Steal This E-Learning Template #38

E-Learning Challenge #38: Challenge | Recap

E-learning Conundrum: Modifying Templates

You’ve Googled, Bing’d, and even asked Jeeves, but still haven’t found the right template for your project. It’s not like there aren’t enough options.

If only this game weren’t a western theme. This one might work if the menu were on the left. I like this one but the colors aren’t in season. Pfft, this one is too outdated for my learners. And who creates pirate training?

We hear this all the time and it’s totally valid. I mean, it’s not like you open a template and press the Convert Template to Match My Course Design button and voilà, your template is ready to go.

Basic customizations like changing the template’s colors and swapping placeholder graphics are easy. For most course designers, the real challenge is seeing the template for more than its intended purpose.

A Quest for the Perfect E-Learning Template

A few weeks ago, community member Jackie Van Nice shared a really fun game template for Storyline. The template was based on a custom project Jackie created for an earlier e-learning challenge. 

What’s really helpful is to compare the before-after (or is it after-before?) examples:

You can read all about both projects on Jackie’s blog. She even recorded some video tutorials to help you get started with the template.

Seeing both the template and custom versions reminded me of the importance of leveraging existing course assets for one's own e-learning projects. And that's what this week's challenge is all about!

Challenge of the Week

This week your challenge is to repurpose the Create Your Own Quest template into something of your own.

“Wait! The Quest template is only available in Storyline so I guess I can’t participate this week. Thanks a lot, David.”

You can totally participate! In fact, not having the same software is exactly the type of constraint this challenge is all about. The objective here is to leverage the essence of the template into something for your own needs.

Update: Jackie shared a PowerPoint version of her template in a recent discussion.

Tools

You can use Articulate Storyline, Articulate Studio, or PowerPoint to create your template makeover.

Resources

Here are some articles that will help you think through your template design. If you get stuck on ideas, just ask in the comments below and we’ll share some more ideas.

• How to Create an E-Learning Template That Works
• Here’s How to Build an E-Learning Template That Will Rock Your World
• Here’s How to Create Your Own E-Learning Template in PowerPoint
• Design Better Quizzes Using Custom Background Images

More about the e-learning challenges:

The weekly challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challenges anytime you want. We’ll feature your work and provide feedback if you request it.

Wishing you a customized week, E-Learning Heroes!

Even if you’re using a trial version of Studio ’13 or Storyline, you can absolutely publish your challenge files. Just sign up for a fully functional, free trial, and have at it. And remember to post your questions and comments in the forums; we're here to help. For more e-learning tips, examples, and downloads, follow us on Twitter.