eLearning Brothers - eLearning development, flash games, challenges, and templates.

Blog Categories

Featured

“Global” Glossary in Articulate

March 4, 2010 · 3 Comments

PowerPoint – The King of eLearning Tools?

February 26, 2010 · 1 Comment

Wordle – Create Word Clouds

February 25, 2010 · 1 Comment

Ok…this doesn’t have much to do with eLeanring but I thought that it was pretty neat. (However I could make a reach and tie this to how a picture is worth a thousand words. Actually, this is a picture of a bunch of words.) I ran across Wordle... [Read the full story]

The English Language is Just Weird!

February 24, 2010 · Leave a Comment

I got an email about this the other day and thought that it was fun to read. There are many times when we have to teach things that don’t make sense and don’t seem to follow rules. I’m glad that I’m not trying to teach English.... [Read the full story]

Taking Pictures for eLearning

February 22, 2010 · 2 Comments

It is really nice to have a library of “people poses”. There are many times when I need pictures of a person in multiple poses. We’ve used iStock to purchase some and we’ve also made our own. Here are some tips to create your own: The... [Read the full story]

Create a Look and Feel for eLearning Courses

February 19, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Portfolio: Web and Graphic Design

February 18, 2010 · Leave a Comment

When working with companies we are often asked to do graphic design and website development. The skills used to create eLearning are the same for websites and graphics. Occasionally we do some miscellaneous projects. Here are some samples. Read More →

The Forgotten Step in eLearning Design

February 17, 2010 · 6 Comments

The Power of PowerPoint Master Slides in eLearning

February 16, 2010 · 1 Comment

Handwritten Fonts – Where to Find Them

February 11, 2010 · 1 Comment

Templates

The Power of PowerPoint Master Slides in eLearning

February 16, 2010 · 1 Comment

Master slides in PowerPoint are very powerful and they are easier than ever to do with PPT 07. When using a rapid e-Learning authoring tools that runs off PowerPoint I always start with a template that uses master slides. (or I build one to use throughout the course.) Why do I like master slides: Templates – You can create a bunch of master slides and then save it as a template.That allows you to chose from many different layouts with just one click. (see last image below.) Page Design – Create a different... [Read the full story]

Awesome Games and Interactions for Articulate Presenter

December 22, 2009 · Leave a Comment

If you’ve been coming to this site for awhile you probably know that we build a lot of custom flash games/quizzes/interactions for eLearning developers. I want to take a moment and focus on how the templates work with Articulate. eLearning Games Each of the games is created in Flash and has scoring and looks amazing. A learner answers various questions and gets feedback and a running score. Every game comes with the .fla file so that you can customize everything until your heart is content. However, if you don’t... [Read the full story]

eLearning Templates Biggest Bundle

December 9, 2009 · Leave a Comment

$1500 (Sells separately for $2,670) 8 Flash games, 2 PPT eLearning course style themes AND more than 60 Flash interactions included in this bundle! These are PPT and Flash based templates that are super easy to update. Each template is fully customizable in Flash (we give you the .fla Flash source file). All you have to do is open Flash, paste your text, publish, and insert into your favorite eLearning Development tool. Made to work within most rapid elearning software (Articulate Presenter, Adobe Captivate, Rapid Intake,... [Read the full story]

eLearning Templates Bigger Bundle

December 8, 2009 · 2 Comments

$1000 (Sells separately for $1,250) 8 Flash games AND over 30 Flash interactions included in this bundle! These are Flash based templates that are super easy to update. Each template is fully customizable in Flash (we give you the .fla Flash source file). Just open Flash, paste your text, publish, and insert into your favorite eLearning development tool. Made to work within most rapid elearning software (Articulate Presenter, Adobe Captivate, Rapid Intake, Adobe Presenter, PowerPoint and more). BONUS: Reuse the templates... [Read the full story]

eLearning Templates Big Bundle

December 7, 2009 · Leave a Comment

$650 (Sells separately for $800) 8 Flash games included in this bundle! These are Flash based templates that are super easy to update. Each template is fully customizable in Flash (we give you the .fla Flash source file). Just open Flash, paste your text, publish, and insert into your favorite eLearning development tool. Made to work within most rapid elearning software (Articulate Presenter, Adobe Captivate, Rapid Intake, Adobe Presenter, PowerPoint and more). BONUS: Reuse the templates over and over again in multiple courses…or... [Read the full story]

