Using Video in eLearning

Video is really taking off in the eLearning world and can add to the effectiveness of content. However, when using video there are many things to think about.

Typical steps to get video into an online course:

1. Script the video on paper
2. Record (sound and audio)
3. Edit
4. Compress/Render
5. Insert into eLearning authoring tool
6. Place on server
7. Open up access to the learners

Each one of the steps above takes various technical skills.

A big challenge when using video is to keep a high-level of quality but not have the files size too big. There are various techniques that help when compressing and deploying video. Flash .swf and .flv (Flash Video) is a great way to overcome these issues.

I found an article that focuses on compression, security, and deployment and could help you deploy your eLearning videos.

The article below addresses a scenario where a company needs to train 1500 employees using a 30 minute video. They are worried about security and the quality of their video. They will also have many employees accessing the video at the same time. Limited bandwidth is a worry.

Article: “Deploying Online Courses with Video Content” (Syberworks)

---

Use Flash? Check out these Flash interactions and eLearning game activities.

Learning Solutions Conference – Great Time!

The eLearning Guild did a great job putting on this year’s Learning Solutions Conference.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth and visited my learning session. (Don’t forget about the special conference discount code to purchase our eLearning Templates.)

Here is the presentation for Top 10 Do’s to Create Awesome eLearning.
(There are many basic foundations of eLearing design/dev that we need to remember and think about. At times we get “stuck” doing the same thing that we did yesterday. So, these tips aren’t rocket science. They are reminders that we may have forgotten.)

---

Articulate, PowerPoint, and Rapid eLearning templates.

Tell Me First or Last – I’ll Remember it Better

I ran across this interesting post the other day:  Start and End eLearning Courses with Methods That Facilitate Learning (Integrated Learning Services)

Shelley discusses that learners tend to remember the content presented first and last better than everything in the middle. (She refers to the Primacy and Recency Effects.) Now, when I first read the post it seemed like common sense. We just don’t have enough short-term capacity to remember all of it. However the point of the post is more around, “Since this is how the mind works, how are we changing the way we create training?”

Do you strategically place content in your course based on if it’s closer to the beginning or ending? Maybe we should think about it a bit more.

What if the course starts with a bullet list of learning objects? What if the course ends with a text page that says, “In this module you learned…”? Do these play to the strengths of the Primacy or Recency Effects?

Here are a few ideas to “space out” training so that it’s more effective. (Kineo)

I guess we need to add this idea to our “design flow” to make sure we don’t forget to consider while designing courses in the future.

---

eLearning Flash Interactions (Paste your text, export, and insert into your eLearning development tool.)

Visit Us – Learning Solutions Conference and Expo

We’ll be down in Orlando next week for the 2010 Learning Solutions Conference. Visit our booth and ask us about our conference special on interactive flash templates and games!

We’re also speaking at a Thursday morning session titled, “Top Ten Do’s and Don’ts to Create Awesome eLearning“. If you’re fairly new to eLearning design and development then please attend.

“Global” Glossary in Articulate

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 the Attachments section within Articulate Presenter.

Step 1: Build a glossary interaction in Engage 1. Create New Interaction 2. Choose Glossary 3. Input glossary terms 4. When done click Publish 5. Choose the Web tab 6. Select a publish folder

Step 2: Upload the Glossary files 1. Upload the entire Glossary folder to your web server (typically you’d upload this to the same server that houses your completed courses.) 2. Make note of the entire URL to this location

Step 3: Attach the Glossary to your course. 1. Open the PowerPoint file for your course 2. Click Articulate / Attachments 3. Type a Title such as “Glossary of Terms” 4. Choose Link as the Type 5. In the Path field type the full URL to the engage.html file on your server 6. Click OK

Here is a sample of the Glossary link. Notice how the tab says Glossary instead of Attachments. The step below explains how to change that text.

Optional Step: Change the Course Tab text to Glossary 1. Click Player Templates 2. Make sure that the Player Template that you’d like to change is selected in the drop-down at the bottom of the window 3. Choose Text Labels tab 4. Change the text for Attachments to anything that you’d like. (i.e. Glossary) 5. Click Close

---

Check out flash games that you can use in Articulate!