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ARTICULATE STORYLINE: Logical Scene Numbering
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ARTICULATE STORYLINE: Publish a Portion of a Project
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ADOBE CAPTIVATE: Make Software Simulations Scorable
by Jennie Ruby, CTT, COTP
The Assessment recording mode in Adobe Captivate creates a step-by-step software simulation that is intended to function as a test. It is part of the three-part formal software lesson: Demo, then Training (practice), then Assessment (test). The Assessment requires the learner to click through the steps without any hints, and it is set up to report each correct click as a point. But if you actually put a Quiz Results slide at the end of your Assessment and try out your test, you’ll find that you get 100% every time!
“Well, of course!” you might say, “You know all of the answers, because you are the one who created the lesson!”
And if you said that, you’d have a good point. However, you’d be wrong.
The reason you get 100% every time is that by default, each click box in the Assessment simulation is set to Infinite Attempts. You can click the wrong thing two, three, five times—and you’ll get a Failure caption every time. But the lesson will not proceed until you finally click the correct command, whereupon you receive a point for your correct answer, and the assessment proceeds. Voila. 100%.
To get an accurate score on an Assessment simulation, you have to set each click box—the clickable object that makes the software simulation advance—to allow only 1 attempt.
Select the click box and, on the Properties Inspector > Actions tab, deselect the Infinite Attempts checkbox. Then set the No. of Attempts to 1.
Still on the Actions tab, in the Reporting section, select Include in Quiz. Assign the number of Points you want (1 works fine), and then select Add to Total.
You’ll need to make these changes or ensure that these settings are consistent throughout your entire project. For the Reporting settings, once you have set them for one click box, you can use the fly-away menu next to the Reporting heading to update all of your click boxes:
In the Properties > Actions tab, to the right of the Reporting heading, click the fly-away menu (shown in the highlight box below) and choose Apply to all objects of this type.
The Reporting settings are applied to all of the click boxes in your project.
For the number of attempts, however, you’ll need to navigate to each and every slide and set that manually. Ugh. But here is a tool that will help: Advanced Interactions (which help you navigate to each click box in turn). One or two clicks per checkbox (depending on the point value you want to set), and you’re done.
Make sure you have set all of your click boxes to be included in quiz. Then, access the Advanced Interactions window to help ease the pain of setting them all to one attempt via Project > Advanced Interactions.
Ensure that the View filter is set to All Scorable Objects. If necessary, click the black twisty triangle to expand the list of scorable objects on each slide. In the Advanced Interactions window, click the first line that says Click box.
You are navigated to that slide in the Filmstrip, and the click box on the slide is selected. On the Properties Inspector, deselect the Infinite Attempts checkbox. Repeat for each click box in the project.
In your Quiz Preferences > Settings, ensure that Show Score at the End of the Quiz is selected. Then make sure the Quiz Results slide is at the end of your Assessment project. Preview the Assessment, purposely get a few clicks wrong, and you will see an accurate score at the end of the assessment.
Want to report the results? We cover how to set up a “quiz” such as this one as a SCORM-compliant content package, and how to upload it to your LMS, in our Advanced Adobe Captivate class. Interested in other classes? We've got a huge catalog of courses all online, all 100% hands-on and interactive.
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Jennie Ruby, CTT, COTP, is a veteran eLearning developer, trainer, and author. Jennie has an M.A. from George Washington University and is a Certified Technical Trainer and Certified Online Training Professional. She teaches both classroom and online courses, and has authored courseware, published training books, and developed content for countless eLearning projects. She is also a publishing professional with more than 30 years of experience in writing, editing, print publishing, and eLearning.xAPI: What It Is, Why You need It, And How to Get Started
You’ve likely heard about xAPI (the Experience API or the Tin Can Project), but maybe you’re not quite sure what all the buzz is about. We've got just the live, online class for you: xAPI: What It Is, Why You need It, And How to Get Started.As adoption of xAPI begins to take hold, it allows for more robust and interesting tracking of the learning process. As actual performance and results data are integrated with learning metrics, we will have the data we need to tailor the learning process to individual needs at the same time that we can draw more useful conclusions about the learning as a whole across a wider population. In this session we’ll take a look at what xAPI can do for you, what tools and platforms you’ll need, and how to get started.
