August 2013 – The Logical Blog

August 29, 2013

Adobe Captivate: Pre-Test Before You Test

by Kevin Siegel

During one of my recent beginner Adobe Captivate classes, a student asked if it was possible to maintain two quizzes within a single Captivate project. She wanted to be able to give her learners a pretest made up of questions that would run independently of the regular quiz. While it is not possible to have two independent quizzes within a project, she was happy to learn that you can include a Pretest.

Choose Quiz > Pretest Question Slide and you'll be presented with pretty much the same Insert Questions dialog box that you will see when you insert standard Question Slides.

Adobe Captivate: Inserting Pretest Questions

Select the type of question you like, and the number of slides you want. In the image below, I've selected Multiple Choice and True/False and then set the number of each to one.

Adobe Captivate: Insert Questions dialog box.

Once the Pretest Question slides have been inserted within the project, they will behave just like standard Question Slides, with a few notable differences.

First, there will not be a Question Slide progress indicator on any of the Pretest Question slides. In the image below, you can see the progress indicator that's on the first standard Question Slide in my project. (I have two Question Slides and two Pretest Question Slides.)

When the learner takes the Pretest, the answers they submit will not be counted in the final quiz score. However, if you want to ensure a learner understands a concept before allowing them to take the quiz, you can set it up so that the score a learner gets on the Pretest triggers an Action (such as taking the learner back to the beginning of the lesson for more study).

On the Quiz Properties panel, you'll also notice that there is an Edit Pretest Action button for any selected Pretest Question slide. Clicking that button will open the Advanced Actions dialog box. If you're comfortable with Advanced Actions, you could create an Action that would kick in should the learner not perform well on the Pretest.

Adobe Captivate: Edit Pretest Question Action

Adobe Captivate: Pretest Questions Advanced Actions dialog box.

If you would like to see a demonstration of the Pretest feature, check out the video I posted to the IconLogic YouTube channel.

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Looking for training on Adobe Captivate? IconLogic offers multiple live, online Adobe Captivate classes each month including Introduction to Adobe Captivate and Advanced Adobe Captivate.

August 27, 2013

eLearning: Want Learners to Retain Data? Reduce Anxiety

by AJ Walther

eLearning: Reduce Learner Anxiety. A quick Google search for "positive affect and cognitive process" will turn up countless scholarly articles and university articles on the subject. In summary: research shows that emotion has the ability to influence cognitive processes like problem solving and attention, among others.

I recently came across new research suggesting that when presenting data visualizations, users put in positive mindsets show improved accuracy in interpreting data. The research shows that when people are in a state of negative affect (fancy psychology speak for emotion), the brain neurotransmitters concentrate on details, whereas when the people are in a state of positive affect, creativity and curiosity are engaged, optimizing the opportunity for learning.

While the study linked above focused on data visualization, I don't think it's a far reach to assume that this same vein of thought might apply to eLearning as well. Perhaps when we want to stimulate learning, we should strive to put our learners in a good mood first. (Hey, it couldn't hurt, right?) In this study's case, participants were put into a state of positive affect by reading a New York Times article about the kindness of strangers.

Let's say you're designing eLearning to demonstrate to new employees how to create the best customer service. You've decided to start out with an anecdote, but you're not sure the best way to approach it. Should you tell a tale of customer service gone wrong that caused the company to lose business? Or should you reminisce about customer service that went above and beyond and left everyone feeling all warm and fuzzy inside? I'm no psychologist, but I'd say you couldn't go wrong with the warm and fuzzies.

August 26, 2013

Adobe RoboHelp: Embed Captivate HTML5 Output

by Willam Van Weelden

Adobe Captivate 6 introduced HTML5 output, allowing eLearning content to be interactive on mobile devices such as the iPhone and iPad. By combining Captivate's and RoboHelp's HTML5 outputs, you can easily support interactivity for iPhones and iPad in your help system. Currently only RoboHelp's Multiscreen HTML5 output supports Captivate's HTML5 output. Other outputs, such as WebHelp, only support Captivate's Flash output.

Embed Captivate HTML5 Content Within RoboHelp

Publish your Captivate demo as both Flash and HTML5.
Create or open a RoboHelp project.
Open the topic where you want to add the demo.
Choose Insert > Adobe Captivate Demo.
In the Multimedia Name field, open the swf you published from Captivate.
In the HTML5 output field, select the index.html you published from Captivate.
Click the OK button.

