Generally, in an e-learning course learners select all the correct answers then we assign the score for question. But we cannot assign the score for each correct answer. One of our client’s requirement was to create a multiple response question and assign the score points for each correct answer. If the question have two correct answers when the learner select only one correct answer learner will get points. We used the default features of Articulate Storyline to meet this requirement. Here are the steps. Step 1: Create a Multiple Response question as shown in the below screenshot. Note: Here, we have two correct answers i.e. Option1 and Option4. Step 2: Create a Numeric variable (Score) to calculate the score. Make sure that the initial value of the variable is 0. Refer to the screenshot below.   Step 3: Add a trigger to add 5 points to the variable Score when the learner selects a correct response and clicks the Submit button. Apply the same trigger to the other correct answer. Step 4: Publish the course and check the output. As you can see in the above screenshot, a score was assigned only to the correct option (Option1).  These are the steps to assign scores to one or some correct answers of an assessment question. Hope you find this post useful. 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?Customizing MCQs Multiple Response Slide in Articulate Storyline

As a Project Manager working with Fortune 500 clients across various industries and cross functional teams for more than 8 years, I’ve helped my clients meet their business challenges by providing solutions that best suit their training objectives. I have observed that most of the training requirements we receive from our clients are basically technical in nature which require a specialized skillset or sound instructional strategies in eLearning. I’ve also learnt that our customers develop a few trainings on their own for general topics that do not require much technical expertise. This helps them strike a balance between their needs and training budgets. Let me share with you the secrets that will help reduce your eLearning costs: In-House Narrators: When you do not have the budget for a professional narration, search for internal employees who have professional voices and record the voiceover in-house. You may still need to the bear minimum cost of booking the recording studio to ensure quality audio recording with your internal team. Templates Library: Create a library of unique screen designs collected from various eLearning courses developed by your internal teams. This will facilitate rapid design and development and reusability. Take advantage of existing templates and create internal screens rapidly. Rapid Authoring Tools: These days, a number of rapid authoring tools that help eLearning professionals develop courses quickly are available in market. These tools help designers select the pre-built screens and incorporate them in their training modules. Some tools such as Articulate Storyline provide features to record and develop software simulations very quickly. Developing a "Watch, Try, Do" simulation helps the learner understand and apply the software in the simulated environment. Publish for Mobile Devices: According to the Forester report on mobile adoption "66% of employees now use two or more devices every day, including desktops, laptops, smartphones and tablets. A smaller, but notable 12% percent said they now use tablets at work. Very soon, people expect to perform all activities, through their mobile devices and this includes training as well. Organizations need to address the needs of their "mobile learners". Ensure you publish your courses in HTML 5 Format that can be accessed via mobile devices. I hope you find this blog helpful. Please do share your insights on how you reduce your training costs in the comments column provided below. Thank you for spending your valuable time in reading my blog. Please keep visiting our blogs to access more informative stuff on eLearning. Happy reading! Related Posts6 Aspects to Consider Before Starting an E-learning ProjectSmart Questions to Evaluate Product Knowledge of Medical Representatives5 Compelling Reasons Why Organizations Need E-learning

To be on the competitive edge, all sales representatives need to be updated constantly on new services and products available. With respect to pharmacokinetics, many new products are coming up for each disease. The pharmaceutical sales representative finds it hard to introduce his company’s products.. The physician is more familiar with the diseases and the required medicines than the medical representative. So, in order to be successful as a pharmaceutical sales person, one needs to possess knowledge equivalent to that of a doctor. For a medical representative to promote his company’s drugs effectively, he needs extensive training that provides reinforcement. So, how do you think this can be done? The answer - training can be imparted using technology, with one click. One of our esteemed clients has asked us to develop an online training program to train its sales representatives on drug awareness. The client wanted these courses to be developed using Articulate Storyline. Also, the client wanted us to develop 10-15 minute modules. They provided us with the courses which we further divided into micro learning modules. Introduced every module with ‘WIFM’ questions Instead of stating the learning objectives directly, we posed a series of questions to the learners about the content to make them think of the answers. We named this slide as ‘What’s In It For Me?’ Presented a ‘Can you recall’ question We introduced the course with a question, to test the learners’ previous knowledge and reinforce their learning. These can be either single/multiple select questions. We then provided the feedback based on their selection, to highlight how and where the current learning is applicable introducing the learner to a new topic. Used animations and appropriate images to explain the main points It is a well-known fact that the first impression on everything is derived from its appearance. When you design a course that is visually rich with info-graphics, animations, images, etc., your work of engaging the learners is half done. Good animations and appropriate images enable the learners to understand concepts much better. For example, in this course, we explained the respiratory system in the human body through animations and images. Presented ‘nice to know’ information as separate tabs ‘Nice to know’ information is something that is not much important to the learners, but may provide extra information on a topic. We presented examples, additional information, references, and important hints on the topic in the form of nice to know information to the learners. Provided a summary for each module At the end, we provided the recap for every module by listing the key points to reinforce learning. We listed all important points in alignment with the learning objectives. Thus, the learners get the complete essence of the course. Included quiz and clinical application We provided the learner with a quiz to help him check his understanding. Also, at the end, we created an activity wherein the doctor will ask questions regarding the usage of a particular drug, and then, the sales representative will list both the advantages and disadvantages of that drug. These were some strategies that were used to train pharmaceutical sales representatives to update their knowledge. Do share your views on the same. Related PostsTraining Medical Representatives - Benefits of Using Bite-Sized Modules [Infographic]5 Types of Training for Sales Representatives of Pharmaceutical Firms - An Infographic5 Types of Trainings Every Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Needs

