The Logical Blog

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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Want to learn more about Adobe Captivate? Check out our live, online Captivate classes.

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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Looking for training on Articulate Storyline? We've got you covered with an awesome array of courses. Looking to learn all things eLearning? Check out these live, online eLearning mini-courses(including a 3-hour introduction to TechSmith Camtasia Studio).

July 31, 2015

TechSmith Camtasia Studio: The Clip Bin and The Library

by Kevin Siegel

As you add assets to your Camtasia Studio project (such as images, animations, and audio), those assets appear in the Clip Bin.

Once objects appear in the Clip Bin, you can add them to the Timeline by simply dragging and dropping. (Or you can right-click a Clip Bin object and add it to the Timeline at the Playhead position.) Each Camtasia project contains its own Clip Bin and the Clip Bin moves with the project as you back up the project to a server or other drive.

Unfortunately, you cannot share assets found in one project's Clip Bin with another project. That's where the Library comes in.

If you need to use project assets over and over, consider adding those assets to the Library. Once an asset is added to the Library, the asset is available to any Camtasia project on your computer.

When I teach Camtasia, I'm almost always surprised to learn that even veteran Camtasia developers ignore the awesome array of assets available in the Library. (Or perhaps they just didn't know about the Library's role.) Sure some of the music and effects can be a bit, shall we say, corny, but there's plenty of stuff you can really use in your projects. The assets are free from copyright restrictions so check them out. (As with Clip Bin assets, you can add them to the Timeline by dragging or right-clicking. And you can preview a Library asset by double-clicking… the asset will display in the Preview window at the right.)

If you cannot find a Library asset that you like, don't give up. TechSmith provides access to several additional assets online… free. In the image above, did you notice the Get more media link? If you click the link, you'll be taken to a TechSmith site where you can download a ton of additional Library Media. Did I mention it was all free?

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Looking to learn all things eLearning? Check out these live, online eLearning mini-courses (including a 3-hour introduction to Camtasia).

July 28, 2015

Adobe Captivate or Adobe Presenter: Which One Is Right For You?

by Jennie Ruby

Adobe Presenter and Adobe Captivate have some overlapping functions. Both can create eLearning lessons that can be uploaded to and report results to a learning management system (LMS). Both can work with PowerPoint. Both can create interactive quizzes. And the list goes on. But what are the key differences that tell me which of these programs to buy? Or, if I already have both, which to use for any given project? Let's take a look.

Adobe Presenter is a PowerPoint add-in, and is marketed by Adobe specifically to educators. It is the easiest path from PowerPoint to eLearning. You can use it to take existing PowerPoint slides, add voiceover narration, optionally record a self-video while presenting the lesson, add eLearning scenes and characters, add interactive elements, add a quiz, and publish the lesson to an LMS. Presenter lessons can be used to "flip" the classroom–the homework is to watch the lecture, and then practice assignments, worked problems, and the like are done in the classroom with the teacher's help.

Presenter is designed so that eLearning features are easy to add. But, as is typical with any kind of software, the easier the software is to use, the fewer choices you have about certain things. In Adobe Presenter, this is a good thing. This software allows you to focus more on the content than on eLearning functionality. With this software, the feeling is that you are designing your content, and the software handles the work of deciding things like how the learner advances to the next slide. Your energy goes into your content.

For example, if you want to create a scenario, where the learner chooses options and receives feedback by traveling down various "branches" after decision points, you can click a few buttons, choose between pre-designed options, type your content on designated slides, and let Presenter take care of which button takes the learner to which slide. Your choices are somewhat limited, but getting a functioning scenario lesson up and running is fast and easy.

Adobe Captivate is powerful, stand-alone eLearning development software. It can import PowerPoint slides as the background and basic content of a project, but from that point on, the file is a Captivate project file. You are no longer in PowerPoint. In fact, using PowerPoint is just one of many options for how to create a Captivate project.

Arguably Captivate's greatest strength is the ability to create software demonstrations and simulations by simply recording screen actions as you do them. You can create still shots of each screen or record a live video of a procedure. Captivate can add text descriptions of the actions automatically. But after recording, you can edit the recorded steps to add highlights, additional captions, voiceover instructions, hints, feedback messages, and much more.

Rather than having a lot of automatic presets (although there are plenty of predesigned themes for colors, backgrounds, and fonts), Captivate puts you in control of the details of your lesson's appearance and functionality. What will the learner click to advance the lesson? You can create a button or make any part of the background a clickable object. Want a button that does multiple actions? You can create that. Want to add a screen character or multiple characters? Captivate lets you do that, too.

Want a branching scenario? You map it out, you add scenes or characters, you create the buttons that take your learner down the various branches. You have complete flexibility as to how the lesson proceeds. But you are on your own. You have to remember to add that "back" button that keeps your learner from reaching a dead end. You have to create all of the links and make sure they go in the correct sequence. You have all the power, but you also have all the work of making the eLearning project function.

So which should you use for what?

If you need software simulations: Captivate
If you need flexible, responsive lesson sizes for various learner devices: Captivate
If you have existing PowerPoint slides and want to record your lecture with them: Presenter
If you just want to focus on content, and want the rest to be mostly automatic: Presenter
If you want detailed control over sophisticated branching, interactions, timings, and functions: Captivate

Budget

Captivate is a highly advanced, fully functional eLearning software development tool, and its cost reflects that:

$999 to purchase
$29.99/month to subscribe, with a year's subscription minimum
Student/teacher edition: $299

Presenter is a PowerPoint add-in that gives you a lot of eLearning pizazz for a lot less development work and costs significantly less than Captivate:

$499 to purchase
$14.99/month to subscribe for a year
$24.99 month-to-month subscription available
Student/teacher editions upgrade: $149

Are you using one of or both of these programs? Give me your opinion. Which do you use for what?

