Month: September 2020

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ADOBE CAPTIVATE 2019: The Fastest Way to Start a New Project with Content and ID

 
Ksiegel3Adobe Captivate makes it possible to rapidly create new eLearning projects. The process is as simple as File > New Project > Blank Project.
 
If you go that route, you'll get a new project with a single slide that looks like this:
 
It's a simple thing to add text to the slide (double-click the placeholder and type the new text). And adding slides to the project is simple too (Insert > New Slide from). However, if you're not an instructional designer, it's likely that you're not clear on the structure of the course or that the project should include standard slides such as an overview slide and a lesson review slide. If you're not a graphic designer, adding some cool visuals to your project may be out of your comfort zone as well.
 
And that's where Captivate's Project Assets prove invaluable.
 
From the top right of the Captivate window, click Assets.
 
 
From the list at the left, click Projects. From here, you can add single slides to your existing project or create a whole project, complete with instructional design ideas.
 
In my example, I selected Projects. Then I selected the Earth project and clicked the Open as a New Project button.
 
 
The resulting project is as complete (45 slides containing images and placeholder objects) as it is visually stunning. There are instructional design suggestions, navigation slides, interactive slides… everything you need to get your new project out of the starting gate and moving at a full gallop.
 
In the image below I edited the text and replaced the placeholder image in about 10 seconds.
 
 
Give the free Captivate assets a try and I'm betting that you'll agree that there's no faster way to get new eLearning projects up and running.
 
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Plant1If you're looking to learn Adobe Captivate, we've got a nice collection of live, online Captivate classes (all of the classes are taught by certified trainers who are also experienced eLearning developers).

 
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ELEARNING DEVELOPMENT: How Many Levels of eLearning Are There?
When it comes to determining the level of effort (LOE) needed to develop eLearning content, I'm seeing a lack of clarity.
 
Generally speaking, you should budget approximately 4 hours to develop each minute of finished eLearning if you use Adobe Captivate or Articulate Storyline as your development tool. If you use TechSmith Camtasia or a PowerPoint plug-in (such as Presenter or iSpring Suite), you should budget approximately 2-hours to develop a single minute of eLearning.
 
Why the large gap in development time between Captivate/Storyline and Camtasia/PowerPonit plug-ins? Captivate and Storyline can create more interactive eLearning than the other popular tools. That enhanced interaction is great for your eLearning students but comes at a cost at twice the development time (if not more).
 
In my experience, the eLearning development LOE is dependent upon several factors including, but not limited to:
 
  1. The total amount of eLearning content needed (measured in minutes)
  2. The amount of usable, original content there is (will you need to develop a voiceover script, the level of support (subject matter experts, writers, designers, developers)
  3. As mentioned above, the tool to be used for the eLearning development
  4. The level of eLearning
 
I'm going to focus this article on the last item in the list above: eLearning levels. It's widely accepted that there are three eLearning levels and they're named, appropriately enough: Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3. And while you can google "eLearning levels" and find plenty of articles on the subject, finding two articles that agree on what the levels mean can be difficult, especially when it comes to level 3 eLearning.
 
Level 1: Video-based eLearning with little to no learner interaction
 
Level 1 eLearning would include the videos you'll see on streaming servers such as YouTube or Vimeo, and the eLearning content offered on Lynda.com. This type of eLearning allows learners to play the lesson, mute the audio, pause, and rewind, but that's about it for interactivity.
 
Level 1 eLearning can be created with PowerPoint or any of the eLearning development tools on the market today. This level of eLearning could include self-recorded voiceover audio and a quiz. It can also be enabled for tracking via SCORM and/or AICC LMSs.
 
Level 2: Interactive eLearning with higher-end visuals
 
Level 2 eLearning is significantly more interactive than level 1 eLearning. Content at this level often includes custom graphics (such as iconography to minimize screen clutter) and professional voiceover audio.
 
If created in Adobe Captivate or Articulate Storyline, this kind of eLearning likely includes interactive buttons, hotspots/click boxes, text entry areas, branching scenarios, multiple scenes, layers, rollover effects, learner interactions (such as dials, sliders, and drag and drop interactions), and random quizzes.
 
Level 3: Gamification or virtual reality, worlds, or fantasy games
 
Level 3 eLearning is beyond the scope of the vast majority of eLearning developers. This level of eLearning involves the creation of virtual settings where learners can interact with virtual characters, pick up items, and use those items throughout the course.
 
If not virtual worlds or scenarios, this level of eLearning often includes intense gaming scenarios that require complex advanced actions (Adobe Captivate) or triggers (Articulate Storyline).
 
While tools such as Storyline and Captivate cannot easily create the virtual worlds as I've described above, they could be used to create complex games, etc. Nevertheless, the time to create those games would make them cost-prohibitive.
 
Fellow eLearning developers, I need your help. What are your thoughts on the levels of eLearning as I've described them above? How would you describe the eLearning levels? Would you add more levels than the three I've mentioned here?