Content chunking means breaking large content into small bite sized units that are easy to understand and manage. It is done when there is heavy content or too much content for a given topic. Content is chunked at course level and screen level. Course level defines how modules, lessons and topics are organized in a logical flow. Screen level chunking shows how lessons are divided into various screens with one key point in each screen without breaking its flow. There are many factors that need to be considered while chunking content at screen level - audio, visuals, content type, screen size etc. Let’s now take a look at how these factors influence the chunking pattern in this infographic. If you have more to add, please share your comments in the column Related PostsImportance of Content Chunking for Effective eLearning Development3 Tips to Use Audio Efficiently in E-learning - An InfographicInstructional and Visual Components in Food Safety Training Courses

We are experiencing digital renaissance in all aspects of our lives including the way we obtain knowledge. Today, information is at our finger tips, thanks to the groundbreaking developments in the ICT sector. We have access to information whenever and wherever we want. These developments in technology have provided organizations with new tools to enhance employee performance at workplace. The way training is delivered has changed significantly over the years but the tools available today are simply incredible. OHPs gave way to PPTs and now PPTs are slowly giving way to more interactive and engaging formats. Virtual classrooms, interactive whiteboards, podcasts and screencasts are some of the other tools that instructors are using at a part of teaching aids in the classroom as well as online. Right now, instructors or training managers are using these aids on an ad-hoc basis. Would it not be a good idea to bind them into a structured format, so that for any given training need, there are resources that are carefully organized and made accessible to learners based on the learning need at a given point of time? Here is an eBook that shares information about various instructional aids that are being used in classrooms, as a part of e-learning courses or as independent just-in-time learning resources. The eBook: Provides a comprehensive overview of technology-enabled learning is and explains how it is useful Lists various technological tools that can be used to impart training better Describes how these tools can be used effectively in various training situations Explains how multiple learning aids can be integrated under a single umbrella for better workplace learning experiences Download the eBook now! Related Posts4 Tips for Developing E-learning Course Using Rapid Authoring ToolsRapid E-learning through Storyline Tool: 5 Infographics Sharing Key FeaturesHow to Convert PowerPoint Presentations to Interactive E-learning Courses: Free E-book

Many organizations are now realizing the need to make their eLearning content available through Smartphones and tablets. They wish to implement mobile learning by making their e-learning courses accessible through mobile devices. But the e-learning courses that run on desktops do not run on iPads or the latest version of android tablets, if they were developed using Flash. The reason being Flash based courses are not supported by iOS versions. It is, indeed, a challenge to convert courses that are developed using Flash. What can be done in such cases? Do you discard such useful resources? Do they re-developed them right from scratch to make them compatible? Well, converting them into HTML 5 format is a good option. How do we migrate existing Flash courses to HTML5? Here are the 7 steps involved in converting your existing Flash courses to HTML5. It just takes 2 to 3 weeks to re-create a course similar to Flash course using few authoring tools. Step 1: Make sure that all source files are available You need to ensure that all media and other supporting files of the existing course are available before conversion. These may include .FLAs, XML, JavaScript and media files such as audio and videos. Having all files at one place will ensure effective and quick conversion. Step 2: Extract content and media from existing course Once you have all necessary files, you have to extract the content and media from the legacy course. You need to copy the on-screen text content and the labels of all navigational buttons in the Graphical User Interface (GUI), in MS-Word document or PowerPoint presentation which can be used as a storyboard. You also need to copy the media elements such as audio, video, graphics etc and store them in a structure of folders. It is also necessary to copy learning resources in the form of PDF files and MS-Word documents. Step 3: Select authoring tool to convert your course into HTML5 You can convert your existing e-learning material into HTML5 using various authoring tools available in market. These tools help in the smooth transition of your existing Flash-based training material into HTML5, and retain the interactivities that were adopted for e-learning course. Here are some popular authoring tools that can help in creating your existing eLearning into mLearning. Articulate Storyline 2 Captivate 8 Lectora Inspire iSpring Step 4: Finalize GUI and interactivities based on branding Once you have chosen the authoring tool, it is time to decide on the GUI and the interactivities in the converted course. This is important because the GUI of the HTML5 course may not be similar to that of the legacy eLearning course. Some interactivities developed in Flash cannot be created in authoring tools. In such cases, you need to choose alternatives. For example, some complex animations can be converted into videos. Step 5: Identify right templates to develop Interactivities Templates play a key role in effective development of online courses quickly and at low cost. The job of the instructional designer is made simple, as the necessary framework for designing the digital course has already been created. They lend consistency to the courses and can be modified to make the course look unique. Step 6: Develop a prototype resembling the actual course Once you finalize the templates, the next step is to create a prototype. The prototype needs to resemble the "actual course" and help stakeholder/client to get a clear picture of how the course looks like when it is fully developed. Any improvements and alterations needed, can be identified at a very early stage, and this reduces rework. Step 7: Develop the course and publish it This is the last step in the conversion of a legacy course into HTML5. After the prototype, the next step is to develop the "complete course" and publish it to the HTML5 format, using the selected authoring tool. Apart from converting flash to HTML5 another challenge for organizations is with multiple browsers and versions. Most problems are associated with IE6 & 7, which a huge number of organizations are still using. Organization may not be inclined to move towards advanced version of the browser that supports HTML5 content. Online courses can be published to both flash and HTML5 users. When Learners access course in IE 6 or 7 they can see the Flash course which does not support HTML5. If they are using the latest versions of the browsers they will see HTML5 output. Conversion of Flash based courses to HTML5 can be made simpler by following these 7 steps. Please share your thoughts on the same! Related PostsRe-creation of Flash Courses Using Articulate StorylineHTML5 - The Lord Of The RingJourney of CommLab India with E-learning Tools - Flash Still Rules

