Advice on editing predecessor's work
Jun 19, 2014
I hoping some of you have some fabulous tricks up your sleeves!
I have quite a task in front of me, with limited time. I have about 10 SL modules to edit, make glitch free, etc. My predecessor was self-taught in SL (as am I), and VERY creative. I think time constraints led to short-cuts in terms of organization, which is my problem now. Some of the best practices recommended in the tutorials were forsaken, such as naming the elements on the slides (instead of Picture 20, Picture 21, ... Picture 100.) So that makes editing a bear. Also problematic is the layout in Story View - scenes were used somewhat haphazardly, no attention to slide order (I know some people don't care about this - but when you are looking at a Word output for editing reference vs what happens on screen and the two don't match, it drives me bonkers.) With 80+ slides in some modules, the Story View is spider web that makes no sense for some modules.
Any hoo... I could go on and on. Just wondering how you folks would approach editing. I have content to remove and add, and I would like the Word Output to be in the proper order as a frame of reference for new seasonal trainers. My initial thought is to create a new story doc and cut and paste applicable slides in the correct order, creating logical scenes as needed. There is no need to scrap and start from scratch, as again the work is very creative and engages the learners. I also want to leave modules that someone else could easily edit (an intern, someone who would join my training team of currently one, etc.)
Appreciate any advice you have, especially if you have been in this boat before.
Thanks, Jessica
4 Replies
Hi Jessica, I am guilty of doing both of the things that you mention.
As far as naming items on the timeline, I would only name objects that are involved in interactions, I don't see the need for other objects, this takes time that is better spent elsewhere.
For slide numbers and scenes I don't waste anytime ensuring that the order is logical for the word document mainly because I do not use the word document for review purposes. In the past where I have had to use the word document I have worked through the document in order (there is a slide number), which does mean jumping around in the storyline file, if I cannot find a slide I normally do a ctrl+f and search for text on the slide.
We all work differently and picking up another persons work is difficult on the two occasions where i have had to jump in on unfinished work I have found it difficult. When I do do it, I try not to be judgemental and if it works I don't fix it (even if I think I could do it better).
This won't help with adding new content or rearranging info but if you also have to do an edit of existing text you could try using the translation export feature. Make your copy edits to the exported document and then import it back into your story. This works like a charm for making corrections to existing material.
Hi, Jessica: We all have our own unique way of working. If you are going to "own" these modules from this point forward, I'd recommend going to the powers that be and buying yourself a little bit of time to create a system that makes sense to you.
Hey Jessica,
I have experienced this before. Make yourself a (mini) style guide, in terms of colour, lay out, do's and dont's, assuring all pages are consistent in layout. Re-naming objects where needed and if you have time. This is about 50% of the work. For the rest you should look after the educational goals and check if the content really contributes to what the learning objectives are. Good luck.
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