Camtasia Studio 8 Tutorial: How to use the timeline in-depth This Camtasia Studio 8 Tutorial presents in-depth how to use the Timeline. Specifically, it covers the following topics: 0:30 - What are digital videos? 0:40 - What do I see on the Camtasia Studio 8 canvas? 0:45 - What do I see on the Camtasia Studio 8 timeline? 1:10 - Unlimited tracks 1:25 - The importance of the order of media on the timeline 2:15 - Combined video and audio 2:30 - Separating video and audio 2:50 - Animation keyframes - video and cursor 3:15 - Cutting or deleting a selection from the timeline 4:00 - Copying and pasting on the timeline 4:40 - Some quick tips for easier work on the timeline 5:25 - Share your feedback The post Camtasia Studio 8 Tutorial: How to use the timeline in-depth appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.

As instructional designers, we are so often caught up with our content, and in our desire to create wired, out-of-the-box instructional approaches, we end up creating a mess for the learner. So, when do you know where to stop? Easy. The answer lies within you! - You need to stop; when your course or strategy goes beyond the comprehension of the learner. The whole point of eLearning is to make learning simple! Let’s have a look at three ways to keep eLearning simple and awesome! Awesome Way Number 1 - Focus on What Matters: Never forget the people who access your online course - your learners. If they are not on your mind while designing the course, then your course is going to be a big dud, and you will have a hard time explaining what went wrong to your stakeholders. Always! Always! Think about your learners. After all, they are the ones who decide whether or not your course is a success! Awesome Way Number 2 - Do Not Go Overboard: This is perhaps the hardest task of an instructional designer. Going overboard is like second nature for a designer. Being passionate about your instructional approach is great. However, it should not be at the cost of missing project timelines and cost! There are times when you will fight it hard to restrict yourself and breakout into your old pattern, but remember creativity is born in constraints, and sometimes, we need to think above and beyond the course. Awesome Way Number 3 - Simplicity At its Best: Be it visuals or text, keep it simple. Don’t have too much or too little on the screen. Lesser the clutter the better. Use apt and not abstract images. You need to remember that the whole point of using an image is to support the text to drive the point home and not confuse the learner. The same goes for narration, it is very easy to dump all the nice-to-know information in the audio narration, but a wordy narration kills your eLearning course. So, keep it simple because less is more! These are the three awesome ways to keep eLearning course simple. If you have more awesome ways feel free to post a comment. Related Posts3 Interesting Ways to Design Elearning Intro Pages - Infographic3 Tips to Instructional Designers for Effective E-learning - An Infographic4 E-learning Elements to Leave Your Learners Spellbound - An Infographic

