24 Weeks of E-Learning Examples

Congratulations on rocking another 12 weeks of e-learning challenges.

Instead of doing a challenge this week, I thought it would be a great time to look back at the amazing examples you guys shared over the past three months. Take the week to go through the projects, or use the time to catch up on a challenge or two you missed.

I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of this community. It's not easy to show and share one's work. That's true for newbies as well as course-designing gurus. But you guys take that risk each week and the community rewards your efforts with feedback, support, and new friendships.

About the challenges

Miss a challenge?

Challenges are always open—there's never a deadline to submit an idea. If you missed a challenge, just add your demo to the comments and we'll update the weekly recap and the quarterly recap to include your samples. The best way we know how to thank you for sharing is by promoting what you do.

Got an idea for a challenge?

I'm always taking ideas for future challenges. I think our editorial calendar is filled through June, but I can always move things around for the right challenge. If you have an idea for a challenge, I definitely want to hear it.

Looking for previous challenges?

You can find the first 12 challenges in this recap post.

Here are summaries and links to the latest 12 weekly challenges:

Give Your Quiz Results Slides a Makeover

Montse Anderson shared a mile-high e-learning quiz makeover featuring a clean layout with crisp typography. She also shared a link to the interactive video quiz with the updated results slide.
Paul Alders shared his quiz results makeover in this ruler-themed template. Paul always shares his source files so give him a big shoutout next time you see him around the forums.
Jeff Kortenbosch put his results slide under the knife to create this elegant nursing theme demo featuring some familiar characters. If you like Jeff’s entry as much as we do, take some time to read his
blog post and screencast outlining his design process. Great work, Jeff!
Eimear O'Neill reworked an existing project to share this well-designed makeover. I really like how she shaded the people icons and the text treatment for the learner’s scores. Great slides, Eimear!
Nicole Legault gets two thumbs up for sharing her before and after quiz results. Nicole also stirred up a lively discussions around the use of hand gestures in quiz feedback.
Ana Lucia Barguil scored big in her winning game-based makeover. She also shared the final project and Storyline source files. Thanks, Ana!
Alex Burford shared an infographic-inspired results slide. I really liked this clean example and shared a quick idea for adjusting some of the colors to create a little more contrast. Great job, Alex and thanks for jumping into this week’s challenge!

Create a Radiant Template with Pantone’s Color of the Year

Jeff Kortenbosch once again kicked off the weekly challenge with this well-designed template featuring menu, content, and quiz slides. Be sure to check out the PowerPoint template he shared. Thanks, Jeff!
Nicole Legault followed up with a radiant example that includes a course menu slide, content slides and an overall great use of purple. We’ll need to nudge Nicole to make this template available.
David Fair jumped into the challenge with an eye-catching template that features silhouettes, slide transitions, and video players. This is very practical layout that would work for almost any e-learning course. We’ll give David a nudge to share his template, too. David also re-worked one of the free downloads to show how easy it is to customize Storyline templates.
Sol Moh shared a fun navigation idea in this demo that also includes animated course instructions and a floor-wall-baseboard themed background.
Ana Lucia Barguil shared a playful example she designed for little girls. Inspired by fridge magnets and the Angelina Ballerina site, Ana showed how versatile this purple color can be. Ana also shared her source file and we always appreciate that. Thanks, Ana!
Danika Clark shared a really clean and practical template design in her demo.
Paul Alders shared his purple vision in this tabbed menu example.
Montse Anderson shared an interactive map with custom lightboxes and tabbed modal boxes.

Creating Custom Drag-and-Drop E-Learning Interactions

Ana Lucia Barguil kicked off the year’s final challenge with three drag-and-drop games inspired by one of Tom’s free templates. As always, Ana shared her Storyline source files. Thanks, Ana!
Rıdvan Saglam spent more than 30 seconds on his creative drag-and drop game but we think every second—or minute or hour—was worth it. Not to let time slip by, Ridvan shared an updated version.
Kimberly Bourque her day job to create interactive map demo that was inspired by a recent challenge entry from Montse Anderson.
Rameez Hendricks introduced himself to the community with a drag-and-drop example that will ensure we always remember his face. Well done, Rameez!
Jeff Kortenbosch found a unique angle for drag-and-drop by sharing his menu navigation example. Thanks for the creative ideas and source file, Jeff!
Joseph Ramanui proved that the only thing better than doughnuts is a Simpsons-inspired drag-and-drop game. Joseph then took things in a different direction with his Zombie Maze Game. Don’t be scared to check out the source file he shared. Thanks, Joseph!
David Lindenberg shared a more peaceful interaction with his character-based drag-and-drop timeline. Great example, David!
Ari Avivi shared an out-of-the-box example that lets learners practice their radio codes.
Paul Alders shared a colorful drag-and-drop interaction designed to teach children to recognize important colors. Lots of possibilities for this type of int