Last week, I was assigned a new e-learning project. As soon as I received this information, I was asked to have a call with the stakeholder, who was the training manager of an FMCG company. With little time to prepare, I went for the call and all hell broke loose! After a while, it realized that the stakeholder wasn’t giving me any answers because I failed to ask him the right questions. So, I went back to my desk and made a list of questions to ask him and scheduled another call. Here’s what unfolded in the call… My very first question was Who are the learners? I know this sounds quite simple, but you will learn a lot about the people you’re creating the course for. In my case, I came to know that there are about 200-300 people belonging to the global procurement division of the company. I also came to know that they belong to the age group of 25 to 40. I understood that it was a course directed at a global audience. And, my target audience was young (an informal approach can be used for the course). My next question was What needs to change about their performance?  In other words, what is the outcome of the course? The stakeholder seemed relieved to hear this question, and he went on and on for quite some time. When he finished answering this question, I had all the learning objectives and outcomes ready! The process was quite simple, and the stakeholder mentioned that he wanted to train the procurement division to use a new procurement tool to ensure hassle-free procurement and payment. So, I instinctively knew what the outcome of this e-learning course is.  My third question - Were any e-learning training programs conducted before?  This question helped me know whether my learners were novices or experienced with e-learning. If they were novice online learners, then the tone of the course needs to be a bit "introductory", rather than just jumping into the subject matter. If your learners are well-versed with e-learning, then you can request your stakeholder to send one of their pervious courses so that you can create a course on the same lines. This won’t leave the learners confused, especially in terms of course navigation. I then moved onto the technical bit - What are the delivery platforms? This is a must ask question. It is the delivery platform that decides your authoring tool. For instance, my stakeholder wanted the course to be developed in Adobe Flash, but also needed mobile device and iPad compatibility as most of his learners use smart phones and tablets. Since the iPad does not support Flash, we came to a conclusion to go ahead with Articulate Storyline. This was a very important decision. Just imagine if we had created the course in Flash only to find out in the later stages that the course should be mobile compatible. Next comes, What is the budget allocated for the project, and what is its timeline? Although the budget is taken care by the project manager, it is important to know the cost of the project as it determines the effort you put into it. More than the budget, I was concerned with the project schedule. Deadlines decide the number of people working on the project. They also determine the iterations and review cycles of the course. The lesser the time the more the hassles in delivering the desired output. Now to the most significant question - Who is the key decision maker and who will approve the course? You need to make this point absolutely clear with your stakeholder. Many a time, we are told that the stakeholder is the decision-maker. Later only to be told later that his boss, or his boss’ boss saw the course and gave a few changes. ‘Finalizing’ the decision-maker right at the beginning will not only make your life easier, but also helps you judge the stakeholder expectations. It hard to meet expectations when you have no idea who gets to make the final call. Last but not the least, How will we know whether the training/course is successful?  Most stakeholders tend to ignore this factor once the course is uploaded; you need to know if question number two (What needs to change about their performance?) has been answered. There are several ways to do so. You can track the learners’ progress and results on the LMS or conduct a survey to know whether the learners found the course useful or not. It is very important to assess the efficacy of the course. Feedback from the learners will help implement changes in next module. At the end of the day, the course is all about enhancing performance and bringing a visible change. These seven questions helped me understand my stakeholder and his requirement and made my life much easier! What are the questions you ask your stakeholders? We’d love to know. Related Posts4 Effective Ways of Presenting Scenarios in E-learning CoursesWhat Should You Look for In A Prototype of E-learning Courses?Best Practices of Giving Feedback for E-learning Assessments

