Top 5 Ways to Reduce eLearning Costs In today’s economy, many organizations are struggling to offer the right learning program due to the high costs and complexity of existing systems. A recent study by Bersin and Deloitte shows that corporate spending on training has increased by 34% while employee engagement levels have dropped to 24%. Does your organization have the right eLearning in place? Watch our webinar and learn how to: Reduce your current training costs by 50%-80% Achieve consistently better learning results Reduce employee turnover and increase learner engagement The post Top 5 Ways to Reduce eLearning Costs appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.

E-learning models serve as a base that helps instructional designers visualize their problems and break them into manageable units. Models give structure and meaning that enables the designers to alter their design based on their understanding. To improve your instructional design skills, many theories have been proposed. Each of these has its own importance. In this blog, I’ll share 5 models that help IDs design better eLearning courses. Gagne’s Nine Steps of Instruction: Robert Gagne’s 9 steps of instruction contribute to the systematic approach to instructional design. The 9 steps are: gain attention, define clear objectives, recall prior knowledge, present the content, provide learning guidance, elicit performance, provide feedback, evaluateperformance, enhance retention and transfer knowledge. ADDIE: ADDIE is the most commonly used model as it is simple and easy to understand and can be applied in any type of organization.The steps with in the phases of the ADDIE model can be changed according to organizational needs. The ADDIE model consists of 5 phasesviz. Analyze, design, develop, implement and evaluate.  Dick Carey & J. Carey’s Model: This model was originally published in 1978 by Walter Dick and Lou Carey. This model addresses instruction as an entire system, focusing on the interrelationship between context, content, learning and instruction which interact with each other and work together to meet the intended outcomes.  Learning Cycle: The importance of using the learning cycle is to determine the structural design of course. The four main phases of the learning cycle are review, learning, application and adaptation. SAM (Successive Approximation Model): SAM was first proposed by Michael Allen, and the title itself conveys the meaning - taking small and quick steps, instead of giant leaps to complete each milestone. SAM incorporates contemporary design methods such as rapid prototyping and Savvy Start which is a short meeting involving the team members of the project and the customer. There are 2 versions of SAM - SAM 1 and SAM 2. SAM 1 is ideal for small projects that do not require specialized skills. SAM 2 is useful for huge eLearning projects that require advanced programming skills. SAM provides many advantages such as: It recognizes the challenges that arise during the process and provides a clear path to success. It involves the stakeholders throughout the design and development process, and this helps achieve the desired performance outcomes. It enables delivery of projects on time, with quality and within the budget. To summarize, among all the models, SAM provides room for iteration, helps manage projects effectively and supports collaboration with the project team. These aspects of the model make it the best model for eLearning development. Have anything to say? Please do share! Related Posts4 Effective Ways of Presenting Scenarios in E-learning CoursesDo We Need to Follow a Specific Process to Design an eLearning Course?Content Chunking in E-learning - 4 Common Errors