Free online Flash Tutorials for eLearning Templates

November 20, 2009 · Leave a Comment

We are pleased to announce our new Flash eLearning Template Tutorials website. This website is dedicated to providing you with useful screencast video tutorials. We will continue adding to it weekly, and as always…feel welcome to request a screencast if you need additional help. Flash Tutorials Webpage eLearning Templates Hope you enjoy… Read More →

Spy Challenge eLearning Flash Game Template

November 17, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Another great Flash eLearning game template from e-LearningTemplates.com. This is a Flash based template that is super easy to update. Each template is fully customizable in Flash (we give you the .fla Flash source file). Made to work within most rapid elearning software (Articulate Presenter, Adobe Captivate, Rapid Intake, Adobe Presenter, PowerPoint and more). BONUS: Reuse the templates over and over again in multiple courses…or even other websites and presentations. Specs: Files included: .Fla and .swf Requirements:... [Read the full story]

Flash eLearning Multi-Game Bundle #2

November 16, 2009 · Leave a Comment

We have just bundled another amazing group of elearning flash game templates. Visit e-LearningTemplates.com for additional details. $225 Value! – 4 Games included in this bundle: Golf Challenge ShootOut Challenge BootCamp Challenge Spy Challenge These are Flash based templates that are super easy to update. Each template is fully customizable in Flash (we give you the .fla Flash source file). Made to work within most rapid elearning software (Articulate Presenter, Adobe Captivate, Rapid Intake, Adobe Presenter, PowerPoint... [Read the full story]

Why Use eLearning Templates in Your Course?

November 16, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Are you developing online training content (eLearning)? Do you want to save money and time? Are there multiple members on your team and you need everything to be consistent? Are there varying levels of technical expertise on the team? These are just a few questions that we come across while building online training content. Using templates to build eLearning can address many of the questions above. Before discussing a few points let me describe what I mean by eLearning templates. Templates can include many different assets.... [Read the full story]

Flash Interactions Pack: Grunge

November 10, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Included in this PACK are over 30 amazing Flash based templates that are super easy to update. Instructions are included within each of the files. Each template is fully customizable in Flash (we give you the .fla Flash source file). Made to work within most rapid elearning software (Articulate Presenter, Adobe Captivate, Rapid Intake, Adobe Presenter, PowerPoint and more). Reuse the templates over and over again in multiple courses…or even other websites and presentations. e-Learning Templates Read More →

Tips and Tricks

The Power of PowerPoint Master Slides in eLearning

February 16, 2010 · 1 Comment

Handwritten Fonts – Where to Find Them

February 11, 2010 · 1 Comment

I’ve come across various posts lately about handwritten fonts and they can be a great addition to an online course. Examples of handwritten fonts being used: Here are some free Handwritten Fonts: Articulate Da Font TripWire Magazine Instant Shift Great Post: Tom and the Rapid eLearning Blog on when to use handwritten fonts. Checkout PowerPoint backgrounds for your eLearning courses. Read More →

Articulate Tip – Lock the Browser Size

January 28, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Have you ever published your Articulate course and the images and flash are fuzzy and look terrible? Well, if so it might be caused by your course content resizing in the browser. There is a setting within each Player Template in Articulate Presenter that allows your to either allow the course to expand/shrink as the user’s browser window changes size or to lock the content as the “optimal” size. If you don’t lock the presentation then if your user has a large browser window your images/flash might... [Read the full story]

eLearning Graphics – They Make a Huge Impact!

