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eLearning: The Origins of a Training Methodology

by Kevin Siegel   

 

I've been creating eLearning since the early 1990s. Back then, eLearning (or E-Learning, pick your style) was known as CBT (Computer Based Training).

My first attempts at creating software video training was with a program called CameraMan. That program was ahead of its time, allowing you to capture your mouse actions, add captions and audio, and then publish into a video format that could be viewed on most computers. It was awesome software for the times but crashed a lot and had very few options. It was pretty much a record-pray-publish kind of tool.

When TechSmith released Camtasia I gave CameraMan the heave-ho and began producing slicker content in half the time. Then RoboDemo came out (RoboDemo later became Adobe Captivate) and I was quick to add that to my toolbox.

Today you have plenty of options when it comes to developing eLearning, including Camtasia, Captivate, Storyline, and two Presenters (one from Adobe, the other from Articulate).

While developing content for my Getting Started with eLearning mini course, I became curious about the origins of eLearning. As I mentioned above, I began developing eLearning 20 years ago. Surely that makes me one of the more senior eLearning developers around. It turns out I'm am just a young pup when it comes to eLearning. In fact, at a recent conference I met a person who said she started developing eLearning 30 years ago. 30 years ago? Wait, wouldn't that be the 1980s? Sure computers were around in the 80s... I was an early Mac adopter and I remember PCs with early versions of Windows (heck, I used DOS and floppy disks when they were still floppy). Those early computers struggled to do just about anything beyond word processing. How could anyone have developed eLearning on those early systems?

At the same conference, I met another person who said he was creating eLearning in the late 1970s. And that got me thinking... just how far back does eLearning go? And who was the first person or company to provide eLearning?

It turns out that eLearning really got going in 1953 when the University of Houston offered televised college credit classes. A few years later, the first adaptive teaching system (named SAKI) went into commercial production. Basically, with this system, the course got more challenging as learners improved.

When I was creating eLearning in the 1990s, the eLearning content I published consisted of video files that were huge. The files wouldn't fit on a floppy disk and computer hard drives weren't very big. Thankfully, DVDs were available (expensive, but available). The content I published was burned to a DVD, and then I hired a DVD replicating service to mass produce my content.

With the ever-growing popularity and power of the Internet and cloud computing, the need for DVDs went the way of the dinosaur. While many people think the Internet got started in the late 1990s, it came along far earlier. In 1969 the U.S. Department of Defense commissioned the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET), which became the Internet as we know it today.

In the 1970s, a company started delivering live training over corporate networks in what they dubbed "virtual classrooms." And in the 1980s, the first CBTs were rolled out. In my discussion with the conference attendees I mentioned earlier, they revealed that those first CBTs were little more than teaching machines. And while they were limited in scope, they were nevertheless CBTs.

What's your earliest memory of eLearning? What tools did you use back then? And when did you first notice eLearning replacing the term CBT? Feel free to post your experience below as a comment.

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If you'd like to learn more about eLearning, come hang out in my next eLearning basics mini course. And if you'd like to learn more about the history of eLearning, the infographic below is a great place to start.

Source: Roberta Gogos, Social Media & Content Marketing Consultant.

Adobe Captivate: Embedding YouTube Videos

by Kevin Siegel   

 

If you need to include YouTube videos in your Captivate eLearning project, the traditional technique was to insert a click box or button on a slide and, on the Properties Inspector, use the Open URL or File action to target the video's URL.

 

When the learner clicks the click box or button, the URL action will take the learner to the YouTube video in a web browser window.

The URL action works wonderfully, but I recently had a student in one of my Captivate classes tell me that she needed to embed the YouTube video on her slide. (She needed to include the video with other slide objects and animations.) This is the perfect use case for the new YouTube Learning Interaction.

To embed a YouTube video on a Captivate slide, first go to YouTube and copy the URL for the video to your clipboard.

From within Captivate, open or insert a slide and choose Interactions > Learner Interactions.



