training – Page 6 – The Logical Blog

August 5, 2014

Adobe Captivate 8: Custom Workspaces

by Kevin Siegel

From a new user perspective, one of the major complaints about Adobe Captivate has always been its cluttered user interface. There are so many panels and toolbars in Captivate (and most are open and visible when the program starts), some people feel that the program is more difficult to learn than other tools like Articulate Storyline and TechSmith Camtasia Studio.

People using Captivate versions 5, 6, and 7 have the ability to undock most of Captivate's panels and move them around the screen. Users can also save the location of the panels as custom workspaces (via Window > Workspaces > New Workspace).

While being able to customize Captivate's workspace is great, if you aren't careful things can quickly become a hot mess. I can't tell you how many emails I get from developers who can't find this panel or that. In almost every instance it turns out they either closed the panel by mistake, or moved it to a second display and forgot.

You can easily reset a Workspace (Window > Workspace > Reset) and get every panel back to its default location. However, many developers (even some with plenty of experience using the tool), don't know about resetting a Captivate workspace.

When Adobe released Adobe Captivate 8, the interface was totally overhauled–and simplified. To prevent new users from getting overwhelmed by Captivate's many toolbars and panels, toolbars have been consolidated and most of the panels are closed by default. To keep the interface from getting cluttered, it's now impossible to undock the panels. And, for the ultimate in interface simplification, you can no longer create a custom workspace.

The simpler interface is great for new users. But what about veteran developers who are upgrading from a legacy version of Captivate? As a long-time Captivate developer, I'll admit that I had a hard time navigating the new workspace. And I was upset with Adobe for taking away my ability to create a custom workspace. I understand that a simpler workspace is easier for new users… but I want complex. Give me back my workspaces!

If you're like me and you're missing the ability to customize your workspace, you'll be happy to learn that the option is still available… you'll just have to activate it.

In the image below, you can see Captivate's Workspace menu. There's really only one menu item: Reset 'Classic.' If you choose the Reset 'Classic' menu item, the Timeline and the Properties panel will hide (which is the default).

Adobe Captivate 8: Workspace menu before custom workspaces is enabled.

If you'd like to create your own workspace, open Captivate's Preferences dialog box (Windows users, choose Edit > Preferences; Mac users, choose Adobe Captivate > Preferences.) Select Enable custom workspaces/panel undocking.

Adobe Captivate 8: Enable custom workspaces.

Restart Captivate and you'll find that you can now undock Captivate's panels and move them around your display (just like legacy versions of the program). And if you choose the Window > Workspace menu item, you'll see that you also have the ability to create a New Workspace.

Adobe Captivate 8: Workspace menu after custom workspaces is enabled.

If you tire of your custom workspace you can, at any time, return to Captivate's 'Classic' workspace (which will always be available in the Workspace menu).

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Looking for instructor-led training on Adobe Captivate? Check out our live, online, instructor-led Captivate classes.

July 16, 2014

Adobe Captivate 8: Changing the Size of Responsive Layouts

by Kevin Siegel

As far as I'm concerned, the hottest new feature you'll find in Adobe Captivate 8 is the ability to create responsive eLearning. As I taught you a few weeks ago, by choosing File > New > Responsive Project, you can basically create and work on multiple screen sizes (called break points) in one project. When you publish the responsive project, the learner will automatically be served the break point appropriate for the device they're using.

If you've spent any time creating Responsive Projects, you've probably noticed that there are three breakpoints in the project by default: Primary (set to a width of 1024 pixels), Tablet (set to a width of 768 pixels), and Mobile (set to a width of 360 pixels). The default breakpoints are based on typical sizes of a laptop (Primary), iPad (Tablet), and iPhone (Mobile). However, you can easily adjust the size of the breakpoints.

To begin, open the CloudAir_SoftSkills Sample.cptx sample project that ships with Captivate 8. (On the right side of the Captivate 8 Welcome screen, click the Sample Projects/Tutorials icon.)