Using Job Aids in E-Learning

David Lindenberg shared a great example of giving learners a choice between taking the formal course or getting the facts from a job aid.
Ari Avivi shared a blended example that demonstrates one way to incorporate handouts with the online course. Nice work, Ari.
Joseph Ramanui shared an elegant language training example that features course-based activities and quick reference guides.
Jenise Cook demonstrated how job aids and resources can support online new hire orientation training with organization charts, office maps, and security policies. Great ideas, Jenise!
Jeff Kortenbosch created an interactive demo for software training. This is also a great example of how you can mock up ideas for these challenges without having to build out the entire demo. Be sure to download Jeff’s source file that he shared.

Using Characters in E-Learning

Patricio Bustamante kicked off the challenge with a story-based example for the health care industry. The combination of photographic backgrounds and illustrated characters help make this an engaging example. Nice work, Patricio!
Ana Lucia Barguil followed up with a fun example featuring a character-based introduction to a selective collection module. Check out Ana’s source file to learn how she built it. Ana shared another e-learning character example for Google Hangout training and the Storyline source file. Thanks for sharing your source files, Ana!
Joseph Ramanui shared a wrecking ball of an example with another video game-based demo. Joseph is doing some really great work with Storyline.
David Anderson shared a retro e-learning character example.
Bruce Graham unleashed the lovable Story Lion into the challenge. Words aren't enough; you’re going to have to see it to believe it. Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
Jeff Kortenbosch took things in a different direction with his video-based character. Always enjoy seeing what Jeff puts together!
Jonathan Atleson avoided obfuscation with a clear and simple example of using characters in his Word Choice demo. Jonathan’s next example featured a character-based quiz on recycling. The game-like feel of his example inspires a lot of possibilities. Great work, Jonathan!
Montse Anderson first shared an leadership scenario followed by an interactive quotes demo.
Christopher Lind shared his e-learning character example highlighting key features of a college. Great example of multiple character dialogue in courses. Well done, Christopher!
Melissa Cline-Douthitt combined photographic backgrounds with custom illustrations in her character-based e-learning example on career assessments. Great work, Melissa!
David Lindenberg shared screenshots from a training module designed to help clinicians form answers to FAQsabout their care program. Great work as always, David!
Kimberly Bourque declassified her character-based example to show a fun solution for categorizing candidates. In her second example, she shows a neat tabs approach to character scenarios. Great job on your first course, Kimberly!
Alicia Durham shared an example of custom photographic avatars combined with learner options to use the avatar’s guidance. Love it!
Paul Alders jumped in with one of the more popular requests we see for giving learners the option to choose their own course avatar. Great demo, Paul!
Rebecca Lindsay created a character-based navigation design that helps learners review candidate qualifications.

Screencasts and Software Simulations in Online Training

David Fair proved he wasn’t afraid of screencasting with this scary Walking Dead effect he recreated in PowerPoint. Well done, David!
Jeff Kortenbosch is no stranger to screencasting and proved it by sharing his very first screencasts and two of his most recent screencasts. What a difference practice and experience makes. Jeff also shared his screencasting process as well as practical tips to help all of us record better videos. Great demos and info, Jeff!
David Anderson shared a note card example that addresses common questions in the actual screencast. Great job, me.
Ana Lucia Barguil shared a great example that combines course narration and screencasting. There are a lot of subtle elements in this demo, so please be sure you check it out. Awesome demo, Ana!
David Lindenberg jumped in to share a fun tutorial for creating light box effects in Articulate Presenter and Microsoft PowerPoint. David always comes up with creative solutions so be sure to take a look at this classic tip.
Montse Anderson shared an idea for using screencasts to answer questions from the community.

Ask Your Learners to Prove They’re Learning

Jackie Van Nice shared a creative idea for incorporating the NEXTCHA button into an audit course. Be sure to check out Jackie’s blog post that describes how she built her project. Great job, Jackie!
Montse Anderson followed up with a creative use for interactive text fields in compliance courses.
Jeff Kortenbosch asked learners to think quickly in this time-based version of NEXTCHA.
Paul Alders shared his own icon-based version of NEXTCHA in this creative demo. Be sure to check out Paul's website to download his source files!