Course Content. After a brief introduction to xAPI and what's new about it from the instructional design side, we'll discuss three key areas that impact instructional designers:
- Identifying learning data needs, data sources and meaningful visualizations that answer organizational and L&D questions
- Making choices about infrastructure: how and when to work with your LMS, your LRS or both
- Models for taking advantage of xAPI across a variety of learning vectors: formal & informal, social & private, formative & summative, predictable & variable
The Instructor. Megan Torrance is CEO and founder of TorranceLearning, which helps organizations connect learning strategy to design, development, data, and ultimately performance. Megan, a Certified Online Training Professional (COTP), has more than 25 years of experience in learning design, deployment, and consulting. Megan and the TorranceLearning team are passionate about sharing what works in learning so they devote considerable time to teaching and sharing about Agile project management for learning experience design and, of course, the xAPI. TorranceLearning hosts the xAPI Learning Cohort, a free, virtual 12-week learning-by-doing opportunity where teams form on the fly and create proof-of-concept xAPI projects.
Learn more or sign up for "xAPI: What It Is, Why You need It, And How to Get Started" here.
eLEARNING DEVELOPMENT: Polly Want a Voice?
by Kevin Siegel, CTT, COTP
When it comes to audio in eLearning, my experience strongly suggests that adding voiceover audio to your project enhances the learner experience. Does this mean that you need to hire professional voiceover talent? Absolutely not. If you’ve got the budget, hiring professional talent is the best way to go. However, home-grown audio featuring you as the voiceover talent works great. I know, I know, you hate your voice. Most of us do! (Yikes, I mean we hate the sound of our own voice, not yours.) Rest-assured that your voice is far better than you think and, it’s perfectly appropriate for eLearning. Nevertheless, there are times when you simply don’t want to use your own voice, and you cannot afford to hire professional talent. In these instances, Text-to-Speech (TTS) is a wonder.
Some of the top eLearning development tools include TTS for free. But what if you don’t like the free voice choices or quality that come with your eLearning tools? Worse, what if your eLearning tool doesn’t include TTS at all? The good news is you can search the web and find vendors that create TTS. The price ranges from free to expensive. One of the best tools I’ve found is provided by Amazon: Polly.
Once you click the Get started with Amazon Polly button, you’ll need to either sign into your Amazon Web Services (AWS) portal or create a new account. Once logged into your AWS account, you'll find Amazon Polly grouped with Machine Learning.
Using Amazon Polly is as simple as typing your text, selecting a language, picking a voice, listening to the results and, if satisfied, downloading the file as an MP3. In this example, I wanted to see how well Polly handled a tongue-twister so I typed out a portion of the famous Peter Piper tongue-twister most of us learned as children. Then I selected Matthew as my voice.
I listened to the audio and it sounded great (far better than I was expecting and, in my opinion, better than the Speech Agents that are included with Adobe Captivate and NeoSpeech).
The ultimate test was adding the voice to my eLearning tool so I tested Adobe Captivate and TechSmith Camtasia. The results? A+ for both. What about Articulate Storyline? A+++++ Why? While Adobe Captivate ships with NeoSpeech for its TTS (and the voice quality is okay), Storyline’s TTS feature uses Polly and it’s built-in. You will need to have internet access to use Polly in Storyline but you won’t have to login to the AWS site (a great time-saver).
Polly is great and I'd suggest giving the service a try. As mentioned, Polly is included for free with Storyline. But if your want to use Polly with Captivate or Camtasia (or with other tools like Presenter), here's a pricing chart you might find useful. (Note that thanks to the Free tier, you can create a signficant amount of TTS without having to pull out your credit card.)
If you'd like to hear how awesome Polly does with TTS, here's a short video clip for your listening pleasure.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on Polly and TTS in general. Good? Bad? Which tools/vendors have you found that work the best? Please post your comments below.
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Kevin Siegel, CTT, COTP, is the founder and president of IconLogic. Following a career in Public Affairs with the U.S. Coast Guard and in private industry, Kevin has spent decades as a technical communicator, classroom and online trainer, public speaker, and has written hundreds of computer training books for adult learners. He has been recognized by Adobe as one of the top trainers world-wide.ARTICULATE STORYLINE: Dial-Up Interactivity with Custom Dials
by Kevin Siegel, COTP
With Articulate Storyline, adding a high-level of interactivity is pretty easy if you begin with some of the built-in Interactive Objects. Take dials for instance. If you visit the Storyline 360 Insert tab on the Ribbon, Interactive Objects area, you'll find Button, Slider, Dial, Hotspot, Input, and Marker. If you click the Dial tool, you'll find three built-in Dials that are totally drag-and-drop ready. (You won't need to add any Triggers to the object to allow learners to drag the dial.)