Adobe Captivate 8: Sample Projects icon.

The project is responsive. Notice the colored ribbon at the top of the canvas; this is a breakpoint within Captivate (a breakpoint is the point at which the layout changes size to accommodate a different screen size).

To change the width of a layout, select one of the three breakpoints and drag either slide to change the width.

Adobe Captivate 8: Change the width of a breakpoint.

See, I told you it was easy. Now for the height.

The option to adjust a layout's height is disabled by default so that you don't accidentally change it. Each layout's default height provides space for Captivate's playbar. If you are not going to use a playbar in the published lesson, you should adjust the height accordingly.

To begin, it's a good idea to change your magnification to 75% (View > Magnification). If you are too close to the canvas, you will not be able to see the new height you are about to set. I've found that 75% is almost always the perfect magnification for me, but you may need to fiddle around a bit to find the prefect magnification for your display.

In the upper right of the canvas, select View Device Height.

From the bottom of the canvas, drag the Height Adjuster (the yellow rectangle in the image below) up or down to change the device Height.

Note: The shortest you can make any device is 100 pixels; the tallest you can make any device is 1,000 pixels.

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Looking for instructor-led training on Adobe Captivate? Check out our live, online, instructor-led Captivate classes.

July 2, 2014

Adobe Captivate: Record Simulations Using Smart Shapes Instead of Text Captions

by Kevin Siegel

Text Captions have been available in Adobe Captivate since before Captivate was Captivate (think RoboDemo). While there's nothing terribly wrong with Text Captions, you're a bit limited when it comes to editing the way they look.

Take the Text Caption shown below for example. The arrow in the upper left of the caption is known as a callout.

You can control a few attributes of the callout (you can use the Properties Inspector to select from a list of pre-determined positions and you can elect not to show the callout). But if you want to fully adjust the callout (perhaps move it a bit to the left or right, or make the callout a bit longer), you're out of luck.

Many Captivate developers, tired of the limitations of standard Text Captions, have forsaken Text Captions altogether for Smart Shapes. In the image below, I'm using a Rectangle Smart Shape. The shape looks much like a Standard Text Caption. I can control its appearance via Object Styles. However, check out how I am able to drag the shape's callout by dragging the yellow square. You can't do that with a Text Caption.

Adobe Captivate: The callout in a Smart Shape can easily be adjusted.

Because Text Captions are really bitmap images, I'm not able to fully control how the captions look unless I edit the bitmaps using an image editing program. With Smart Shapes, you can control just about every aspect of the way the shape looks by combining options found on the Properties Inspector with Object Styles.

While there is much to love about Smart Shapes, a perceived downside to Smart Shapes is that you can't use them to automatically get captions when recording a Software Simulation. You'll be happy to learn that you can, in fact, use Smart Shapes instead of Text Captions during the recording process.

Display Captivate's Preferences (Windows users, choose Edit > Preferences; Mac users, choose Adobe Captivate > Preferences). Choose a recording mode and, from the Captions area, select Use Smart Shapes instead of Captions.

Adobe Captivate: Use Smart Shapes instead of Captions.

At that point, you'll be able to select the Smart Shape Type you'd like to use during the recording process.

Click the OK button to close the Preferences dialog box and you're done. The next time you record a Software Simulation, the project will automatically contain Smart Shapes instead of Text Captions.

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Looking for instructor-led training on Adobe Captivate? Check out our live, online, instructor-led Captivate classes.

June 18, 2014

Adobe Captivate 8: More is More

by Kevin Siegel

Last week I told you about the great enhancements you'll see in Adobe Captivate 8 when it comes to image buttons. This week, I'm going to show you a few more improvements that I think you'll love.

Sample Projects/Tutorials

The first thing you'll see when you start Captivate is the Welcome screen. From this position, you can create a new project, record a software simulation/demonstration, or access recent projects. But take a look in the upper right of the Welcome screen and you'll see an awesome addition: Sample Projects/Tutorials (shown below, it's located in the upper right of the Welcome screen).