January 25, 2010 · 1 Comment

There is no doubt that graphics and images greatly improve online training content. The question is how to properly use them. I’ve come across some good articles lately and thought that I’d compile and list them here. (the list also includes some posts on graphics that we’ve done in the past.) Realistic Graphics and Learning: What’s most effective? (The eLearning Coach) Really…Were These the Best Images We Could Find? (eLearning Brothers) Don’t use Gratuitous Images in eLearning (eLearning Brothers) Graphics:... [Read the full story]

Really…Were These the Best Images We Could Find?

December 17, 2009 · 1 Comment

JOIN THE CRUSADE…NO MORE CHEESY, ANIMATED CLIPART! How many times have you seen images like these? Images are an important part of online courses. The trick is that the images we use must enhance the instructional qualities of the content. The images must also look professional and give the learner confidence that the material is accurate. The images above do not look professional and certainly do not give me a feeling that I can trust the course content. So what types of images could we use? Photos... [Read the full story]

Is Classroom Training More Credible than Online Training?

December 9, 2009 · 7 Comments

Recently at a round-table discussion about eLearning in the Commercial Lending industry an interesting point surfaced periodically: “Why is classroom training perceived as being more credible than online training?” I think that this varies a bit by industry (and commercial banking is not known to be pioneers in the latest technology) but many people believe that classroom training is the “best way”. E-Learning is acceptable as a “second-best” option but will not work as well as a classroom... [Read the full story]

Knowledge vs. Information…Which is it?

December 8, 2009 · 10 Comments

Is there a difference between Knowledge and Information? As training professionals are we sharing information, teaching knowledge, or both? Last week I was discussing Commercial Lending training with various designers from financial institutions and someone mentioned how we aim to give knowledge not information. The comment made me start to think about how courses are created. What is knowledge and was is just information? Maybe they are the same? Definitions from Webster: Knowledge: acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles,... [Read the full story]

Brand Your Online Training

December 4, 2009 · 3 Comments

The Learner’s Perspective When a learner launches your online training do they know that it belongs to your company? Could a customer recognize your company by looking at your course? I have always thought that training material should mimic the branding of the company and/or organization. So why do I think this way? Most companies spend a lot of time and money to develop a brand and a look/feel that they want to portray to the public. Often these are marketing professionals that team up with designers to create all... [Read the full story]

Have Fun with your Flash Images!

November 24, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Ever wanted to make your photographs a bit more “stylized” or look more like an illustration or cartoon? Here is a quick tip on how to use Flash to turn your bitmap images into vectors. 1. Import image onto the Flash stage. 2. Select the image. 3. Select Modify / Bitmap / Trace Bitmap. 4. Adjust the settings as desired. Here is the details about the settings (From Adobe Tech Notes): Color Threshold: The range is from 1 to 500. This setting determines the degree to which one pixel may vary in... [Read the full story]

10 Design Standards to Create Better eLearning!

November 23, 2009 · 5 Comments

If you’re thinking about creating eLearning courses you’ve probably started to think about standards. eLearning content needs to follow standards just like classroom manuals and material. When content is standardized it makes it easier for the learner to understand and quickly process the content. They stop noticing inconsistencies and focus on what you’d really like them to – the meat! Once you’ve come up with your own list of standards, make sure that everyone on the team has them (and lives by them). Don’t... [Read the full story]

Instructional Design

PowerPoint – The King of eLearning Tools?

