2 Tips for Using Content Library 360 That’ll Save You Oodles of Time
I feel a bit like a broken record, but I can honestly say that Articulate 360 is jam-packed with timesaving tools for streamlining your workflow. And one of my personal favorite tools is Content Library 360. In case you’re not in the know, Content Library 360 is an ever-growing library of course assets. These assets include: slide templates for Storyline 360 and Studio 360 courses with flexible layouts and interactions that are prebuilt with all the object states and triggers in place; over 100,000 photographic and illustrated character combinations with different poses and expressions—many in industry-specific garb like scrubs, lab coats, or hard hats; access to a library of millions of stock photos, videos, and vector graphics—all assets available to you right from within Storyline 360, Rise 360, and Studio 360. Beyond the creative possibilities and sheer convenience of Content Library 360, I can’t stress enough what a huge timesaver it is to have professional-looking prebuilt slide templates right at your fingertips—especially when those last-minute change requests hit your inbox. Those urgent requests to shoehorn new content into my courses used to send me into panic mode. I’d either scramble to adapt an interaction from another project or try to create an interaction from scratch. And when you’re in a rush, it’s really easy to overlook things like pixel-perfect alignment or missing triggers, resulting in more hassles. But now, with Content Library, I can quickly browse for and insert an interactive slide template that fits the bill, and then easily customize the appearance, add my content, and go. It’s a game-changer! Here are step-by-step instructions (with video!) to show you just how easy it is to customize the Content Library 360 slide template for your projects. Step 1: Browse & Insert a Slide Template Don’t let last-minute changes derail your productivity. Save yourself hours of searching and design work by browsing for a Content Library interaction to customize on the fly. Here’s how it works: Click on the slide that will come before your soon-to-be-inserted slide. Select the Slides menu and click on the Content Library 360 option to open up the template browser. Speed up your search for the perfect template by using the filters on the left. In my case, I wanted an interaction, so I used the interaction filter. You can also filter by color theme, either light or dark. Click to select the slide you need and then hit the Insert Slide button. Boom! Your new slide is inserted into your project. Pro Tip: You can select and insert multiple slide templates from the Content Library browser just by holding down the Shift key while you click on the slides. Here’s a quick (silent) video I made to show you these steps in action. Step 2: Add Content & Customize If the idea of customizing the look and feel of a template seems a little intimidating, don’t sweat it. It’s actually a whole lot easier than you think. Here’s how I tackled it … First, I selected and then deleted the slide elements I wouldn’t need. Since I wasn’t creating a timeline interaction but rather a sleek click-and-reveal interaction, I took out the “date” boxes and the divider lines. Then I started swapping out images. I already had the ones I wanted to use saved in a folder on my desktop, so all it took was a quick right-click on each placeholder image to browse to the location of each new image. Next, I added my text. Because Content Library slides are professionally designed with all elements of the layout clearly named and easy to identify on the timeline in Storyline 360, all I did was click to select the textboxes I wanted to change and start typing. Bonus: If you’re new to e-learning, Content Library 360 slides use placeholder text that gives you pointers on how to get the most out of each layout so you can design more effective e-learning. With your newly inserted slide selected, navigate to the Design menu. Then, click on any of the prebuilt color themes or create a color theme that matches your project. I had one already designed for my project, so I just clicked to apply it to my slide. Never used design themes before or not sure how they work? Here’s an article about what they are and how to use them. A few more clicks to fine-tune the look, applying my lighter text color to the layer text, etc., and then … voila! Here’s another short and silent video to walk you through these steps. How cool is that? Adapting Content Library 360 templates instead of creating something from scratch makes a whole lot of sense when you’re a busy e-learning developer—especially when you’re a one-person training department. And if you'd like some more tips and timesavers on this topic, check out 3 Timesaving Tips for Customizing Content Library 360 Templates. There are so many more creative uses for Content Library 360 assets. Will you share your favorites with us? Leave your Content Library tips, tricks, and creative ideas in a comment below. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning.Check Out the 102+ Articulate 360 Features We Released in 2023
