September 2016 – The Logical Blog

September 29, 2016

Adobe RoboHelp: Reuse a Customized Layout

by Willam van Weelden

While customizing a Screen Layout in RoboHelp takes a lot of work (you have to add the images, assign the correct colors, etc.), you can get incredible results. Take, for example, the Responsive RedGreen layout, a customized Azure Blue provided by Adobe:

It is possible to reuse a customized Screen Layout in other RoboHelp projects. Here's how

Export a Customized Layout for Reuse

Open the Output Setup pod.
Right-click the Screen Layout and choose Export.
Select a location to save the Screen Layout and click Save.

The Output View pod will show a list of all files that have been exported. The Screen Layout gets an .slz extension.

Import a Customized Layout

To use the Customized Layout in another project, import it:

Open the Output Setup pod.
Right-click Screen Layouts and choose Import.
Select the Screen Layout you want to reuse and click Open. (The Screen Layout is imported and you can use it for your output.)

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Looking to learn RoboHelp? Come join me for my live, two-day online RoboHelp class (held once each month). And if you'd like to learn more about Dynamic Filters, check out my 3-hour mini course: Adobe RoboHelp: Advanced Content Reuse.

September 28, 2016

Articulate Storyline: Give Me Some Space

by Kal Hadi

Hitting the sweet spot when it comes to line and paragraph spacing in Storyline can be annoyingly troublesome if you are not aware of the subtle options available to you.

The spacing controls are of course available under the Paragraph, Line Spacing area of the Home tab on the Ribbon when text is selected in a slide or notes:

When accessed, the Line Spacing drop-down menu includes line spacing presets in 0.5 increments from 1.0 to 3.0. These values represent the ratio of the line spacing to the size of the type.

Often times and because of the font selection, available space, or other reasons, the presets just don't cut it. It pays to take the extra little step and choose Line Spacing Options.

From the Line Spacing drop-down menu in the Paragraphdialog box, selecting Multiple gives you the option to enter your specific line spacing ratio instead of just using a preset.

Another area of interest in the same dialog box is the Spacing Before and After values. These represent the automatic default spacing above or below paragraphs. These also can be precisely tweaked to make your content fit much more beautifully.

Looking for training or help with Articulate Storyline or Studio? Check out these awesome live, online Articulate classes.

September 28, 2016

Adobe Captivate: Video Demos and the Mouse

by Kevin Siegel

Captivate's Software Simulation and Responsive modes get all the glory. And why not? Interactive eLearning that works great on mobile devices is important. Nevertheless, there's room in world for a different mode that gets little respect among Captivate aficionados: Video Demo mode.

When you choose File > Record a New, you might see three choices: Software Demonstration Simulation (which results in a standard project), Video Demo (which results in a video project, a vastly scaled back interface when compared to a standard project), and Device Demo (which is only available on the Macintosh version of Captivate and allows you to capture a mobile device such as the iPad). When you choose File > New Project, you can also elect to create a Responsive Project (which takes you into Responsive mode… it is similar to the standard mode but includes features unique to a developer creating content for mobile learners).

As I mentioned above, simulations and responsive eLearning are both important. However, it takes a significant amount of time to create eLearning in either of those modes. In my experience, you can create Video Demos twice as fast as either simulations or responsive projects. Sure the resulting published lesson/course won't be interactive (no quizzes, no learner interactions, no variables, no buttons, not click boxes… none of that). However, if you're trying to quickly show concepts, video demos work great.

I'm not going to delve into how to create a Video Demo here (it's really easy… File > Record a New > Video Demo). Instead, I want to focus on some of the production nuances you'll encounter in this kind of project. Editing a video is very different than editing either a standard or responsive project. I'm not saying it's more difficult than those other modes, I'm just saying it's different.

For instance, there isn't a Filmstrip in a Video Demo. Instead, you're editing horizontally on a single Timeline. This is a very similar environment to TechSmith Camtasia so if you've used Camtasia before you'll feel right at home here.

I've written previously about some cool things you can do while editing a Video Demo such as Trimming videos, Panning & Zooming, and Publishing.

This time, let's delve into the mouse…

One of the things I'm happy to report is that even though you've recorded a video, you still have significant mouse controls (just like you'd see in a standard project). Of course, at first glance it does not appear you have any mouse controls at all. In the image below, notice the Timeline does not offer any clues as to where the mouse points might be.