February 26, 2010 · 1 Comment

Is PowerPoint the most widely used tool for eLearning development? Should it be? It seems that everywhere I go in the eLearning world I run into PowerPoint. Most of the new authoring tools either use PPT as their backbone or offer the ability to import slides. Interface creation, navigation buttons, LMS tracking, and testing abilities are then typically added to the PPT functionality. I “grew-up” in eLearning world using Director/Authorware and then moving into Flash/HTML (PPT was “off-limits”).... [Read the full story]

Create a Look and Feel for eLearning Courses

February 19, 2010 · Leave a Comment

The look and feel (branding) of your online training is VERY important. Benefits of a good course brand Makes an impact – Learners want courses that look good. It gives an impression of professionalism and expertise. Attracts attention – We look at things that attract our attention. Once we attract attention a learner may actually start to read our content. Minimizes distractions – A good design adds to the course content and doesn’t “get in the way”. It shouldn’t distract from... [Read the full story]

The Forgotten Step in eLearning Design

February 17, 2010 · 6 Comments

There is a step in the design process that seems to be rushed-over at times: Brainstorming. Many times we are presented with information that needs to be trained. We’ve probably done a similar course in the past and/or covered a similar topic. We probably have standards, templates, colors, and other various course assets in place so that we can build content more quickly. The course also needs to be done yesterday. It is very easy to just “start building”. We have a learning need, the base content is provided,... [Read the full story]

The Power of PowerPoint Master Slides in eLearning

February 16, 2010 · 1 Comment

Handwritten Fonts – Where to Find Them

February 11, 2010 · 1 Comment

Hostages in Training Prison

February 9, 2010 · 1 Comment

Awhile back I did a post on Training Prisoners and how we can help participants not feel “trapped” in class. I’ve been reading a blog called: Better Learning Better Earning and it has some interesting articles. One in particular touches on Training by Hostage. They discuss Learning Liberty, Learning Tyranny, and You-niversity. We really can’t force anyone to learn. We can encourage people to pursue interests and to feed those interest. At times employees must learn certain information whether they... [Read the full story]

eLearner’s Bill of Rights

January 26, 2010 · Leave a Comment

A recent article on eLearn Magazine talked about how to make eLearning stick. At the end of the article Susan Doctoroff Landay posts her “eLearner’s Bill of Rights“. Her point is that we need to remember our eLearner’s expectations when creating courses. Every learner has expectations but the challenge with eLearning is that we can’t see the participants and they have many different tools/ways to access our content. Here is Susan’s eLearner’s Bill of Rights: I. Freedom of speech.... [Read the full story]

eLearning Graphics – They Make a Huge Impact!

January 25, 2010 · 1 Comment

Instructional Design for Videos

January 22, 2010 · Leave a Comment

A lot of training is using video and it’s becoming very easy to create and distribute. As things become easier and cheaper we often see the quality decrease. For example, if you had to spend $10,000 to hire a camera crew to come out and do a video shoot then you’d probably have all of the scripts and talent well prepared. However, if you can quickly create a video on your handheld camera and upload it to YouTube then you might be tempted to just “wing-it”. Here is a great article by Jeremy Vest on... [Read the full story]

Picking the Right LMS Logo and Design

January 12, 2010 · 1 Comment

We all know that branding is important. I’ve discussed the importance of branding our online courses before however I didn’t mentioned tying that into the branding/logo of the LMS. A good LMS name/logo can really help learners and the company culture adopt online learning. I’ve seen things from plays on university/college terms to words that describe action/learning/performance. Here is an article that I found interesting: Design a Successful and Memorable Logo For Your LMS E-Learning Courseware By Robin... [Read the full story]

Articulate

“Global” Glossary in Articulate

March 4, 2010 · 3 Comments

Do you have a glossary of terms that you’d like to have in every course? When there are additions and edits would you like to change one file and have it update every course? We’ll…if so you’re in luck! Below are the steps that I take to build Global (or Universal) Glossaries. Overview The basic concept is that you create a glossary in Engage and then export it as a website. You can then upload it to a server and use the direct URL to access it from any course. You’d place the link in... [Read the full story]

Articulate Tip – Lock the Browser Size

January 28, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Awesome Quizzes – Tips to Use Articulate Quizmaker

January 19, 2010 · 2 Comments

I really like Articulate’s Quizmaker ‘09. It allows me to do some pretty powerful stuff quickly. Here is a list of how do make your quizzes awesome in Quizmaker. Grouping Questions There are times when you need to group questions to ensure that they flow in a certain order. (Especially if you want to randomize the order of some and not others.) I’ve also found this helpful if I want to present a scenario and then have specific questions after. Here are the steps: 1. Create your questions 2.... [Read the full story]