Brand-new features in Articulate 360 can help you create a broader range of exciting learning experiences. And enhancements to existing features can streamline your design and development processes, making course creation even easier. But when apps evolve constantly, it’s not always easy to see just how much has changed over time. That’s why we’ve collected the 102+ new and enhanced features released in 2023 in this one handy article! Take a look at how much our apps have progressed over the past 12 months to see if there are any useful updates you might have missed. Storyline 360 Rise 360 Content Library 360 Review 360 Reach 360 Articulate 360 Desktop App Articulate 360 Teams Storyline 360 64-Bit Version of Storyline Harness the processing power in modern computers with a 64-bit version of Storyline 360. Large, media-rich courses benefit from increased stability and faster performance. Video Playback Speed Let learners explore at their own pace by choosing a course playback speed between 0.25x and 2x. Closed Captioning Boost video accessibility by including closed captions when publishing projects as MP4 video files. Adaptive Streaming Video With streaming video support, deliver video content to all learners, regardless of their internet speed. Accessible Feedback Layers Empower learners with accessible question feedback layers that meet color, contrast, and focus guidelines by default. Publish Storyline 360 Courses to Reach 360 Publish Storyline 360 courses directly to Reach 360—a lightweight distribution tool to deploy your e-learning content to more learners, including deskless workers, contractors, and customers. Video Transcripts Generate synchronized video transcripts from closed captions so visual content is accessible to all learners, including those who rely on screen readers, use braille displays, or prefer to read. Background Audio Create immersive experiences with continuous background audio that sets the tone and keeps learners engaged. Learners can turn off background audio if they prefer. In-App Review Comments Speed the review process and never miss crucial feedback with in-app comments. Review 360 comments appear in context as you’re working in Storyline 360, so you can act on stakeholder feedback immediately. Reply to comments and resolve them in real time as you create content. Add images from comments to training with a single click. Cloud Backup Access your Storyline 360 project files from anywhere and share them with team members by uploading your source files to Review 360. Rest easy knowing your projects are backed up, making previous versions easy to recover. Improved File AutoRecovery Fix project files that won’t open with the help of strengthened Storyline 360 recovery capabilities. Live Caption Support in Google Chrome Make use of Live Captions while taking Storyline 360 courses in Google Chrome. Updated Default Fonts Access the latest versions of several fonts that get installed with Storyline 360. Enhanced Player Properties Enjoy easier access to the modern player controls (play/pause, volume, etc.) and player tabs (menu, glossary, etc.) checkboxes now that they’re all left-aligned. Streaming Video Support for Videos in 360° Images Make use of the streaming video feature for videos in 360° images. Create Time-Based Triggers Create time-based triggers in minutes and seconds instead of having to convert values to seconds only. Feedback Master Quickly apply a feedback master to multiple question slides simultaneously. Upgraded Embedded Version of Chromium Benefit from Chromium 112.0.5615.165 in Storyline 360. Insert Web Videos Insert web videos using relative paths. High-Res Animated GIFs Give learners the best visual experience possible with high-resolution animated GIF support. Wrap Text Ensure text in data-entry fields wraps more easily using the wrap text option instead of having to increase the height to be more than 60 pixels. Optional “Lost Connectivity” Alert Let your learners know when they lose their connection with this optional alert you can turn on in the player properties. Faster Trigger Wizard Performance on Macs Enjoy better trigger wizard performance on M-series Macs. Set Your Cover Photo To Fill the Player Frame Easily set your cover photo to fill the player frame in the player properties. Screen Recording on Primary and Secondary Monitors Record your screen on primary and secondary monitors with DPI settings over 100%. Full-Screen Storyline Block Display Display Storyline blocks in Rise 360 full screen on mobile devices when player controls are turned off. Display Crisp Text and Images Display crisp text and images in embedded web objects by unchecking the scaling option. Background Audio in Video Output Include background audio in published video output. Turn Player Navigation Elements On or Off Control how learners navigate submitted quiz questions by turning player navigation elements on or off. Neural Voices Generate realistic, natural-sounding text-to-speech narration with neural voices. New Neural Voices (US English) Enjoy two new English (US) neural voices options, Danielle and Gregory, for text-to-speech conversion. Icons and Text Displayed in Player For new projects that use the modern player, navigation buttons now display both icons and text by default. You can still switch to just icons or text instead. Speech Synthesis Markup Language (SSML) Support Unlock new possibilities for text-to-speech audio. Use SSML to adjust the speaking rate, modify pronunciation, emphasize words, add pauses, and more. Fixed Positions for Modern Player Controls Make it even easier for learners to interact with your course thanks to fixed control positions at the bottom of the player. Text Wrapping Easier Benefit from an improved user interface for text-entry fields text-wrapping options. Enhanced