“Global” Glossary in Articulate

March 4, 2010

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. glossary_final

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!

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PowerPoint – The King of eLearning Tools?

February 26, 2010

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”). In the past few years I’ve started using Articulate and Captivate to do the heavy lifting and using Flash more for specific parts of the overall course. Using these new tools meant that I had to start using PPT.

At first I was very anti-PPT, however I have changed my tune a bit in the past few years. I have come to appreciate that with some good thought and instructional design you can use most any tool to a decent level of effectiveness. I’ve seen terrible Flash and Lectora courses even thought they were created in amazing (expensive) tools. Then on the flip-side, I’ve seen some very creative content built with free tools.

Seems cliché but maybe it’s not about the tool. Good instructional design skills can be applied anywhere.

Here are a few reasons why PPT seems to be so widely used in eLearning:

1. Classroom training is often converted to an online format. Every classroom course has a PPT and it’s usually the first thing that someone thinks about when they want to put the course online. Unfortunately too often the PPT is simply thrown online without having truly turned it into effective eLearning.

2. Everyone has PPT. It’s probably already on every training person’s computer.

3. Everyone knows how to use it (and if they don’t it’s pretty easy to learn.)

4. You can quickly create content and there are tons of layouts, backgrounds, and color themes.

5. And last but not least, Microsoft already owns the world so why not conform?

What do you think? What has been your experience with PPT as a development tool? What is it missing? Do you think Microsoft will add features and turn it into a more robust eLearning development tool? Good article from Rapid eL Blog.

eLearning flash interactions, games, and PowerPoint backgrounds for your online courses.

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Wordle – Create Word Clouds

February 25, 2010

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 on various blogs and thought that is was a great way to visualize your site/blog. You can input your site url and it will go through and build a Word Cloud based on how often words are used.

Here’s my Word Cloud for eLearningBrothers.com:

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The English Language is Just Weird!

February 24, 2010

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.

Here are some “weird” things in English:

The bandage was wound around the wound.
The farm was used to produce produce .
The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
We must polish the Polish furniture.
He could lead if he would get the lead out.
The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
I did not object to the object.
The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
They were too close to the door to close it.
The buck does funny things when the does are present.
A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
After I read the book I can say it was read.

More weird phrases:

There is no egg in eggplant, ham in hamburger, or apple nor pine in pineapple.
Quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
Why is it that writers write but fingers don’t fing?
If teachers taught, why didn’t preachers praught?
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
A wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

Isn’t English great!

Fun Learning Games.

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Taking Pictures for eLearning

February 22, 2010

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 Spicy Learning Blog – Top five tips for running a successful photo shoot

Here are some People Poses that we’ve created.

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Create a Look and Feel for eLearning Courses

February 19, 2010

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 the learning.
Ties the company together – If the course “looks” like the company it gives a sense of belonging.

How do you start creating a look and a feel? Here are some posts:

The Spicy Learning Blog – Top five tips for creating a look and feel for a new client
eLearning Brothers – Brand your online training

Want to create some branded templates? Why are they valuable?

Need some Flash Interactions for your course?

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Portfolio: Web and Graphic Design

February 18, 2010

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.

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The Forgotten Step in eLearning Design

February 17, 2010

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, SMEs are lined up to review it, and we have a deadline….let’s do it! However we are missing a key “brainstorming” step.

We all know that a team of individuals can usually be more creative than just one individual. As ideas start to “fly” others can build off those ideas and come up with new/better ones. Each person’s unique background and skills leads them to new ideas. However many times getting together a brainstorming team is viewed as cumbersome and time consuming.

Brainstorming can be very simple and quick. Here’s how I like to brainstorm a course:

Come up with a basic outline of the course content and proposed flow.
Gather the design team (or anyone who wants to participate).
Briefly mention what topics need to be covered.
Ask for ideas on how this information could be presented. (high-level ideas and quick)
Write them down. (all of them….every comment is OK at this point)
When everyone is done, start to combine ideas that are similar and delete those that aren’t feasible.

Through this process the best ideas rise to the top and become more refined. This process can give you great ideas for how to brand a course, make it interactive, present content, and engage the learner.

Brainstorming Rules:

No judgements (every comment is OK at this point)
No discussions (save the discussion for later)
No stories
Quick responses (only spend 5-10 mins total)
Get a lot of ideas before stopping (may set a goal beforehand)
Keep going even if you have a great idea early
Save the brainstorming notes

Here’s an interesting article on Brainstorming methods (right-brain vs. left-brain).

Brainstorming isn’t new but I think that if we spent a bit more time doing it our course could be greatly improved.

eLearning activities and interactions

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The Power of PowerPoint Master Slides in eLearning

February 16, 2010

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 layout for each type of learning interaction. Build master slides with 1,2,3…. boxes, scenarios, title page, pre-quiz, course evaluation, etc. (see the example images below.)

Consistent Layout – The text boxes and images for each layout are always in the same spot. It makes the presentation/course look clean and professional when things don’t “jump” around.

Easy to Share – If you work with multiple designers it is easy to share the file so that everyone is using the same layouts.

It’s Fast – Once you build some master slides it can really increase your design speed. You don’t have to “fiddle” with the layout of each page. Just click New Slide and choose a layout.

Reusable – You can quickly select the master slides and make changes. These changes will be reflected on every slide/page that used that master slide. Quickly change fonts, text positions, colors, etc.

Here are PowerPoint course templates and styles for eLearning that we’ve created. I hope that they speed up development and make your courses look great!

Happy eLearning!