Saving in progress Essay Questions

Whenever you insert a text-entry field, including via adding a survey question, Storyline automatically creates a variable to hold the entry. The variable is updated when the field "loses focus" (in other words, when the user clicks something outside the field). 

When a user exits a course that's in an LMS (such as Reach 360), the variable values are stored in the LMS as part of the suspend/resume data.

However, as I understand it, a variable's value is updated in that data when the user goes to another slide (as is some other slide-related data). Thus, if they enter their text, click outside the field, and then exit the course from that slide, the updated variable value may not be saved. 

The workaround is to add a button (for example, call it "Save your entry") that jumps to another slide.I've also seen posts that say lightboxing another slide works, too. That slide could show whatever message you want. Or it could immediately exit the course. 

BTW, if you want the answer submitted to the LMS, use a Survey essay question and include a Survey Results slide.

Also, I suggest you set the Player to "Always Resume," so the user will restart the course from where they left off.