How Are Course Designers Using Web Objects for Performance Support? #370

Using Web Objects in E-Learning #370: Challenge | Recap

Storyline’s Web Objects are similar to lightbox slides in that they give course designers a solution for loading on-demand content and resources when they need them. 

Using web objects for performance support allows learners to access external content such as web pages, intranet sites, and third-party apps and games directly inside the course.

Ideas for using web objects include:

• Pulling in compliance documents from intranet sites
• Loading synchronous discussion forums and chat rooms for performance support
• Playing educational podcasts and explainer videos

Challenge of the Week

This week, your challenge is to share an example that demonstrates how web objects can be used in e-learning. If you’re not using Storyline or Studio, feel free to show something comparable in whatever tool you’re using.

Let's look at a few examples from our first web objects challenge to see what's possible.

Using Web Objects with Third-Party Apps

Loading external apps and games is one of the best ways to use web objects. In this example, Joanna used a web object to pull in a before-after JavaScript app that lets learners compare two different images. Of course, you could build something similar in Storyline, but using an existing already designed app can be a massive timesaver during development.

View project | Joanna Kurpiewska | Website | @elearningjoanna

Using Web Objects to Load External Websites

Loading external websites into your e-learning course is one of the most common use cases for web objects. Most times, the web page is loaded as a full-slide object. But you can also scale down your web objects to fill a portion of your slide like Montse did in her example.

Example | Montse Anderson | Website | @mLearning

Using Web Objects as Scavenger Hunts

Here's a creative way to combine web objects with virtual scavenger hunts. Before learners answer each question, they're directed to external (and safe) websites for clues on what they need to research and find.

Example 1 | Example 2 | Learn more | Emily Chorley |  Website

Resources

Here are a few resources to help you get started. If you get stuck or need some help, please post in the forums and we’ll be glad to help you out.

• Storyline 360: Adding Web Objects
• Presenter 360: Adding Web Objects
• Webinar: Using Web Objects in Storyline 360

Last Week’s Challenge:

Before you get started with this week’s challenge, make some time to check out the interactive timeline examples your fellow challengers shared over the past week:

Timeline Examples in E-Learning RECAP #369: Challenge | Recap