How A Cloud Based Authoring Tool Can Take The Pain Out Of Developing eLearning Easy-to-use authoring tools and a systemized process are key factors that help create a high-performance eLearning development team. But frustration seems to always hold back eLearning teams. According to Steve Penfold, director at Elucidat, it was out of conversations with such frustrated eLearning managers that Elucidat was developed. "We wanted to make developing eLearning as straight forward for teams as possible, without compromising the end product," he said. A Τale Οf Τwo eLearning Αuthors To show you just how frustrating developing eLearning can be, I want to share a story - a story of two eLearning managers, Bob and Lucy. Both these people work in enterprise organizations and both manage teams of eLearning authors. Let’s examine the differences between Bob and Lucy’s experiences. Meet Bob: He Uses A Desktop Authoring Tool.   First up is Bob. Bob’s team uses desktop tools to develop, assemble, and publish digital files. Desktop tools do what they say on the tin: they work off your desktop. This presents a challenge for Bob. His team of talented authors needs to be working on the same project simultaneously so they can build it quickly and get it deployed. Bob’s team has two common problems that hold back productivity: Multiple versions of the same file. Everyone has their own copy of the files, which means there are multiple versions containing different updates. Version control.  No one is sure which version is the most current. Sound familiar? Bob is experiencing six common challenges associated with desktop authoring tools: Only one person can work on a file at a time. Bob’s project management budget blows out because only one of his team is ever working on the file at a given time. He has to pay for resources that are hanging around - doing nothing - waiting to work on the file. Project files need to be stored on local machines. Bob has to ensure that all project files are on local machines and still not on the network. A lot of desktop tools don’t work well across a network, so doing so means risking crashing the software, or worse, corrupting the file. So unless Bob is super organized or has set up an SVN (Sub-Versioning Software) to run a system of check ins and check outs with file merger capabilities, he still goes to sleep at night worrying about multiple versions of the same project and version control! Poor old Bob. Authors working in different locations have to use VPN’s. What’s more, Bob has to manage eLearning authors working in different locations. VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) help him manage that, but he still has the issues associated with working with desktop tools. Team members have to take files off the VPN, work on them on their local machine and then re-upload them over to the VPN again. Authors need to install software on their local machines. Every member of Bob’s team needs to have the tools loaded onto their local machines. A check-out system is also needed to prevent multiple people from working on a file and then inadvertently creating multiple versions. Additional software required to log and track changes. Bob also needs to use software to log and track changes. Whilst SVN software such as Tortoise shows changes and helps resolve conflicts, it’s an added step that slows down the eLearning development process. Maintenance costs. If Bob needs to update a course, he needs to find the files, make the changes and then republish it. This is time consuming and expensive. Meet Lucy: She Uses A Cloud Based Authoring Tool. Lucy runs a team of office-based and remote eLearning authors. She overcomes the challenges of desktop authoring tools by using a cloud based authoring tool. Collaborate in the cloud. Lucy’s tool has a development environment for all the projects the team is working on and one shared file for each project. Her team can work on one project file with no requirement for proprietary software to be loaded on each member of her team’s machine. One up-to-date file version. Lucy doesn’t have the headache of having to deal with multiple versions of files. Each project file automatically gets updated with changes and additions. Her team members can work on a project file simultaneously without having to upload and download each time they need to make a change. In Lucy’s authoring tool, a project file is always the most recent, incorporating everyone’s updates - all of the time. Track and log updates. Lucy’s cloud based authoring tool incorporates features that help her track updates. There’s a comment tool that lets team members, subject matter experts, and clients add notes for the rest of the team. She can quickly see what changes or additions have been made or requested and by whom. Lucy can throw away her separate spreadsheet she uses for tracking bugs and changes. No VPN, SVN, or network needed. Lucy’s team doesn’t need a VPN, an SVN, proprietary software, or even a network; they just need a computer with a browser like Chrome and an internet connection. Lucy’s cloud based authoring tool brings all the development together into one easy-to-use environment. This empowers her team to work more productively since they are not restricted by the challenges of a desktop tool. Lucy is able to deliver projects on a tighter time frame and at a lower budget. 3 Key Cloud Based Authoring Tools Benefits Cloud based authoring tools - like Elucidat - provide an umbrella environment that brings all the tools an eLearning team needs together into one ecosystem. Whilst Bob is still using multiple tools throughout the eLearning development cycle, Lucy is streamlining development with one simple tool. eLearning managers can realize 3 key benefits when they move to cloud based authoring tools: Clear process. All the stages - design, build, test and iterate - are handled in one system. Holistic. No need to switch to other software for reviewing, commenting and tracking changes. Improved productivity. Teams can work simultaneously on projects whilst the software merges workflows and keeps everything current. Sometimes, we assume improvements to budget, time, and resource functions within the project lifecycle will come at the expense of quality, but this is not the case with the new generation of eLearning software. Authoring tools like Elucidat do not compromise quality of the end product because they are designed with best practice and compliance in mind. These tools help learning managers develop best-practice eLearning while providing their team with the technology to be creative and work productively. To help you visualize exactly what is possible with a cloud based authoring tool, take a look at these eLearning examples that have been built with Elucidat: Utility Warehouse: New Starter Training Medieval Swansea: Interactive eLearning Game Open University: To Lie Or Not To Lie Connect Group: The Golden Rules This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Lectora Inspire V11 Tutorial: How to Use the Inheritance Feature in Lectora Inspire V11 e-Learning Software This Lectora Inspire V11 Tutorial presents how to take advantage of the inheritance feature. Let Lectora e-Learning software do the work for you. This authoring tool helps ensure your e-Learning course is consistent from beginning to end. The post Lectora Inspire V11 Tutorial: How to Use the Inheritance Feature in Lectora Inspire V11 e-Learning Software appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.

For years, Adobe Flash was used extensively to develop eLearning courses. Many eLearning courses were developed using this tool. However, with the growing "mobile" workforce and the increasing employee preference towards mobile learning, organizations started to bother about their huge legacy online training materials which were developed using Flash which are not compatible with mobile devices. Now, how do they make these legacy courses compatible with mobile devices? The answer - migrating them to HTML5. HTML5, the latest format which is readable by all the latest browsers, mobile devices and iPads is transforming the eLearning course development landscape. This format became important as the courses need to run on multiple devices. Here is an info-graphic which lists 9 easy steps to convert your legacy courses into HTML5. Hope you find this post useful. Do share your views. Related Posts4 Tips for Developing E-learning Course Using Rapid Authoring ToolsRapid E-learning through Storyline Tool: 5 Infographics Sharing Key Features5 Reasons to Convert Legacy E-learning Courses Using Articulate Storyline

Articulate Storyline offers a lot of flexibility to eLearning developers in developing interactive eLearning courses.They can use triggers and variables or add external JavaScript code to meet the unique online learning requirements of instructional designers. In this blog, I am going to explain how we met one such requirement. Requirement A training manager wanted to provide an option to learners where they can type notes in the course slide. Later, on completing the course,they should be able to take the printout of notes they had written. Solution There is no default option to print data in this tool. You can do it using triggers and coding in JavaScript. Let’s see how it is done. Step 1: Open Articulate Storyline and insert a Text Entry field in the Insert Tab. When we insert theText Entry field,the Text Entry Variable is automatically created. Step 2: Insert a button name as Print in the Insert Tab. Step 3: Then, to the print button, add a trigger such that "Execute JavaScript when user clicks Print button". Step 4: Double click the trigger and click the Add/Edit JavaScript button. Then,an empty window opens wherein we have to write JavaScript code as shown below in the screenshot. Step 5: Now save and publish the course and check the output. These are the steps to take a printout in Storyline when a learner types the text in an eLearning course. Please do share your thoughts. Related PostsRapid E-learning through Storyline Tool: 5 Infographics Sharing Key FeaturesHow to Combine Your Adobe Captivate Projects Into Single Course?Printing User Entry Text in Notes Field Using Articulate Storyline