What eLearning Professionals Should Know About Working Memory It’s not infrequent the term working memory to be used by many interchangeably with short-term memory. However, there is a clear distinction among the two of them. Short-term memory is a temporary storage area, an anti-chamber to receive and welcome new information coming from our senses. Working memory, on the other hand, is the mechanism that manipulates information temporary located in the short-term memory and either discards it or facilitates its transition to the long-term memory. eLearning content should be based on strategies that enhance this transition in order to guarantee that learning has actually taken place. The aim of this article is to present the most important of these strategies. When we are trying to learn something new, this new piece of information is temporarily stored in the short-term memory. Working memory operating there, either encodes it in order to be transferred and stored in the long term memory or if there is no sufficient time or learner’s interest, new information comes and replaces the existing one, before the encoding and transferring process to the long-term memory takes place. Information can also simply decay over time and be erased from the working memory. In fact, according to Goldstein (2010), working memory can only store information about 10 to 15 seconds. The exception to this rule is if the information is actively applied or rehearsed, in which case it is eventually moved to the permanent storage of long-term memory. It also takes a great deal of mental effort to keep data in the working memory for any length of time, which can lead to cognitive overload. An overloaded working memory equates to reduced cognitive function and knowledge retention, which means that eLearning professionals must keep its limitations in mind to give their learners the most beneficial virtual learning environment. When considering how working memory functions in order to improve the online training experience, instructional designers should have two things in mind: how to manage working memory’s limited capacity and working memory strategies that will facilitate the transition of information from short-term to long-term memory. 6 Strategies eLearning Professionals Should Follow To Manage Working Memory’s Limited Capacity As working memory operates within short-term memory, it has a limited capacity and duration. Due to this fact, when there is much incoming information, working memory tries to retain only the meaningful one and discard all the rest to make room for more incoming information.  Based on this there are certain strategies eLearning professionals should follow in order to manage working memory’s limited capacity. Present new concepts starting from simplest to most complex. If you are working with subject matter that may be more complex or new concepts that the learner is not yet familiar with, it’s a good idea to start with the easier concepts first and then work your way up to the more challenging subject matter. This enables learners to easier assign a meaning to new information and, therefore, transfer it to the long-term memory, creating a foundation upon which they can build their comprehension for more challenging aspects of the eLearning course. When a more complicated concept "comes" later on, it can be related to something that has already been mastered, and this minimizes the possibility of being discarded. On the other hand, if you present a complex concept first, as working memory has neither a point of reference, nor the time to process it, there is an increased probability to discard it. The use of visual aids such as flowcharts and graphics to show the relationship between new and existing knowledge can facilitate this process. Limit the number of distractions. Don’t overload the working memory with clutter. The working memory may be a powerful tool, but it’s also a delicate one. For example, if you include a variety of irrelevant graphics and images in your eLearning course, or create lengthy blocks of text that don’t clearly highlight the key takeaways, then the working memory is not going to be able to function at optimal efficiency. Instead, it will be distracted by all of the clutter and chaos on the page, which means that it cannot properly digest the subject matter. When designing your eLearning course make sure that every element within it ties into the learning goals and objectives. Limit the amount of clutter by removing unnecessary animations, audio, video, and narration, as these elements will only place undue stress on the working memory. Provide opportunities for practice. Increase retention by reviewing early and often. Working memory is a two-way communication system. Not only does it transfers new information to the long-term memory, but it also retrieves already acquired information in order to be able to evaluate the new one. When our working memory recalls information it helps to reinforce knowledge retention. This is why it’s essential to integrate activities that ask learners to summarize the information they have learned throughout the eLearning course. Begin the eLearning unit with an overview of what to be learned in order to provide an overall structure of the eLearning course; then, have them put key concepts of the eLearning content in their own words throughout the eLearning course. Ask them to create a weekly blog post that explores the subjects discussed during the week, or have them complete assessments after each section. This not only prevents cognitive overload, as they have several opportunities to review the information, but also strengthens working memory when it needs to make associations of new and existing knowledge. Chunking. Working memory only provides a small space in which information can be stored. Usually it can only hold about four to five pieces of new information at any given time, which means that learners are only able to handle a limited amount of new data before experiencing cognitive overload. Research has shown that the capacity of the working memory also depends on the type of information received. For example, it has been proved that we tend to remember more digits than letters, shorter than longer words, etc. One useful technique to deal with the limited capacity issue of the working memory is chunking. Instead of presenting spare concepts, you can create lessons that are more easily digestible by chunking information into groups that involve similar concepts or ideas. By doing so, the entire group of concepts occupies a single position in working memory and not multiple ones. This not only multiples the amount of information that can pass through the working memory, but also the amount of information that can get transferred to the long-term memory for permanent storage. Present information in meaningful and easily digestible ways. Breaking the lesson into smaller parts, is a good practice that also facilitates working memory to process the information. This is due to the fact that our minds can remember shorter words more effectively than longer sentences. Create individual learning units that feature a learning goal or objective and give your learners the opportunity to pause in between lessons so that they can fully absorb the knowledge they have gathered. The use of bullet points is an effective way to present eLearning content with key concepts to be assimilated, rather that longer sentences that working memory may discard. Include assignments that activate long term memory schemata. While working memory has a limited capacity, this is not the case with long-term memory. Working memory strives to retrieve background information we know about a particular topic by accessing information stored within our long term memory schemata, which are highly complex structures that help us to alleviate cognitive overwhelm. Every attempt to link the new information just arrived in short-term memory to our existing cognitive schemata is beneficial to learning, as it enhances the functions of the working memory in order to transfer this new piece of knowledge to the long-term memory as well, either by adding additional information to an existing schema, or by altering the existing schema according to the new information received. The fist process is known as association, though the second as accommodation. In terms of eLearning, when you incorporate activities that encourage the learner to access their long term memory banks, such as scenarios or simulations that feature previously learned concepts, you significantly boost knowledge retention as you support and make it easier for the working memory to link new information to already existing schemata stored in our long-term memory. These have been a few tips to help you create effective eLearning courses that optimize the working memory functions without overwhelming your learners’ cognitive abilities. This allows the information to flow from this temporary storage space to their long term memory and stay there for the rest of their lives. Interested in learning more about memory? The article Memory: Types, Facts And Myths features the types of memory you’ll want to bear in mind when developing eLearning courses. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