Granted, the icon to access the projects and tutorials is easy to miss; but once clicked, a dialog box opens and you'll have access to some really nice sample projects. The sample projects are shown first, followed by several tutorials.

Adobe Captivate: Sample projects and tutorials

If you have already opened or created a project, you will find a Sample Projects/Tutorials icon via the top of the Captivate window (to the right of the Help menu).

However, clicking the icon from here is different than clicking it on the Welcome screen. If you click the icon while in a project, you'll be taken online to Adobe KnowHow, where you'll find some free and pay-for-access training videos.

Characters and Agents

I love the Characters feature added to Captivate a few years ago, which allows you to insert images/guides within a project. And I was delighted to see that not only did Adobe keep Characters in Captivate 8, they've added quite a few. To add a Character, choose Media > Characters. Select a Category, select a character, and then double-click a pose to insert the character onto a slide.

Lastly, check out the Speech Agents (via Audio > Speech Management). Previous versions of Captivate included five Text to Speech Agents. You'll be happy to see that Captivate 8 bumps that number up to seven. New to the team are James and Yumi. I was particularly impressed with how good James sounded… a nice upgrade from Paul (sorry Paul). And Yumi covers you if you need audio for Korean eLearners.

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Looking for instructor-led training on the top eLearning tools? We offer live, online training on Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline, Adobe Presenter, and TechSmith Camtasia Studio. We can also bring the same great training onsite to your facility. Interested? Contact us for details.

June 1, 2014

Flipped Learning Gaining Steam

Flipped classrooms are gaining in popularity. If you've never heard of the flipped classroom, here's a definition courtesy of the Flipped Learning Network:

"The flipped classroom is a pedagogical model in which the typical lecture and homework elements of a course are reversed. Short video lectures are viewed by students at home before the class session, while in-class time is devoted to exercises, projects, or discussions."

From the Flipped Learning White Paper:

"A teacher stands at the front of the classroom, delivering a lecture on the Civil War and writing on a white board. Students are hunched over desks arranged in rows, quietly taking notes. At the end of the hour, they copy down the night's homework assignment, which consists of reading from a thick textbook and answering questions at the end of the chapter. This dramatic, defining period in our nation's history, which left questions unanswered that are as relevant today as they were then, has been reduced to a dry, familiar exercise. The teacher is acutely aware that many students do not understand the day's lessons, but he/she does not have the time to meet with them to help during the 50-minute class period. The next day the teacher will collect the homework and briefly review the previous night's reading assignment. But if students have additional questions there won't be time to linger; the class cannot fall behind schedule. There is a lot of material to cover before the test at the end of the unit.

"Although it conflicts with decades of research into effective practices, this model of instruction remains all too common in American K-12 and post secondary classrooms. However, more and more educators now recognize that the learning needs of students, rather than the curriculum pacing guide, should drive their instruction. Educators are developing ways to personalize learning, using technologies such as video, digital simulations, and computer games. However, unless the traditional teaching model is altered, technologies such as these will have limited effects. One alternative model gaining attention and advocates is called Flipped Learning. In this model, some lessons are delivered outside of the group learning space using video or other modes of delivery. Class time, then, is available for students to engage in hands-on learning, collaborate with their peers, and evaluate their progress, and for teachers to provide one-on-one assistance, guidance, and inspiration."

Read the full White Paper.

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How hot is flipped learning? Check out these factoids:

Two years ago, 73% of teachers recognized the term "Flipped Classroom," in 2014 that is up to 96%
Two years ago, 48% of teachers had flipped a lesson; in 2014 that is up to 78%
96% of teachers who have flipped a lesson or unit would recommend that method to other teachers
Flipped classroom teachers indicated that a majority of students with special needs, English language learners from low income households, and those in advanced placement classes particularly benefit from flipped learning
The majority of flipped teaching still occurs in high school–however the number of elementary teachers and college instructors has increased over the past 2 years
Over the past 2 years, flipped instruction has expanded in all subject areas

Source: Sophia.org.