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If you'd like to learn more about Captivate, come hang out in my just announced Adobe Captivate Quick Start mini course. And if you'd like to learn more Adobe Captivate, Adobe Presenter, TechSmith Camtasia, Articulate Studio, or Articulate Storyline, we've got a great collection of live, online classes for you.

July 23, 2015

Adobe RoboHelp 2015: Dynamic Filters

by Willam van Weelden

A few weeks ago I showed you how to use named Conditional Build Expressions to include or exclude content from your output. RoboHelp 2015 has a new feature to make tags even more useful: Dynamic Filters.

With traditional Conditional Build Expressions you choose to exclude specific content from your output. Once you generate the output, content is included or excluded from the output. If you use build tags to target multiple audiences, you have to create an output for every audience. Enter Dynamic Filters: With dynamic filters readers dynamically switch the information they want to see.

In the image above there are four holiday destinations in different countries. No country is selected in the Filter by area at the left so the reader sees all of the available content. If the reader selects US, only the content for the US (Mesa Verde, CO) is shown.

With Dynamic Filters you can create a single output where users themselves decide which content they need. You can use this to group content by user role, by module, or by locale.

Add Dynamic Filter to Output

Tag the content in RoboHelp.
Go to the Output tab and select your Responsive HTML5 Single Source Layout.
Select Use Dynamic Content Filter in the output.
Click Customize to open the Dynamic Content Filter dialog box.
From the Define area, click Add criteria button to open theTags and Expressions dialog box. (The Add criteria button is the second icon from the left.)
Select the tags and expressions you want to include as a filter.
Click the OK button.
Click Save to close the Dynamic Content Filter dialog box.
Click Save and Generate to generate 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 new 3-hour mini course: Adobe RoboHelp: Advanced Content Reuse.

July 22, 2015

Adobe Captivate: Close Caption a Video

by Lori Smith

I received an email from a Captivate developer who was lamenting the fact that her Captivate videos didn't have closed captions. "Sure it's easy to add closed captions to a Captivate slide," she said, "but you cannot add them to a video." This was a real problem since she was required to create accessible eLearning.

Believe it or not, it's just about as easy to add closed captions to a video as it is a slide. (Easy, but not obvious.) Here's how:

Insert a video onto a slide via the Media menu. (When inserting the video, insert it as Multi-Slide Synchronized Video. Also, select Modify slide duration to accommodate video.)

On the Properties inspector, select Edit Video Timing.

On the Closed Captioning tab and click on a Timeline location to mark where you want to insert closed captioning text.

Click the + sign to add a closed caption and then type the closed caption text.

Lather, rinse, repeat! Once you have finished adding all of the closed captioning text, click the OK button to exit the editor. And that's it! One note: don't forget to enable the display of closed captioning via your skin editor.

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If you'd like to learn more about Captivate, check out these Adobe Captivate Mini Courses mini course. And if you'd like to learn more Adobe Captivate, Adobe Presenter, TechSmith Camtasia, Articulate Studio, or Articulate Storyline, we've got a great collection of live, online classes for you.

July 13, 2015

Adobe RoboHelp 2015: Conditional Build Tags and Named Expressions

by Willam van Weelden

A project can easily contain thousands of topics. When you generate a layout, all of the topics are generated. But what if you want to exclude several topics from being generated? Using Conditional Build tags, you can mark topics or topic content. When the time comes to generate, you can choose to create conditions that control which tagged content is generated. Using conditions, you can maintain one large project but generate multiple layouts; each layout can have unique content. Content that is excluded from a layout is not seen by your users.

Tagged content appears in RoboHelp 11 and earlier as text with diagonal lines (first image below). In RoboHelp 2015 tagged content appears with an overline. The overline makes it much easier to read the content and see which content is tagged.

The downside of tagged content in RoboHelp 11 and earlier is that you can only create Conditional Build Expressions that show which tags are excluded. A Conditional Build Expression is a list of tags to exclude from your output. These expressions can get confusing because it is not always clear which tags to exclude for which situation. For example, a company has two divisions: East and West coast. Based on the name of the tag below, will the tag exclude content from the East coast or the West coast?

With RoboHelp 2015 you use common sense names to easily distinguish which Conditional Build Expression you need in which situation.

To create a Named Conditional Build Expression, choose Project > Pods > Conditional Build Tag and then click Create a new build expression.

The Define Conditional Build Expression dialog opens. Double-click a tag to exclude the tag from the output and then click Save.

Name the expression and click OK.

If you have existing Conditional Build Expressions, you can easily change their names. Open the Conditional Build Tags pod (choose Project > Pods > Conditional Build Tag).

Click Create a new build expression.

From the Define Conditional Build Expression dialog box, select an expression from the Expressions drop-down menu.

Click Rename this expression.

Name the expression and then click OK.

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Looking to learn RoboHelp? Come join me for my live, two-day online RoboHelp class (held once each month). And check out my new 3-hour mini course: Adobe RoboHelp: Advanced Content Reuse.