DTL 2015 will be attended by a broad range of professionals in distance education and training, experienced as well as newcomers. They represent organizations from all regions of the United States and other countries worldwide. The conference is designed to provide opportunities for you to teach, learn, and connect. Each of these goals are enumerated below. Teach Discuss success factors and innovative practices in distance education and training. Examine key components of effective course design, teaching methods, technology tools, learner support, management, policy, and evaluation. Share successful approaches, strategies, and techniques. Identify active teaching/learning methods for effective engagement, motivation, and performance outcomes. Discuss major issues, new developments, and trends. LearnReflect on progress made in improving the quality of distance education. Increase knowledge about teaching/training at a distance. Explore how teaching and learning can be adapted to new and emerging technologies. Consider future possibilities and technologies for distance education. ConnectFacilitate networking among distance educators, trainers, practitioners and administrators. Share program resources via technology (e.g., print, audio, video, multimedia, and the Internet). UW-Madison Sponsorship The conference is organized and sponsored by UW-Madison Continuing Studies' Distance Education Professional Development (DEPD), and affiliated with the UW-Extension's Instructional Communications Systems. DEPD is dedicated to fostering effective teaching and learning, offering online certification programs and custom learning experiences that utilize the latest research, best practices, and strategies in distance education. DTL 2015 will be held at the Monona Terrace Madison, Wisconsin on August 11-13, 2015.   This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Introducing Gomo 2.2 Find out about the latest version of gomo - the HTML5 e-learning authoring tool from the Learning Technologies Group - in this webinar recording with Managing Director Mike Alcock. The webinar covers all of the basics of gomo and shows you how quickly and easily you can build your own responsive and adaptive learning content for multiple devices. Mike also builds a course in just 15 minutes and shows off all of the intuitive enhancements that are being added into gomo in the latest version. Because gomo is a cloud-based tool, subscribers and trialists of the authoring tool get all of the added capability as soon as it is released, no downloads needed. To find out more about gomo, head to www.gomolearning.com or get in touch with us directly at contactus@gomolearning.com. The post Introducing Gomo 2.2 appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.

Technology is continuously evolving and it is no different with Learning Management Systems. According to a research published by EDUCASE Center for Analysis and Research, the average age of an LMS is eight years. It means that institutions need to replace their LMS every eight years to keep up with their current needs and demands. So, every few years, training managers or stakeholders of organizations will need to make a decision about either changing their existing LMS or modifying their current one. With so many options available, how do they decide which one is right for them? Selecting an LMS that is a "best-fit" for your organization is not an easy task. CommLab India has released an eBook 3 Options to Consider While Choosing An LMS - An Expert’s Advice that attempts to answer this question. The eBook suggests three LMS options (WordPress, Moodle or Enterprise Solutions) based on the size of the organization. To learn more and download the eBook, click here. Related Posts6 Questions to Ask About User Management While Selecting an LMSLMS for Your Organization - How to Select The Best Fit? Part 3: MoodleManaging Learning Programs with Moodle LMS - Free eBook