May 28, 2014

Adobe Captivate 8: A Cleaner, Simpler User Interface

by Kevin Siegel

Adobe last week announced Adobe Captivate 8, a significant upgrade to one of the top eLearning development tools in the world.

Over the past few years I've repeatedly heard a couple of complaints about Captivate. First, it was perceived as difficult to use. There were so many panels, pods, and toolbars it didn't take too much effort for the Captivate workspace to get cluttered. Sure it was possible to create a custom workspace, but that didn't seem to matter. The fact that a panel could be accidentally moved from one part of the screen to another was causing all kinds of drama.

Another major complaint was Captivate's lack of support for mobile users. You could publish a Captivate lesson as HTML5, but the way a lesson looked when viewed on different screen sizes wasn't something a developer could control.

Captivate users will be happy to learn that both major pain points have been addressed with Captivate 8. Shown below is the Welcome screen you will see when you first start Captivate 8. There are two tabs, Recent and New. After selecting New, you'll find the usual suspects including Software Simulation, Video Demo, and From PowerPoint. You'll also see a brand new… and very awesome… option for creating Responsive Projects (something I'll cover in a future post).

If you're a veteran Captivate user, you'll notice right away that in addition to the Welcome screen getting a nice redesign, there is no longer a check box in the lower left to permanently hide the Welcome screen. This may not seem like a big deal, but I can't tell you how many times I've heard from people using Captivate 7 and older who tell me that the Welcome screen is missing. It turns out that they've accidentally hidden the Welcome screen. And while it's easy to bring it back, I'm delighted to see that since it cannot be hidden that issue is gone.

You'll be happy to learn that projects created in Captivate 6 and 7 will open in Captivate 8, and those projects willautomatically be upgraded to version 8. However, once upgraded, Captivate 8 projects will not open in older versions of Captivate. Prior to upgrading, I suggest that you make backups of your legacy projects just in case you need to open them in the older versions of the software.

After creating a new project or opening an old one, your next discovery will be the clean Captivate 8 interface.

At the left is the familiar Filmstrip; in the middle is the stage (or slide… call it what you like). There's no Timeline, no Properties Inspector, no Library. There's no clutter at all.

Of course, the missing panels are critical to your success in Captivate so you'll need to be able to open them. Take a look at the bottom of the Captivate window and you'll see the wordTimeline. One quick click on the word and the Timeline opens at the bottom of the Captivate window.

Look in the upper right of the Captivate window and you'll find buttons that will show or hide both the Library and Properties Inspector.

Adobe Captivate 8: Library and Properties Inspector buttons.

You'll notice that you can open the Library… you can open the Properties Inspector… but you can't open them both at the same time. And you cannot drag panels around your screen like you could in legacy versions of the software. If you're a workspaces junkie, you're also not going to like the fact that you cannot create workspaces. No kidding. Visit the Window menu and you'll find Workspace > Reset Classic, but that's it. There's no menu item for creating a new workspace. Okay, so losing the Workspace feature is a bummer. But if you're really missing this feature, I've got good news. Visit Captivate's Preferences (Edit menu for Windows users; Adobe Captivate menu for Mac users) and you'll find an option to Enable custom workspaces/panel undocking.

Turn that option on, restart Captivate 8, and you'll be able to both drag panels around your screen and create custom workspaces.

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Looking for instructor-led training on the top eLearning tools? We offer live, online training on Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline, Adobe Presenter, and TechSmith Camtasia Studio.We can also bring the same great training onsite to your facility. Interested? Contact us for details.

May 23, 2014

New 3-Hour Mini course: Creating Responsive eLearning with Adobe Captivate 8

Last year the sale of smartphones exceeded the sale of traditional phones; the sale of tablets exceeded those of desktop computers. This trend has led to a need for eLearning developers to create courses that can be accessed from both mobile and desktop devices.