One of our clients wanted to train his sales people on products. Most of the inputs that we receive from our stakeholders are all textual information either in the form of MS-Word documents or PowerPoint presentations. It is difficult for the learner to retain the information and too much of on-screen text will overload the learner. What do you do when a large amount of text is given to you? What can you do to reduce a lot of information? As instructional designers, we should first analyze the content, and then, identify the training needs. The eLearning content should be given based on the learner’s proficiency and provide explanatory feedback which helps them develop and sharpen their skills. Adding scenarios can help the learner to solve real world problems without facing the consequences. In this blog, I’ll share 3 things to do before designing pharmaceutical sales training. 1. Identify Goals The very first thing you should do is identify the goals. What is it you want your trainees to learn from your module? What are the skills they need to develop in order to perform their everyday work? How can they become better sales representatives? We suggest adding a "What’s in it for Me?" slide which contains a series of questions that motivate the learner to think whether this is what they are looking for in the module. 2. Add Motivators As an instructional designer, it is important to evaluate the success of the eLearning program. The best way to make courses more engaging and exciting is to include thought provoking questions which prompt the learner to think. We decided to have a teaser in the form of "Do You Know?" and "Can You Recall?". We have accompanied the question with explanatory feedback which informs the learner if their answer is correct or incorrect. Feedback for the correct answer re-iterates the answer, and feedback for an incorrect response provides the correct answer. 3. Focus on Content The ultimate goal of your eLearning course is to help your learners become well-versed with the content, so that they can use new skills on the job. We suggest a clinical application slide in the course. It includes a scenario wherein a sales representative will have a communication with the doctor. We have created a few situations that sales representative might face in a clinic. The scenario enhances their scientific, communication skills in clinic, and also improves the ability to handle queries and objections. By keeping these 3 things in mind while designing pharmaceutical sales training courses, you can design a highly effective course for medico-sales personnel. Hope you find this post useful. Do share your views. Related PostsE-learning to Meet the Sales Training Needs of Pharmaceutical Firms - An Infographic7 Tips for Creating Winning Sales Training Program for the Gen- Y5 Types of Training for Sales Representatives of Pharmaceutical Firms - An Infographic

Adobe Captivate 8 Tutorial: Responsive Quizzes in Adobe Captivate 8 This Adobe Captivate 8 tutorial presents how to create responsive quizzes with Adobe Captivate 8. The post Adobe Captivate 8 Tutorial: Responsive Quizzes in Adobe Captivate 8 appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.

The e-Affordances In eLearning Explained by Dr. William Cope and Dr. Mary Kalantzis in their Coursera eLearning Ecology course, an e-affordance refers to whether the technology you use can enable new learning and assessment opportunities and experiences. Here are the 7 e-affordances: Ubiquitous learning. Ubiquitous learning makes it easier for learners to access content from any computer or mobile device, online or offline, anywhere and anytime. Historically, knowledge and information has been restricted by class and privilege, but creating a networked learning environment opens up access to validated knowledge and a plethora of facts. Can your learners learn anywhere and anytime using their preferred device? Can they work offline (with some of the content at least)? Are there open resources they can go to, as well as the required resources of the course? Can they draw on a learning network of experts and resources? Active knowledge making. Making new connections between pieces of information in order to create new meanings is part of the learning process. Learners build upon existing knowledge and/or on what they already know, so it helps if there are a variety of activities that are both process and product orientated. Is the content learned step-by-step in a structured sequence or holistically? What can learners create, develop, or do with the content? Is it possible to make connections between key points? Do you provide a mix of challenging and easy tasks? Multimodal meaning. Text, media, sound, and data resources are easier to create more than ever. Multimodal resources add interest and break up the style of learning. If the content is presented in multiple ways it ensures that you not only can choose your preferred medium, but also have concepts reinforced along the way. Does the course offer multimodal resources? Do learners have an opportunity to create and submit assignments multi-modally? Are there opportunities for both print and visual learning? Do the resources comply with universal learning principles? Recursive feedback. Recursive feedback is an important way for learners to check their progress. Receiving timely and relevant feedback has always been part of any course but now most obviously received as part of an online activity. It helps you think about what you are doing, your successes and failures, and how you can improve. Does the learner receive feedback immediately or do they have to wait? Is there an opportunity for peer feedback or is it all teacher-centric? Is the feedback relevant and related to the task? Can the learner track their own progress in a meaningful way? Collaborative intelligence. Whether it's to participate in a forum or to collaborate on a resource together, online social activities provide support and teamwork opportunities. Working with others in a collaboration space also stimulates more food for thought. Does your course lend itself to a forum or an online project space? Or both? Do learners need to answer focus questions? Or is there an activity prompt? Is the collaboration activity an asynchronous or synchronous event? Can it be both? Is there a shared goal? Metacognition. Thinking about thinking is a valuable activity for online learners. It helps you reflect on what you have learned and where you are going. It helps you determine areas of weakness as well as strengths and it helps you think about what questions to ask. What kind of metacognition activities is available for your learners? Does the course lend itself to self-assessment surveys, quizzes, or learning journals? Is there a standard model that learners can check their work against? Is there an opportunity to discuss their thoughts with others? Differentiated learning. Differentiated learning is also more possible now than ever before. It refers to personalizing learning experiences or tailoring a course to a learner’s needs and interests. After all, not everyone learns in the same way. Is your course learner-centered? Is there a survey or assessment of individual learning needs? Is there relevant advice and support along the way? Can learners choose either a slow-paced or fast-paced option? Or one suited to their level? It’s worth thinking about what elements you need to design and run an effective online course, so that learners don’t miss out on new ways of learning. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Using games in eLearning courses is the new trend, and they add value to the eLearning courses. But, why should we use games in our eLearning courses? Games, in eLearning, are used for motivation and reinforcement. According to Ambient research, the market for game-based learning is expected to grow from $1.5 billion in 2012 to $2.3 billion in 2017. As we know, games are great tools to engage and reinforce learning. They help comprehend and recall complex content easily. Games help learners stay focused on important and relevant content. So, let’s have a look at the motives to use games in your eLearning courses. 1. Games make courses interactive and effective Games are great way to reinforce learning as they are effective and interactive. The learner does everything in a "consequential" manner, and this makes game-based training methods very effective when compared to traditional online training methods. A good, interactive game encourages the thinking capabilities of learners and makes them feel interested. 2. Games help measure performance of learners Games are measurable as they automatically track the learner’s progress in the assessments And, assessments help learners apply their knowledge and skills to real-world challenges and measure the learner’s achievements of the learning outcomes. 3. Games reinforce and motivate learners Games motivate learners to stay focused on the content. Games are highly engaging and interesting because they help provide hands-on-activities and motivate learners by giving positive feedback. Game elements (such as backgrounds, images, scores or points, sound clips, and feedback) motivate learners to acquire knowledge in an engaging manner and also enhance the effectiveness of eLearning courses. Using rapid authoring tools such as Articulate Storyline and Adobe Captivate, we can develop highly effective games. Here are some games developed with Articulate Storyline. These are some of the reasons to use games in your eLearning courses. Please share your thoughts! Related PostsInstructional Designers Keep it Simple! 3 Awesome Ways to Simplify E-learning DesignHow Descriptive is Your E-learning Course Description? Right or Wrong!3 Tips to Instructional Designers for Effective E-learning - An Infographic

