August 2015 – The Logical Blog

August 30, 2015

Adobe Captivate: Knowledge Check Slides

by Kevin Siegel

Last week Adobe announced a major update to Adobe Captivate: Adobe Captivate 9. While similar in appearance to Adobe Captivate 8, version 9 offers several enhancements that I'll cover over the next few weeks. This week: Knowledge Check questions.

When adding question slides to a project, you can insert graded questions, survey questions (questions that do not have a right or wrong answer), Pretest questions (questions with right and wrong answers that can be worth points, but are not graded along with regular question slides), and now, Knowledge Check Slides.

Similar to Pretest questions, Knowledge Check slides do not count against the overall quiz score. While knowledge Check questions aren't worth any points, they can provide a higher-level of feedback to the learner than Pretest questions.

To insert a knowledge check question, choose Quiz > Knowledge Check Slide.

As with all question slides, Knowledge Check slides appear on the Filmstrip. However, you'll notice that these slides include a graduation cap icon not seen with the other question types.

Once added to a project, Knowledge Check slides behave like any other question slide with a few notable exceptions. As mentioned above, Pretest questions can be worth points, Knowledge Check questions are not. And in the image below, notice the Actions tab (on the Properties Inspector) for a Pretest question. You'll notice that there's very little in the way of Actions.

Compare the Actions you see above with those available for a Knowledge Check slide. Simply put, there's more opportunity for you as a developer to ensure your learner is grasping a concept with a Knowledge Check slide than with a Pretest slide.

If you'd like to see the Knowledge Check feature in action, watch this YouTube video created by Adobe's Dr. Allen Partridge.

Important Note to Windows Users: Adobe is no longer supporting 32-bit operating systems. Captivate 9 will only work if you have Windows 64-bit . If you are using an older computer or OS, you won't be able to use Captivate 9 at all. It's a good idea to check out Captivate's new system requirements prior to upgrading to Captivate 9.

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Looking for training or help with Adobe Captivate? We've got you covered with an awesome collection of full-day courses, 3-hour mini courses, and mentoring/consulting services.

August 28, 2015

Writing & Grammar: A Peculiar Kind of Parallelism

by Jennie Ruby

I was reading my current favorite author the other day, but something was wrong. The text did not flow as smoothly as usual. I had to read one paragraph three times to figure out who shot whom (yes, my current recreational reading is in the spy/action/detective genre). And then I stumbled over a raggedy sentence that made me stop to look at its grammar.

What was wrong with my favorite author! I checked the copyright date, and I found that this was one of his early efforts–and he has certainly improved his writing since then!

Here is what I found when I started looking at the grammar of the sentence that really made me pause: lack of parallel structure. There were other errors of fiction writing as well, but the parallelism problem is one that easily crops up in writing training and technical documents. Let's take a look.

He looked calm, professional, with a smug attitude common to the breed.

The problem is that two of the three descriptive words/phrases work with the word looked, but the third one does not:

He looked calm
He looked professional
*He looked with a smug attitude common to the breed

This problem could have been fixed by just separating the two ways he looked from the attitude he had, and by using the correct verb with the word attitude: had. Here are my three tries at reworking the sentence. Mystery author: you're welcome.

He looked calm and professional and had the smug attitude common to the breed.

He looked calm and professional, and he had that smug attitude common to the breed.

He looked calm, professional, and smug-with the particular type of smug attitude common to the breed.

See if you can fix similar problem sentences in training-related text. Submit your fixes as comments below.)

The lessons will be short, easy, with answers provided at the end.
The software provides a login, credential checking, and has encryption built in.
Our program provides a website, quizzes, and enables report writing in Excel.
One course contains scenarios, interactions, with full remediation.

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Want help with a grammar issue? Email me your troubles. It's even possible the solution to your problem might end up in a future "Skills & Drills" issue.

August 26, 2015

Writing & Grammar: Speech Errors in Print… Stop the Madness!

by Jennie Ruby

Some errors commonly made in speech seem about to make their way into the world of print. Should we let this happen? Let's look at a few examples.