The size of the screen that learners use to access eLearning lessons can vary widely. Consider the size of a typical mobile phone compared to the various shapes and sizes of tablets such as the iPad, Microsoft Surface, and Amazon Kindle Fire. You could develop several Captivate projects that contain the same content, but are sized to work on specific devices; however, the problem is that you’d have to edit and update several projects! Who wants to do that? Additionally, who could possibly consider every screen size for every device? Even if you could build lessons for every screen size known today… what about the screen sizes for devices that have yet to be invented?

As an alternative to managing multiple Captivate projects, with Adobe Captivate 8, you can now create a single, responsive project that provides optimal viewing, and an effective learning experience, across a wide range of devices and screen sizes.

Responsive design is an approach to development that allows for flexible layouts and flexible images and assets. While the word responsive was traditionally used for building web pages, now with Adobe Captivate 8, responsive design can be used to develop online courses that detect the learner’s screen size and orientation, and automatically change what the learner sees.

This class covers how Adobe Captivate 8 uses responsive design features. You’ll learn how to navigate the new Captivate interface, how to create responsive projects from scratch, and how to incorporate responsive training demos, simulations, and question slides into your eLearning courses. Additionally, you’ll learn about multi-device previewing and publishing methods.

Who Should Attend This Course?

eLearning developers
Instructional designers
Content creators

More information.

May 23, 2014

eLearning: Creating Accessible Content

by Anita Horsley

While I don't have a disability, I have experience, both personally and professionally, with people who have physical and learning disabilities. I have assisted people with developmental disabilities, and I volunteer for a Therapeutic Horseback riding program that helps children with disabilities ride horses.

When it comes to eLearning, I develop content for many government and education organizations where Section 508 Compliance is required. Section 508, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, requires all Federal agencies to make electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities.

If you want to make your eLearning courses accessible for everyone, it's a good idea to think about people who are hearing, visually, and dexterity (motor skills) impaired. Additionally, it's important to consider the elderly population and people who speak English as a second language.

Assistive devices provide a way for people with disabilities to communicate and train using technology. People who are visually impaired or blind need devices such as:

Screen readers (Jaws, Window Eyes)
Screen magnification
Braille displays

People with hearing impairments need visual representation of auditory information such as:

Closed captions
Graphic displays

People who have mobility impairments may need:

Alternative keyboards
Keyboard shortcuts

Although creating accessible eLearning can feel like an additional task, the goal is to enhance your eLearning courses by ensuring that all learners can master the instructional material and meet the learning objectives. When learning is accessible to all types of learners, you are not only complying with regulations, but you are reaching a larger audience, upholding social responsibility, and increasing your effectiveness as an eLearning developer and instructor.

Note: This is the first in a series of articles covering accessible eLearning from Anita. Stay tuned for more! And if you'd like to take a 3-hour deep-dive into the best practices for creating accessible eLearning, check out Anita's live, online course.

May 15, 2014

Localization: Training and Development in Ecuador

by Jen Weaver

¡Hola! Let's journey down to South America and explore some common cultural facts about Ecuadorians and their expectations when it comes to training and development.

Test Your Knowledge of Ecuadorian Culture:

True or False. Ecuador is South America's second largest producer of oil.
What is the official language of Ecuador?
What currency is used in Ecuador?

