Articulate 360 - Do we have access to source files?

Hi Alena, 

Michael is correct in terms of the Storyline or Studio files - as those will be saved locally. Rise files are all online, so there isn't a way to export out the source files as they'd only be able to be used within Rise as a web based application.

The feature for collaboration is something that our team is working on for Rise courses, but for Storyline or Studio courses, you'll just want to confirm that you're sharing the .story file or the Presenter package file and that you both open and work on it locally. 

Thanks to both of you for your answers. So if we go for the team license does that still mean we can't work on the same project in Rise?

Hi Alena,

The Collaborators feature is something our team is working on and it's slated for release in Q1 2017, and the great thing about Rise is once the feature is released it's accessible to you immediately.

My current challenge with Rise is that I work with an eEditor on all our content. I create the interactive course, then she edits and creates supporting downloadable PDFs, then I publish. We have two individual licenses, not a team license. Two questions:

1. Am I only able to share Rise courses with her if we have a team license?

2. Is the Rise course forever connected to one or both of our Articulate licenses? IE - when we do our currency review in 3 years, if the owner of the course is no longer here, does our employer have to rebuild the course?

Thanks in advance for the feedback.

Michael

Hi Michael,

Great questions about the collaborator feature - it's still a bit fluid until it's released later this quarter, so I don't have specific answers for #2, but the collaborators feature will allow you to share a course with another 360 Teams user, even if they're not on your 360 team. 

Once we've got some more details to share and the feature is ready to be released we'll be sure to share any other details with you here in ELH! 

This is of huge concern for me as well. I am an independent contractor working for several small consulting firms (and also directly with some of my own clients). I have an individual 360 license. I love Rise and want to use it more -- but today one of my clients expressed concern that if I develop their course on Rise, they cannot ever get the source files -- in case they need to make revisions at a later date and I am not available.

I have used a similar cloud-based software product for creating whiteboard videos, and the project/source files were able to be exported and shared with a colleague who also had the software, so that we could work together to finish the project, assembly-line style. We both had purchased individual licenses.

Today's world is all about working collaboratively. The other independent contractors/colleagues I work with are not going to all pitch in and buy a team license together. it's not how we work. We are each small independent sole proprietors who sometimes work together on projects.

Having access to source files is essential for any developer. 

I was going to start developing my new Rise course today...but my client is concerned about his content being "locked" into my own account. 

Hi Rebecca,

I totally understand and we've heard a fair amount of that feedback since we launched Articulate 360 and Rise, so not to worry, our team is listening! We're still working on the collaborators feature which would allow you to work together on a Rise course and we've now got a new feature on the roadmap to transfer ownership of a Rise course to another user. That latter feature would be available for 360 teams and individuals - but the ETA is still not nailed down on a release for that. 

We'll keep you posted here as we are able to nail down the details, and please let us know if there is anything else you need while using Rise and the rest of Articulate 360! 

Thank you, Ashley. I'm so glad these features are in the works!

I enjoy using Articulate software and promoted its adoption at the company for which I am an Instructional Designer. The inability to “hold” our source files means that I cannot recommend Rise be used. 

For instance, we require the source files be stored in our document storage system.  This way, through comings and goings and restructuring, we can still find source files. 

Hi Karen,

I'm sorry to hear that you won't be able to use Rise based on this set up! I am curious a bit more about what you'd like to see in terms of the source files that would let you use it, as that's the type of information we'd love to share with our Product team. Would the ability to transfer the ownership as I described for Rebecca work for you? Or if you had an Articulate 360 teams account then members of your team could share and collaborate on Rise courses together? 

I'd love to hear more about your ideas. Can you perhaps explain what you were hoping to see though (in the event that we are able to support that feature)?

Hi Ashley,

I agree. It is critical that we have a way to download and save source files for any project created on our own, or the client's equipment. Most companies these days hire most of their instructional designers as contractors. As such, contractors come and go, and as contractors, and independent consultants, we move from client to client. Our clients always require that we leave a copy of the source files with them so they can continue to update as we move to different positions. 

Even if we must develop online to use Rise, there has to be a way to store the source files locally. Perhaps with a way where the files may be restored back to another persons Rise account would be good. But for most organizations, storage that is attached to an individual user's account with no way to save it is as bad as saving a project on an individual user's PC with no backups. Portability is the key!

I'd love to share our needs as I enjoy working with Articulate products, the community, and staff.  Do you have the ability to contact me directly?

Sure thing Karen - I can either email you directly or you can document them as a part of this forum discussion or feature request form.  We're happy to have the conversation here in ELH as that way others still can chime in and share their thoughts, ideas and requests as well! Whatever you're more comfortable with though! 

Hello, Ashley. There hasn't been any activity in this discussion for a couple of months. Can you please provide an update?

Hi Robin,

I'd love to give you an update! Are you looking for information about the source files discussed here? 

Rise is still a web-based authoring platform, so all the source files are contained in Rise. You can export the course for LMS or No LMS-Web Only, both are great options if you need to keep a copy of your course outside of Rise.

If there is anything else you need, just let me know! 

Ashley, earlier in this thread you wrote "The Collaborators feature is something our team is working on and it's slated for release in Q1 2017, and the great thing about Rise is once the feature is released it's accessible to you immediately." I believe this is what Robin is asking about in terms of an update. I've been waiting as well...I assume there is no news on the collaboration feature?

Sorry Rebecca for my confusion! I assumed Robin was basing it off the last post here which was about the source files. 

The release of the Collaborator feature did shift into this quarter. We'll share an update here once it's released!

You are right...there are two different topics in this thread! Both Rise features in this thread are of interest to independent contractors:

1. the ability to give clients the source files they require (usually for their legal and compliance reasons) and
2. the ability to give teammates access to our "in progress" Rise files to share the workload (collaboration).

We will all look forward to these developments, I'm sure!

Will content I developed in Rise previously, and that no longer shows up in my listing be accessible also once this feature is completed?

Hi Jeff,

Did you delete the Rise content? Did you create a new Articulate ID? 

If you deleted the Rise content, this feature will not bring it back. You've got plenty of space with a 360 subscription (and unlimited storage with a 360 Teams subscription) so you shouldn't ever run into a need to delete it! 

Hi, here is a question that many developers, companies and user of your software OUTSIDE of the US who reside in Europe want to have a clear understanding. Due to the fact that you will store source files and data from clients who have 360 team or individual license and use rise, what does Articulate have in place for EU Data protection laws? Do you have servers in the EU? Not resellers, but actual servers since whenever an issue arises , resellers that cannot resolve the issue refer the clients to Articulate support in the USA. This is very important to a rather nice size group of developers and companies that we advise.

Thank you.

Hello there, KC English.  

We have posted this information in our Legal section of the website:  https://articulate.com/privacy.  

The section entitled "Privacy Shield Notice for Users in the European Union" would be most relevant.

Thank you for sharing what your needs are, and I've shared your thoughts with the team!

Hi Crystal,

yes we have read you privacy shield information. Are you aware that the EU privacy agreement with the US will change drastically in 2017? We work closely with an EU privacy official, course developer and elearning specialist on these matters and there are concerns about the storage of data based on upcoming changes. Clients have expressed reservations to using a software where 1. they do not have access to source files for whatever reasons 2. Why pay so much if we are not sure we can retain our data and that it is secure.

One issue is to have in place how to respond IF data is shared to 3rd parties. It's understanding they do not want to take a risk to solving it AFTER the fact.  According to what I am hearing, there must be more in dept information of exact details of what measures Articulate are and will take related to changes in the EU data privacy in 2018.