Button Accessibility Provide learners with a more accessible experience now that the “Back to Top” and “Skip Navigation” buttons and the volume slider meet color contrast guidelines. Control Background Audio with Triggers Control the background audio for each slide using triggers to play, pause, or stop the playlist. Tooltips Available Display tooltips that are accessible to mouse, keyboard, and screen reader users automatically using the built-in player controls and navigation buttons. Fine-Tune Background Audio Customize the background audio experience even further by fine-tuning the volume with a percentage-based variable. Rise 360 Microlearning Deliver bite-size, single-objective content with the Microlearning feature. Turn Off the Cover Page Turn off the cover page when you publish for LMS to improve compatibility, streamline training, and get learners into content faster. Theme Color Contrast Use theme color contrast to instantly ensure training content meets accessible color handling requirements for learners with low vision. Turn Off Lesson Headers Turn off lesson headers to provide a more focused learning experience. Reply To and Resolve Review 360 Comments Reply to and resolve Review 360 comments from within Rise 360 and add suggested images with a single click. Block Contrast Settings Automatically adjust the contrast of text and graphics at the block level or select your own contrast with block contrast settings. Enhanced Block Settings Customize your blocks with distinctive backgrounds and easily adjust padding options with enhanced block settings. Team Folders Create shared team folders to organize your team’s content, assign permissions, and invite collaborators. Enhanced Dashboard Management Organize and keep track of what’s important to you more easily with the enhanced dashboard. New Real Content Course Templates Get even more great content out to learners fast with new additions to our library of real content course templates. In 2023 we added new courses and microlearning experiences on topics like exercise, forming healthy habits, Black History Month, discussing disabilities in the workplace, and more! New Placeholder Content Course Templates Jump-start course creation with even more placeholder content course templates. New additions include course outlines on equity compensation conversations and sales order management processes. Publish Rise 360 Courses to Reach 360 Publish Rise 360 courses directly to Reach 360—an add-on to Articulate 360 that lets you quickly distribute training, enroll learners, and track their progress. Specify an Admin When Publishing to Reach 360 Get the right eyes on your course when publishing it to Reach 360 by selecting a specific admin to notify from a searchable drop-down menu. Quote Block Accessibility Improvements Give all your learners a better experience with accessibility improvements for quote blocks. WCAG 2.1 Conformant Process Blocks Include process blocks in your accessible courses now that they’re WCAG 2.1 conformant with improved keyboard navigation and screen reader support. Translate Labels for Screen Readers Broaden your impact and enhance accessibility by translating screen reader labels into other languages. Added Labels for Sidebar Progress Indicator Enhance localization and accessibility with labels for sidebar progress indicator tooltips. Default Text Color Improve accessibility conformance on new courses without lifting a finger by leaving the default text color, which is now true black. Skip Video Compression Add _NOPROCESS_ to a video file name to skip compression when uploading it to your course. Exported Training Destinations Quickly select a destination for your exported training with the Rise 360 dashboard publish menu. Cover Page Overlay Setting Use the Overlay setting to preserve both image clarity and text readability by choosing a light or dark translucent overlay for your cover photo that automatically maximizes text contrast. Links in Button and Button Stack Blocks Use relative links in button and button stack blocks to link to training within your subdomain. Theme Color Selector Use the Theme setting in the block element color picker to quickly select your training’s theme color. Logo Size Options Crop your logo to decrease white space and increase its size to customize your cover page branding. Quiz and Labeled Graphics No Longer Animate Protect those with motion disorders automatically now that quiz and labeled graphics items no longer animate when learners enable reduced motion settings on their devices. Rise 360 Images Marked as Decorative by Default Mark images as decorative automatically when you leave alt text for an image blank so it’s ignored by screen readers. Block Background Images Randomly Selected Enjoy a wider variety of default block background images now that they’re randomly selected on a block-by-block basis. Progression Arrows Remain Visible on Zoom Give all learners a better experience now that labeled graphic progression arrows remain visible when zoomed in or viewed on a mobile device. Split Block Design Menu Apply design settings to blocks more easily now that we’ve split the block design menu into two new menus: Style and Format. Updated Placeholder Content Templates Enjoy the new and improved placeholder content templates, a makeover where you’ll notice that the “lorem ipsum” text has been replaced with instructional and sample content. To improve accessibility, we’ve removed italicized formatting. We’ve also updated block design throughout the templates to take advantage of recent Rise 360 formatting enhancements. Linked Block Padding Add a custom value for top and bottom block padding at the same time using the linked padding option. 