By default, RoboHelp uses the Captivate Flash output when you generate the layout. To allow RoboHelp to use Captivate's HTML5 output, you need to make a small change to the Multiscreen HTML5 Single Source Layout.

Open the Multiscreen HTML5 Layout in the Single Source Layouts Pod. (View > Pods > Single Source Layouts).
Open the Optimization settings of your desired Screen Profile(s).
Select Use Adobe Captivate HTML5 output.
Click the Save button.

When you generate the Multiscreen HTML5 layout, the layout will now use Captivate's HTML5 output whenever it is available.

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Looking to learn RoboHelp? We offer a live, two-day online RoboHelp class once each month. Feel free to contact us to learn other ways to meet your RoboHelp training requirements.

August 22, 2013

Adobe Captivate: Drag and Drop Interactions

by Kevin Siegel

If you have always wanted to add drag and drop interactions within a Captivate project, but felt the technique was beyond your ability, think again. Adobe Captivate 7 not only allows you to add this kind of behavior, it's remarkably fast and easy (no programming required… I promise).

In the image below, I've created a Captivate slide with four Smart Shapes. My goal is to allow learners to drag the similar shapes on top of one another. If they succeed, they'll "pass." If not, they'll get a failure message. The darker shapes on the slide will each be a source; the lighter shapes will be targets. If you'd like to follow along, go ahead and create a similar slide (it shouldn't take more than a minute or so).

Adobe Captivate: Slide with Smart Shapes

To add the drag and drop interaction, choose Insert > Launch Drag and Drop Interaction Wizard.

Select each source object on the slide (one at a time) and click the plus sign to the right of the Add To Type drop-down menu. Give each source object a name and then click the OK button. When you are done naming the source objects, click the Next button to move to Step 2.

Adobe Captivate: Creating Sources to be dragged.

Step 2 of the wizard will require you to select and name the target objects. I created two targets (the lighter shapes shown in the first image above). After that, click the Next button to move to the last step.

Adobe Captivate: Creating drag targets.

The final step is to drag the source objects to the target objects (you can see me doing just that in the image below).

Adobe Captivate: Dragging one object over another

After clicking the Finish button, you're… well, finished. Preview the project and you'll be able to drag the source objects to the target objects. As I promised above, you didn't have to create a single line of code to get this to work… how cool is that?

If you would like to see a demonstration of Captivate's Drag and Drop feature, check out the video I posted to the IconLogic YouTube channel.

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Looking for training on Adobe Captivate? IconLogic offers multiple live, online Adobe Captivate classes each month including Introduction to Adobe Captivate and Advanced Adobe Captivate.

August 15, 2013

Localization & Training: The Logistics of On-Site Interpretation

by Jen Weaver

Sun Tzu is credited with saying "The line between disorder and order lies in logistics." As professional trainers, you know this truth all too well. The most well written curriculum can become futile if logistics get in the way, and few logistical tasks will impact your class more hazardously than the need for an on-site interpreter.

The legal requirements to provide an interpreter in the classroom vary based on industry and meeting scope. However, the involvement of a limited English speaking student and their communication needs will still have to be addressed. Once you have determined that an interpreter is needed to assist one or more limited English proficient (LEP) participants, there are a few key logistical factors to consider:

How many LEPs are in attendance and for what languages?

The more LEPs in your course, the more logistical considerations arise. For example, if there are 10 Spanish speakers, you may want to group them together for projects or discussions with one interpreter rather than having an individual interpreter for each Spanish-speaker.

Do you want Simultaneous or Consecutive Interpretation?

Simultaneous Interpretation is the oral interpretation of a speaker's words into another language while the speaker is still speaking. This usually requires the use of an interpretation booth and audio equipment (with a headset for every LEP). If more than one language will be interpreted (i.e. Spanish and German), Simultaneous Interpretation is usually the best option.

Note: For Deaf Individuals Simultaneous ASL will occur without the use of equipment but typically requires the provision of multiple interpreters.

Consecutive Interpretation is the oral interpretation of a speaker's words into another language when the speaker pauses every few minutes to allow time for interpretation. This method does not require the use of specialized equipment, but it will extend the course time to allow for interpretation.

How many Interpreters are needed?

Generally speaking, appointments including any of the following factors may require a team of interpreters (two or more linguists) for each language:

The appointment lasts longer than 2 hours.
Simultaneous Interpretation is required.
Multiple LEP's are expected to be in attendance.

What additional materials require written translation/interpretation?

If the class includes videos, online modules, written handbooks, tests or handouts, these materials may need to be translated in advance to ensure appropriate learning for all participants. Additional services may include foreign language subtitling or voiceovers.

