I am facing a BIIIIIIG issue right now. I loaded my first ever story course in my Moodle based LMS. ISSUE - the file takes TOOO long to load and when loaded it takes too long to navigate from one slide to another slide. The navigation speed is anywhere from 15 seconds to 40 seconds. This is so bad that my most diligent quality assurance guys gave up on performing testing on these files. Now I actually tested at the same time the loading speeds of my other courses which were built using articulate presenter and those that are also loaded on the same LMS. Those files are as smooth as you can imagine.
Is this a known issue and is there a fix for this. I hope so...otherwise - well I do not even want to think what may happen otherwise. :(
Just to really put things in context, we are a small company that has been producing content using articulate tools for 2 years. We have made 100+ learning files that are viewed by 10,000+ users in 15 countries. We did not have any issues with the presenter output so far. The storyline files are uploaded on the same LMS as the Presenter files are and the experience is day and night. Our testers in India have reported that the storyline files take forever to load. I can understand the initial loading time, but the problem does not stop there. Here are some of the most severe problems that we are facing:
1. Initial load times higher (20% higher than comparable Presenter files)
2. It takes forever (up to 12 seconds) to go to the next slide when you click the next button. The presenter files work flawlessly.
3. The delay is even worse (up to 20 seconds) if the student skips a slide.
I asked one of the volunteers to create a screenr. Please find the screenr link below:
This user has a 4 Mbps connection at home. As you will see in the video, there are no delays with the presenter files. I look forward to getting a solution to this problem. We will not be able to sell this course if we are unable to resolve this issue.
I havent noticed any extra lag on our moodle site where storyline files are concerned. I would look at your server configuration for your moodle site, how much RAM does the server have?
How many slides is the storyline file? Do you have video
Thanks Phil for your suggestion. However, I do not believe that this is a server config issue. This is because on the same server, ALL presenter published files are working absolutely flawlessly BUT NONE of the storyline published files are. In any case, here is the server configuration:
I would add more RAM, we use 16GB and maybe that is why we never have an issue.
If every storyline file is not working as expected it would suggest there may be a configuration issue with your server and Storyline. We don't have any issues with Moodle and Storyline, you may want to consider opening a case with Articulate.
Also if you check the forums there are very few posts about Storyline behaving slow which again points towards a moodle installation issue
Thanks for your response. Are you saying that Storyline behaves radically different from Presenter. If there is a configuration issue wiht my server and Storyline, then the same server does not have an issue with Presenter. We have 5000 presenter files attempts on the same server + same Moodle install every day but never had an issue in the past 24 months with the access times. On the other hand, this is our first Storyline course and we gave access to just 5 customers (we are still in alpha trial) and all of them seem to be complaining of the time delay.
Presenter and Storyline are two completely diffierent programs so you are comparing apples and oranges, and there is nothing to be gained from this.. You stated that all storyline packages had problems this led me to the conclusion that your server is having issues with Storyline packages. This is based on the fact that there are no other posts that I know of that complain of slow behavior in Scorm, and on my experience of running a moodle server with over 2,500 users and over 90 storyline courses.
I would open a ticket with Articulate who may be able to help you resolve this issue, and at the same time i would explore with your server guys if there is any reason why the courses are slow, I would try adding RAM to your server, because 4gb is low for that amounts of attempts a day.
Also your probably need to test more because 5 users is anecdotal at best
Thanks again for your persistence in helping me out with this matter. I am completely with you that I need to upgrade my server. And I will. In fact I am already in discussion with my technical department. However, I want to make sure that do the things right the first time. For this I need to understand why my presenter published files on the SAME LMS and the same server do not create a problem, but STORY published files do.
I am opening a case at articulate as well. In the meanwhile, I look forward to some response here as well.
There is nothing to be gained by comparing Presenter and Storyline. They are two seperate products that handle files differently. You may as well compare lectora and presenter.
We do not experience this problem, and have more trouble with presenter, I am aware of extensive moodle testing taking place during the beta. You really should debug the Storyline and moodle install to see if there is a bottleneck somewhere
I have submitted a case and am looking forward to what articulate comes back with. In the meantime I have started diagnostics and experiments on my end with regards to server configuration as well.
HI Payal - Do you have a regular web server you can upload your published project to test? So, just upload the regular, web output and test it with the same user. You could also share the link with any of us to test as well.
Appreciate your response. We are right now doing a number of things to solve the Storyline issue with our server. I think understanding the difference between how Storyline loads files and how Presenter did clarified alot of stuff. In fact we did a few experiments - testing files on our system, on Articulate online, and on the scorm cloud set up by support group at Articulate. We have been able to establish an acceptable level of performance and now we are doing stuff at our end to beef up our server to facilitate that performance.
I will update this post once we arrive at the acceptable performance.
I just purchased Storyline 2 weeks ago so we can provide students with viewing on iOS.
Having spent the last 2 weeks recreating all the content in SL and purchasing an iPad 4 to check viewing is OK, I am devastated to find none of the SL content ever gets past the loading icon when trying to view on iPad :-(
Also the same content, when viewed on an Android tablet (Samsung Galaxy Tab2) runs, but no touchscreen controls work at all, so no navigation etc is possible within the content.