4k Video Support Boost course video quality with the ability to upload 4k videos to Rise 360. Content Library 360 Thousands of New Images Find the perfect photos for your online training even more easily with the addition of hundreds of thousands more high-resolution images from Pexels. New Illustrated Characters Represent a greater variety of learners with six new illustrated characters: Eduardo, Camila, Mike, Shanae, Don, and Wren. Review 360 Request Review Keep your team on track without the hassle of spreadsheets or phone calls thanks to the request review feature. Send and track requests for specific stakeholders to review a content item right from Review 360. With email notifications, due dates, visible statuses, and completion buttons, you’ll never miss another deadline. Team Folders Create shared team folders in Review 360 to organize your content, assign permissions, and invite collaborators. You can even allow multiple authors to publish new versions of a course to the same Review 360 project. Comments Only Allowed on Current Versions of Courses Keep teams in sync by preventing stakeholders from accidentally adding new comments to old versions of a content item. Enhanced Dashboard Quickly and intuitively organize your Review 360 dashboard with nested folders, subfolder breadcrumbs, an action toolbar, and more project management efficiencies. You can even multi-select items and folders, then move them in bulk. Learn more about the enhanced dashboard. Review Status Labels Allow stakeholders to reset their status after completing a review for more flexibility. Send Bulk Review Requests Send a request to multiple reviewers simultaneously by copying and pasting their email addresses in bulk. Text-Formatting Toolbar in Request Review Send engaging review request messages with the new text-formatting toolbar. Content Privacy Settings Control access to your content by making your Review 360 items private while still allowing invited stakeholders to offer feedback. Reach 360 Reach 360 Launched Reach 360 launched! Reach 360 is a frictionless LMS that integrates with Articulate 360 so you can easily deliver training to more learners. Group Self-Registration Simplify learner management by generating a sign-up link that automatically adds your learners into a group. API Integrations Use the Reach 360 API to build custom integrations with your business systems, giving your team access to valuable training and data where they need it most. Connect Reach 360 and Zapier Automate your work and streamline your productivity by adding Reach 360 to your Zapier workflows (currently in beta). Custom Domain Brand your Reach 360 URL with a custom domain you own. Owner Role The purchaser of your Articulate 360 Teams subscription is now listed as the Owner in Reach 360. Improved Group Member Lists Improve performance with paginated group member lists that display 50 members per page. Bulk Delete Learners Use true “select all” to bulk delete learners, even every learner, from your Reach 360 account. Active Learner Usage Report At a glance, see how many users have logged in to your Reach 360 account with the Active Learner Usage report. Bulk Delete Members Bulk delete members, even every member, from a group with “select all.” Bulk Import Bulk import and delete group members via CSV. Connect with Slack Connect Reach 360 and Slack so you can share course previews and get in-app training notifications. Share Content with QR Code Share specific training items directly with learners via URL or QR code. Learning Path QR Code Allow users to directly access a learning path—and self-register as a new learner if necessary—with a QR code. Self-Registration QR Code Allow users to self-register as new learners or group members using a QR code. Custom Certificates Create and manage custom certificates. SSO for Learners Enable SSO for your Reach 360 learners directly from your Reach 360 settings. Manage Groups and Users with SSO Use SSO to manage learners and groups, allowing them to quickly access training using one set of log-in credentials. Users API Endpoint Delete users from training with this Users API endpoint. Reach 360 API Quiz Data Enhancement Include quiz data in the course.completed event type for Webhook Events in the Reach 360 API. Sortable Activity Report Column Quickly check completion status with a sortable column in the activity report. Separate Admins for Reach 360 Enjoy more organizational options by defining separate admins for Reach 360. Enhanced User Role Management Streamline Reach 360 user management to include learners and admins only. Reporter Access Delegate training analytics by assigning reporters who only have access to detailed reports for specific groups of learners. Custom Certificate Settings Select a custom certificate to be the default certificate for your Reach 360 training. Default Direct Sharing Direct sharing is enabled by default for all new content published to your Reach 360 library. Articulate 360 Desktop App Improved Error Reporting Resolve issues faster with updated error reporting. Articulate 360 Teams Retain Shared Content Maintain control over shared content when a member leaves the team. Wrap-Up As you can see, 2023 was a big year with lots of exciting updates to the Articulate 360 apps. You can see what’s up next by checking out our feature roadmap page. Want to try out some of these features, but don’t have Articulate 360 just yet? Start a free 30-day trial, and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning.3 Reasons to Use Content Library 360 in Rise 360