From the Interactions dialog box, scroll down, select the YouTube interaction, and click the Insert button.





On the Configure Interaction dialog box, paste the URL you copied earlier into the Video URL area.

There are several options in the dialog box such as AutoPlay and Loop, but I think the coolest option is located in the lower left: Particular time in the Video.



Using this handy option, you can take learners to a specific time in the YouTube video. In the image above, I've specified that the learner should go directly to the 1 minute mark of the video.

After setting your options, click the OK button and a placeholder for the video will be added to the Captivate slide. You can use the Properties and Timing Inspectors to control the position and timing for the object just like any other slide object.



And that's it... if you preview the lesson in a web browser, you'll be able to test the link to the embedded YouTube video.

 

 

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

Adobe Captivate: Replacing PowerPoint Slides But Keeping the Audio

by Kevin Siegel   

I received an interesting email from a fellow Captivate developer who was in a bit of a pickle. The developer had imported a 60-slide PowerPoint presentation into Captivate and then added audio to each of the Filmstrip slides.

Just as he was about to Publish his finished project, he was told to use a different PowerPoint presentation. Mind you, it wasn't just that the imported presentation had changed and he needed to update it in Captivate. In that case, all he would have had to do is click the presentation's red "not in synch" icon on the library and the new PowerPoint content would have come into the Captivate project. In this instance, he was given a completely different presentation (the same audio was going to be used, but each slide visual was going to change).

Since the developer had already invested time importing the 60 audio files (files he was going to use on the replacement slides), he contacted me hoping he wasn't going to have to start over from scratch.

The bottom line is he didn't have to start over again and was able to reuse all of the imported audio files. Here's what I instructed him to do:

First, visit the Library and rename the audio files so the name of each audio file matches the slide where it was used. (To rename a Library item, right-click the item and choose Rename.)



In the image below, notice that I've renamed my audio files so the names match the slide that's currently using them (slide1Audio, slide2Audio, etc.).



Next, delete all of the imported PowerPoint slides. Because Captivate projects must have at least one slide, if your project only contains PowerPoint slides, insert a blank slide first (via Insert > New Slide From). Then delete all of the slides except the blank one.

The above step can seem extreme and nerve-wracking because you're deleting all of those awesome slides. But keep in mind you'll be replacing the deleted slides with new slides in just a moment.

Check out the Library. Even though you deleted the slides, the audio files are still in the Library. Notice the Use Count shows a bunch of zeros because none of the audio files are being used.



Import the new PowerPoint slides into the Captivate project (via File > Import > PowerPoint Slides).

Delete the blank slide you added earlier and, as a final step, drag the unused audio files from the Library onto their corresponding Filmstrip slides. 

 

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

Localization: Training and Development in Mexico

by Jen Weaver  

Because Mexico is  our neighbor to the south, Mexican culture may be familiar to most Americans. Whether you will find this information new or just a refresher course, let's explore some common cultural facts about Mexicans and their expectations when it comes to Training and Development.

Test Your Knowledge of Mexican Culture

1. True or False. The official name of Mexico translates to "The United States of Mexico."
2. True or False. Mexico's official religion is Catholic.

Quick Tips for Training & Development in Mexico¹:

• Mexican communications include elaborate and extensive demonstrations of courtesy. Culturally, many Mexicans find it difficult to say "no," so they may agree to decisions or tasks without fully understanding the expectations but will avoid asking clarifying questions. You may find that those with higher levels of education may be more prone to request further details.
• While generally deemed acceptable in business interactions, intense constant eye contact may be interpreted as aggressive or threatening in other settings. During casual interactions, for example, intermittent eye contact is more appropriate.
• Authority figures are commonly perceived as corrupt, so most Mexicans will be skeptical of those in positions of leadership. Overcome this by being warm, personable and courteous. Demonstrate trust and goodwill while building relationships and maintaining professionalism.
• Mexicans are typically risk-averse and highly resistant to change. Subjective feelings on a topic guide an individual's perspective on what is true or right. Generally speaking, however, those with higher levels of education will give greater weight to objective facts than straight emotions or gut feelings when making decisions.
• Family is highly valued, and individuals will commonly make decisions based on the best interests of their family unit. Even with such a prevalence of machismo in Mexican culture, the mother is typically viewed as the central figure in the family due to her protective nature. However, the father may still garner the most respect.
• Business opportunities rely heavily upon building relationships, with relationships taking priority over expertise. Take time to get to know your students and key decision-makers in advance, especially when interacting with high-ranking professionals or governmental officials, as this will aid in their receptivity to your message.
• Priorities in time are given to building relationships, not to necessarily ending the meeting on schedule. While business meetings often end late, they will typically begin on time. So, be sure you are punctual. For casual gatherings, everything will typically start and run later than planned.
• As relationships develop, your Mexican counterpart may transition to using first names when you communicate. Wait for him or her to make this change; otherwise, use educational or business titles to address each other.
• Business settings are more relaxed than here in the States, and decision-making is a lengthy process. Build buffers for delays into your class timelines to allow for multiple conversations. Once a decision has been made, implementation processes are usually faster than here in the States, as Mexican businesses face less requirements and paperwork.
• Be mindful not to publicly criticize anyone, as individual dignity and respect are highly valued.
• High-end sharp-looking visuals are appreciated, so be sure to use quality graphics in your training materials.

Answers The Trivia Above:

1. True.
2. False. Mexico does not have an official religion, although Roman Catholic beliefs are very prevalent.

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. And if you love Jen's articles, check out her new Localization mini courses.

Writing & Grammar: Synch or Swim?

by Jennie Ruby 

 

How do you spell the shortened form of the word synchronize? Is it synch or sync? I have seen it both ways recently, so I checked out the Webster's dictionary. I found that sync is the more frequently used variant, but that both spellings are listed. So which one is better?

It turns out that when Webster's lists two spellings of a word, they may have the word "or" or the word "also" between them. The word "or" tells us that the two variants are used equally and often, whereas the word "also" tells us that the second one is significantly less often used.

Meanwhile, the next listing in the dictionary was lip-synch, spelled with the h. Go figure.

How about dialogue versus dialog? The dictionary lists dialogue first, in such uses as for a dialogue in a play, or dialogue between two people. However, dialog box uses the variant without the -ue on the end. So in the software training industry we see the secondary variant far more often.

This week's challenge is not so much a test to see if you can get the answers right, but more a survey to see which is your preference. Survey results (and correct answers to the last two Confusing Words challenges) will be coming soon.

1. During the role-play we set up a dialog/dialogue between two class participants.
2. We catalog/catalogue the results from all of our quizzes for later data analysis.
3. I need to synch/sync my phone with my Outlook calendar.
4. The two devices were already in synch/sync.
5. The professor served as an adviser/advisor for the online class.
6. The high-tech/hi-tec solution did not work.
7. The wifi/wi-fi in our office was down all afternoon.

When ready, post your answers below as comments.

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If you love Jennie's articles, you'll love her classes. Check out some of Jennie's mini courses.

eLearning: Add Some Character to Your Lessons

by Kevin Siegel   

Let's face it, some of the eLearning content you are required to create is a bit... shall we say, dry? A tad boring? A teeny bit heavy on the text and short on graphics?

One easy way to spruce up your eLearning content is to add characters (or guides). But where do you find quality images to use as guides? The good news is that both Articulate Storyline and Adobe Captivate offer some awesome, and most importantly, free Characters--out of the box.

Let's take a look at the Character features in both programs. While Characters have been around for several years in Captivate, and in both versions of Storyline, the images below are taken from the most recent versions of both programs, Captivate version 8; Storyline version 2.

Articulate Storyline 2

To insert a Character on a Storyline slide, open a slide and from the Insert tab on the Ribbon, click Character. You'll find two choices in the Character drop-down menu: Illustrated Character and Photographic Character.