3 Ways To Engage Your Staff With Interactive eLearning Courses Employee engagement refers to the measure of engagement among employees and is characterized by three elements; namely, vigor (resilience, energy, and effort), dedication (enthusiasm and pride in one’s work), and absorption (concentration in one’s work). It is also manifested in three dimensions; namely, intellectual engagement (thinking about the job and ways to improve performance), affective engagement (positive feelings about the job), and social engagement (active participation in work-related discussions). While there are many factors that influence your employees’ engagement levels, your staff will significantly benefit from participating in interactive eLearning courses. Think of these courses as part of your career development programs, including training and continued education, which will enhance your employees’ knowledge and skills from the rank and file to the top executives. That being said, here are 3 ways in which your staff can become more engaged in taking interactive eLearning courses. Just remember that employee engagement in online training is less about technology and more about people, connections, and relationships. Emphasize The Benefits. Your employees will not be as motivated to take their interactive eLearning courses if they are unaware of their benefits, including their real world value. As such, you must always emphasize the knowledge and skills your staff will gain from taking their courses, as well as the personal and professional growth they will achieve when they complete them. Let them read the course description, syllabus, and certification requirements, and answer all the course-related questions that they may have; by doing so, it will be easier to motivate them. You can highlight the benefits of interactive eLearning courses by: Integrating simulations, scenarios, and role play activities that emphasize real world value. Allowing testimonials from others, including fellow employees and experts, to provide concrete examples and instances that demonstrate the real world value of the courses. Encouraging your employees to navigate through a few course sections, so they can get a real feel of the courses' subjects. Keep in mind that one of the best ways to motivate your employees is to lead by example. Basically, you must be a walking advertisement; this means that you should have taken a few of these courses yourself. Encourage The Culture. To build a corporate culture where online training is not only accepted, but also encouraged, you need to explain that online training is not just a mandatory activity. Your employees should be aware of the investment that management has made on online training, as well as the benefits they can enjoy from it. Your mission is to get your employees on board by presenting online training as an engaging and enriching activity, not just a mandatory activity that adds many training hours but little practical knowledge to their work life. You can build such a culture by: Sending out emails and newsletters that highlight the benefits of interactive eLearning courses. Offering a series of online training modules relevant to your employees’ career development goals. Getting employees excited about mastering new knowledge and skills. While encouraging a culture of acceptance for online training has its challenges, your persistence will be rewarded soon enough. Provide For Variety. Your employees will appreciate a wide range of interactive eLearning courses mainly because they will have the opportunity to choose those that are most relevant to their career development goals. You should ask employees about the types of knowledge and skills they want to develop and the certifications they want to acquire. You will then be able to select the courses that meet these goals, and thus provide your employees with more incentives to join. The subject matter is not the only element that can offer variety in online courses. Different employees learn in different ways, so your learning methods should also reflect variety in order to meet all learning needs. Thus, your online courses should incorporate interactive training opportunities such as scenarios, simulations, and podcasts. When employees are engaged, the benefits for both them and the organization can significantly contribute to their mutual development. Keep in mind that strong employee engagement improves worker morale, productivity, and retention, as stronger engagement means stronger work performance. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Lectora Inspire V11 Tutorial: Exploring the Lectora V11 Interface This Lectora Inspire V11 Tutorial presents the four main areas in the Lectora interface that make online course development a breeze. With Lectora e-Learning software, everything you need is easy to find and easy to use. The post Lectora Inspire V11 Tutorial: Exploring the Lectora V11 Interface appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.

Just as the blueprint plays an important role during the construction of a house, an effective outline plays a prominent role during the development of an eLearning course. An outline gives a complete essence of the course. In this blog, I would like to share my experience and some suggestions to prepare an outline for your course. Select between the top-down and bottom-up approaches As an instructional designer, the first task while developing an outline is selecting between the top-down and bottom-up approaches. The top-down approach calls for the developmentof a considerable part of the outline during the content analysis phase itself. As a result, you stick to this outline and develop the course accordingly. On the other hand, the bottom-up approach involves creating just a skeleton of an outline and gradually filling the remaining outline as we proceed with the other phases of the course development. This approach is usually followed when you don’t have enough knowledge about the subject. Here, the outline is filled throughout the storyboarding process. Refer trade books and competitors’ courses In order to ensure quality-oriented teaching through your eLearning courses, you need to organize your topics properly. Although you take up a project, where you possess no preliminary knowledge of the subject, you should gather the background knowledge about the project as soon as possible. Also, you should refer trade books and your competitors’ courses. This enables you to develop an appropriate course outline which is learner-centric. Rename and reorganize Never ever repurpose someone’s content exactly. Instead, when you want to use someone else’scontent; start renaming the part which you borrow from them. However, in this process, you need to be very careful to maintain grammatical parallelism in your course outlines. On the other hand, a course outline should be organized in such a way that it makes sense to you and your learners.Whenever you borrow the content from other sources, you need to reorganize the outline to fill the gaps, if any. Personalize your outline The last step, while developing the outline, is personalization. There should not be any clue that you have included the content from sources. At the end, you need to finalize and personalize your content. If you are using a bottom-up approach, there is no need to work too much on the outline as you will just create a skeleton of it at the beginning. But, if you follow the top-down approach, you need to personalize your outline as you proceed further with the content creation process. After anoutline has been developed, ensure that the entire outline has been sequenced logically. These are some of the best practices you need to follow, while developing your outline. Please do share your thoughts and opinions on the same. Related PostsTop 5 Blogs on the Best Practices in Instructional Design 4 Effective Ways of Presenting Scenarios in E-learning CoursesContent Comprehension: Best Practices for E-learning Design