A vast wasteland of nothingness on the Timeline

However, if you choose Edit > Edit Mouse Points, each occurrence of the recorded mouse appears on the Timeline.

At that point, if you select the mouse point you can then use the Properties Inspector to double the size of the mouse, hide it, and even smooth out its path.

Another less than obvious feature is the ability to insert a mouse pointer where one wasn't recorded. Simply choose Insert > Mouse and a new Mouse Point appears on the Timeline.

Lastly, and perhaps the coolest, is the ability to alter that location of the recorded mouse pointer just like you can in a standard simulation. Simply drag the mouse pointer as shown in the image below.

Looking for Captivate training? Check out these live, online classes.

September 22, 2016

TechSmith Camtasia: Exporting Frames

by Kevin Siegel

While developing a recent Camtasia project, I needed to split a large video into multiple segments. The video I was given included mouse movement and plenty of screen clicks. Between all of those clicks, I needed to freeze the screen background for 5-10 seconds so I could explain a concept via callouts.

One way to accomplish the task is to export a specific part of the video as an image, import the image into Camtasia, and add it to the Timeline.

To begin, position the Playhead on the Timeline at the exact moment in time that you need to use as an image.

In the image below you can see the part of the video that I need to essentially freeze for a few seconds.

Choose File > Produce Special > Export frame as.

Name the file, select a File type (you can save as a bitmap, GIF, JPEG, or PNG), pick a save destination, and then click the Save button.

And that's it. The exported frame is an image and can easily be added to the Clip Bin and then the Timeline. There won't be any visible difference between the frame you exported and the video itself, except you'll have more timing controls over the image than the video.

Looking for Camtasia training? Check out this live, online Camtasia class.

September 21, 2016

eLearning: xAPI is Geek Free and Ready to Go

by Megan Torrance

In my previous xAPI article I pointed to the emergence of "geek-free tools and platforms" as the hallmark that xAPI is beginning to achieve main-stream status. This isn't the dumbing-down of the specification or possibilities it holds for the industry so much as it is the provision of accessible, entry-level ways to take advantage of xAPI as a stepping stone to providing deeper learning experiences across the whole enterprise. It's a progression of the industry toward more, toward faster, and toward better.

In the 1960s, Dr. Bruce Tuckman proposed a team development model that lends some structure to the conversation about xAPI. The thinking is that a team goes through more or less orderly stages of Forming > Storming > Norming > Performing as they become a cohesive unit able to grow, face challenges, solve problems and deliver results. The L&D community, in particular the xAPI community, while not a team, is appearing to follow a similar pathway as we move into a post-SCORM reality. Here's a slide I presented at the 2016 ATD ICE conference in Denver.

In the early Forming and Storming days of xAPI, there were no off-the-shelf tools that supported it. Just about every xAPI project getting press and conference time was a well-resourced, custom-built learner interface for a typically narrow topic area with custom-built data visualizations all in close connection with (it not developed by) the learning record store (LRS) provider. And I include TorranceLearning's own projects in this. Amazing things were happening, but there were a lot of geeks involved. The bar was set high. It wasn't the kind of thing that was within reach for many instructional designers, certainly not for those who needed a pilot project to prove their point about this new-fangled specification within their organizations.

The "X" in the slide above marks the spot we're in right now: on the left-hand edge of Norming. Here's the evidence:

Four leading courseware development tools have adopted the specification, putting the creation of xAPI statements within reach of the average elearning instructional designer/developer. Adobe Captivate, the DominKnow suite, Lectora, and Articulate Storyline all offer publishing capability for xAPI. They each provide a basic level of page and interaction tracking via xAPI, with DominKnow and Lectora offering even more flexibility around the creation of activity statements.
Real world example: ZingTrain, the training and consulting arm of the Zingerman's Community of Businesses, is building customer service training modules for their employees and to sell to their clients. The courses ask the learners to take what works well in Zingerman's food-centric business and make the necessary tweaks for it to apply to their own work, which could be in any industry. As the learners work their way through the material, they respond with the terminology that is suitable to their role. The course sends xAPI activity statements to the LRS for each screen view, each video view, and each interaction as part of its out of the box functionality. In this case the course will also send the response to each of the personal application questions. ZingTrain will then be able to use this data to get a better understanding of the language and usage of the concepts in their clients' worlds and adjust this and future offerings accordingly. (Note: We are building out this course in both Adobe Captivate 9 and in DominKnow Flow as a comparison of two different approaches to the mobile experience. Stay tuned for the grand reveal of the two projects in this blog. The screenshot below from Adobe Captivate 9.)