In spoken English people are using conversate as a verb. The correct verb is converse. What has happened is that the noun conversation, which is itself based on the original verb converse, is being reinterpreted as a new verb. The technical term for this unnecessary creation of a verb from a noun when a correct verb already exists is back-formation. The same is true of administrate: the correct verb is administer. Interpretate: interpret. Orientate: orient. Solicitate: solicit. I say we all watch for these and do not allow them into print!

Another speech-ism that is a problem is the use of whenever to mean when. I think this may be a regional usage because I have heard individuals from Florida and Oklahoma use this, whereas people from Maryland do not. For example, a person might say "I'll go to the restaurant early, and whenever I get there I will reserve a table for us." In this sentence, whenever should be when, because it is a one-time-only event. Whenever should be reserved for repeating behavior, as in this sentence: "My cat routinely jumps onto the countertop to beg for food. Whenever she does this, I make her get down."

Repeated words are often used in speech and in highly rhetorical or artistic writing for emphasis and effect. In speech, repeating words or ideas sometimes gives the speaker time to think of what to say next or is intended to give the listener time to focus. Some common locutions are repeating the word is or inserting an unnecessary pronoun after the noun: "What it is, is that…" or "Mr. Jones, he…." Again, let's not let these get into print or into formal and business writing. These expressions are considered nonstandard grammar.

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Want help with a grammar issue? Email me your troubles. It's even possible the solution to your problem might end up in a future "Skills & Drills" issue.

August 24, 2015

Adobe Captivate: Adding Video to the TOC

by Kevin Siegel

I've been getting more and more requests from both students attending our online Captivate classes and eLearning development customers to add videos to the Captivate TOC.

Most people think it's impossible to add a video to the TOC. I'm happy to report that it's not only possible, it's simple (although the option is a bit buried).

To begin, choose Insert > Video to open the Insert Video dialog box. Select Multi-Slide Synchronized Video and then Browse for the video you'd like to include on the TOC.

From the Show Video On drop-down menu, choose TOC and then click the OK button.

The video appears as an overlay on your slides. While this be a bit distracting, the video won't actually overlay the slides when the lesson is previewed or published.

Choose Project > Table of Contents and choose Show TOC. Format the TOC entries as needed.

Preview the project (or publish and view it) and the video will appear near the top of the TOC.

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Looking for training or help with Adobe Captivate? We've got you covered with an awesome collection of full-day courses, 3-hour mini courses, and mentoring/consulting services.

August 20, 2015

eLearning: Working with Numbers

by Sally Cox

When eLearning courses contain lots of numbers (such as statistics or sales figures), it can be a challenge to keep things looking interesting and fresh. If the client is committed to displaying data in tables, there isn't much you can do to make the data more visually appealing. In that case I concentrate on enhancing the overall slide design. However, if I am given the opportunity to bring the raw data into Storyline, for example, I can do some creative things; let me show you a few ideas I have for numbers.

Monospace vs. Proportional

When it comes to fonts and numbers, there are two main categories: Monospace and Proportional. Monospace fonts have the exact same width allotted for each character. This makes it perfect for aligning columns of numbers. Notice in the image below: the sets of numerals on the left are in a Monospace font and are perfectly aligned. However, in the example on the right, the "1" and the "2" are closer together than others in the column, showing that it's a Proportional font.

It's better for design but not good if the numbers need to align. Note that the yellow box shares some common Monospace fonts for both Mac and Windows.

Tips for Designing Numerical Data

There are two types of numerical data you can display in your eLearning courses: Statistical data (first image below) or Sets of Data (second image, used for measuring or analytics). Most people find it easier to remember approximations than actual figures. For example, you might find it easier to remember which entrée on the menu is most expensive, as opposed to memorizing all the entrée prices.

As a designer, I always try to add graphics or shapes when possible to help tell the story. In the image below, to demonstrate that 20% of the staff had completed the Compliance Training, I used color to help tell the story. The light blue represents the 20%, and I also used it on the "20%" text, for continuity. This is much more effective than just reading statistics in a paragraph of text.

Instead of just saying "sales increased 50% in the first quarter," why not illustrate it? In the image below, I used an icon of a chart with an upward arrow and the 50% is larger. This is much more effective than the simple two lines of text in the example on the left.