The files do load and run as expected when viewing via PC.
I uploaded a file to Tempshare as suggested by David in another post on slow loading and the file did load and run - though some visuals were missing compared to viewing the same content within LMS via PC
First, can you tell me if you're attempting to view the course in the Articulate Mobile Player, or HTML5 on the iPad?
It sounds like you may be running the HTML5 output. If that's the case, are you able to try publishing for the Mobile Player, just to see if there's any change?
Also, are you able to share the .STORY file here? I'd be happy to take a look and test the course on my iPad. You're also welcome tosend us the files privately, if you prefer.
I can confirm I published originally to SCORM 1.2 for LMS and ticked only the HTML5.
I have now repeated the process with BOTH HTML5 and Articulate player ticked but the result is the same on iPad - never gets past the loading circles.
Have not checked whether there is a change on Android - because it is the iOS viewing we purchased Storyline to provide.
Articulate support have also now confirmed this is a known issue and they have no timeframe for a solution.
As no one else has responded to my post, I can only assume no one has managed to overcome this issue or find a functional workaround by themselves either.
I am sure you can appreciate how disappointing this is, having invested in Storyline because it is supposed to provide iOS viewing!
I have been experimenting with other publish formats - the 'best' I got is publishing for 'Web' but not all visuals appear as expected - e.g. logo is missing and internal videos also have to be clicked on each slide as well as the beginning. I know the former happens from forum posts, but not sure if the latter is an error or also programmed in to happen on iPad?
I am happy to provide the files privately - is it just the .story.html file I need to send or the whole folder?
Thanks again for your offer to help - much appreciated.
iPad player will not work in moodle, should be able to get the course working, have you tried the content in Tempshare to see if that will load on your iPad?
Also are you using the latest update which fixed a lot of iPad issues.
Thanks for your post, I am downloading the latest update for install as I write
I did upload a file to Tempshare as suggested by David in another post on this and though it did load and run eventually - some visuals were missing e.g. logo.
When you say iPad player will not work in moodle - can you clarify please, I do not know what an iPad player is - I am just viewing in standard mobile Safari.
Do you mean the Articulate mobile player on iPad does not work in moodle I wonder?
I will post back with any improvements once tried re publishing using latest version - thanks again for the tip! :-)
18 Replies
Just to really put things in context, we are a small company that has been producing content using articulate tools for 2 years. We have made 100+ learning files that are viewed by 10,000+ users in 15 countries. We did not have any issues with the presenter output so far. The storyline files are uploaded on the same LMS as the Presenter files are and the experience is day and night. Our testers in India have reported that the storyline files take forever to load. I can understand the initial loading time, but the problem does not stop there. Here are some of the most severe problems that we are facing:
1. Initial load times higher (20% higher than comparable Presenter files)
2. It takes forever (up to 12 seconds) to go to the next slide when you click the next button. The presenter files work flawlessly.
3. The delay is even worse (up to 20 seconds) if the student skips a slide.
I asked one of the volunteers to create a screenr. Please find the screenr link below:
https://player.vimeo.com/video/204932078
This user has a 4 Mbps connection at home. As you will see in the video, there are no delays with the presenter files. I look forward to getting a solution to this problem. We will not be able to sell this course if we are unable to resolve this issue.
Regards,
Payal Tandon
I havent noticed any extra lag on our moodle site where storyline files are concerned. I would look at your server configuration for your moodle site, how much RAM does the server have?
How many slides is the storyline file? Do you have video
Thanks Phil for your suggestion. However, I do not believe that this is a server config issue. This is because on the same server, ALL presenter published files are working absolutely flawlessly BUT NONE of the storyline published files are. In any case, here is the server configuration:
Processor - Quadcore Intel Xeon
RAM - 4GB
Data Center - Slicehost
I would add more RAM, we use 16GB and maybe that is why we never have an issue.
If every storyline file is not working as expected it would suggest there may be a configuration issue with your server and Storyline. We don't have any issues with Moodle and Storyline, you may want to consider opening a case with Articulate.
Also if you check the forums there are very few posts about Storyline behaving slow which again points towards a moodle installation issue
Dear Phil,
Thanks for your response. Are you saying that Storyline behaves radically different from Presenter. If there is a configuration issue wiht my server and Storyline, then the same server does not have an issue with Presenter. We have 5000 presenter files attempts on the same server + same Moodle install every day but never had an issue in the past 24 months with the access times. On the other hand, this is our first Storyline course and we gave access to just 5 customers (we are still in alpha trial) and all of them seem to be complaining of the time delay.
Regards,
Payal Tandon
Hi Payal
Presenter and Storyline are two completely diffierent programs so you are comparing apples and oranges, and there is nothing to be gained from this.. You stated that all storyline packages had problems this led me to the conclusion that your server is having issues with Storyline packages. This is based on the fact that there are no other posts that I know of that complain of slow behavior in Scorm, and on my experience of running a moodle server with over 2,500 users and over 90 storyline courses.