The primary goal of training managers is to improve learner’s performance and efficacy. So, how can they effectively achieve this objective? E-learning is one of the possible answers. Effective e-learning helps people to get trained with new skills, and knowledge. One of the essential requirements for building an effective e-learning course is to make content simple for the learners to understand easily. Let see some tips to develop an effective content for an e-learning course. Write E-learning Content Simple and Clear: To create an effective e=learning course, the content has to be very clear, simple and straight. Use good presentation patterns and simple interactivities to teach e-learning. When we teach a subject, we should use simple words that everybody understands easily. Avoid complex words that could confuse learners. Use simple and short sentences as they enhance the clarity of e-learning. Give real time examples to understand the concepts. Prepare assessments relating to the content to assess the learners’ knowledge. Choose information that is essential and avoid unnecessary content that is not directly related to the learning objective. Visuals and Infographics: Visuals play a vital role in creation of e-learning courses. Using visuals according to the content, increases learners’ participation and performance. They should be presented in such a way that just by seeing the visuals, learners should be able to understand the concept easily. Avoid overloading the course with too many visuals and maintain a balance between text and visuals. Real photographs and graphics will help learners to retain the information. Most of us do not give adequate importance to the usage of infographics in e-learning. But, info graphics are powerful elements that help learners to recall the information. Using infographics in e-learning helps increase learners’ performance as complex information is presented in a simple format. It is very difficult to present the information related to process and timeline events in a text format. However, when you create infographics, these subjects can be presented in an easily understandable format. Narration: Narration will engage learners and give necessary instructions throughout the e-learning course. Learners get bored, if the entire course includes audio that merely repeats on screen text. For example a course of30 minutes should be supported with just 15 to 20 minutes audio. Narration should not intrude into comprehension process but should actively support it. These are 3 major factors that should be considered to enhance the quality of content in an e-learning course. Please do share your thoughts. Related Posts5 Tips for Quality Control of E-learning Courses3 Tips to Create Immersive Learning Environment in E-learning Courses [Infographic]Learner Analysis - 5 Things You Need to Do [Infographic]

Interactivities in online courses help learners to stay connected with the course even in the absence of the trainer.Interactivities enthuselearners and help them focus better. The content is condensed and presented in such a way that learners comprehend the course effectively. Interactivities make learners participate in the course and learn at a faster pacewith efficacy. To know more about how interactivities engage the learners, check out the infographic here If you have more to add, please share your comments in the column Related Posts4 Effective Ways of Presenting Scenarios in E-learning CoursesBenefits of Adding Game-Based Interactivities in E-learning - An InfographicCreative Ways to Present Click on Tab Interactivity in E-learning Courses - An Infographic

Many a time designing and developing effective e-learning courses is a challenging task. Opting the right strategies for your course based on the specific requirement is utmost important. Selecting the right authoring tools is very essential as course requirements may vary from each other. For example a course may require interactivities; in this case tools like Flash and Storyline are more appropriate as they have templates with scenarios and avatars. This makes access easy and saves time and cost. After this the next step is to translate the course into multiple languages and make it available to global audience. And thereafter hosting is done on LMS. So, implementing e-learning in your organization is fast and easy. We have put together resources like: Choose the right authoring tool to develop e-learning Get to know: Instructional design 101 Translate e-learning course effectively and global roll-out Host on LMS These resources help you get insights that help in addressing your training needs. Download this kit now! Related PostsLearner Analysis - 5 Things You Need to Do [Infographic]5 Tips for Quality Control of E-learning Courses6 Aspects to Consider Before Starting an E-learning Project

Video-based learning content is one of the effective and engaging learning strategies. It motivates the learner to learn complex concepts easily. The involvement of an instructor in the video will enhance the learning experience and give them the feel of attending a classroom training virtually. Video-based content is a must for imparting certain training concepts. Recorded videos help in a major way to repeat training programs for participants who could not attend the training session. The challenge comes when you want to host a training session online to deliver it to a global audience. The huge file size of videos may create problems for hosting them online on a normal server. Hosting charges are expensive because you need a streaming server than a normal server for learners to see the video due to the difference in Internet bandwidths. Another issue is to protect the confidentiality of the videos. Hosted videos should not have downloadable or share options. In order to host videos online and deliver them using LMS to track the training status, you must have all the videos on the streaming server. There are many videos hosting service providers who provide similar services but with various payment packages. To select the best video hosting service provider, you need to first list down your requirements and then check on the agency that is providing such features or services. Here are some factors that you need to consider while selecting the video-hosting provider: How many videos do you want to host? What will be the size/length of each video? Do you want to deliver the video to mobile users or only to those who use desktops? What type of video quality do you want to host? HD or normal videos? Do want to provide the download or share option? Do you wish to customize the player with your own logo? Would you require unlimited or limited video space? Would you require unlimited or limited bandwidth? What would be the number of user views? We recommend to our customers to use Wistia video service, which provides good streaming features, but the costs are based on usage; for low and for fixed budgets, Vimeo is a good choice. The streaming feature helps learners to download videos in parts. The quality of the video will be based on the learner Internet bandwidth. The videos will be hosted on the streaming server and can be easily integrated into LMS as a learning content. Based on the device used, the respective video format will be displayed. All videos will be secured as it is delivered through LMS and video hosting provider provides its own security features. Get the <embed> code from the video hosting application and embed it easily on the LMS. Hope this information helps you in achieving a breakthrough on hosting huge videos and integrating on LMS. Related PostsHow to Create Section 508 E-learning Course Using FlashIncreasing User-Registrations for Courses Hosted on LMS15 Questions You Were too Afraid to Ask About the LMS

