I have a student who is without internet, thus cannot log into our LMS to complete posted SCORM package. I am trying to publish to CD, but beyond clicking on Publish to CD. I'm lost as to what to do next.
I want the student to be able to complete the lesson from the CD. Which leads me to another question? How do I receive the results from what is completed? Is there something that the student could print out?
Or am I misunderstanding the purpose of the publishing to CD and it is not meant for these purposes?
Sounds like publishing the course for CD and allowing the student to take the course offline is your best option, as we don't yet have the ability for a student to take a course offline, and then upload the results once they are connected to the internet. But allowing them to print their results is really easy. You'll just need to enable the option in your result slide:
There are quite a few options for distributing the content you publish for CD. However, since the student you mentioned doesn't have internet access, you will probably need to burn the content to a CD or DVD. The student will need to have a CD ROM, or if it is burned to a DVD, they will need a DVD drive. For more information on publishing to CD, see this tutorial. An alternative would be to copy the content to a USB drive that the student could use.
Since the student is offline, it may be difficult to track their content. Unless you have the course set up for printing the results page, they won't be prompted to do so.
If I could make a suggestion (sorry if it's silly), but could the student get access to a library? Most libraries will allow free access to internet-ready computers. It may not be the best solution, but if they have one nearby, it may be the quickest and easiest for getting their results.
I hope this information helps. Let me know if you have any questions!
Thank you Peter and Christine. Unfortunately, Christine, we encourage our students to get to a library when they lose the internet, but they don't always do that. Given certain circumstances, we are obligated as the school to deliver an education, whether they are following protocol or not. Rock and hard place, type of situation.
Peter, thank you for the option to print the results. I may add this option to my online SCORMS since our Moodle LMS currently does not like the version of Storyline and I am unable to see how they answered my questions.
Now, what file do I exactly burn to the CD? All I have available to me to select are the zip files and the file folder output for the lesson. I did follow the tutorial link that Christine sent along and think I viewed that earlier, but I may be missing the boat on this one.
Also, will my student need the Storyline program on their computer to 'play' the lesson?
Not a problem, I completely understand. I wasn't sure if this was a one-time exception for a student that didn't have access. I can certainly see how you would want to be able to provide access to the material for all students.
Also, will my student need the Storyline program on their computer to 'play' the lesson?
No, the students will not need Storyline to launch the course from CD. The only time they would need the software is if they were going to edit the content and I don't think that's what you have in mind They'll need to have a CD ROM to launch the course, they won't actually be launching the course through Storyline, itself.
Now, what file do I exactly burn to the CD?
First, you'll need to publish for CD, but to your hard drive. You might want to try publishing to your desktop, just to be sure that you're able to easily find the files you want to put onto the CD. A folder will be created on your desktop (or whatever directory you choose). If you open the folder you'll see something like this:
This is the content you'll want to burn to CD - not the first folder. Depending on your operating system and your CD drive, you may not need to use a third-party program to burn to CD. Select all of the contents in the folder (you can easily do this by using the shortcut "CTRL+A") and right-click on the selected files. There may be an option similar to "Sent to...". Look and see if CD is an option. If it is, and you have a blank CD in your drive, it should copy the content over to the CD for you.
Now, if you don't see an option like I mentioned above, you may need to download and install a CD burning program. A quick Google search on CD Burning Software should give you a lot of options :)
I hope I was able to answer your questions. However, if you need any other information, please let us know!
Thank you Christine! I got the files burned over and now when I test out to see how it will operate from the student end I get a script error. Thinking it might be on the configuration of our student's images on their computers. Troubleshooting.
We are putting multiple lessons on one CD so students will need to launch each course individually (rather than via an autorun). Which file should we recommend they use to launch to launch the course. When I use the story.html, I can control browser settings, etc. but from that launching file, the resources files do not properly link and the "submit" button that is set to close the window on click does not work.
If I use the launch.exe, the resource links work and as does the submit button, but we seem to loose the option to run the course in a browser window.
Is it really one or the other of these or am I missing a step?
The file you'll want to run is called Launch_Story.exe. When you mention that you lose the option to run it in a browser window, where does the course run than?
I have a question in regards to creating a hybrid cd.
Has anyone has success with creating a CD that will play the published file on a MAC? I know when programs like Flash and Director, you had to publish for MAC, since EXE's don't run on MACs. But since you can only publish with one option in Storyline, I wanted to see what my options were for it running on a MAC. Can it be done?