LMSs are integrating LRS capabilities alongside their SCORM engines, making it easy for organizations to adopt xAPI without an additional capital outlay or the disruption of switching learning platforms. The leading LRS-alone platforms are moving ahead full steam (Wax LRS, Watershed, Learning Locker, and Grassblade), allowing organizations to assemble a best-of-breed learning experience that all reports back to a single data source. Now LMS providers are adding integrated xAPI capability as well, alongside their existing SCORM and AICC support. Whereas a software selection process in 2015 for an integrated LMS/LRS was limited to a very short list of progressive providers (LearnShare, RISC, OnPoint Digital), the bigger players are working on their xAPI capability right now. 2017 will show a far different landscape.
Real world example: Why do you care about integrating LRS and LMS functionality? Because many organizations rely on the course catalog, enrollment, search and reporting functions their LMSes offer. When we have access to and collection of more and more data, reporting becomes the secret weapon, the killer app, the super power that the L&D team needs to wield next. At the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, iBeacons identify student visitors to the iPads placed next to key exhibits. Throughout the students' interactions with the exhibit, the app on the iPad uses xAPI statements to capture data about their interactions, their responses, the time spent on each activity, and the curriculum standard related to the exhibit's science topic. This program uses the LRS embedded within the Museum's LearnShare LMS and leverages its geek-free custom report wizard to query and display details about the interactions. Museum staff have access to use their data without having to ask their vendors for reporting assistance.

Why the focus on elearning tools and platforms that look like learning management systems when xAPI promises to let us all break free of that hardened infrastructure? Tool providers in the learning space that didn't traditionally support SCORM tend to be (generalization there) slower to adopt xAPI but they are coming around as they see the silo-busting capability here. Not a month goes by that I don't talk with another learning tool provider about getting on the xAPI bandwagon. These providers are heavily invested in their own dashboards and data, but a few are seeing the value to their customers in allowing their data to enter the shared learning ecosystem. Examples? xAPIApps offers a ready-to-go suite of coaching, observation, live training, and assessment tools. Train by Cell is developing their xAPI capability and demoed a basic set of statements at the xAPI Party and TorranceLearning Download in May.

The xAPI space is a faster moving segment than the rest of the L&D industry. This article, while showing only a few narrow applications, should be outdated in a matter of months… and that's a good thing! Is it time to get on the bandwagon? If not now, it will be pretty soon. At this year's DevLearn conference in November and then TechKnowledge in January, a significant number of speakers and vendors will be talking about xAPI as the industry is getting ready to move.

September 15, 2016

Adobe Captivate: Object Level Audio Management

by Kevin Siegel

When adding audio to a Captivate project, you can add audio in a couple of different ways. For instance, you can import audio directly to a project's background or onto a slide. In the image below, audio was added to a few slides. You can easily tell that audio has been added to a slide via the audio icon in the lower right of the slide.

Here's a quick challenge for you. The image below is a closer view of slide 2 (shown in the image above as a thumbnail). Notice that there are several objects on the slide. Some of the objects include audio. Can you quickly identify which objects have audio and which do not?

The answer to the challenge above is no. While it's easy to see the slides that have audio (via the Filmstrip), there's no obvious way to see object-level or background audio. Never fear… while not an obvious feature, with a few clicks of your mouse, you can view and manage slide-level, object-level, and background audio across an entire project.

Choose Audio > Audio Management to open the Advanced Audio Management dialog box. In the image below, you can quickly determine which slides have audio and if there's Background (or project-level audio). While useful information, you still cannot tell which (if any) slide objects have audio.

Another quick click and you'll have that issue resolved… click the Show object level audio check box (in the lower left of the dialog box).

And like magic, the Advanced Audio Management dialog box displays audio for everything! At this point, you can play the audio files, replace them, remove, and even export them.