Well-defined operational processes are the crux of a successful organization. Streamlining operations help in improving efficiency and increasing productivity. However, it also comes with a challenge of training the employees on these processes effectively. Processes involve a series of stages/ actions that are required to be performed in a systematic manner, to get the desired output. The content is usually dry, routine and boring, and employees tend to quickly lose their interest. Therefore, training employees can be a daunting task. So how can we handle this? How can we create effective courses, which can break the monotony, making learning interesting? Crafting an appropriate strategy can greatly help impart hands-on learning experiences. I will share with you a few strategies that we have used to design such training courses. Storytelling Approach for Recruitment Process We weaved a story introducing a character Adam. Adam, the new HR manager faces a talent crunch and wants to recruit new employees. Since he is new, he is confused how to go about it. John, who is a senior HR manager starts explaining the key phases in the recruitment process. The entire process is explained in a story format, using the fictional characters to make it interesting. We have used the real captures of the company’s recruitment portal to explain the process. A set of characters was created to explain with whom and how Adam has to communicate and interact while recruiting. Animations and call-outs with speech bubbles were used to show the conversation between the characters, supported by the audio. So, by the end of the story, the learner understands how to hire staff members, as per the company’s policy. Avatar-Based Approach for Supply Chain Management Process Supply chain management is a complex process that deals with various activities, including purchasing, manufacturing, warehousing, planning etc. This is a dry subject and can be very boring to learners, if the content is just presented with some interactivities. So, we came up with a strategy of using an avatar, which is an ant. Avatars can add life to a routine topic, and help in engaging the learners, especially when the process is complex and huge with series of stages. "Alex, the supply chain ant" is introduced at the beginning of the course as an expert in all aspects of supply chain management. It guides the learners and helps them understand the concepts. We used different interactivities to explain the ‘dos’ vis-à-vis the job roles and responsibilities of the team involved in each stage. Scenario-Based Approach for Hazard Analysis Process This course was on identifying microbiological, chemical and physical hazards associated with foods. So, we used a scenario with 2 characters, The senior safety manager guides a new safety supervisor. The junior staff member asks questions and understands the process and concepts. To make the course more engaging, we used icons and tables to explain the phases of the analysis process. Appropriate backgrounds, which were similar to the real working environment, were created to make the course more relevant. We recreated lot of graphics to represent the hazards and steps. We have also used click on interactivities to explain the details of the process. Once the whole process is completed, the senior manager asks the assessment questions and the learner needs to answer them. This helped us retain the learner’s attention till the end. Hope you find the strategies interesting. I will share some more strategies that we used to design courses on performance management and automation processes in my next blog. Stay tuned. What strategies do you use to make process training programs engaging? We would love to know. Related PostsBusiness Process Training - Why & When: Free PresentationDeveloping Online Process Training through eLearning - A Case StudyChallenges in Traditional Methods of Process Training

Recently, we were working on a product training course. The course was about precision balances and topics included installation and repair and maintenance of the balance. There were around 12 topics in the course, out of which 5 topics were mandatory. The learners need to go through these topics to attain completion status. The raw inputs contained a lot of product videos and a one line explanation of each topic. It was a challenge to use these videos to teach and engage learners throughout the course. So, let’s look at a few approaches we used to engage and motivate learners. As the learners were service technicians, we used the character of a senior service technician to guide them through the course. The character adds life to the course and learners can easily relate to what is being taught. So, we used this character to set the stage for the learners. This character comes at the beginning of the course to introduce the topics and tell learners how important it is to complete the mandatory topics. These topics are distinguished from other topics with an exclamation symbol. Though the importance of the mandatory topics is told, the learners may notbe motivated to take these topics since only videos were used to explain the working of the product. So, to increase the motivational levels, we came up with another approach. For each topic we framed 2 questions. Once the learner completes watching the videos, he is posedthose questions. Based on the response, the learner is provided feedback -A congratulatory message using the phrases ‘Excellent, Well-done, Bingo’ if he is right. In case he is wrong, he gets messages such as ‘what’s your second guess or ‘Give it another try’ so that he is not demotivated. He scores 5 points for each right answer and on the completion of 5 mandatory topics he should score 50 points to win a badge. The character appears to congratulate the learner and guide him to the next mandatory topic. Scores and points are ideal tools to motivate the learners, as they are challenged to winin order to enter the next level. This also makes the course engaging and effective. This approach greatly motivated the learners. We also included afinal quiz at the end of the course to cover all the topics.On successful completion of the course, he will be awarded with a certificate- an additional motivational factor. To conclude, these are a few approaches we used to improve motivation levels of learners for a product training course. Related Posts4 Effective Ways of Presenting Scenarios in E-learning CoursesUse of Avatars In E-LearningImportance of Standardization in Designing and Developing E-learning Courses

Articulate Storyline is widely used to develop e-learning courses. A survey conducted by the E-learning Guild, in 2013, revealed that most online course developers prefer to use this powerful rapid authoring tool. What makes Articulate Storyline the preferred choice of the e-learning development community? Well, this tool is very simple to use, and anyone familiar with PowerPoint can work with it in a hassle-free manner. Furthermore, Storyline comes with a wide array of capabilities that go a long way in creating excellent online courses. Here is an info-graphic that lists some of the advanced features of this rapid authoring tool. Hope you find this post interesting. How do you use Articulate Storyline to develop e-learning courses? We’d love to know. Related PostsRapid E-learning through Storyline Tool: 5 Infographics Sharing Key Features4 Tips for Developing E-learning Course Using Rapid Authoring ToolsArticulate Storyline for Easy E-learning Development - An Infographic