I’m always on the lookout for tips to help me create effective courses quickly. If you’ve ever used Rise 360, then you can appreciate how easy it is to build beautiful, interactive courses fast. One of my favorite things about Rise 360 is that I have access to Content Library 360 from within the app. Content Library 360 is chock-full of assets that can save you money, speed up your workflow, and make your content relatable. Let me explain how. 1. Save Money Have you ever worked on a project with little to no images to go along with the content? It happens more often than you’d think! Often, companies just don’t have the budget or resources to create custom imagery. And in the past, if you didn’t have hours to spend scouring multiple free image stock sites, you were left with one option: paid stock photo sites. But paid stock sites can be super-expensive, especially if you need a bunch of images. That’s why I love Content Library 360. If you have an Articulate 360 subscription, you automatically have access to Content Library 360. That means—for no added cost—you can use as many images as you want from our ever-expanding library of literally millions of assets. These assets are made available through third parties, including Unsplash, Noun Project, Pexels, and Pixabay, and you can use them in your content without additional charge. However, as noted in our Terms of Service, use of these images, including any attribution requirements, is subject to these third parties’ terms. 2. Save Time Another great reason to use Content Library 360 is to speed up course creation. That’s because you can search our ever-growing, massive library of course assets and insert them into your project in just a few clicks—without ever leaving Rise 360. No more leaving the app, opening up your search engine, and navigating to an image stock site to try to find what you’re looking for. With Content Library 360, you can find the images you need right in the app—and without interrupting your workflow. And once you’ve found the perfect image for your project, you can use the Crop Image feature to save even more time! In just a few seconds, you can crop any image to fit your needs. There’s even a “Constrain to Square” option. Best of all, the cropping feature works with both Content Library 360 images and images you upload! Want to see other useful ways to use this feature? Check out this article. 3. Create More Relatable Scenarios Scenarios are a great way to engage learners and help them navigate real-life situations. However, it can be a challenge to find all the assets you need with so many possible outcomes. Crafting realistic learning experiences with the scenario block in Rise 360 makes all this possible. And with Content Library 360, you not only have access to millions of stock images, you also have thousands of combinations of photographic characters and poses to choose from so you can easily create your own branching scenarios in a snap. As you build your scenario, you can select backgrounds and characters from a variety of industries and professions to make it feel relatable. And because Content Library 360 images and characters are available right in Rise 360, it’s quick and convenient. Summary With Content Library 360 images built right into Rise 360, you save money, time, and hassle—all while creating more relatable courses. What’s not to love? For more Rise 360 and Content Library 360 tips and tricks, check out these articles: Rise 360: Adding Content Library 360 Images to a Course How to Find the Images You Want in Content Library 360 3 Ways to Use the Image-Cropping Feature in Rise 360 7 Creative Ways to Use Images in Rise 360 Courses Rise 360: How to Use Scenario Blocks 6 Rise 360 Blocks to Use Instead of Bullet Points What productivity tips do you have for creating courses in Rise 360? Please share your ideas in the comments below. I’d love to hear them! Want to save time by creating a Rise 360 course, but don’t have Articulate 360? Start a free 30-day trial, and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning.Bring Courses to Life with Characters from Content Library 360
Characters are one of the most commonly used elements of e-learning courses. Whether you’re trying to craft a meaningful narrative or make your content more relatable for learners, characters are a great way to bring your content to life. Luckily, thanks to Content Library 360, you have a diverse assortment of 100+ illustrated and photographic characters at your fingertips. Choose from 100,000+ combinations of characters, expressions, and poses. With a wide range of industries and professions to choose from, you’ll have endless ways to show learners how your content applies to them. And with Content Library 360 integrated into Articulate 360, you can bring a sense of personality to your courses without slowing down your workflow! Let’s take a look at the characters available in Content Library 360: Photographic Illustrated — Modern Characters Illustrated — Classic Characters Photographic Characters Each character has 100+ poses. Thomas (3 outfits) Friendly and professional, Thomas fits any business setting. Sarah (3 outfits) Sarah is a cheerful choice for leading learners through a variety of topics. Aliyah (3 outfits) Choose Aliyah when you need a poised young professional who knows how to get the job done. Renita Renita’s dressed for success as a young professional or customer service rep. Craig Choose Craig to showcase safety protocols on your construction site. Robert Choose Robert when your training needs a friendly face. Amira Meet Amira, a polished woman who’s ideal for most business settings. Michele Select Michele to lead learners through safety and construction scenes. Liz Liz’s kind look is ideal for customer service, healthcare, and more. Glenn Choose Glenn when you want to add a polished executive to your course. DeShaun Deshaun’s a versatile young professional perfect for business settings. Shafer Outgoing and motivating, Shafer is perfect for most business settings. Joseph A charismatic coach or mentor for sports and health-related topics. Isabel A poised character to guide learners through courses on medicine and science. Bradley Bradley’s kind expressions make him an approachable guide for medical courses. Vicki A cheerful-looking call center employee who’s great for customer service courses. Antonio Antonio makes a perfect guide for international business courses. Maria Maria is a young, sharp-looking female EMT for medical courses. Kayla With all her gear on, Kayla is prepped for your safety courses. Mitchell Mitchell radiates the warmth and energy of a caring customer service pro. Lange Lange is the perfect energetic businessman for leadership courses. Mary Choose Mary to guide your learners through customer service training. Valeria An upbeat, young character with a casual look for a variety of courses. Andres Outfitted in an EMT uniform, Andres is ready to lead in medical courses. Carlos Provide learners with a relatable guide in casual workplace courses. Ginnie Friendly-looking older woman in colorful attire for challenging topics. Emily Emily is a laid-back character who’s perfect for many types of courses. Paulina Paulina is an energetic guide for learners in medical and dental fields. Gail A dynamic professional character for courses set in a modern workplace. William An authoritative, professional character for health and science courses. Shelia Sheila is a well-dressed young professional who radiates confidence. Nora This sporty middle-aged woman is the perfect coach for health courses. Jet Jet’s casual style and friendly face make him a versatile character. Gianna This stylish businesswoman is great for corporate training. Brandon The perfect casual character for a wide range of everyday scenarios. Alberto This cheerful man in workwear is great for office training courses. Quan This bright young man in workwear is perfect for industrial scenarios. Laura A great character for customer service courses. Includes headset shots. Atsumi This recognizable character’s fun expressions make her a fan favorite. Al A confident, gray-haired gentleman well-suited for leadership training. Caesar Let this affable doctor help learners make healthy choices. Tonya This cheerful character is perfect for health and wellness training. Nicky Nicky’s style and piercing looks make her a go-to manager character. Tony With his hard hat and safety goggles, Tony’s ready to work. Paula Use this woman in workwear for casual scenarios or industrial courses. Nerijus Nerijus has the look of a sharp young businessman on his way to the top. Marie Mature woman in professional attire is great for courses of any type. Lorraine Cheerful doctor in scrubs and lab coat ideal for health-conscious courses. Jonathan This older man in a headset works great in customer support courses. Javier This casual, older male character works well in any kind of course. James Customer service professional in workplace attire. Includes headset. Jake The perfect worker for industry courses. Includes safety hat and vest. Harriet This regal businesswoman in conservative garb is great for leadership training. Cort Cort is a male nurse character ready to help learners tackle health topics. Rosie Meet Rosie, a stylish young businesswoman for any type of course. Rhonda Encouraging, enthusiastic office worker for corporate training courses. Chris A mature businessman with a lot of personality for workplace courses. Paul Paul is a kind-looking man who’s great for customer service courses. Edwin Edwin is a casual character with kind expressions and a warm smile. Sonee Prim and proper, Sonee is a great seasoned character for workplace training. Jeremy Jeremy’s casual attire and laid-back attitude help him fit in anywhere. Christy Use this energetic businesswoman to give learners the inside scoop. Dave Playful and creative, Dave works well in any workplace course. Nicole Nicole’s gregarious vibe makes her a great character for sales courses. Christian Kind and sincere, Christian is a good pick for corporate training. Ron Approachable middle-aged professional perfect for workplace training. Anton This casual character is perfect for a wide variety of course topics. Andrea Cheerful female worker for industrial or construction site training. Brian A character whose warmth and charisma are great for workplace courses. Christine This serious blonde woman is a perfect partner for challenging courses. Ammon This affable chap can add friendliness and cheer to any type of course. Terri A middle-aged woman for customer service training. Includes headset. Alice A