The Logical Blog by IconLogic

TEACHING ONLINE CLASSES: Interactive Polls Help End Sucky Training

One of the easiest ways to engage online students is by displaying quizzes and polls. When I start my classes, displaying a poll is a great way to break the ice and get my class started on the right foot.   Most virtual training platforms (GoToTraining, WebEx, Connect, etc) allow you to create polls within the tool. You can then display the poll to your virtual students on the fly. In the image below, I've created a poll within GoToTraining.

While there's nothing wrong with creating and displaying the kind of poll shown above, you can crank up the interest quite a few notches by creating a visually-appealing poll as part of your presentation. In the image below, I've created the same poll as shown in the first image but it's in my PowerPoint presentation and certainly more visual.

But if you want to truly engage your learners, you've got to interact with them. Instead of just asking my attendees to tell me their favorite cereal via audio or asking them to type their favorite via the chat pod, I can let them draw on the screen. In GoToTraining, I can enable this feature via my control panel (by choosing Attendees can draw).

A series of drawing tools is added to each student's control panel and they can draw on my screen. And just like that, I've got my students fully engaged... even having fun (perish the thought).

Interactive polls are just a tiny step toward a goal of eradicating sucky training forever. If you'd like to learn more tips, tricks, and get real-world solutions to everyday training challenges (from creating awesome visuals to engagement tactics to writing perfect quiz questions), check out the Certified Online Training Professional course offered exclusively by the International Council for Certified Online Training Professionals (ICCOTP).

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Kevin Siegel is the founder and president of IconLogic, Inc. He has written hundreds of step-by-step computer training books on applications such as Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline, Adobe RoboHelp, Adobe Presenter, and TechSmith Camtasia. Kevin spent five years in the U.S. Coast Guard as an award-winning photojournalist and has three decades’ experience as a trainer, publisher, technical writer, and eLearning developer. Kevin is a Certified Master Trainer (CMT), Certified Technical Trainer (CTT+), Certified Online Professional Trainer (COTP), and a frequent speaker at trade shows and conventions.

ADOBE CAPTIVATE: Importing Photoshop Layers

I received a Photoshop file the other day for use in a Captivate project. Moments later, I received a frantic call from the person who sent it to me. He was in a bit of a panic because he had sent me a Photoshop file (PSD) instead of the .jpg image I had requested. He then remembered that I didn't have Photoshop on my computer and was wondering if he needed to head back to the office and send the jpg image instead.   I was able to save him the trouble. Adobe Captivate imports native Photoshop files, and you don't have to have Photoshop on your computer. All you need to do is choose File > Import > Photoshop File.   In the example below, I'm importing a Photoshop file named puzzle.psd. After opening the image, the Import dialog box opens. Even though I don't have Photoshop on my computer, Captivate recognizes that the file contains and image with two layers (Purple Piece and Background). From the Import as area, I selected Layers and then clicked the OK button.

The puzzle image, shown below, appeared on my slide without issue.

But here's where the awesomeness kicks in. Because the Photoshop file imported into Captivate with its layers intact, I was able to manipulate the purple piece (move it, resize it, even delete it) independently of the other part of the image.

Just as cool, I can use the Timeline to hide, lock, and control the timing of the layers/images (which are independent objects) as needed.

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If you need to learn Adobe Captivate, we've got you covered with an awesome number of live, online classes. If you need help developing your next eLearning project, or if you just need some quick one-on-one mentoring, we've got you covered there too.