Sessions: TU211CS & W211CS

Extreme Makeovers: Tips and Tricks to Make Rapid E-Learning Sing

ASTD TechKnowledge 2008 Conference and Exposition

Learning Objectives:• Apply simple techniques to enhance basic Adobe Presenter

functionality • Apply simple, creative approaches to improve interactivity and better

engage learners • Apply workarounds for technical limitations of Adobe Presenter 5.0

http://extrememakeovers.pbwiki.com/

Claudia Escribano: 703-707-0278; claudia.escribano@vangent.comRob Rode: 617-314-9620; rob.rode@vangent.com

About this Help File

This help file provides some basic content to help you:• Enhance Presenter functionality• Improve interactivity and engagement• Work around technical limitations

It is also your playground to apply the techniques covered in the Creation Station session. You’ll find detailed instructions on how to do everything covered in the Notes section of each slide.

We know it isn’t very pretty or well organized—yet. That part is up to you. We’ve gotten you started. Now, it’s up to you to make this Help file work for you.

Menu

Let’s make Rapid E-Learning Sing by:

Enhancing Presenter functionality

Improving interactivity and engagement

Working around technical limitations

For more information:• http://extrememakeovers.pbwiki.com/FrontPage

Enhance Presenter Functionality

Slide Navigation

Before—List of Slides After—Topic Menu

Topic Separators/Chapterization

Topic Separators

Logo on Interface

Before—Macromedia Logo

After—Your Logo

Or No Logo at all!

Correct - Click anywhere to continue

Correct - Click anywhere to continue

Incorrect - Click anywhere to continue

Incorrect - Click anywhere to continue

You answered this correctly!You answered this correctly!

Your answer:Your answer:

The correct answer is:The correct answer is:You did not answer this

question completely

You did not answer this question completelyYou must answer the question

before continuing

You must answer the question before continuing

Submit Clear

What are some things you can do to improve the look of quiz feedback boxes?

A) Nothing; feedback boxes cannot be modifiedB) Change colors and gradientsC) Add a graphic imageD) Use wingdings to add simple images

Fixing Visual StuttersBefore—Visual Stutter After—Smooth

Hiding Presentation TimeBefore—Presentation Time Confuses

After—Presentation Time Hidden

Improve Interactivity and Engagement

Amount of Text on ScreenChallenge: Whew! Here’s a lot of information. Can you reduce the amount of text on the screen?

Capture InformationWikis are useful for capturing information on topics you’re actively pursuing. When you’ve identified a topic to research—for example, personal knowledge management—you can set up a wiki with specific pages for key information areas. With this structure in place, you can add information whenever you see it. It doesn’t take much time, and the knowledge grows quickly.

Share InformationYou can share your wiki with colleagues so they can add information too. That way the information comes from a broader pool of resources and is more comprehensive.

Search for InformationWiki search features make it easy to find the information you need. Also, you can tag pages by topic to group related pages.

Print InformationIf you want to publish the information, you can convert the wiki to a PDF file and print it out.

Think VisuallyChallenge: How could you make this bulleted list more visually interesting?

The Toolkit provides everything you need to guide you from Setup to Getting your Reports, including:

• An overview of the Launch Process • How to customize and brand your Welcome page, if appropriate • Technical Requirements • Ready-to-send emails designed to excite, inform and prepare everyone involved• Checklists to guide you through the process • FAQs to answer the inevitable questions • An order form for the hardcopy library • Access to the various reports

Adding Interactivity

Branching

QuestionsFlash Links

Adding InteractivityBranchingOne way of reducing the amount of text on the screen is to create some branching. Try moving some of the content to other slides and linking to it.

Here is how this process work:

Preparation

First, we gather as much information as we can to understand your business goals, the target audience, and performance objectives. If content is available, we collect it from you and begin to analyze and understand it. Using this preliminary information, we set up the framework for your Rapid Design meeting.

Establishing Guidelines and Confirming Strategic Goals

We meet with you in person to co-create the design. The meeting is run by a trained facilitator who ensures that everyone is working toward a common goal. The facilitator sets a collaborative, creative tone for the meeting and establishes guidelines to ensure that all perspectives are shared and appreciated. Then the facilitator asks a series of questions to understand or confirm the strategic goals, target audience, and success factors of the training program. This establishes a common vision for the project.

Assembling the Design in Real Time

The facilitator assembles the design on the walls of the meeting room using sheets of paper. Through probing questions and summary statements, the facilitator guides the group to a consensus on each decision. A notetaker captures the agreed-upon design into a Design Plan template. The facilitator helps to keep the focus on the learners’ experience by restating design ideas from their perspective. The facilitator emphasizes that there are no bad ideas, and the group plays out various scenarios to see which ones best achieve the common vision.

Adding InteractivityBranching

It’s a cold and rainy Friday afternoon. You’re watching the clock tick its way closer to quitting time. You’ve got about 5 minutes to go when your boss comes running wild eyed into your office. Tugging what’s left of his hair, he shouts, “Quick! We need to crank out an e-learning on how to develop using Adobe Presenter. Our client needs it Monday morning for a class.” What is your response?

You can also use branching to create an interactive simulation. Try it. You can use the scenario provided below or create your own. Add a few more answer options. Then create an answer slide for each option and link the option to the answer slide.

A. “I quit.”

B. “No problem. I can get that done in the next half hour.”

C. “I know a contractor who could do that.”

D. <Add a response here>.

Correct - Click anywhere to continue

Correct - Click anywhere to continue

Incorrect - Click anywhere to continue

Incorrect - Click anywhere to continue

You answered this correctly!You answered this correctly!

Your answer:Your answer:

The correct answer is:The correct answer is:You did not answer this

question completely

You did not answer this question completelyYou must answer the question

before continuing

You must answer the question before continuing

Submit Clear

Here's a pretty boring quiz question. See if you can make it more interesting.What are some ways that you can add interactivity and engagement to an e-learning course?

A) Create branching interactionsB) Link to other Web sitesC) Insert a Flash gameD) Create interesting quiz questions

Adding InteractivityFlash

<Insert a Flash file here>

How have you added interactivity to your e-learning? Share your experiences

Link Out…Adding Interactivity

• To Help

• To Wikis

• To Web sites for more information

• To Blogs

What can you think of to link to? Try it now.

Work Around Limitations

When learners review a quiz question after taking it, the Reset and Submit buttons are still active.

A) True

B) False

Correct - Click anywhere to continue

Correct - Click anywhere to continue

Incorrect - Click anywhere to continue

Incorrect - Click anywhere to continue

You answered this correctly!You answered this correctly!

Your answer:Your answer:

The correct answer is:The correct answer is:You did not answer this

question completely

You did not answer this question completelyYou must answer the question

before continuing

You must answer the question before continuing

Submit Reset

Garbled Notes TextBefore—Garbled Notes Text

After—Formatted Notes Text

PodcastsMP3 files are created when you publish

Style LibrariesYou can use this Style Library to copy and paste these formatted feedback boxes to another presentation.

You must answer the question before continuing

Correct - Click anywhere to continue

Incorrect - Click anywhere to continue

You answered this correctly!

Your answer:

The correct answer is:

You did not answer this question completely

Submit Clear

To continue our learning:• http://extrememakeovers.pbwiki.com/FrontPage

Thank You!