pleasant woman in office attire wearing a hard hat and safety goggles. Sukiyo A seasoned executive who’s perfect for scenarios in office settings. More coming soon! Illustrated — Modern Characters Each character has 300+ pose combinations. Nadiya Dressed in professional attire, Nadiya is a great fit for business settings. Joshua Joshua stays safe with personal protective equipment and a high-visibility jacket. Haley Wearing a hard hat, vest, and work boots, ready for many industries. Sebastian A seasoned industry worker wearing personal protective equipment. Chloe Chloe is perfect for cafe, retail, or casual dining settings. Theresa Wearing nurses’ scrubs, Theresa fits right into medical settings. Shanae An approachable and memorable everyday guide. Wren A young, fashion-forward character suited for casual settings. Don A charming older man for any type of relaxed training. Mike An easygoing, self-assured guy perfect for relaxed settings. Eduardo An older gentleman, well suited for business-casual workplaces. Camila A casual, everyday guide ready to connect with a variety of learners. Jayla A cool, sophisticated friend or mentor, perfect for casual settings. Jamal At home in the business world, Jamal is distinguished but still fun. Jada A savvy and stylish guide who can connect with a broad audience. Eric A man with presence and panache who can connect with corporate crowds. Maya A busy young healthcare worker, well-suited for medical training. Pamela A mature businesswoman for corporate or finance training. Charles The epitome of a CEO, Charles is ready to lead in executive settings. Simone A reliable choice for helping learners navigate healthcare scenarios. Dante A versatile character for most business casual or academic settings. Lily Casual attire makes this character versatile. Includes built-in states. This sharp businessman is a great character for professional training. Shannon Modern businesswoman perfect for executive and leadership training. Amber A young doctor for health-related courses. Poses include a stethoscope. Blake A well-dressed character for any situation. Includes built-in states. Zachary Meticulous, middle-aged doctor for medical-themed training courses. Theo A mature professional who’s suited for more formal corporate training. Sylvie This businesswoman in sharp attire is perfect for professional courses. Sofie Use this casual and approachable middle-aged woman in your next course. Sophia Sophia is a modern and youthful character for any workplace course. Reuben This casual guy is a relatable ally for learners in any type of course. Phoebe Use this skilled nurse in hospital scenarios and workplace courses. Oliver This professional middle-aged man is dressed for any workplace scenario. Nathan This crisp gentleman in a gray suit is great for executive training. Matthew Gentleman in a black and gray business suit for professional training. Marcus Use this bespectacled doctor in health and wellness training courses. Madeline A sharply dressed doctor that’s great for health and wellness courses. Mabel Mabel is an older female surgeon with short hair and wireframe glasses. Lucas An easygoing middle-aged man in flattering business-casual attire. Juliet A redheaded woman in casual attire who’s suited for any kind of course. Stephen Use this charismatic businessman in a bold suit for executive training. Iris Young neighborly female character works for many different types of courses. Harrison Use this charming middle-aged doctor in health and wellness courses. Grace Use this calm and assured female doctor in health and wellness courses. Frank Middle-aged nurse with shiny dark hair perfect for hospital scenarios. Frances A youthful medical professional to use in health and wellness courses. Emma This brunette, middle-aged woman in workplace attire means business. Elisa This young woman is perfect for courses in casual environments. Demond A young nurse is here to help learners in health and wellness courses. Daniel Young, high-energy male perfect for any course in a casual setting. Claire Middle-aged woman for scenarios in casual locations, even the outdoors. Charlotte Fair-haired female professional perfect for workplace training courses. Arthur A striking doctor in business attire who’s great for wellness training. Alex A versatile character that’s calm, cool, and just a little outdoorsy. Abby This powerful corporate character is great for executive-level courses. Jonah This middle-aged man in jeans and a T-shirt is great for casual courses. Ethan An older, salt-and-pepper professional for any type of office training. Marilyn Marilyn’s casual attire and kind smile make her a relatable character. Lydia You can put this confident brunette in just about any type of course. Illustrated — Classic Characters Each character has 300+ pose combinations. Gabriel Molly Olivia Dennis Curt Norene Shane Bernardo Leonard Samantha Jennifer Louis Erik Kristina Beatrice Jayce Rose Roland Gloria Martin Maisie Jay Carmen Gregory Dominick Walt Evelyn Connie Peter Ivy Jason Adelaide Jessica Evangeline Debra Niles Cooper Hazel Bob Marissa In Summary With this ever-growing library of photographic and illustrated characters, it’s easier than ever to create personalized content that truly connects with your learners. Simply include them in a scenario in Rise 360 or add them to your slides in Storyline 360 to tell a story. The possibilities are endless! Looking for more ways to use characters in your courses? Check out these helpful resources to get inspired: 5 Tips to Help You Choose Characters for E-Learning 2 Quick Tips for Working with Characters in Storyline 360 5 Cool Ways to Use Characters to Engage and Connect with Learners Are you already using characters in your e-learning? Share your best practices in the comment below. Want to use these characters in your own e-learning courses, but don’t have Articulate 360? Start a free 30-day trial, and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for helpful advice on everything related to e-learning.Two New Storyline Characters Wearing Personal Protective Equipment