Thanks for any information and please let me know if I need to explain myself any better
Hey Hollie, I have a similar query/issue to yours. We have a blend of computer users and we are finding Storyline a pain for Mac users. I tried exporting to CD and, of course, had running issues. Instead of the .exe file to launch, I tried the story.html. This appeared to launch the player with the content menu, but nothing plays inside the player window and no sound. If I exit and return, it asks me if I want to resume? of course the answer would be yes if it had played something the first time... I followed some forum suggestions about Flash player settings and folder permissions, to no avail.
There are many avid Mac users now and this is an issue that needs to be addressed by Articulate as Mac users are increasing. I understand there is likely complexities about producing this software for Mac, but it needs a simple inclusion within the publishing to run on a Mac, ie. a Mac launcher of some type. That way we meet all users. Love a simple suggestion to get this working as it is limiting my client access and increasing their frustration/annoyance, as well as mine.
Use the LMS I hear you say, would if I could and the CD option is still often the only solution to get the product to the student.
Thanks, love to hear the solution ASAP. Great product, will be better if this is resolved.
As for viewing content, you'll want to ensure you're using one of the supported browsers here for PC, Mac or HTML5.
And, when you publish content for CD or another offline location (DVD, kiosk, etc.), it's important to note that content published for CD launches in a form that's based on Internet Explorer, and you'll notice that hyperlinks will also open in Internet Explorer. This is by design, the hyperlinks will always open in Internet Explorer—even if a different browser is the default browser.
Hello Ashley, thank you for your reply. Sorry it's taken me a few days to get back to you.
We have an LMS, but there are management issues in regard to this that often make it difficult to use it for adhoc or "just-in-time" training requirements. Hence the need for other output selections where assessment might not be a priority. I did as you suggested and placed a feature request in. I think some type of direct Mac interaction, especially a software version, would be beneficial as this is a reliable and popular platform now, so had my say.
Virtual environments, although something a motivated design/developer might look to, isn't something the end user wants to worry about. I use VM Fusion and it's ok, but presents some cumbersome issues in my view as it isn't native Mac environment, but does work well and is a good solution for a design/developer. An end user just wants to use the product with no issues/worries, and this would be one that would push the end user away from eLearning.
That said, your the other links to articles at the end have satisfied my query, especially the last. It provided me with a solution for Google Drive that works excellantly. I recommend looking at this for others as it provides an instant solution to training needs like those I have. Make sure that it is exported, not as a CD, but for the WEB with html5 selected and follow the article, preseto.
Your speed in response and clear direction made this easy, although I did find some of the material myself from the links above prior, there was some I didn't, this was one of them and was the solution. Happy Chappy.......
Thanks Shaun for the update and I'm glad you were able to use the information in the last article. Having a Mac software version has been a popular feature request, and although you can't develop within Storyline natively on the Mac, it shouldn't cause any problems for the users to access published output from a Mac using one of the recommended browsers.
Here is my dilemma. I am distributing to users who are not particularly computer savvy. Instead of hunting around a web published folder looking for story.html, I would rather they just click the published.exe file. I published this way (CD) and all is fine. But is there a cleaner way to display just the Launch_Story.exe without the autorun, loader file, etc displaying to the user?
I'm not actually publishing to a CD per se, but trying to simply what the user needs to click once they locate the module on the network. Ideas?
add all files into a fsub-older create a shortcut to the exe and put that outside the subfolder (you could even change the icon and call it what you want
I assume this would be the directory structure to use if we decide to burn CDs? So essentially the user just sees one folder and a shortcut and that's it.
I did all the steps that Christine listed above as well and when I tested my CD it wouldn't run either. I actually had to include ALL of the folders including the "story_content" folder before I could get the CD to play the .exe file.
I have been following this conversation with keen interest. I may be developing Articulate Studio modules for CD-ROM in the coming months. I have always created and published modules for the web and for an LMS, never for CD-ROM. I recall that this is an option and I have viewed the tutorial on how to do so.
I have never seen the resulting module on CD-ROM to know how it will look and work for the student. I realize that students would not need Articulate Studio to view and access the module on a CD-ROM.
My question is - what WOULD they need? Internet access? A web browser such as Internet Explorer, even if it's disconnected from the Internet? Please advise on what software / hardware (not Macs) needs the students would need to have to successfully run modules off of a CD-ROM.
Glad to hear it Barbara! Please note that responding to the forums via e-mail attaches your signature, but you are welcome to pop in and edit that if needed.
30 Replies
Hey Sarah!