How Unconventional Coaching Can Produce Extraordinary 1:1’s With Your Employees Τhere you have it - 7 common pitfalls in which you might find yourself during 1:1s with your employees and how to avoid them by using unconventional coaching. Your employee isn’t telling you what the real issue is. More than 80% of the time, Mary Miller won’t express her issue in a clear, honest way. Sometimes this is intentional and sometimes not. However, either way, if you aren’t able to clarify what the real problem is right from the get go, you can’t help but spin your wheels and waste time - both yours and Mary’s. Frankly, getting down to what Mary really wants and needs to discuss is more an art than a science, and it definitely isn’t something most line managers have been trained to do. Let’s correct that omission right now. Here are some useful questions to challenge Mary and clarify what’s really going on: "Would you say that’s your real fear, or is something else on your mind?" "What else might be causing you to feel like this?" "I have a feeling something else is on your radar. Would you care to share it with me?" Not only will this type of question help solve the problem at hand, but it will also prove to Mary that you really do want to uncover and address her real concerns. She will respect you for it. You may not know what to ask or how to ask it when you are dealing with an emotionally sensitive or creative employee like John Smith. There’s no denying it. Emotional Intelligence is a must-have leadership skill in today’s workplace. The way employees were spoken to and managed just five years ago no longer works well, especially if you are working with an emotionally sensitive and/or creative person. John Smith simply doesn’t respond well to "hard" words like target, objective, or action. The best way to get him on board is to use "softer" trigger words and questions. You’ll be surprised what a difference it makes! Here are some examples of questions to ask John: "What’s your vision for this team?" "What’s your feeling around that performance?" "How can we add texture to this project?" Experiment with a different vocabulary, and you’ll notice a more engaged response. You don’t have enough training or experience to conduct a coaching session. It’s taken for granted that managers know how to coach, and yet the vast majority don’t. Why would you if you haven’t had the experience or training? The problem is only compounded if you are sent to participate in an advanced coaching course without having first been trained in the basics. You lack a strong foundation upon which to build. Some basic workplace coaching skills include: Learning how to formulate effective, open, and closed questions. Listening deeply (for what is and is not being said). Assisting with setting SMART goals. Mastering the GROW coaching model for standard employee development goals. Your employees will appreciate your structured, results-driven coaching approach during their 1:1s with you. And you will discover that this approach will not only make your life easier as a manager, but it will also produce extraordinary results. You may believe coaching is too time-consuming. If you think you don’t have enough time to coach your employees, then you may be missing opportunities to further develop them. The truth is an effective coaching session doesn’t need to take much time out of your busy schedule. You can facilitate a successful laser coaching session with actionable takeaways during a short but focused conversation. I have successfully coached colleagues in the time it takes to stand in the line at the office Starbucks and collect our cappuccinos at the other end. It’s all about asking the right questions, keeping your employee on topic, and gaining his commitment to take action. With a bit of practice, this doesn’t require much time. Always remember that a short burst of coaching that motivates your employee is better than no coaching at all. You may not be asking the creative questions that inspire Mary to think in solutions instead of problems. Have you ever been on either end of a performance review that’s conducted like an inquisition where the manager fires an incessant stream of why-who-when bullet questions at the employee? Is it any wonder so many people - both managers and those they manage - dread this process? Next time, try a different approach that will inspire Mary to really engage and think outside the box. Coaching excellence occurs when you camouflage your questions masterfully. Mary will want to answer without feeling obliged to, and that’s what facilitates creative problem-solving. Examples of this type of question include: "What kind of encouragement or advice would you give someone who’s in a similar position to yours?" "If you fast forward to the end of this situation, which solutions does the movie reveal?" "How would you pitch this idea in a way even a toddler could grasp its value?" Talking too much and not listening for what's NOT being said. If you haven’t been trained how to coach, it’s quite normal to talk too much and not keep the focus where it belongs - on the employee and his issue. Your nervousness or excitement or simply used to being the one who does most of the talking in the relationship can add to this dynamic. The result is John ends up feeling deflated. Do you remember the last time you asked a friend to help, and they made it all about themselves? Do you remember how you felt? This is similar to how John can feel if you don’t practice good listening skills. Not only do you not want your team member to feel that way, but when you talk too much you might miss valuable throwaway comments. This kind of comment often highlights hidden, underlying concerns and patterns that require further exploration on your part. Some examples of valuable throwaway comments you don’t want to miss are: "I’ve always seen myself as second best." "My sales conversion rates are always poor." "It runs in the family." Unlock your coaching excellence by allowing John to think his answers through. And in order for him to do that, he needs space - the kind of space that is offered by applying the gentle power of silence. Not only will John feel compelled to break the silence, but he will also provide valuable information. Performance anxiety. If you aren’t an experienced coach, you may feel the need to produce results by the end of your session with Mary. That kind of self-imposed pressure can be counter-productive because it can stop the natural coaching flow. Always remember that, yes, you are responsible for applying a useful structure to your 1:1 with Mary, but you are not responsible for coming up with all the answers. That’s Mary’s responsibility. Of course you want your coaching to be the catalyst for Mary to discover her own answers. The best way to achieve this is to stop performing and start connecting. You’re not a coaching machine. You are, first and foremost, a human being. Be personable and use language to show you are right there and present with Mary: "I know how that feels." "I’ve experienced that too." "This is what I’ve done to improve my results." Conventional coach training will tell you to stay neutral and never share opinions.  However, in my experience, it’s precisely your natural human way of connecting that inspires Mary to lower her defenses, feel more at ease, and actively engage during your 1:1 with her. Your short anecdotes are motivational and act as trust builders for future collaboration. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Using GIFT Format to Create Adobe Captivate 8 Quiz In this video you will learn how to use the GIFT file format and syntax to import all your quiz questions in the touch of a button. Google GIFT Quiz Questions to learn more about the syntax for this standard. The post Using GIFT Format to Create Adobe Captivate 8 Quiz appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.