 

In the image below, I've selected Illustrated Character, which opened the Characters dialog box. From here, you'll find multiple Characters, Expressions, and Poses.



I found the Expression options particularly cool... plenty from which to choose.



Shown below are Storyline's many poses. And if you look in the lower right of the dialog box, you'll even find three pose directions (Left, Front, Right).



And perhaps my favorite thing about Storyline's Characters is how easy it is to change the appearance of an inserted Character. In the Image below, notice that you can select a Character and totally change it to another character, change its Expression, Pose... even its Perspective. Simply awesome!



If you'd rather work with Photographic Characters, go back to the Character drop-down menu and choose Photographic Characters. As with the Illustrated Characters, you'll find multiple actors and poses.





Adobe Captivate 8

To insert a Character in Adobe Captivate, simply choose Media > Characters.



Similar to Storyline, Captivate's Characters dialog box presents you with several Categories, Characters, and Poses. (In the image below, I've selected a Character and Pose from the Business Category.)



If Captivate's Illustrated Characters work better for you, choose Illustrated from the Category drop-down menu and you'll be presented with four Illustrated Characters and various poses.



If you want to change the Character's pose in Captivate, you'll need to manually delete the Character from the slide and replace it with another (not as cool as Storyline's edit-on-the-fly technique, but perfectly functional).

Note: The Characters shown above aren't limited to Storyline and Captivate. You'll find many of the same Characters in Presenter.

 

Downloadable eLearning Characters

If you're not happy with the selection of characters that come with those programs, you'll find resources on the web offering thousands of eLearning characters. While you'll need to purchase those characters (typically in groups or packs), you are almost guaranteed to find the perfect character to fit within your scene. 

Two companies in particular jumped out when I went on an Internet search for characters: the eLearning Brothers and eLearning Art.

Between the two, the eLearning Brothers is likely the better-known company (orange anyone?). They call their Characters "cutout people," and they've got thousands of them. 

Over on the eLearning Art website, characters are referred to as "people cutout images." And like the eLearning Brothers, there are plenty from which to choose.

Another quick Internet search took me to eLearning.net where I found several free characters.

If you'd prefer stock photography for your eLearning projects, the eLearning Coach has compiled a handy list of resources. 

Lastly, check out AJ's article on free zombie characters... perfect for the season. 

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Looking for instructor-led training on Adobe Captivate? Check out our live, online, instructor-led Captivate classes. If Articulate Storyline is more your style, we've got you covered there too. 

Adobe RoboHelp: In Word We Trust

by Willam Van Weelden  

 

If you have attempted to create printed documentation with RoboHelp, there is a good chance you have run into a macro error. RoboHelp uses Word for printed documentation, and this error occurs if Word's security settings don't allow macros.

You can enable macros in Word, but that may not be enough. Some Help Authors receive unspecified errors when generating printed documentation even with macros enabled. To solve this, RoboHelp projects must be added to Word's trusted locations. I'll show you how to both Enable Word Macros and add projects to the trusted locations.

Enabling Word Macros

1. Start Word.
2. Click the Office button (Word 2007) or go to the File tab (Word 2010-2013).
3. Click Options.
4. Select Trust Center and then click Trust Center Settings.
   
5. From the Macro Settings area, select Enable all macros.
   
   
6. Close the Trust Center and the options.

Go to RoboHelp and generate the printed documentation. In most cases, RoboHelp will create a Word document out of your Help System. If RoboHelp still doesn't generate the printed documentation, you likely need to add your RoboHelp projects to Word's Trusted Locations.

Add RoboHelp Projects to Trusted Locations

1. Start Word.
2. Click the Office button (Word 2007) or go to the File tab (Word 2010-2013).
3. Select Options.
4. Select Trusted locations and then click the Add new location button.
   
5. In the Microsoft Office Trusted Location dialog box, click the Browse button and open the folder containing your RoboHelp projects.
6. Select Subfolders of this location are also trusted.
   