It is common knowledge that sales people play a key role in the success of an organization. Every company requires well-trained sales staff to maximize its revenue. But, how can organizations impart highly effective sales training? Well, they need to use online learning methodologies. Let us see why. Benefits of using e-learning to train sales staff E-learning courses are relatively cheaper than classroom training sessions. This is because you can develop an online course once and use it as many times as you want. Furthermore, the need for an instructor is eliminated. You can also update the course very easily using rapid authoring tools to incorporate information about the latest products. E-learning enables companies to roll out product training simultaneously to sales people throughout the globe. This makes it ideal for multinational firms who launch their products in various parts of the world as they can "synchronize" training with product launches. E-learning helps provide just-in-time support to the travelling sales person. He can access information on his company’s products and those of its competitors anytime, anywhere, on the device of his choice. Needless to say, this helps him sell better. E-learning can be used to deliver training in a highly effective and stress-free manner. Information can be delivered in small, gamified online modules, and busy sales people can draw their own convenient learning schedules. E-learning enables organizations to measure the revenue generated by a sales person vis-a-vis the expenditure incurred on training him. This is possible thanks to Tin Can API, the latest standard for learning technology. Thus, we see that e-learning is the perfect medium to train sales people. Hope you find this post interesting. Do share your views. Related PostsSales Training in a Classroom or Online?Sales Training Challenges!Instructional Design Strategies for Application Training

It is a common understanding that learning is gaining knowledge or skill that can be used in real-life situations;it also helps find solutions to various problems. Traditionally learning took place only in classrooms which was more of theoretical learning, on the job through hands-on-approach. However, with online learning, immersive learning is being discussed a lot these days. Immersive learning can blend well with e-learning. As the name suggests, immersive learning is the environment that allows learners to be completely immersed in the learning activity. It provides a simulated learning environment that provides learners with experiences that is close to what they encounter in real life. It may be in the form of game-based learning, drama, story etc. This not only enables learners to involve themselves fully but also helps to sharpen their technical, analytical and creative skills. Immersive learning environment creates an enjoyable learning experience as the learner is completely involved into learning resulting in increasedknowledgeretention. Blending immersive learning techniques with e-learning brings in maximum impact;using various characters in the course, case studies, role plays enable effective knowledge transfer. Here are 3 tips that can be used to create immersive learning in e-learning courses. If you have more to add, please share your comments in the column Related PostsLearner Analysis - 5 Things You Need to Do [Infographic]3 Major Factors to Create Effective Content for an E-learning Course6 Aspects to Consider Before Starting an E-learning Project

Media plays a vital role in sharing current events and increase public awareness by responsibly sharing information concerning an issue. There are accepted practices that media houses generally follow as guidelines. Social media on the other hand is a tool that has no such guidelines. People are at liberty to share, create, exchange information, videos, pictures and ideas on social networks and virtual communities. As Social networking sites are growing tremendously, so are the security risks associated with them. There can be several risk factors involved like: people sharing improper views through social sites which otherwise they may hesitate to share in person. Sometimes inadvertent comment or message may lead to the sharing of sensitive information resulting in adverse effects. To avert such unpleasant situations employees should be trained on how they should use social media. Such training should be made mandatory so that they are clear about thedo’s and don’ts while using the social networking sites. Let’s now check out the reasons why social media awareness should be made mandatory for employees. If you have more to add, please share your comments in the column Related PostsGen-Y Qualities that Matter When Planning Training Deployment [Infographic]Information Security - Why Does This Sensitive Topic Need E-learning?4 Secrets to Reduce E-learning Costs!

Recently, one of our clients came to us with a requirement to control audio files in a slide. Articulate Storylinedoes not have any default option to add audio controls(to play, pause, adjust volume, etc.)to aspecific slide. The only way in which this can be done is by using HTML code. Through this, we can add play, pause, control volume as well as Progress bar controls for audio files. In this post, I would like to share the steps to add controls for audio. Step 1: Develop an HTML file with the audio file as shown in the screenshot belowand save it as index.html.  In the code above, the word controls will add controls to the audio file and the word autoplay will plays the audio automatically. Note: Interchanging the positions of these words doesnot make any difference in the output.  Step 2: Place your .html and audio file within the same folder to avoid complications. Step 3: Go to the Insert tab and select the Web Object option. Step 4: From the opened window, paste the location of index.html file inthe address column or you can even browse to find its location. Step 5: Click the OK button. Adjust the size and position of the Web Object on the screen.  Step 6: Publish the eLearning course and check the output. Note: Audio controls will display an output only in the HTML5 form. And the size of the controls will be different in different browsers. This is the way to add controls for audio. Hope this blog helps you. Please do share your thoughts. Related PostsHow to Combine Your Adobe Captivate Projects Into Single Course?Articulate Storyline: Adding Custom Progress Bars in Online CoursesRapid E-learning through Storyline Tool: 5 Infographics Sharing Key Features

Pathbreaking developments over the last few years have dramatically altered the technology-enabled learning landscape. The massive proliferation of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets have resulted in a huge surge in the demand for m-learning solutions, and the phenomenal rise in the use of the internet in the non-English speaking world is opening new vistas in online training. As result of these game-changing developments, new trends such as the following are emerging in the world of e-learning. Growth in the use of bite-sized modules Conversion of Flash-based learning content into the mobile-friendly HTML5 format Translation of e-learning content in English into the native languages of learners Check out this interesting video to know more about these trends and others that are shaping the future of the corporate training world. Technology is revolutionizing the way organizations train their employees.Want to know the trends in e-learning design and development, checkout this video. For more interesting videos, click here. Related PostsSmart Questions to Evaluate Product Knowledge of Medical RepresentativesGen-Y Qualities that Matter When Planning Training Deployment [Infographic]Information Security - Why Does This Sensitive Topic Need E-learning?

