Using Storyline for Academic Courses

Greetings, Bill!

You raised a very interesting question! Here are a few ideas and suggestions that might be helpful. I find that regardless of the field, subject matter, learning environment, or authoring system, it's ideal to start by doing a thorough needs assessment and content analysis to identify the performance goals for the learners and the types of content and activities that would best support achieving those goals. Of course, there's quite a bit to that process, and going into depth would most likely require a separate thread.

But assuming that you have already performed that exercise, I think there are several ways to think about your question. If this were my project, and assuming that schedule, budget, and resources were all critical factors, I would most likely discuss a range of options with my client that could include a "high-end" version, a "low-end" version, and various shades in between.

If, say, you were proposing to develop all of your course material right off the bat in Storyline, it might be the most time-consuming and costly approach of all of the possible options you have -- but only if you really plan to exploit all of its instructional capabilities to the hilt.

In contrast, on another point of the spectrum might be a relatively basic approach that involves a blend of different media, methods, and modes. Ideally, that mix of components would offer a more time- and budget-friendly way to support the content delivery needs in the short term. Meanwhile, you could be designing and developing a more sophisticated and complete version of the curriculum in Storyline that you could phase in over time.

For example, starting with a simpler blended model in the first phase might mean that:

• Certain basic reference information and job aids might be provided in the form of PDF documents.
• Some content might be presented in a relatively linear, but still instructionally compelling fashion, whichever authoring system you choose.
• Other content might be more richly and realistically designed using all of the scenario, simulation, and branching capabilities that Storyline has to offer. You could start with whatever your content analysis has shown to be the most critical information that justifies using a more advanced instructional method.

Using a multifaceted approach like this might offer you a budget- and schedule-friendly compromise, as well as a way to start building a bridge to a fully built-out Storyline course if you choose to take that route.

I hope some of these ideas are helpful, and I wish you the very best with your project!

Adele