Are there any time limitations that must be extended?

Additional time may need to be allocated to LEP participants. We have a client who stipulates a three-minute time limit on audience questions during large meetings. For audience members requiring an interpreter, this time limit was extended to six minutes to allow time for the LEP to verbalize their question and then for the interpreter to interpret. Time limitations may need to be extended for the overall course agenda if consecutive interpretation is utilized.

Will the Interpreter be needed for assistance beyond the class itself?

On occasion clients will request that interpreters meet the LEP at the sign-in table to assist with registration, accompany them for lunches, or assist with key conversations outside of the training class.

Preparing in advance for these important details will help ensure the success of your training program with a multi-lingual audience. Have you had any unique experiences scheduling on-site interpreters that you'd like to share? Or perhaps have a question about navigating interpretation logistics? Please send us your comments.

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If you would like to learn best practices for managing translation projects, contact Jen at Carmazzi Global Solutions.

August 13, 2013

Adobe Captivate: Grids ‘n Guides

by Kevin Siegel

When it comes to positioning items on a slide, you can always visit the Transform group on the Properties panel and control such object attributes as the location of a slide object, its size, and rotation.

However, if you prefer to control an object's slide placement without using the Transform panel, Adobe Captivate comes with a few other handy features that are often overlooked: Grids and Guides.

If you select the View menu you'll see four options of note: Show Grid, Snap to Grid, Snap to Object, and Show Drawing/Smart Guides.

Adobe Captivate: View menu

If you select Show Grid, little dots will appear on every slide. The dots, which are visual reference points for you to use on the slide, will not display in a published lesson. Using the grid, you can ensure objects are a specific distance from the top, bottom, left, or right of a slide. If you select Snap to Grid, an object will automatically snap to the little dots as you drag the object around the slide.

Adobe Captivate: Grids

By choosing Show Drawing/Smart Guides, you will see Smart Guides (green dashed lines) when you reposition, resize, or rotate an object. By using Smart Guides, which are enabled by default, you will be able to align objects with other nearby objects.

Adobe Captivate: Smart Guides

Note: Smart Guides do not appear when you try to reposition or resize objects using keyboard nudge controls. If you don't see the Smart Guides as you drag objects around the slide, try zooming closer to the slide (I've found that this often makes it easier to see and use the Smart Guides).

If you would like to see a demonstration of Grids and Smart Guides, check out this video on the IconLogic YouTube channel.

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Looking for training on Adobe Captivate? IconLogic offers multiple live, online Adobe Captivate classes each month including Introduction to Adobe Captivate and Advanced Adobe Captivate.

August 9, 2013

Adobe RoboHelp: Using SharePoint for Version Control

by Willam Van Weelden

In a previous article I showed you how you can use SharePoint to host a shared review. You'll be happy to learn that with RoboHelp 10, you can also use SharePoint for version control. Version control is a method by which you store all project files on a server. You work with a local copy and synchronize all changes with the server. The benefits of using version control include:

Version history: the server makes a new version of topics for every change. This allows you to retrieve old versions right from your RoboHelp Project.
Multiple authors: multiple authors can work with the same project simultaneously.
No more backups: the server does that for you.

Prepare SharePoint for Version Control

On the SharePoint site, add a new library. Enable version control for the library and require files to be checked out before editing. You can choose to use either minor or major versions. All reviewers must have edit permissions for the library. Your SharePoint administrator can help you with this.

Add a RoboHelp Project to Version Control

Open or create a RoboHelp project.
Choose File > Version Control > Add to version control.
In the Select Version Control Provider dialog box, select RoboHelp SharePoint Connector and click the OK button.
In the Connection Details dialog box, add the URL of the SharePoint site in the SharePoint Site field (and then click the OK button).
Choose a library to use for the version control.
Select a folder in the library (or create a new folder) and click the OK button.
Click the Yes button to add all of your RoboHelp project files to the SharePoint library.

Adding files to the SharePoint library could take time initially. However, once the files are added, you should not see any performance issues. To enable the version control toolbar for easy check-in and check-out, choose View > Toolbars > Version Control.

Want to know more about working with version control? Click here.

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Looking to learn RoboHelp? We offer a live, two-day online RoboHelp class once each month. Feel free to contact us to learn other ways to meet your RoboHelp training requirements.

August 7, 2013

eLearning & Design: Want to be a Better Designer? Play this Color Game

by AJ Walther

We've talked about gamification. We've talked about color. Why not participate in a little bit of gamification that could strengthen your color knowledge–and maybe even make you a better designer?

