“Ask Me Anything” with Tom Kuhlmann: Recap Part 3/3

Recently, we hosted a live AMA (Ask Me Anything) event with Tom Kuhlmann, author of the Rapid E-Learning Blog. We’ve been curating his best advice in a three-part post. You can find part one here, and part two here. And now, here’s the final piece of this series: part three.

Missy Daniels: I do a lot of software training and keeping up with the newest versions is a nightmare for the training relevant. Any suggestions?

Tom Kuhlmann: We had a similar issue at one place I worked. We limited what we did as screen capture videos and then used static images with interactive labels. All we had to do was change the static image. A lot less work.

Ash Tokhy: What is the best way to design a course that can be cross-platform? If I want the students to be able to access the course with iPad or Android tablets, do I need to publish the course in different formats? Is there a such a thing to design once, publish once, and can be accessible with different devices?

Tom Kuhlmann: Not sure there's a best way since a lot of it is based on context. How people use the device, their expectations, and the content may vary.

The course and how it is delivered is a solution. The first step is determining needs and best solution. Sometimes a publish-once solution is best, sometimes creating distinct modules is best to accommodate different types of interactions.

As far as Articulate tools, I always select all three publishing options: Flash (default), HTML5, and Articulate Mobile player (Android, iOS). This lets the content play on most devices.

Julia Oatway: Hi Tom- I use Storyline 2 and would like to use gamification for training purposes. Any good ideas on how to get started?

Tom Kuhlmann: Identify relevant gaming elements first. Gamification is often misunderstood as gaming.

Then learn to build the core elements in Storyline. Most of it revolves understanding variables and conditions.

Chelsey Jones: I have a purely graphic design background (front end web design). How can I transition into instructional design, and where should I expand my abilities first?

Tom Kuhlmann: Find a topic that you know or want to learn. Build a module based on your current skills and then ask the community for feedback. If you have good graphic design skills that's a big plus. 

I like to look for multimedia examples online, such as elearningexamples.com, deconstruct them and rebuild them. That's a good way to learn to use the tools and think through presenting content. Read about instructional/course design. Julie Dirksen's book is good. Also recommend Michael Allens.

Michelle Christian: I am often inspired by your posts as well as many of the hero’s postings. Where do you go to for inspiration?

Tom Kuhlmann: I like to look at advertising, web design, and UX sites. I also look at designer sites like dribbble. They usually cause me to think about how I'd do the same thing in Storyline.

I have a few hundred feeds in my reader so I do a lot of scanning of what's going on in our industry. Unfortunately, the headlines are usually more valuable than the content. I also download a lot of apps/games to my iPad and think through the interaction and experiences.

We hope you enjoyed this series of recap posts. You can always head on over to the discussion to have a closer look at all of the questions and answers. You can also tune in later this month when we host our second Articulate AMA with Visual Designer Greg Christman.

If you have feedback or questions, we’d love to hear them in the comments below. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for the latest e-learning advice, tips, and tricks!