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How to Manage Learner Progress with the Continue Block in Rise 360

When you hear the term “information overload,” it’s usually in reference to the tweets, Facebook posts, viral videos, texts, and emails that inundate you throughout the day. That endless stream of content screaming “pay attention to me!” can leave you feeling like you’re drowning in information.

But information overload isn’t just limited to social media posts or your ever-expanding inbox. It’s also a learning problem. When learners feel inundated with information in a course, they’ll feel overwhelmed and start to tune out. This means they won’t absorb important training content effectively—and they’re more likely to miss opportunities to apply critical new skills and behaviors in real life, when it counts. E-learning courses can veer into information overload on almost anything, but it’s especially common with topics like compliance training that require a deeper level of detail to satisfy regulators.

No matter the type of content you’re wrangling, having a few e-learning tricks up your sleeve never hurts! One of my favorite tricks for avoiding information overload is to use the Continue block in Rise 360. This feature is handy when I need to manage my learners’ progress and tackle bits of information one piece at a time. I use the Continue block for chunking content, scaffolding information to gradually build understanding and proficiency, and for giving learners much-needed brain breaks to process what they’ve learned before they move ahead. All of these can lead to better comprehension, retention, and recall on the job.

So let’s take a closer look at the power of the Continue block in Rise 360. First, I’ll show you how it looks and feels to your learners, then I’ll show you how to set it up—along with some practical pointers—for using it in your Rise 360 courses.

How the Continue block works

The following short video gives you a peek into how your learners will experience the Continue block in a Rise 360 course.

How to add a Continue block in Rise 360

Now that you’ve seen how it works, let’s take a look at how to set it up. Click the video below for a quick demo of the steps.

Using the Continue block

As you’ve just seen, adding a continue block to your Rise 360 projects is supereasy. The continue block in Rise 360 unlocks loads of new possibilities for controlling learner progress.

For instance, no need to worry that your learners will simply skim over important information in a Storyline block interaction. Just add a continue block right underneath your Storyline block in Rise 360, and then select either Complete the block directly above or Complete all blocks above from the Completion Type menu. Best of all, the continue block works with all types of Storyline block interactions—even quizzes.

To learn more about Storyline blocks in Rise 360, check out this video.

How will you use the Continue block?

We can all use a little help avoiding information overload. And although it’s a perfect fit for compliance training, the Continue block in Rise 360 is quite versatile. I’ve found it’s a great tool for prompting learners to reflect on what they’ve learned in almost any type of course.

How will you use the Continue block in Rise 360? Share your ideas and experience with us by leaving a comment below.

Want to try something you learned here, but don’t have Articulate 360? Start a free 30-day trial, and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning. If you have any questions, please share them in the comments.

Published 8 years ago
Version 1.0
  • Hi, I was hoping I could place a continue block under a knowledge check block, and make the learner answer the question correctly before progressing through the course. But the locked continue button doesn't seem to respond to the knowledge check block in this way. Is there any way to lock course progression until the learner gets the knowledge check question correct??
  • I have a Storyline block that includes a mandatory video. I set triggers to complete/incomplete and set up true/false variables. The rise blocker still allows the user to "continue" right after the timeline starts on that Storyline block. I can't figure out a solution.
  • ShaneJacques's avatar
    ShaneJacques
    Community Member
    Thanks for the inspiration! I’ve been building out four rise courses over the past several weeks and I’ve come across the continue button option numerous times but never really considered its value. Now the wheels are turning...
    • TrinaRimmer's avatar
      TrinaRimmer
      Former Staff
      Glad this article has given you some fresh ideas, Shane!
      • ShaneJacques's avatar
        ShaneJacques
        Community Member
        It has! One of them has me a bit stumped though.

        'm attempting to put a Continue block after a block with a PDF File Attachment. I'd like to force learners to open the file before continuing. In edit mode, the Continue block is showing in the "locked" state but when I preview or publish to Articulate Review, it shows in the "unlocked" state.

        Any ideas?
    • TrinaRimmer's avatar
      TrinaRimmer
      Former Staff
      Nice work, Troy! Perfect use of the continue block in Rise. Thanks for sharing the link with us.
  • If my learners answer the questions wrong they still get to click "CONTINUE" is there a way to stop this?
  • karenkeane2's avatar
    karenkeane2
    Community Member
    I used the continue block in a course I built in Rise, but it doesn't seem to work for me when placed after a interactive Storyline slide I imported even though I selected that the block directly above needed to be complete. The same is true if I include a block with media for a URL link that I want the user to read an article before continuing. In these instances the "continue" block is engaged and the user has no roadblock to ensure they completed the material. Can you advise if this is indeed the case and not an error on my part?
  • I'm having some issues with my storyline block in Rise - the continue button allows the user to move on without completing the quiz, but the only export option I have is to track using number of slides viewed. The "track using complete course trigger" is greyed out?! Also, I'm not using a results slide, if that has any effect on it.