Beyond the Basic Drag-and-Drop Interaction

Paul Alders kicked off the challenge with an iPad-inspired template that features a slide switch to unlock the course demo. Be sure to download the free .story file to learn how he built it. Great work, Paul!
Patryce Smith used Storyline’s triggers and slide layers to create her medical drag-and-drop demo. Lots of ideas come to mind after viewing this example. Thanks, Patryce!
Pedro Fernandez shared a neat demo that asks learners to drag-and-drop coins off the table to practice counting. Pedro shares his source file so take a look and let him know what you think. Thanks, Pedro!
Jackie Van Nice gives us a creative option for choosing your seatmate in her aviation-inspired demo. Choose wisely—it’s a long flight! Check out Jackie’s blog post to learn more about her demo and design process.
Gemma Henderson introduced herself to the community with a drag and rock jukebox. Don’t stop after one song. There are some hidden gems in this demo, but you’ll have to get your hands dirty if you want to hear more tunes. Gemma also wrote a blog post about her demo. Well done, Gemma!
Michael Hinze shared a drag-and-drop video player he built when learning Storyline. Check out Michael’s blog post to learn more about his project.
Jeff Kortenbosch created a… Well, you’ll just have to see it to believe it.
Nick S. also introduced himself to the community with a Dragon Drop fighting game complete with sword and shield. Love seeing creative uses of Storyline like this one. Great demo, Nick!
Montse Anderson shared a clever idea for using drag objects to compare relative sizes of hurricanes.
Dan Sweigert introduced himself to the community with his drag-and-drop munchies game. Love the use of photographic objects for decision-making scenarios. Dan also shared a blog post on his idea and how he put it together. Hope to see more from Dan in future challenges!
Yours truly couldn’t resist sharing a few recent drag-and-drop projects. The first is a healthy choices food game that asks you to sort food objects. Keeping with the food theme, things got a little sillier with the drag-and-drop pizza manand chocolate-loving man.
Phil Mayor dug a classic drag-drop interaction out of the crates. This was one of Phil's first projects during the Storyline beta. Thanks for sharing, Phil!

Olympic-Themed E-Learning Template

Alex O'Byrne opened the games with a… game. The snowboarding game requires users to avoid hazards like trees, snowmen, cabins, and more. Neat idea, Alex!
Jackie Van Nice “grabbed her design skis and headed for the nearest Black Diamond drawing board” to create this well-designed e-learning template. Be sure to check out Jackie’s blog post to learn more about her design process.
George Aston shared a creative demo that features an Olympic ring start menu and flat design. Great job, George!
Montse Anderson shared some design comps for the project she’s working on. Looking forward to the final demo, Montse!
Gemma Henderson took things in a more organic direction with her hand drawn Olympics template. Be sure to check out Gem’s blog for more info about her project and Skeleton. Awesome demo, Gem!
Jeff Kortenbosch shared a creative example that features a custom page background and app-inspired navigation. Great work as always, Jeff!
Sam Lincoln jumped into the Olympic challenge with a winning e-learning demo featuring a medal-themed start screen, draggable timeline interaction, and obstacle course. Lots to see in this one! Thanks, Sam!
Sean Bengry shared a Seattle Seahawks-inspired template to celebrate the Super Bowl champions. You'll want to see this one. Great job, Sean!
Paul Alders shared an Olympic speed skating challenge demo in honor of Sven Kramer. Great job as always, Paul!

Decision Map to Branching Scenarios

Jackie Van Nice kicked off this week’s challenge with an elegant example of smooth animations and creative type design. Be sure to check out Jackie’s blog post to learn more about her design process. Awesome demo, Jackie!
Kimberly Bourque followed up with a creative example that asks learners to guess their leadership style before beginning the simulation. Well done, Kimberly!
Gemma Henderson put together an illustrated example that features a creative rollovers for the question choices. Amazing example, Gem!
El Burgaluva shared a creative, character-driven example that features photo characters and chat boxes for each scenario. Great demo, Leslie!