Tips for Training & Development in Ecuador¹

Don't discuss other Spanish-speaking countries with Ecuadorians. Ecuador lost half its land to Peru in 1941 in an invasion supported by the United States, Argentina, and Brazil. Ecuador was previously conquered by Spain and has also faced many border disputes with Colombia. Similarly, be careful not to exhibit a sense of American superiority, as many Ecuadorians are sensitive to this attitude.
Ecuadorians tend to make decisions on a case-by-case basis rather than using universal laws or standards to guide behavior. Accordingly, an individual's faith or personal feelings may be viewed as "truth" independent of facts or data. Research alone will not gain buy-in from Ecuadorian learners; you must engage them on an ideological or emotional level.
Family gives Ecuadorians a sense of stability, but personal achievement and individual status are more important than the success of a group as a whole.
Despite government efforts to promote punctuality, most Ecuadorians view arriving 15 to 20 minutes late as still being on time. As a foreigner, you are expected to be prompt to all business meetings.
At the executive level, many business professionals arrive at the office after 9:00 a.m. Keep this in mind and avoid scheduling meetings or classes before 10:00 a.m., if possible.
Address Ecuadorian contacts by their professional title or formal name until invited to do otherwise.
Ecuadorian time is the same as Eastern Standard Time, so if you're traveling there from the United States, you may be tempted to schedule meetings the same day that you arrive. However, allow yourself at least a day to acclimate if training on location in Quito–not for the time difference but for the high altitude.

Trivia Answers:

True.
Spanish. English is commonly used in business settings, plus there are many indigenous languages still used by the Amerindian population. Be sure to clarify the language needs of your audience before finalizing training materials.
The United States Dollar.

References:

¹Morrison, Terri, & Conaway, Wayne A. (2006). Kiss, bow, or shake hands (2nd ed.). Avon: Adams Media.

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Developing international training and development materials? Contact Jen at Carmazzi Global Solutions.

May 13, 2014

Adobe Captivate: Preloaders

by Kevin Siegel

I received an email last week from a Captivate developer who was concerned with how long it was taking for a published lesson to begin playing for his learners. The lesson wasn't all that big and wasn't that long (both things can lead to lesson bloat and increase how long it takes for a lesson to begin to play). He also verified that his web server wasn't the issue. In fact, lessons created by other Captivate developers in his company downloaded faster than his.

Once he told me that other content loaded with decent speed, I had a likely culprit: the Preloader and/or the Preloader percentage. I helped him tweak both, and he reported that his lesson is loading much faster.

Of course, if one Captivate developer can overlook the role of the Preloader, it's possible others have as well. So read on folks and let's delve into Preloaders and how to control them.

What's a Preloader?

When a learner clicks the link to start an eLearning lesson, the lesson will rarely begin playing right away. Why? A specific percentage of the lesson needs to download before the lesson will play. The time it takes for that percentage to be reached depends on a few things: the size of the lesson, the speed of the learner's internet connection, and the capacity of the server to send the data to the learner (bandwidth).

Captivate's Preloader feature allows you to both control what the learner sees as they wait for the lesson to begin playing, and the percentage of the lesson that must be downloaded before the lesson will begin to play.

Captivate ships with a few Preloaders you can use when you publish your lesson. However, many of my corporate customers prefer to brand the lesson and use their corporate logos as the Preloader. You can accomplish the task easily enough. First, with a project open, display Captivate's Preferences (Edit > Preferences for Windows users; Adobe Captivate > Preferences for Macintosh users). Then select the Start and End category from the Project group.

To load your corporate logo and use it as a Preloader, click the Browse button to the right of Preloader. Find and open your logo. You can use any of the following formats as a Preloader: jpeg, gif, bmp, wmf, or swf.

To control how much of the lesson must be downloaded before it will begin to play, change the Preloader % value. The higher the Preloader percentage, the longer the learner will have to wait before seeing the lesson. If you set the Preloader % lower, the lesson will play sooner. However, since little of the lesson will have been received by the learner, the lesson with sputter along instead of playing smoothly. If you set the percentage too high, the learner will have to wait for the lesson to begin playing at all. A best practice would be to set the Preloader somewhere in the middle. I typically set my Preloader % to 50, which tends to work quite well.

Adobe Captivate: Preloaders

Once you publish your lesson, the Preloader image will appear for your learners until the Preloader % is reached.

If you'd like to see a demonstration on adding a preloader to a Captivate project, check out the video I created on IconLogic's YouTube channel.

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Looking for instructor-led training on the top eLearning tools? We offer live, online training on Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline, Adobe Presenter, and TechSmith Camtasia Studio.We can also bring the same great training onsite to your facility. Interested? Contact us for details.