There’s no doubt that technology can have a significant impact on our students and their learning environment; however, as much as the use of edtech tools can be beneficial, like anything else, they can also be a detriment if not utilized effectively. It’s all about the… Nope not that! Wait for it….. It’s all about the way in which technology is integrated into lessons, activities and projects. Is it meaningful? Relevant? Real-world? As you probably are aware, a lot of people have a lot to say about what constitutes best practices when it comes to incorporating various tools and apps into the classroom. Of course, that’s all well and good, but honestly—it’s not rocket science like "they say". Actually, in my humble (and experienced) opinion, much of what needs to be done involves exercising some good ol’ fashioned common sense—similar to the tips shown on the infographic below. Check em’ out! I bet you’ll be nodding your head in that "yep" motion as you read them—just like I did! A shout out to Kasey Bell for creating and sharing this useful reminder for teachers. For many more really swell edtech ideas, visit her awesome web site—Shake Up Learning! Classroom Connection: Educators can use these tips to help them make better use of technology tools for instruction and to assist students with improving their technology skills within the context of the regular curriculum.

Camtasia Studio 8 Tutorial: Editing in-depth This Camtasia Studio 8 Tutorial takes a closer look at Camtasia Editor and some of the functions that are most commonly used when editing videos. Specifically, it covers the following topics: 0:00 - Intro 0:20 - Trimming review 0:45 - Splitting review 1:05 - Clip speed 1:55 - Closing gaps with a ripple move 2:15 - Creating space with a ripple move 2:40 - Extend Frame 3:40 - Wrap-up The post Camtasia Studio 8 Tutorial: Editing in-depth appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.

Every organization has a lot of PowerPoint presentations, developed for classroom training programs. These PowerPoint presentations cannot serve as self-paced learning material in the absence of an instructor. So, publishing PPT files as eLearning courses, using rapid authoring tools, doesn’t serve the purpose. In order to convert them into self-paced online courses, we need to "treat" them with effective instructional design strategies. Let’s go through the info-graphic below which shares 5 sure-fire tips to convert PowerPoint presentations into highly engaging eLearning courses. Hope you find this post interesting. Would you like to expand this list? Please do so. Related PostsRapid E-learning through Storyline Tool: 5 Infographics Sharing Key FeaturesHow to Convert PowerPoint Presentations to Interactive E-learning Courses: Free E-book4 Tips for Developing E-learning Course Using Rapid Authoring Tools