Audio plays a vital role in an eLearning course. According to the modality principle, put forth by Ruth Colvin Clark and Richard Mayer, using audio to explain on-screen text helps deliver better results by reducing the cognitive load on learners. Effective use of audio in an online course can help the learner "hold" the content and remember it for a long time. The three important audio elements which make an eLearning course effective are narration, music and sound. Adding audio to an online course also helps learners relate themselves to the content in an effective manner. But, in today’s eLearning courses, the audio narration is restricted to only the introduction and summary slides. In most of the cases, we use narration to explain on-screen content. How can you ensure that your eLearning course is effectively narrated? Well, you need to focus on 6 aspects to use audio effectively in an eLearning course. Let us now see what they are and why they are important. Hope you find this post interesting. How do you use audio in your eLearning courses? We’d love to know. Related Posts5 Factors That Impact The Audio in E-learning Courses - An InfographicPrinciples for Effective Practice ExercisesApplying the Coherence Principle to eLearning Courses

The eLearning world is full of new trends, innovative ideas, and learning techniques to keep learners engaged and make training programs successful. If you’ve been involved in the eLearning industry for years, you know how important it is to stay up-to-date on all this information. And if you’re new, you may be noticing these recurring topics and trying to learn more about them. I made a list of 10 of the hot topics that I’ve been reading and hearing about recently. I also included additional articles and resource about these topics—because in the eLearning world, you should never stop learning. Take a look at these 10 hot topics in the eLearning world: 1. Scenarios Scenarios are a learning technique that puts your student into the action. Studies show that this type of hands-on learning improves memory recall later on the job. To learn more, read this blog post: Engagement Made Easy with eLearning Scenarios and Characters. 2. Gamification Whether it’s adding games to your course or gamifying your entire course for a true gamification experience, this trend has tons of benefits, including motivation and team building. Here’s a great article on finding balance in gamification: Balancing Difficulty in eLearning Games & Simulations. 3. Mobile learning Mobile learning, or mLearning, is the trend that everyone is talking about because it allows organizations to deliver training materials to on-the-go employees. Mobile solutions like CourseMill® Mobile deliver that freedom of anywhere, anytime learning. 4. Knowledge sharing The eLearning world was buzzing for a while about knowledge sharing in respect to informal learning within an organization. However, knowledge sharing also happens in a community of eLearning developers—from different organizations. Check out what members of the Trivantis Community are sharing, and become a member yourself! 5. Templates Templates are a genius way to save time, create a uniform style, or get inspiration for a starting point. Learn how you could create your own templates in this blog post: Creating Custom Templates in Lectora. 6. Engagement Sometimes engaging your learners requires extra creativity. See some cool examples of what Gray’s Harbor Community Hospital did with engaging and themed training here: How to Find the Fun in Mandatory Training and Engage Your Learners with a Zombie eLearning Scenario. 7. Cloud authoring Cloud authoring is an affordable way for teams to create eLearning online. If you like the sound of no downloads and no waiting, then cloud authoring is definitely worth checking out. You can try Lectora® Online for free and see what you think. 8. Saving time A few of these hot topics are also ways to save time, like templates and cloud authoring. Here’s a post that includes even more ideas for developing eLearning quickly and efficiently: 5 Ways to Win the e-Learning Race Against Time. 9. Collaboration Efficient teamwork makes for better eLearning courses. Having the right tools can help you collaborate with team members, managers, and subject matter experts. I like ReviewLink™ because it’s easy to log in online and make comments or ask questions about the project. 10. Video Using video in training has been discussed a lot lately. You can even create your own videos as a way to customize your course and engage learners at the same time. To learn more, check out this post: Recording Audio and Video with Lectora’s Built-in Tools. For more articles about the latest trends and topics in the eLearning world, subscribe to the Everything eLearning Blog. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Avatars are the favorites of instructional designers to create classroom training experiences in online training courses. Often, we decide which type of avatar would be suitable to the course. But, can you make learners to choose the avatar they wish to guide them through the course? Yes, it is possible! In this post, I would like to share with you how to fulfill this requirement using Articulate Storyline. Follow the steps below. Step 1: Create your eLearning course, as per the requirement. Step 2: Create two variables of Boolean type. I have named them as FemaleCharacter and MaleCharacter here. Step 3:Add a screen in the beginning of the module, which enables the learner to choose a character from the givencharacters(I have used twohere i.e., one male and one female). Step 4:Add two triggers in this slide. Tochange the value of variables to True, when the learner clicks a character To jump to next slide, when the learner clicks a character Note:Apply same triggers forthe male character. Step 5:Click the Viewtab. Step 6:Select Slide Master optionto open the Master Slide view. Step 7: Place the characters here. Note: Make sure these are in hidden state initially. Step 8:Add two triggers (in the slide master) to change the state of characters to Normal on learner’s choice. Trigger1:Change state of male character to Normal when time starts for slide, if the value of the variable maleCharacter is True. Trigger2: Change the state of the female character to Normal when time starts for slide, if the value of the variable femaleCharacter is True. Step 9: Publish the course and check the output. These are the steps which enable the learner to select a guide for eLearning courses developed in Articulate Storyline. Hope this helps you. Please do share your feedback. Related PostsHow to Combine Your Adobe Captivate Projects Into Single Course?Rapid E-learning through Storyline Tool: 5 Infographics Sharing Key FeaturesArticulate Storyline Templates: Which One Is Right for You?