An icon of a chart with an upward arrow and the 50% is large

Use graphs to display numbers. I often create graphs in Adobe Illustrator because it has options for different types of graphs. You can even create a custom graph using your own graphics. Sometimes I create my graphs directly in Articulate Storyline using shapes (in the image below, that's exactly what I did using lines, text, and simple shapes).

A chart created directly in Articulate Storyline

Pictograms are another great way to display data. In the image below, you can see how many donuts were sold at each location and compare locations at a glance. Pictograms help learners compare content and retain what they have learned.

These are a few of my ideas for making numeric content look more appealing. You can watch my YouTube video on this topic here.

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Looking to get started on your eLearning project? Not sure which eLearning tool is best? Perhaps you're stuck trying to create a template in Captivate or Storyline? Maybe you've been tasked with creating accessible eLearning but aren't sure how to get going? Check out our vast array of eLearning mini courses.

August 13, 2015

Adobe Captivate: Microphone Calibration

by Jennie Ruby

Before recording voiceover narration directly in Captivate, you'll want to calibrate the microphone you intend to use from inside Captivate.

After selecting the slide to record the narration to, choose Audio > Record to > Slide.

In the Slide Audio dialog box, click the blue text link for your microphone.

On my computer, the Built-in Input is always listed here, even if I have another microphone connected to my computer. But you can change that on the next step.

In the Audio Input Devices drop-down menu, select the microphone you want to use.

Select the Bitrate at which you want to record. FM should be high enough quality for ordinary voiceovers for eLearning. The higher the bitrate, the better the sound quality–but the larger the file and the slower it is to download.

Click the Calibrate Input button to open the Calibrate audio input dialog box. Ensure that your microphone is on, and not muted. Then click the Auto calibrate button.

Speak into the microphone. If you can't think of anything to say, read the text of the dialog box. The level indicator at the right may display various colors. When the text below the indicator turns green, you have calibrated your microphone.

After clicking OK, your chosen microphone is listed under the Device heading… and you are ready to record voiceover narration.

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August 4, 2015

Articulate Storyline: Adding Accessibility

by Kevin Siegel

You can use Storyline to create eLearning lessons that are accessible to learners who have visual, hearing, mobility, or other types of disabilities. If you publish Flash content (SWF), the content can be made compliant. However, HTML5 and Articulate Mobile Player output isn't currently compliant.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) publishes the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, a document that specifies what developers should do to their content to make it accessible. Today, many countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, and countries in Europe, have adopted accessibility standards based on those developed by the W3C.

In the United States, the law that governs accessibility is commonly known as Section 508. Part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 508 requires that federal agencies, and federally funded organizations such as colleges and universities, develop or use information technology that is accessible to people with disabilities.

Generally speaking, eLearning is considered accessible if it can be used by a learner who does not have to rely on a single sense or ability. Learners should be able to move through lessons using only a keyboard or a mouse. In addition, the lessons should include visual and auditory elements to support both hearing and visually impaired learners.

Your published Storyline lessons can be read by a screen reader. Screen readers are programs that use auditory feedback to read screen information to a learner. In addition, the screen reader acts as a mouse pointer, providing navigation via keyboard commands.

The most widely used screen readers are JAWS from Freedom Scientific, Window-Eyes from GW Micro, Dolphin Supernova by Dolphin, System Access from Serotek, and ZoomText Magnifier/Reader from AiSquared.

The following Storyline elements can be made accessible:

Images
Slide text
Slide names
Buttons
Playback controls (The function of each button is read by screen readers.)
Slide transcripts using the Notes tab
Question slides (Some Question slides are not considered accessible. Multiple choice and true/false are the easiest for a visually impaired learner to navigate.)

You can learn more about Section 508 by visiting www.section508.gov. And you can learn more about Storyline and Accessibility by visiting the Articulate website.

Here's how you can make a Storyline image accessible

Select an image and then, on the far right of the Ribbon's Format tab, click the Size drop-down menu to open the Size and Position dialog box open.

From the left of the dialog box, select Alt Text. In the Alternate text field, type some text and then click the Close button.

When an assistive device comes across an object with Alternative Text, the assistive device will read the text aloud for the learner. To hear the Alternative Text, the learner would first have to enable the accessibility features of their computer.

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