Create a Simple E-Learning Game

Dan Sweigert shared an interactive audio game that asks you to choose the correct way to play a series of instruments. Check out Dan's blog post to learn more about his game demo. Well done, Dan!
Przemysław Hubisz shared a well-designed memory game interaction. He later shared a Space Invaders-themed game. Both are outstanding examples! Be sure to download Przemyslaw’s source files (game 1 and game 2) to learn more about his game templates. Thanks, Przemyslaw!
Montse Anderson shared a game show themed activity featuring animated character intros and a progress meter for learner scores. She then followed up with a brain teaser game. Nicely done, Montse!
Nick Russell shared an illustrated crossword game. Nick includes his source file so check it out and give him a “Thanks!” next time you see him. Great job, Nick!
Nancy Woinoski challenged learners to help catch a bicycle thief in this detective-themed game. Nancy always creates amazing work!
Allison Nederveld shared a creative game based on the popular game Cards for Humanity. She has a great blog post that details her game and design process.
Charles Hamper shared an out-of-this world example with his Spaceship Builder game.
Jackie Van Nice got into the game with this engaging game based on German dining customs. Featuring a beer-themed progress meter, you’ll want to see this one through to the end to catch the hilarious conclusion screens. Check out Jackie’s write up on her example.
Trav Owen shared a fun concept interaction based on the popular Rock-paper-scissors hand game..
Stephanie Harnett knocked out two e-learning challenges in one demo. Love the creative card game Stephanie put together. Great job!
Sol Moh challenges learners to “spot the differences” in this illustrated game. Well done, Sol!

Instructional Design Tips That Really Pop

You can view everyone’s poster designs on Pinterest.

Kimberly Bourque kicked off the challenge with a training classic: “Tell me a story.” Kimberly later shared another great quote: “Find exceptional and model it.”
Kai (Freelancer) jumped into her first e-learning challenge with a great reminder: “No matter how much one plans, circumstances dictate the outcome.”
Jeff Kortenbosch shared a good reminder: “Make it simple, but significant.”
Nancy Woinoski asked our industry’s toughest question: “Is it elearning or e-learning?” Nancy jumped back into the challenge with another classic: “Show, don’t tell.”
Dan Sweigert animated his favorite quote: “Turn bullets into stories.”
Jackie Van Nice shared “All problems are solved with good design.” You can read more about Jackie’s inspiration and poster design on her personal site. Later, Jackie shared a quote from Bernard Bull and included another detailed and helpful write up of her inspiration and design process.
Paul Alders was on a roll this week. First, he shared "If you always do what you've done, you will always get what you've always got." Paul then shared “Design is more than just a few tricks to the eye. It’s a few tricks to the brain.” Then Paul shared a quote from Ana Monnar: “Sharing will enrich everyone with more knowledge.”
Sol Moh shared “Listen to this reed as it is grieving; it tells the story of our separations” and followed up with his tribute to Articulate.
Melanie Sobie shared her favorite Steve Jobs design quote: “It's not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”
Stephanie Harnett shared a couple of winners. First, an actual tip followed by a comment.
Jennifer Dryden shared a fun quote: “Drop shadows, not bombs.”
Sabrina DiCiano shared Rob Curedale’s timeless quote: “Design is creativity with strategy.”
Destery Hildenbrand shared one of our industry’s favorites: “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
Tricia Ransom first shared an absurd quote followed by a serious quote based on the Do—Know—Access model.
Bruno Dethune shared another classic: “Keep it stupid simple.”
Gina Orozco joined her first challenge with “You'll never leave where you're at until you decide where you would rather be.”
Rebekah Massman shared a great training quote: “People forget design that forgets people.”
Charles Hamper shared an animated design reminder: “Mind the borders.”
Leslie-Ann Blackburn shared another classic quote from Steve Jobs: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
Ashley Chiasson shared a great quote from Oscar Wilde: “You can never be overdressed or overeducated.”
James Kocher did a great job with the visual design treatment on a frequently debated quote.
Sreekanth Chakravarthy shared another industry reminder: “Learner first. Everything else next.”
Allison Nederveld shared a couple of great quotes in her newly published blog. The first quote comes from Jane Bozarth: “We complain that learners want to be spoon-fed but then we won’t let them hold the spoon.” The second quote is a classic education quote from Seymour Papert: “You can't teach people everything they need to know. The best you can do is position them where they can find what they need to know when they need to know it.”
Nick Russell reminds us to “Keep things in perspective.”
Raymond M shared an interactive poster to remind us of the importance of chunking.
Jenise Cook first shared an interesting poster followed by a good reminder for e-learning scenarios.
Gemma Henderson shared a quote by Alan Turing: “Machines take me by surprise with great frequency.” Later, Gem shares a great line from Dracula: “We learn from failure, not from success.”
Pamela G. designed a quote around Winston Churchill’s classic quote: “Where my reason, imagination or interest were not engaged, I would not or I could not learn.”
Dianne Hope joined the e-learning challenges with this quote from John Cotton Dana: “Who dares to teach should never cease to learn.”
Andrzej Rudnik shared a creative and thoughtful reminder of where we can find beauty.

Post written by David Anderson