Looking for eLearning training? Check out these live, online classes.

September 13, 2016

Adobe Captivate: Object Level Audio Management

by Kevin Siegel

Another quick click and you'll have that issue resolved… click the Show object level audio check box (in the lower left of the dialog box).

And like magic, the Advanced Audio Management dialog box displays audio for everything! At this point, you can play the audio files, replace them, remove, and even export them.

Looking for eLearning training? Check out these live, online classes.

September 7, 2016

Adobe Captivate: It Takes a Community

by Kevin Siegel

One of the biggest complaints I hear constantly about Adobe Captivate is the lack of free support for the tool. Sure there's a Captivate forum (where you can search for and post questions on Captivate), there's a Captivate Blog (hosted by Adobe… you can learn about Captivate updates, features, and attend free webinars), and free YouTube videos abound. However, none of the current resources were integrated with the Captivate tool itself… and nothing gave developers a sense of being part of a community with like-minded eLearning warriors.

Adobe has taken a step toward filling that gap by integrating the all-new eLearning Community with Adobe Captivate.

Check out the new Community tool on Captivate 9's toolbar:

Upon clicking the Community tool, the Community page open directly within Captivate (no need to leave Captivate and launch a browser). Notice that there's a Community tab grouped with the open projects. This nifty bit of integration allows you to find a solution to a problem via the Community site and quickly correct a problem in the project itself.

Once you're on the Community page, you can create an account (you'll need one to become an active member of the community) or sign in if you already have an account.

The largest part of the Community is a box where you can search for just about anything related to Captivate. In the example below, I typed themes and was greeted with several relevant topics.

My favorite area of the Community site is the navigation panel at the right. You'll find buttons that allow you to add your own questions, log bugs, and submit feature requests for the next Captivate release. Best of all is something I'm asked for all of the time… sample projects that can be easily downloaded.

When you first access the eLearning Community, you're assigned a rank of Newbie. By answering questions posted by other members of the community, writing articles, etc, you collect points and quickly move up the ranks (eventually achieving the rank of Legend held by such experts as Rod Ward).

For years Adobe has lagged behind its competitors when it comes to free, accessible, friendly, neighborly, helpful support. While the eLearning Community is new, its ease-of-use, even easier access from within Captivate, and awesome features is a huge step forward. Well done Adobe!

Looking for eLearning training? Check out these live, online classes.

September 1, 2016

TechSmith Camtasia: Multiple Object Formatting Made Easy

by Kevin Siegel

When developing eLearning, one important goal is to ensure consistency from object to object. In addition, unless you're a top-notch designer you should use just a few fonts and a limited color palette. (Lest you run the risk of creating an eLearning lesson that, despite your good intentions, is visually overwhelming to your learners.)

This week I want to show you an easy way to ensure objects used in a project are formatted consistently. The key to project-wide Camtasia consistency lies in the use of multiple tracks.

When I develop in Camtasia, I create several tracks and add similar objects to those tracks. For instance, I might add alert callouts to one track, speech callouts to another.

In the image below, notice that there are two tracks. The formatting of the callouts in Track 2 are identical so they're fine. Unfortunately, the callouts in Track 1 are a mess. Notice that each of the callouts is formatted differently.

The first step to consistency bliss is to lock the track that you don't want to alter. Since the callouts in Track 2 are fine, I locked the track via the lock icon to the left of the Track (the icon is shown below in its locked state).

A locked track is easily identifiable on the Timeline thanks to the diagonal lines (as shown in the image below).

I then selected all of the callouts in Track 1 by pressing [ctrl] [a]. (I could have also selected objects via [shift]-click (to select contiguous objects) or [ctrl]-click (to select non-contiguous objects). In the image below, all of the callouts in Track 1 are selected. It is worth noting that because I locked Track 2, pressing [ctrl] [a] did not select any of the callouts in Track 2.

On the Callouts panel, I changed the color of the selected callouts to Purple.

Still working on the Callouts panel, I then changed the shape of the callouts to a Filled Rounded Rectangle.

You can see the results in the image below. All of the callouts in Track 1 are now formatted consistently.

The big trick here was working with multiple tracks, combined with the ability to easily lock a track (eliminating the possibility of changing anything about objects in the locked track).

Looking for eLearning training? Check out these live, online classes.