7. Click OK to close the Microsoft Office Trusted Location dialog box.
8. Close the Trust Center and the options.

Go to RoboHelp and re-generate the printed documentation.
 

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Looking to learn RoboHelp? We offer a live, two-day online RoboHelp class once a month. Feel free to contact us to learn other ways to meet your RoboHelp training requirements.

Adobe Captivate 8: Custom Theme Colors

by Anita Horsley  

 

When working in Adobe Captivate, it's possible that you will need to use colors that match your corporate brand. In that event, you'll be happy to learn that Captivate 8 allows you to easily create custom Theme colors. And once you've created your Theme colors, you can apply those colors to just about any slide object or learner interaction.

The first step to creating custom Theme colors is to apply a Theme to a project. To do that, click Themes on the toolbar and select any of the available Themes (Captivate provides several Themes out of the box).

Each Theme comes with a collection of Theme colors. You can use those colors as is or customize them. To access the Theme's colors, click Themes and then click Theme Colors.

 

Scroll through the list of colors and select any one of the Themes you like.

 
To customize the Theme colors, click the Customize button.


Click the title of the current color theme and type your own theme name.

 

Click the color swatches to replace the existing colors with your own. (Note: If your company does not have a style guide and you're looking for some guidance when it comes to selecting Theme colors, you may consider using your website colors. You can use the eye dropper tool to match the colors used on your website.)

 

As mentioned earlier, you can apply your custom Theme colors to just about any selected Captivate object. For instance, if you insert a Smart Shape, the Fill area on the Properties Inspector will include your custom Theme colors.


You can use customized Theme colors on Interactions. There will be a Theme Style option at the right of the Interaction. If you click Custom, you'll have access to Theme colors.


    

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

Free Captivate 8 Update Now Available

Adobe has announced a free update to its popular Adobe Captivate 8 software. The update fixes several bugs and includes some nice enhancements.

To get the update, choose Help > Updates from within the Captivate program. Once the update is installed, your new Captivate version will be 8.0.1.242.

Here's a partial list of what's new in the update:

• Responsive drag-and-drop interactions
• Google Maps enabled geo-location support
• Native app publisher
• Custom shapes and lines are now supported in responsive projects
• Streaming video support through embedded code in Web objects
• Success/Failure/Hint captions in quiz questions can now be replaced with smart shapes
• Swatches integration in color palette
• Symmetrical shapes
• The EXE publish option is back

More information.

eLearning: Adding Videos to eLearning... The Results

by Kevin Siegel   

 

Last week's poll about how eLearning developers work with the storage demands of video in eLearning garnered several responses. Here are the results:

Which eLearning development tool do you use the most?

• Adobe Captivate
• Adobe Presenter
• Articulate Storyline
• Articulate Presenter
• TechSmith Camtasia Studio
• Other (please specify)

While many developers use two or more of the tools listed above, the majority of respondents use Adobe Captivate the most (56%). Second was Camtasia Studio (24%) followed by Articulate Storyline (16%).

When adding video to your project, which option are you using?

• Video stored on your computer or network
• Your corporate media server (or a server you created on your own)
• A media service
• Other (please specify)

Most developers (54%) store the videos on their computer or server. Media service placed second (38%).  

If you set up your own media server, tell us your story. Specifically, what hardware and software did you use? What did it cost to set up?

Top comments about this question: "Previously attempted to do this with Adobe's Flash Media Server but it was too complicated and expensive. Did Windows Media Streaming as it came with Windows Server years ago. Generally due to cost, I have customer setup private Vimeo account and stream from there. We're getting a beefy streaming service setup (Kaltura)."

"We have a central server for our L&D team, run by operations."

"IT set-up MediaMill for us... and we set-up YouTube channels."

If you're using a media service, which one are you using?

Top responses:

• Amazon 
• YouTube
• Kaltura

Respondents were able to select any or all of the options above. Most selected the first two (creating or including videos feature themselves/talking head or video of industry-related tasks). Plenty of people also said that they use video of a demo already created in an eLearning authoring tool.