Sounds like publishing the course for CD and allowing the student to take the course offline is your best option, as we don't yet have the ability for a student to take a course offline, and then upload the results once they are connected to the internet. But allowing them to print their results is really easy. You'll just need to enable the option in your result slide:
Hi Sarah,
There are quite a few options for distributing the content you publish for CD. However, since the student you mentioned doesn't have internet access, you will probably need to burn the content to a CD or DVD. The student will need to have a CD ROM, or if it is burned to a DVD, they will need a DVD drive. For more information on publishing to CD, see this tutorial. An alternative would be to copy the content to a USB drive that the student could use.
Since the student is offline, it may be difficult to track their content. Unless you have the course set up for printing the results page, they won't be prompted to do so.
If I could make a suggestion (sorry if it's silly), but could the student get access to a library? Most libraries will allow free access to internet-ready computers. It may not be the best solution, but if they have one nearby, it may be the quickest and easiest for getting their results.
I hope this information helps. Let me know if you have any questions!
Thanks,
Christine
Thank you Peter and Christine. Unfortunately, Christine, we encourage our students to get to a library when they lose the internet, but they don't always do that. Given certain circumstances, we are obligated as the school to deliver an education, whether they are following protocol or not. Rock and hard place, type of situation.
Peter, thank you for the option to print the results. I may add this option to my online SCORMS since our Moodle LMS currently does not like the version of Storyline and I am unable to see how they answered my questions.
Now, what file do I exactly burn to the CD? All I have available to me to select are the zip files and the file folder output for the lesson. I did follow the tutorial link that Christine sent along and think I viewed that earlier, but I may be missing the boat on this one.
Also, will my student need the Storyline program on their computer to 'play' the lesson?
Good morning Sarah,
Not a problem, I completely understand. I wasn't sure if this was a one-time exception for a student that didn't have access. I can certainly see how you would want to be able to provide access to the material for all students.
No, the students will not need Storyline to launch the course from CD. The only time they would need the software is if they were going to edit the content and I don't think that's what you have in mind
They'll need to have a CD ROM to launch the course, they won't actually be launching the course through Storyline, itself.
First, you'll need to publish for CD, but to your hard drive. You might want to try publishing to your desktop, just to be sure that you're able to easily find the files you want to put onto the CD. A folder will be created on your desktop (or whatever directory you choose). If you open the folder you'll see something like this:
This is the content you'll want to burn to CD - not the first folder. Depending on your operating system and your CD drive, you may not need to use a third-party program to burn to CD. Select all of the contents in the folder (you can easily do this by using the shortcut "CTRL+A") and right-click on the selected files. There may be an option similar to "Sent to...". Look and see if CD is an option. If it is, and you have a blank CD in your drive, it should copy the content over to the CD for you.
Now, if you don't see an option like I mentioned above, you may need to download and install a CD burning program. A quick Google search on CD Burning Software should give you a lot of options :)
I hope I was able to answer your questions. However, if you need any other information, please let us know!
Have a great day Sarah,
Christine
Thank you Christine! I got the files burned over and now when I test out to see how it will operate from the student end I get a script error. Thinking it might be on the configuration of our student's images on their computers. Troubleshooting.
Thank you!
Hi Sarah,
Great! I'm glad you were able to get it burned to CD. Let me know how the troubleshooting goes with the student.
If you're not able to get around it, just let us know and we'll try to see what the problem is.
Thanks!
We are putting multiple lessons on one CD so students will need to launch each course individually (rather than via an autorun). Which file should we recommend they use to launch to launch the course. When I use the story.html, I can control browser settings, etc. but from that launching file, the resources files do not properly link and the "submit" button that is set to close the window on click does not work.
If I use the launch.exe, the resource links work and as does the submit button, but we seem to loose the option to run the course in a browser window.
Is it really one or the other of these or am I missing a step?
Thanks!
Hi Amy,
The file you'll want to run is called Launch_Story.exe. When you mention that you lose the option to run it in a browser window, where does the course run than?
I have a question in regards to creating a hybrid cd.
Has anyone has success with creating a CD that will play the published file on a MAC? I know when programs like Flash and Director, you had to publish for MAC, since EXE's don't run on MACs. But since you can only publish with one option in Storyline, I wanted to see what my options were for it running on a MAC. Can it be done?
Thanks for any information and please let me know if I need to explain myself any better
Hey Hollie, I have a similar query/issue to yours. We have a blend of computer users and we are finding Storyline a pain for Mac users. I tried exporting to CD and, of course, had running issues. Instead of the .exe file to launch, I tried the story.html. This appeared to launch the player with the content menu, but nothing plays inside the player window and no sound. If I exit and return, it asks me if I want to resume? of course the answer would be yes if it had played something the first time... I followed some forum suggestions about Flash player settings and folder permissions, to no avail.