Lectora Inspire V11 Tutorial: Add Text and Links to your e-Learning Course with Lectora V11 e-Learning Software This Lectora Inspire V11 Tutorial presents how to add and format text and create hyperlinks in your Lectora e-Learning courses. The post Lectora Inspire V11 Tutorial: Add Text and Links to your e-Learning Course with Lectora V11 e-Learning Software appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.

An instructional designer, while designing eLearning courses, has to consider a number of important things to make them effective.These include the content, interactivities, images, graphics, animations, videos and the most important thing - learner engagement. Make sure to be aligned with the content, titles, sub-titles, colors, fonts and images.The use of these elements should be consistent throughout the course. In this blog, I’ll share 3 tips to create highly engaging eLearning courses. 1. Add Content in a Structured Manner As an instructional designer, the most important thing is to know who your learners are. Based on your target audience, organize your content. Always make sure each screen has a bearable amount of content. The learner should not feel overburdened with the content/images. Do not try to add too many graphics, bar charts and content in a single screen. If the images or graphics are self-explanatory, do NOT add an explanation of those graphicsin the screen. Divide the content into 2 parts - "need to know" and "nice to know". Explain the topics which are not easy to understand in a detailed manner, in a conversational tone, using audio. You can always give additional information in the form of links and PDFs. Keep the content uncluttered and make it learner-friendly. 2. Involve SMEs Very Often For making your eLearning effective, add real-life scenarios. Seek the help of the SME to make the content effective. Adding case studies is one of the most important ways to engage the learner. Take inputs such as testimonials, real life incidents, videos etc. from the SME to enrich your content. Whatever content you add, make sure that the content is simple and easy to understand. Teach the content to the point, and the learner will stay motivated and learn what is discussed. Make sure the content added is realistic, and learners can apply this knowledge at the workplace. 3. Assess Frequently In most classroom sessions, the instructor will stop the session and ask questions to confirm the understanding of the content. In eLearning courses,we need to assess the learner frequently to make sure the content is getting across. Adding formative assessments not only helps track their learning,but also helps reinforce the content. For all correct and incorrect answers, give explanatory feedback to the learner to reinforce his learning. All these tips will help you align with the customer’s expectations and keep your learner engaged. Do add new interactivities aligned with the content. Related PostsHow to Create Section 508 E-learning Course Using FlashGuidelines for Content Chunking to Design Effective Online Courses4 Tips for Developing E-learning Course Using Rapid Authoring Tools

How To Use Interactive Whiteboards To Enhance Your Online Science Course Although interactive whiteboards have become standard technology in many brick-and-mortar classrooms, they are still gaining momentum in the online setting. Many articles are available on their use in the standard classroom setting, but little information exists on their use in asynchronous learning environments. In a physical classroom, interactive whiteboards help teachers create a more interactive learning environment with the help of projectors and touch screens. In the online classroom, software can mimic the experience of an interactive whiteboard, allowing students to explore a topic further through virtual field trips, interactive exercises, practice activities, and even real-time feedback from the instructor. Many online interactive whiteboards allow an instructor to upload a picture or illustrate a concept while simultaneously adding notes and audio explanations. With many programs, the finished product can be saved and uploaded to the college’s Learning Management System. The following are 5 ways you can use interactive whiteboards in your online science courses: Demonstrate A Laboratory Procedure. You can upload a video of a laboratory procedure, then pause the video at certain points to discuss (and illustrate on the whiteboard) critical points in the procedure. You can also use pauses in the video to quiz students on what step should be performed next. Go On Virtual Field Trips. Arizona State University has a variety of online virtual field trips with interactive components: http://vft.asu.edu/. One of my favorites is "Biological Anthropology" that includes several lab exercises on the evolution of Hominids. More virtual field trips are in development from "Extreme Environments" to "Tectonics". Capture Lessons Using The Screen Recording Option. Many of the free interactive whiteboard programs have screen capture abilities along with audio options for voice recording (see my Sankore example below). Use these tools to show students where to find assignments and resources within your current learning management system. Include Interactive Exercises To Supplement Lectures. The National Stem Centre contains videos, case studies, quizzes, articles, and textbooks on a variety of subjects include science. Users can narrow their search for a specific lesson by type of activity, subject area, publication year, and targeted age range. One of the most popular activities is the interactive periodic table: http://www.nationalstemcentre.org.uk/. Share And Exchange Whiteboard Lessons. SMART exchange is probably one of the most popular interactive whiteboard software and resource site for searching and sharing lessons. Topics cover a number of subject areas and are copyright-free: http://exchange.smarttech.com/. Online Interactive Whiteboard Platforms One of my favorite online interactive whiteboards is BrainCert’s platform: http://www.eduweaver.com/. I highly recommend this interactive whiteboard for ease-of-use and cost (it’s free!). The free version allows up to 10 attendees to participate in a live class session. I was also able to install the whiteboard in Blackboard by copying and pasting their html code into my course. I followed the simple instructions to generate an API key then inserted this into the suggested html code within my Learning Management System: https://www.braincert.com/developer/whiteboard-api. Also worth mentioning is the free interactive whiteboard software Open Sankore. Also completely free with additional functions like website access, podcast recording, and storyboard-like capabilities. See the YouTube video example here on blood typing demonstrating how Sankore can be used as a supplement to an existing module: http://youtu.be/pf5SuYwYfBw. Many resources are available for interactive whiteboard users including templates, lessons and software. TeachHub.com summarizes some of the most popular sites in the article 65 Free Interactive Whiteboard Resources by Danny Nicholson. For an even more comprehensive list of technology tools for online instructors including interactive whiteboards and more see Christopher Pappas’ article 321 Free Tools for Teachers - Free Educational Technology. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Google Teacher Application Applying for the GTA, I’d be honored to great reception world GTA family. I come from the young Croatian. It is a European country. We are proud of the rich tradition and a strong education system. I have for 27 years of service as a teacher in elementary school. I am also a Master of inclusive education and rehabilitation. Lifetime advocate for the inclusion of people with special needs. The post Google Teacher Application appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.