E-learning and Classroom Training are different, each having its own advantages and disadvantages. E-learning is a very effective way to deliver training and I would like to share how Training Mangers can overcome the drawbacks of Classroom Training through e-learning, to manage their training effectively. Unlike classroom training, e-learning does not require a trainer. Learners can learn by themselves (self-learning). Classroom training is limited to a certain place, time and number of people, unlike e-learning where it is possible to train global learners. Classroom training is not usually repeated where as with e-learning, it is possible to take the course multiple times. Any updates/ changes in the organizational processes can be easily communicated globally through e-learning. Classroom materials do not really motivate learners where as with e-learning, you can motivate them with great visuals, friendly audio narration, gaming interactivities and videos.  E-learning is cost effective, and allows you to translate your e-learning into multiple languages and deliver the training globally. Classroom training requires Training Managers to travel and stay in the training place where as with e-learning, travelling time and cost can be avoided. E-learning gives learners the freedom to take the course at their own pace and also navigate to topics of their choice. Classroom training is one time learning where as e-learning allows learners to revisit the learning and test their knowledge until they master the necessary skills. Classroom training is dependent on trainers performance and their emotional state. Whereas e-learning is not and will give learners a same learning platform without any imbalances. E-learning is an effective way for organizational training to improve productivity. E-learning is accessible ANY TIME, ANY PLACE to train your employees globally. Classroom training is time and cost consuming, where Training Managers have to schedule the training, book the training area, and plan for the learners, who in turn have to include the training in their schedules. All these pain points can be solved by e-learning! Related PostsAn Effective Guide to Online Course Development - Free Kit6 Aspects to Consider Before Starting an E-learning ProjectGen-Y Qualities that Matter When Planning Training Deployment [Infographic]

It is a common understanding that different kinds of people work in an organization and each generation is different from the other. Let’s discuss about Gen-Y in the present context and understand the important aspects that are to be considered while planning a training program for this category of people. Gen-Y are those people born after 1980’s.They are the ones who are social, enthusiastic, flexible, multi-tasking, and excellent communicators. So, in order to train Gen-Y, you need to first understand their unique skills. This helps in designing a course that’s more effective. Secondly, they are tech savvy and use technology on a day-to-day basis through tablets, smart phones, iPhones etc. They like to be self-trained with the use of technology anytime, anywhere. On this front if they are restricted, they may rather avoid getting trained. Gen-Y’s are target oriented and good team players and like to share their ideas and views in a group. Their performance will rise when such collaborative features are added on to LMS. Routing them towards new tasks and challenges with games and puzzles makes the course more interesting and challenging resulting to their better performance. Also Gen-Y’s are said to be multi-tasking, like chatting with a friend and taking a byte-sized learning module. They may not complete the course at once but certainly they would complete the same at their pace and time. So, these are some of the factors that need to be kept in mind when planning training programs for Gen Y workforce. Here is an infographic that captures the typical qualities of Gen Y that need to be considered when designing training programs. If you have more to add, please share your comments in the column Related Posts3 Reasons Why Social Media Training Should be Mandatory for Employees [Infographic]6 Hot E-learning Trends Shaping the Corporate Training World [Video]E-Learning vs.Traditional Classroom Training

One of our clients, a leading pharmaceutical company, wanted to impartproduct training to their sales representatives, through short e-learning modules, to increase their efficiency. Medical representatives face many problems while promoting their companies’ products to doctors. It’s a well-known fact that doctors are more knowledgeable about medicines than pharmaceutical sales representatives. It was a big challenge for us to make the courses engaging and informative, so that theyhelp the salespeopleof the client acquire new skills and build their self-esteem. Right content will help the sales staff meet the current objectives and gain specific skills. It is fair to say that only a few sales staff members will be able to remember and apply the newly acquired knowledge.We first analyzed the entire content and listed out a few common topics that could be designed in the same way for all the producttraining modules. We first created an outline for each drug/ product and then designed standard templates for the slides. Here is the screenshot of an outline. 1. One common slide is "Product: Composition and Dosage".The composition of each product is different,and we represented the composition of every product using icons. 2. Another common slide is "Product: Mode of Action". Each drug has different modes of action .As the concept is highlytechnical, we used animations to help learners understand the subject. As all these modulesareiPad compatible, we used .swf files to create animations which were converted into the mp4 format and embedded into Storyline. 3. Another common slide is "Product: Pharmacokinetics". Pharmacokinetics is a branch of pharmacology dedicated to determining the fate of drug administered. It is commonly divided into divided into Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Excretion (ADME). We suggested the click interactivity to explain the pharmacokinetics. 4. Finally comes the "Product: Indications and Contraindications". We represented the useful and the harmful effects of the drug in various disease conditions using zoo-zoos. Standardizing a few templates makes it easier for the e-learning designer/developer to understand and quickly process the content and ensure quality, which in turn makes the development faster.The use of animations, various icons and interactivities helpsteach technical content effectively and enables sales representatives to retain and apply the knowledge better. What do you think? Related PostsOnline Product Training Design StrategiesProduct Training for Multiple Audiences through RLOs or Reusable Learning ModulesMaking Product Trainings Beneficial for Sales People