There are many avid Mac users now and this is an issue that needs to be addressed by Articulate as Mac users are increasing. I understand there is likely complexities about producing this software for Mac, but it needs a simple inclusion within the publishing to run on a Mac, ie. a Mac launcher of some type. That way we meet all users. Love a simple suggestion to get this working as it is limiting my client access and increasing their frustration/annoyance, as well as mine.
Use the LMS I hear you say, would if I could and the CD option is still often the only solution to get the product to the student.
Thanks, love to hear the solution ASAP. Great product, will be better if this is resolved.
Hi Shaun,
Producing content and playing content on a Mac are two different things, and the creation of a Mac based software has been a popular feature request, so you may want to share your thoughts here with our product development team. In the meantime, here are suggestions on how to work within Storyline while on a Mac and using a VM.
As for viewing content, you'll want to ensure you're using one of the supported browsers here for PC, Mac or HTML5.
And, when you publish content for CD or another offline location (DVD, kiosk, etc.), it's important to note that content published for CD launches in a form that's based on Internet Explorer, and you'll notice that hyperlinks will also open in Internet Explorer. This is by design, the hyperlinks will always open in Internet Explorer—even if a different browser is the default browser.
If you don't have an LMS, have you looked into web server options as well? There are a few detailed in this article.
Hello Ashley, thank you for your reply. Sorry it's taken me a few days to get back to you.
We have an LMS, but there are management issues in regard to this that often make it difficult to use it for adhoc or "just-in-time" training requirements. Hence the need for other output selections where assessment might not be a priority. I did as you suggested and placed a feature request in. I think some type of direct Mac interaction, especially a software version, would be beneficial as this is a reliable and popular platform now, so had my say.
Virtual environments, although something a motivated design/developer might look to, isn't something the end user wants to worry about. I use VM Fusion and it's ok, but presents some cumbersome issues in my view as it isn't native Mac environment, but does work well and is a good solution for a design/developer. An end user just wants to use the product with no issues/worries, and this would be one that would push the end user away from eLearning.
That said, your the other links to articles at the end have satisfied my query, especially the last. It provided me with a solution for Google Drive that works excellantly. I recommend looking at this for others as it provides an instant solution to training needs like those I have. Make sure that it is exported, not as a CD, but for the WEB with html5 selected and follow the article, preseto.
Your speed in response and clear direction made this easy, although I did find some of the material myself from the links above prior, there was some I didn't, this was one of them and was the solution. Happy Chappy.......
Thanks heaps.
Thanks Shaun for the update and I'm glad you were able to use the information in the last article. Having a Mac software version has been a popular feature request, and although you can't develop within Storyline natively on the Mac, it shouldn't cause any problems for the users to access published output from a Mac using one of the recommended browsers.
Here is my dilemma. I am distributing to users who are not particularly computer savvy. Instead of hunting around a web published folder looking for story.html, I would rather they just click the published.exe file. I published this way (CD) and all is fine. But is there a cleaner way to display just the Launch_Story.exe without the autorun, loader file, etc displaying to the user?
I'm not actually publishing to a CD per se, but trying to simply what the user needs to click once they locate the module on the network. Ideas?
Thanks in advance!
add all files into a fsub-older create a shortcut to the exe and put that outside the subfolder (you could even change the icon and call it what you want
I assume this would be the directory structure to use if we decide to burn CDs? So essentially the user just sees one folder and a shortcut and that's it.
Thanks Phil-I'll give it a shot!
I did all the steps that Christine listed above as well and when I tested my CD it wouldn't run either. I actually had to include ALL of the folders including the "story_content" folder before I could get the CD to play the .exe file.
Hope this helps!
Thanks for sharing Valerie :)
Hello,
I have been following this conversation with keen interest. I may be developing Articulate Studio modules for CD-ROM in the coming months. I have always created and published modules for the web and for an LMS, never for CD-ROM. I recall that this is an option and I have viewed the tutorial on how to do so.
I have never seen the resulting module on CD-ROM to know how it will look and work for the student. I realize that students would not need Articulate Studio to view and access the module on a CD-ROM.
My question is - what WOULD they need? Internet access? A web browser such as Internet Explorer, even if it's disconnected from the Internet? Please advise on what software / hardware (not Macs) needs the students would need to have to successfully run modules off of a CD-ROM.
Thank you, Barbara
Hi Barbara! Looks like Phil assisted you here.
Yes he did! Thanks very much to the both of you.
Glad to hear it Barbara! Please note that responding to the forums via e-mail attaches your signature, but you are welcome to pop in and edit that if needed.
How do I edit it out?
nevermind. :)
Looks like you got it :)