. This is the place from which I approached Canva.
You could say that I approach Canva like a painter…I have a vision in mind but am unsure what the final piece will look like. A few brush strokes later, and I’m even surprising myself. Whether for a quick explainer video with age-appropriate graphics (let’s leave Nick Jr. to the kids) or a video compilation or even narrative storytelling, Canva’s versatile suite of tools stands ready for the job.
Virtual Reality without the Goggles
My favorite way to use Canva to level up learning is through designing immersive stories that place the learner in the narrative. I consider it virtual reality without the cumbersome glasses. When a video can stretch the screen, place someone in the midst of the action and layer environmental audio plus narration with just enough animation to drive the narrative forward, magic happens.
To the Point
How will you let a blank canvas surprise you? How can you use it to empower growth and development?
Note: I am a genuine fan and regular Canva user. This post is not sponsored.
Image source: The Lifelong Learner
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