The first image below shows one of the default dials that was added to a Storyline slide. The second image is an animated GIF that demonstrates how a learner can interact with the dial. (I've included a link to a video of the interaction if the animated gif does not play in your email application. Click the second image below to see the video.)
Dials are cool, but wouldn't it be better if you could make any image or shape a dial (essentially create your own interactive object) without the need for programming? It turns out that custom dials in Storyline are a snap. In the image below, I've added an image to a Storyline slide. It's a simple character that can be added via Insert > Characters.
To convert an object to a dial, ensure that the object is selected and choose Insert > Interactive Objects > Convert to Dial.
The selected image is instantly converted to an interactive dial.
I added a few more shapes and some text to my slide, implemented a few states (the smiley face you see is actually three states: Normal, Tired, and Sad), added a few Triggers, and the results appear in the animated GIF below. (Please don't judge the example below on appearance or silliness, I quickly threw it together as a proof of concept for you… plus I'm no designer. With a little TLC from a designer, there's no limits to the awesomeness you can create.)
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If you'd like to learn more about Storyline, Triggers, States, and Interactive objects, check out our live, online Articulate Storyline classes.
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Kevin Siegel, CTT, COTP, is the founder and president of IconLogic. Following a career in Public Affairs with the U.S. Coast Guard and in private industry, Kevin has spent decades as a technical communicator, classroom and online trainer, public speaker, and has written hundreds of computer training books for adult learners. He has been recognized by Adobe as one of the top trainers world-wide.WHITEBOARD ANIMATIONS: Plan Your Way to Success
by Karin Rex, COTP
Do you have a story to tell? A lesson to teach? A product to market? In the battle for online engagement, video is KING. By 2019, 80% of ALL web traffic will be video. 64% of customers say they are more likely to buy a product online after watching a video. 59% of decision makers would rather watch a video than read a blog or article.** On top of that – whiteboard animations are FUN and easy to create with VideoScribe!
For maximum engagement, PLAN your whiteboard animation videos! (Prepare, Layout, Adorn, Nuance)
Prepare
- What is your ONE GOAL for the video?
- What is the maximum LENGTH of the video?
- Who is your AUDIENCE?
- What is the WIIFM for your audience? (Answers the question “what’s in it for me?”)
Layout
- Create a storyboard that includes descriptions of onscreen elements, onscreen text, and any voiceover scripting. (This will act as a roadmap for your video.)
- Envision a visual HOOK or THEME for your video. (If you are teaching “The Flower Theory of Persuasion,” you might include images of flowers, for example.)
- Come up with a CALL TO ACTION for your video. What do you want your audience to DO after they watch your video?
Adorn (AKA the “fun part”)
- Let your imagination run wild! Explore the image bank by searching sideways. (Don’t just search for flowers, for example, also search for garden, seed, sunshine, dirt, shovel, etc.)
- Remember that you can IMPORT graphics into most whiteboard animation programs.
- Do not draw every element. Spice up your video by using the FADE and MOVE IN animations judiciously as well.
- Add voiceover or music – or both!
Nuance (AKA the “other fun part”)
- Preview your video.
- Modify the animation timings.
- Repeat until perfect! (This can take hours sometimes!)
- Publish & upload.
That’s all it takes to PLAN your whiteboard animation video.
Want to take VideoScribe out for a ride? Sign up for our new 3-hour quick start class on VideoScribe. Invest just 3 hours and you will come away with the ability to fully create entertaining and engaging whiteboard animations. CLASS IS TOMORROW but there is still time to sign up! (Note: A free trial to VideoScribe is required to actively participate in this course. The free trial lasts for 7 days, so please time your free subscription to coincide with this class.)
**Statistics are from Hubspot.
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Geeky Girl Karin Rex is an online learning pioneer and whiteboard animation evangelist. Since 1989, Karin has owned Geeky Girl, LLC, a boutique learning organization, where she devotes her time to writing, course development (instructor led and eLearning), and teaching.
Karin has authored several technology books, including: Office 2010 Demystified (McGraw-Hill) and hundreds of user guides, reference manuals, and tutorials. She’s also developed an extensive number of learning programs for a wide variety of global clients.
Karin is a Certified Online Training Professional (COTP), certified synchronous facilitator, designer, and producer, with a master’s degree in professional writing. Additionally, Karin teaches undergraduate writing courses for Penn State University and is the Instructional Design Lead for InSync Training.
