Using Variables in Articulate Storyline #2

Using Variables in Storyline #2: Challenge | Recap

Why Should E-Learning Designers Learn Variables?

Articulate Storyline's core authoring features (states, layers, and triggers) make it easy for virtually anyone to create interactive e-learning.

But when you want to create more dynamic and personalized learning experiences, you’ll need to know how to use variables.

Using Storyline’s variables, you can present dynamic content based on your learner’s activity and other defined conditions. Variables can store learner input or quiz results and use the information to present dynamic content based on specific criteria.

And Storyline's variables is what this week’s screencasting challenge is all about!

Screencast Challenge of the Week

This week, your challenge is to screencast a short lesson to help e-learning designers learn to use variables in Storyline.

Don’t worry if someone already recorded a similar tutorial. The weekly screencast challenges are for you to show what you know using your own personal voice and style.

Ideas for Teaching Variables

Storyline's variables are not difficult concepts to learn, but they do require practice.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

  • Overview of the three variable types
  • Adding, deleting, and renaming variables
  • Evaluating variables
  • How trigger order affects variables
  • Using variable references
  • Simple progress meters
  • Keeping score using variables

Resource for Learning Variables

Record Your Screencast

You can record your screencast using any tool you like. Storyline’s built-in screen recorder is one option. Replay works well for including webcam video with your screen recording. Another popular option is Camtasia.

Share Your Screencast

Please use YouTube, Vimeo, or Wistia to host your screencast. That will make it easy for me to embed the tutorials in the weekly recap post for each challenge. If you need help, I can post your video to one of our channels.

You’re also free to bundle your videos into a Storyline project (here’s an example). You’ll just need a place to host your published project.

Ready? Set? Record!

About the Screencast Challenges

The weekly screencasting challenges are ongoing opportunities to teach, learn, and demonstrate your e-learning expertise. You can jump into any or all of the previous challenges anytime you want. I’ll update the recap posts to include your demos. 

If you have a blog, please consider writing about your challenges. We’ll link back to your posts so the great work you’re sharing gets even more exposure. If you share your demos on Twitter, try using #ELHChallenge so your tweeps can track your e-learning coolness.  

28 Comments
Veronica Budnikas

Woohoo, loving the variables! Here are a couple I've done: How to build a calorie counter (in response to Dana Dutiel's question in the forums https://community.articulate.com/discussions/articulate-storyline/building-healthy-meals-tutorial-how-did-he-do-it): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dO40rlMg0M How to create a customised progress meter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQuhZoCWftI Blog: http://veronicab.com.au/how-to-customise-progress-bar/ How to show relevant feedback when there are multiple correct options using variables and states: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmD4b0cdAgs (I re-watched this and it's a bit convoluted, but anyway. This is Part 3 in a 4-part series I did, so if anyone is interested they can check out all 4 parts to have the whole picture, links ... Expand

Talia  Taylor
Veronica Budnikas