Blendoku is a mobile puzzle game that is free for Android and iOS.

Blendoku is a mobile puzzle game that is free for Android and iOS.

The object is to organize colors by saturation, shade and hue. While it sounds simple, things get tricky pretty quick; and next thing you know you're immersed in a Sudoku-crossword rainbow puzzle. Not sure you're grasping the concept? Check out this brief demo video.

If you've got some free time (or perhaps a lot of free time), give it a go and let me know what you think. Already feel like you're becoming a color master? Or was this just a (visually stimulating) waste of time?

Note: This game isn't color blind friendly (yet), but according to this Mashable article, creators Rod Green and Yeong-Hao Han say they're working on a way to shift the colors so that everyone can play.

August 6, 2013

Adobe Captivate: Fastest Cleaned Prefs in the West

by Kevin Siegel

Adobe Captivate, like most computer programs, can behave poorly. I've found that when Captivate gets sluggish on my computer or crashes, it's because I've got too many applications running and not enough resources. In that instance, closing all non-essential applications solves the problem.

However, there are times when nothing I do seems to help improve Captivate's performance (not even a system reboot). In those rare instances, I've found that resetting all of Captivate's Preferences cures what ails Captivate. One way to reset the Preferences would be to find Captivate's Preferences file on your computer, throw it away, and then restart Captivate (which creates a new Preferences file). The problem is that the Preferences file is buried within your user credentials folder and is often hard to find.

If you need to reset Captivate's Preferences, you'll appreciate an obscure utility that ships with Captivate that will reset all of the Preferences for you.

Navigate to the folder where Captivate is installed on your computer and open the utils folder.

Adobe Captivate: Clean Preferences

You'll find two files of particular interest: CleanPreferencesMac and CleanPreferencesWin. Simply double-click the file appropriate for your operating system and BAM!… all of Captivate's application Preferences will be reset to the way they were the first day Captivate was installed on your computer.

For instance, in the image below I "accidentally" disabled all of my Confirmation Messages in Captivate.

Adobe Captivate: Confirmation Messages disabled.

Don't be jealous, but it's a well-established fact that I am the fastest clicker in the West (or the East for that matter). I could have enabled all of the Confirmation Messages in, what, 3.2 seconds. But by double-clicking CleanPreferencesWin, all of the dialog boxes were instantly reset. I'm fast, but I'm not that fast.

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Looking for training on Adobe Captivate? IconLogic offers multiple live, online Adobe Captivate classes each month including Introduction to Adobe Captivate and Advanced Adobe Captivate.

August 2, 2013

Adobe RoboHelp: Using Multiple Twisty Styles

by Willam Van Weelden

In a previous article, I showed you how to use Twisties (images) with RoboHelp drop-down menus. The Twisties indicate to a user if a drop-down menu is open or closed.

Adobe RoboHelp: Example of Twisties

By default, all drop-downs will use the Twisties you defined for the style Drop-down hotspot. With Adobe RoboHelp 10, you can use multiple styles for your drop-downs and thus use different Twisties for different drop-downs.

To use multiple Twisties, you must create a new style in your style sheet and apply the new style to the drop-downs.

Setting up Multiple Twisties

Open a RoboHelp project.
Go to the Project Manager pod (View > Pods > Project Manager).
Double-click your project's style sheet to open it for editing.
In the Styles dialog box, click the New button and choose Hyperlink Style.
Give the new style a name. In this example I named the new style Twisty.
Click the Set Twisties button to define the look of the Twisty.

In the Select Twisties Images dialog box, select the images you want to use as the Twisty.

Adobe RoboHelp: Define Images for the Twisty

Click OK to close each of the open dialog boxes.

Your alternative twisties are now set. You can now proceed to applying the twisty to a drop-down menu within a topic.

Applying Twisties to a Drop-down

Open the topic containing a drop-down menu.
Click within the drop-down text.
Go to the Styles and Formatting pod (View > Pods > Styles and Formatting).
Find the alternative hyperlink style you created.
Right click the style and choose Apply.

Adobe RoboHelp: Styles and Formatting pod.

Save your project.

The alternative twisty style is now applied to the drop-down. Repeat these steps for every drop down menu where you want to set an alternative Twisty.

Adobe RoboHelp: Alternate Twisty Applied.

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Looking to learn RoboHelp? We offer a live, two-day online RoboHelp class once each month. Feel free to contact us to learn other ways to meet your RoboHelp training requirements.