ADOBE CAPTIVATE: It All Adds Up With Calculations
by Lori Smith, COTP
Did you know that Adobe Captivate can perform some pretty high-end math? If you’re new to Captivate, I'll bet that you didn’t! Even if you’ve been using Captivate for eons, asking an eLearning development tool to do calculations is not something that likely comes to mind when starting a project.
Let's say that you need to create an annual healthcare enrollment lesson for your employees. Everyone knows that Open Enrollment time is not exactly the most fun or easy thing to figure out. Employees are given tons of information and often left sorting through confusing documents or boring lecture. Using Captivate, you can create an eLearning lesson with interactive text entry boxes that will help pique the learner's interest.
In the image below, I created a form that allows employees to put in the cost for three selections and then calculate the total by clicking the "Calculate My Cost" button.
Here's how you get the form to work using Captivate. First, add four new user variables via Project > Variables named MedicalCost, DentalCost, RetirementCost, and AnnualDeduction. (Keep in mind that it’s always a good idea to fill in a the default value and description for your variables.)
After you’ve created the variables, ensure each variable is associated with the Text Entry Box. Go to the Properties inspector for each Text Entry Box and select the appropriate variable.
Create an advanced action via Project > Advanced Actions.
I named my Advanced Action calculateMyCost. In the action, I’ve used the Expression command to add my variables together. You can only add two things at a time. so I added the MedicalCost and the DentalCost and saved it in the variable AnnualDeduction. Next, I took that total, AnnualDeduction, and added it to the RetirementCost again (saving it in the AnnualDeduction variable).
That’s it for the action.
The last step in the process is to attach the advanced action to the "Calculate My Cost button" via the Properties inspector.
Was the process I wrote about above intimidating? If you’re not sure what all these variable and action things are, join me for my Variables and Actions series of mini courses. 101 starts off with the basics. We add a new twist to each class, so by the time you finish 401, you’ve got a solid handle on all of the ins and outs of variables and actions… with some great practice along with way.
If you'd like to test out the form for yourself, here's a link.
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Lori Smith, COTP, is IconLogic's lead programmer and Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) in Captivate. Lori has a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from MIT as well as a Master’s in electrical engineering from George Mason University. She has been working in the field of software engineering for more than 20 years. During that time she worked as an embedded software engineer at Raytheon (E-Systems) and ARINC.eLEARNING: Create a Course with Impact
by Alex Genadinik
Given the powerful eLearning tools available today (Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline, and TechSmith Camtasia to name just a few of your options), it's easier than ever to create eLearning. What’s not so easy is creating a course that will have a positive impact on your learners and, if you’re making your content available commercially, make money for you.
For an asynchronous course to have both impact and sell well, you should ensure the following:
- Your course has clear, achievable learner goals
- Your course has good videos and high quality audio
- The eCommerce page where your learners will purchase/take the course is easy to use and provides a positive learner experience
- You are marketing your course (if you just throw your course up on a Learning Management System or web server, it's not likely that anyone will actually find it)
While there are additional aspects that go into the creation of a quality eLearning course, let’s focus on the learner and what is most important to them.
While some people take online courses to improve at their hobbies or explore interests, most eLearning students take courses for practical purposes. Those practical purposes range from acquiring skills to getting a job, switching careers, growing faster at a current career, starting or growing a business, or making side income.
When planning a course, you should take the learner’s career or business goals into account by planning to create a course that helps them with a specific skill or set of skills that they can put to practical use. That means staying away from too much theory and aiming for the course to be practically applicable.
That will not only help your students get the most out of the course, but it will also help your marketing. For instance, when you begin to promote your course, you will immediately have a compelling headline for it. If the premise of your course is compelling, it will naturally attract students. Conversely, if the premise is bland, then not only will the course likely be mediocre in terms of helping your learners, but it will also be unlikely to sell very well.
For example, I recently created an eLearning course that helps people sell products on eBay (the course is available on AliExpress). Whether you agree that selling stuff on eBay is great business model or not, such a strong premise for a course has made it compelling to many people, and the course is selling far beyond my expectations. (If you are interested in this course or any of my other courses, here is a link to several Udemy course discounts. The courses include business, marketing, entrepreneurship, and some technical courses.)
If you keep the words “impact and learner benefits” in mind when planning your next eLearning course, you will go a long-way toward ensuring a successful course (for both the learner and for you).
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Alex Genadinik is a successful entrepreneur and a prolific Udemy instructor (he's created more than 120 courses) teaching business, marketing and entrepreneurship. Alex is also a bestselling author on Amazon.com. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from San Jose State University.