It is common knowledge that mobile devices have become an integral part of our lives. Many organizations are taking advantage of the widespread use of mobiles and using m-learning to train their employees. According to Ambient Insight, the global mobile learning market is likely to touch $12.2 billion by 2017, registering a staggering compound annual growth rate of 18.2% for the period 2012 to 2017. The phenomenal growth in the demand for m-learning solutions has resulted in online training experts taking up rapid authoring tools which can be used to publish courses to HTML5, a mobile friendly format. Most rapid authoring tools such as Articulate Storyline provide HTML5 output, but do not support the development of responsive e-learning courses (which can be accessed on any device in a seamless manner) effectively. So, while using such tools for developing m-learning courses, you need to design an m-learning template based on the device requirement. Today, in this blog, let us see how to build an m-learning template with Articulate Storyline. The first thing you should do while designing an m-learning template is to change the screen size. This is very important to avoid re-work at a later stage. Step 01: Click the Design tab on the ribbon. Step 02: Click the Story Size button on the Design tab. Step 03: A Change Story Size window pops up where you can change the screen/slide size according to your device requirements. If you are designing an m-learning course for a specific device, then you need to set the story size as per the device’s screen size. Note: The size in the screen shot is set for Portrait view. Step 04: Now, remove the unnecessary features of the player that would eat away the screen space. For example, removing the menu would save a lot of screen space. Step 05: Also, remove the built-in Slide navigation controls from the slide properties as we have to create navigation controls as per the design requirements of the mobile. Step 06: Now, go to the Slide Master from the View tab. Step 07: In the Slide Master, design the layouts and navigation controls as per the agreed design standards and requirements. Here, I have designed different layouts for different slide requirements. Step 08: Incorporate interactivities, quizzes, and all the necessary components according to the client’s requirements. Here, the screenshot shows the example of a quizzing slide. Step 09: Finally, publish it for the mobile. That’s it! Similarly, you can build different m-learning templates according to the project requirements. Simple, isn’t it? Note: Some organizations implement the bring-your-own-device policy for delivering training through m-learning. In such cases, it is not advisable to use Articulate Storyline as the rapid authoring tool does not support responsive design. Adobe Captivate 8 would be the ideal choice for these organizations. Hope you find these tips interesting and helpful. Please share your thoughts through your valuable comments. Related PostsRapid E-learning through Storyline Tool: 5 Infographics Sharing Key FeaturesHow to Combine Your Adobe Captivate Projects Into Single Course?Articulate Storyline for Converting Legacy Online Courses into HTML5

Whenever I take on a new e-learning project, I first comprehend the content and then think of ways in which the content can be presented. This is where the importance of visualization comes into picture. Your e-learning course should contain good visual elements to keep your learners engaged. But, using visuals just for the sake of using them may not make your e-learning course effective. Instead, use visuals that go well with your content. In this blog, I would like to share how to use visuals effectively to enhance the quality of your online course. 1. Use images that speak: A picture is worth a thousand words. Use appropriate images that speak about the content, instead of using heavy blocks of text. This would help your learners absorb the information very well and make your course look visually appealing. You can also use characters in your e-learning course. These characters can be used to explain the content. Make sure that you have these characters in different poses, so that you can use them throughout the course. In the screenshot below, you can see the image of a doctor that guides learners throughout the course. 2. Use images that are interactive: Many a time, you need to develop courses on products and healthcare. You may need to explain all the parts of a product on a single slide. But, you cannot place the image and the entire text on a single slide as it results in learner monotony. So, what is the solution to this problem? The answer is very simple - use hotspots. Hotspot is a very effective interactivity that asks learners to click and know the content. When learners click a hotspot, the related information gets displayed. Take a look at the hotspot interactivity. 3. Use videos to explain procedures: Videos are effective tools to enhance the learning process. They can be effectively used to train your learners on a procedure, for instance, how a machine or a product functions. Studies show that we learn better by watching and observing. Videos are a great way to demonstrate behavior. For example, videos can be effectively used in a fire safety training to show the hazards that occur in workplace and also the safe work practices. 4. Use info-graphics for better learning: Have you ever thought of using info-graphics in your e-learning course? I am sure your learners would love info-graphics because they present the information in a simple and concise manner that is easy to read and recall. Info-graphics are attractive and keep your learners engaged. Info-graphics can be used effectively to: Narrate the history of a person or product Compare and contrast data Explain a process or procedure Relate concepts and categories Here is a screenshot of an info-graphic that shows the steps to be followed to design an e-learning course. Thus, we see that proper use of visuals goes a long way in enhancing the effectiveness of an e-learning course. Hope you find this post useful. Do share your views. Related Posts4 Effective Ways of Presenting Scenarios in E-learning CoursesUnleashing the Power of Images in Online Courses [Infographic]Text Focused Instructional Design