I would open a ticket with Articulate who may be able to help you resolve this issue, and at the same time i would explore with your server guys if there is any reason why the courses are slow, I would try adding RAM to your server, because 4gb is low for that amounts of attempts a day.
Also your probably need to test more because 5 users is anecdotal at best
Hello Phil,
Thanks again for your persistence in helping me out with this matter. I am completely with you that I need to upgrade my server. And I will. In fact I am already in discussion with my technical department. However, I want to make sure that do the things right the first time. For this I need to understand why my presenter published files on the SAME LMS and the same server do not create a problem, but STORY published files do.
I am opening a case at articulate as well. In the meanwhile, I look forward to some response here as well.
Regards,
Payal
There is nothing to be gained by comparing Presenter and Storyline. They are two seperate products that handle files differently. You may as well compare lectora and presenter.
We do not experience this problem, and have more trouble with presenter, I am aware of extensive moodle testing taking place during the beta. You really should debug the Storyline and moodle install to see if there is a bottleneck somewhere
Seems like someone else also experienced similar issue:
http://community.articulate.com/forums/p/16761/107956.aspx#107956
I have submitted a case and am looking forward to what articulate comes back with. In the meantime I have started diagnostics and experiments on my end with regards to server configuration as well.
Regards,
Payal
HI Payal - Do you have a regular web server you can upload your published project to test? So, just upload the regular, web output and test it with the same user. You could also share the link with any of us to test as well.
Hi David,
Appreciate your response. We are right now doing a number of things to solve the Storyline issue with our server. I think understanding the difference between how Storyline loads files and how Presenter did clarified alot of stuff. In fact we did a few experiments - testing files on our system, on Articulate online, and on the scorm cloud set up by support group at Articulate. We have been able to establish an acceptable level of performance and now we are doing stuff at our end to beef up our server to facilitate that performance.
I will update this post once we arrive at the acceptable performance.
Thanks,
Payal
Hi Payal,
I am a total newbie to all of this but am having similar issues. I found this:
https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=209142&parent=913010
and they seem to think "accelerating the php" would help, whatever that means.
Help!!!
I just purchased Storyline 2 weeks ago so we can provide students with viewing on iOS.
Having spent the last 2 weeks recreating all the content in SL and purchasing an iPad 4 to check viewing is OK, I am devastated to find none of the SL content ever gets past the loading icon when trying to view on iPad :-(
Also the same content, when viewed on an Android tablet (Samsung Galaxy Tab2) runs, but no touchscreen controls work at all, so no navigation etc is possible within the content.
The files do load and run as expected when viewing via PC.
I uploaded a file to Tempshare as suggested by David in another post on slow loading and the file did load and run - though some visuals were missing compared to viewing the same content within LMS via PC
We are running Moodle 1.9.4
Anyone else had this issue and overcome it?
Appreciate any advice!!
Hi Debbie,
First, can you tell me if you're attempting to view the course in the Articulate Mobile Player, or HTML5 on the iPad?
It sounds like you may be running the HTML5 output. If that's the case, are you able to try publishing for the Mobile Player, just to see if there's any change?
Also, are you able to share the .STORY file here? I'd be happy to take a look and test the course on my iPad. You're also welcome tosend us the files privately, if you prefer.
Thanks!
Christine
Hi Christine
Many thanks for your reply.
I can confirm I published originally to SCORM 1.2 for LMS and ticked only the HTML5.
I have now repeated the process with BOTH HTML5 and Articulate player ticked but the result is the same on iPad - never gets past the loading circles.
Have not checked whether there is a change on Android - because it is the iOS viewing we purchased Storyline to provide.
Articulate support have also now confirmed this is a known issue and they have no timeframe for a solution.
As no one else has responded to my post, I can only assume no one has managed to overcome this issue or find a functional workaround by themselves either.
I am sure you can appreciate how disappointing this is, having invested in Storyline because it is supposed to provide iOS viewing!
I have been experimenting with other publish formats - the 'best' I got is publishing for 'Web' but not all visuals appear as expected - e.g. logo is missing and internal videos also have to be clicked on each slide as well as the beginning. I know the former happens from forum posts, but not sure if the latter is an error or also programmed in to happen on iPad?
I am happy to provide the files privately - is it just the .story.html file I need to send or the whole folder?
Thanks again for your offer to help - much appreciated.
iPad player will not work in moodle, should be able to get the course working, have you tried the content in Tempshare to see if that will load on your iPad?
Also are you using the latest update which fixed a lot of iPad issues.
Hi Phil
Thanks for your post, I am downloading the latest update for install as I write
I did upload a file to Tempshare as suggested by David in another post on this and though it did load and run eventually - some visuals were missing e.g. logo.
When you say iPad player will not work in moodle - can you clarify please, I do not know what an iPad player is - I am just viewing in standard mobile Safari.
Do you mean the Articulate mobile player on iPad does not work in moodle I wonder?
I will post back with any improvements once tried re publishing using latest version - thanks again for the tip! :-)
The logo has been an issue, you will need to delete it and readd it in the new update
The Articulate Mobile Player will not work with Moodle only HTML 5 will work with Moodle
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