How can you make a captivating eLearning course that leaves your learners spellbound? What does it take to create learner delight? Well, here are four proven tips to develop excellent courses that enthrall your online learners. 1. Gamify the course: This is one of the effective ways to engage learners in online courses. Try including interactive games that are based on real-life environments, so thatyou can "immerse" the learners in your online courses. Include points, levels, rewards and feedback in your games. This approach would be very useful to motivate your learners. Gamification challenges your learners and facilitates better learning because it helps them learn in a stress-free atmosphere. Here are the screenshots of different games that can be included in your course. 2. Include scenarios and assessments and provide detailed feedback:E-learning course are instructor-independent. So, how can the online learner be engaged effectively? The best way to capture the attention of your learners is to incorporate effective scenarios and assessments in your course. Include scenarios based on situations that learners face in their work and ask them what they would do if they were in that situation. Provide learners with appropriate feedback and allow them to correct their wrong choices. 3. Use Videos: E-learning course designers can hold their learners’ attention by including videos in their course. Videos create an emotional connection between learners and the online course, and go a long way in motivating them.Videos can be used very effectively to teach a procedure or something that reflects a behavioral change. They can also be effective while teaching a process. 4. Include links to additional resources: You can add links that would direct your learners to other websites where they can access videos, audio or information related to your course. Ensure that the links are active and relevant to ensure that your learners are not flooded with information. This approach is also effective in engaging your learners. Hope you find these tips helpful. Would like to hear more from you. Related Posts4 Effective Ways of Presenting Scenarios in E-learning CoursesGamification of E-learning for Corporate Sector5 Benefits of Gamified E-learning Courses

Effective Video In eLearning With the rise of media king YouTube, at PulseLearning, we have seen that video has become increasingly popular in eLearning and has brilliant capabilities in presenting content in a clear, concise and aesthetically pleasing format. With video comes possibility, so long live video in eLearning! Here are 7 of our best tips for making the most of video in eLearning. Sync with scenarios Video showcases its value when it comes to creating immersive scenarios - in particular, ‘what to do’ or ‘what not to do’ sales situations. Video makes creating a real-life situation possible. Short, engaging and relatable video segments provide excellent context for self-reflection questioning. Quality, not quantity There’s nothing like cruddy video to turn your learners off. If it’s in the budget, invest in professional actors rather than using employees; this should also reduce studio time and costs. Using a video production company will guarantee the quality of your video… and don’t forget to use experts for post-production too! Short and snappy To maintain engagement, the length of each video needs to hit the right mark. Too long and it’s a snoozer; too short and learners might miss the point. Determining the correct length will depend on the content; however, as a guideline, anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes seems an appropriate length for a video snippet. Make use of effective editing to remove ‘dead spots’ with no action and move to the learning point quickly. Size matters In this context, it really does. Make sure videos are compressed to the right size as not to compromise eLearning load speed or efficiency and retain excellent visual and audio quality. Add interactivity Video opens up exciting opportunities for interaction. Video can be used for multi-branching scenarios whereby a scene plays out, ending on a still frame. Then learners make a selection on the frame to trigger a unique outcome when the video continues. Think of it as the ultimate ‘pick-a-path’ adventure. Keep it consistent Video should enhance the learning experience for your learners, which is greatly determined by how video is integrated into the eLearning. Consistency is the key here, for example, you could bookmark your eLearning by using video at the beginning and end of the module, or start each topic with an engaging video to set the scene. Have a plan Video production can be pricey, so have a sound plan in place before your shoot. Most important for smooth sailing on the day is a detailed run sheet stating the order of the shoot, actors, time allocations and props required. Plan the run list for efficiency such as shooting scenes with specific actors back to back to reduce booking time. A visual storyboard can help ensure you achieve your vision and capture the right mix of shots. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

Lectora Inspire V11 Tutorial: How to Use Work Modes in Lectora V11 e-Learning Software This Lectora Inspire V11 Tutorial presents how to use Lectora’s three basic work modes to develop and test your e-Learning content from beginning to end. The post Lectora Inspire V11 Tutorial: How to Use Work Modes in Lectora V11 e-Learning Software appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.