Awesome Games and Interactions for Articulate Presenter

December 22, 2009 · Leave a Comment

eLearning Templates Biggest Bundle

December 9, 2009 · Leave a Comment

BootCamp Challenge Flash Game Template

October 21, 2009 · Leave a Comment

You got it…another awesome Flash eLearning game template to spice up your online training courses. Just like all our other games, this is super easy to update/customize in Flash. Made to work within most rapid elearning software (Articulate Presenter, Adobe Captivate, Rapid Intake, Adobe Presenter, and more). Read More →

Golf Challenge eLearning Flash Game Template

October 21, 2009 · Leave a Comment

We have just released another awesome rapid eLearning Flash game template. This template is super easy to update/customize within Flash…even for the non-flash developer. Made to work within most rapid elearning software (Articulate Presenter, Adobe Captivate, Rapid Intake, Adobe Presenter, and more). Read More →

Using View Slides to Send LMS Completion in Articulate

October 20, 2009 · 2 Comments

I published a course the other day and when users started going through it the completion status never passed to the LMS. I just used the standard “publish to LMS” option in Articulate…it has to be working. The user must be doing something incorrectly right? Well, actually I messed up. (but the software tricked me) Using “Track using number of slides viewed” to pass a completion status to your LMS: You can have users pass a course if they pass a quiz or if they viewed a pre-determined number... [Read the full story]

Articulate Resources and Articles

October 9, 2009 · Leave a Comment

If you’re like me I’m always looking for good articles and “how-to” blogs on Articulate. So I thought that I’d share a few resources that I’ve written and use. Articles: Articulate and Flash Audio Navigating the Articulate API with Flash Scavenger Hunts in Articulate Using Flash to Control Articulate Navigation Blogs/Sites: Articulate Forums Rapid eLearning Blog (great usability and design info) Mozealous (technical developer info) Daveperso (technical developer info) Read More →

Articulate and Flash with Audio

October 9, 2009 · Leave a Comment

I’ve been working on an Articulate Presenter course with a lot of flash files that have audio. Each of the .swfs have buttons that the user clicks to go to various frames. There are audio clips that go along with each slide. I quickly began to notice that the .swfs acted differently once imported into Articulate. Here are a few things to consider/think about: 1. Import settings – When inserting a flash movie into Articulate you have a few different settings to consider. How to display the movie – I choose to display... [Read the full story]

Flash

Awesome Games and Interactions for Articulate Presenter

December 22, 2009 · Leave a Comment

eLearning Templates Biggest Bundle

December 9, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Free Holiday Flash Game: Santa Attack

December 1, 2009 · 4 Comments

Happy Holiday’s from the eLearning Bros! We whipped up the Santa Attack game just for a little light-hearted fun this holiday season. Enjoy. Brother Shawn’s high score is 1280…we dare you to try and beat it! If you’d like this free flash game for your own use, just fill out our contact form and mention that you’d like the free santa attack flash game. We’ll email you shortly after with the working .fla file. Play the game! Screenshots from the game: eLearning Templates Read More →

Have Fun with your Flash Images!

November 24, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Free online Flash Tutorials for eLearning Templates

November 20, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Spy Challenge eLearning Flash Game Template

November 17, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Flash eLearning Multi-Game Bundle #2

November 16, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Create Click Alerts in Flash

November 12, 2009 · Leave a Comment

In this post I show you how to create a button with a “click alert” on it which is a slight animation that indicates to the user that they should interact with the button. The click alert will also gray out after being clicked. You can use this tutorial to create flash eLearning interactions that indicate to the user that some action is needed. (hey you….click on me!) Also once they’ve clicked on it, you must have it visually change so that they know they’ve already been there. Here’s the click alert example... [Read the full story]