We’re excited to announce that we’re adding two new characters to our ever-expanding character library in Storyline! Dressed in hard hats and high-vis safety vests, Sebastian and Haley are ready for a variety of scenarios that require industry-specific outfits. Here’s a quick peek at how you can use these new characters in your courses. Sebastian Dressed in a hard hat, high-visibility vest, and work boots, Sebastian represents a variety of industries. His personal protective equipment makes him a great fit for settings like construction and events. With a serious, experienced presence, he can play many roles—co-worker, manager, foreman, or mentor. Haley Bright personal protective equipment makes Haley stand out from the crowd. She could be a member of a maintenance crew, an airport mechanic, or a stakeholder visiting a construction site. With her vibrant expressions and sleek ponytail, Haley is a versatile character, perfect for entry-level or managerial roles. Wrap-Up To insert these characters into your Storyline 360 courses, select Characters in the Insert tab. There, you can explore the full character collection in Content Library 360, which features these new characters and many more for a total of 100,000+ combinations of photographic and illustrated characters, expressions, and poses. We look forward to bringing you more characters dressed in different styles and for more industries. If there’s a specific character you’re looking for, let us know in the comments! These characters will work for folks using Storyline 360, the continuously updated version of Storyline included in Articulate 360. Want to try them out? Get a free trial of Articulate 360 right here. And subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest features and resources.5 Mental Health Resources You Can Share With Your Learners Today
Did you know that May is Mental Health Awareness Month? Individuals aren’t the only ones impacted by mental health challenges—businesses can feel the effects, too. Polling from Gallup indicates that employees with mental health challenges miss four times more work than those who rate their mental health positively. This lost productivity costs the economy some $47.6 billion annually. As an e-learning designer, you can help employees feel supported by providing resources that raise awareness of the importance of mental health and outline helpful tips for improving it. If you’re an Articulate 360 subscriber or trialer, you can get the ball rolling quickly by using the ready-to-use mental health training materials in Rise 360—just in time for Mental Health Awareness Month. Curious what’s available? Check out some of the new releases below. You can learn how to customize these templates for your own company and training needs at the end of this article. 1. Stress Busters Microlearning Course Encourage employees to feel more relaxed with the 9 Simple Stress Busters You Can Do Today microlearning course. Moving through this quick learning exercise reveals proven strategies for relieving stress and activating feel-good endorphins. 2. Breathing Exercises Microlearning Course Anyone feeling tense can benefit from the Melt Away Stress With a 3-Minute Breathing Exercise microlearning course. With each successive swipe through a guided breathing exercise and accompanying graphics, learners will feel more peaceful and serene. 3. Feel Your Feelings Microlearning Course Reinforce the message that it’s OK not to be OK with the Feel Your Feelings microlearning course. This quick activity helps people process difficult emotions by prompting them to name and explore their feelings from a place of compassion and understanding. 4. Get Grounded Microlearning Course Support employees through worry spirals and mental fog with the Escape Anxiety With a 5-Minute Grounding Practice microlearning course. Moving through this 5-minute practice roots learners in the here and now as they engage their senses of taste, touch, smell, sight, and hearing. 5. Day-by-Day Challenge Course To offer access to a more in-depth daily challenge, check out the 5-Day Challenge To Improve Mental Health course. Each day, learners can refer to this course, explore a different facet of mental health, and follow simple exercises for putting concepts into practice. Wrap-Up Providing mental health resources as part of your business training is a win-win. Employees have access to support at work, and businesses benefit from employees who are less stressed and anxious. The examples above can help you get started, but the sky’s the limit for how you can use Articulate’s creator tools to achieve your business training objectives. Interested in sharing one of the supportive resources with your team? If you’re an Articulate 360 subscriber or trialer, you can access and edit all the examples linked throughout this post directly from your Rise 360 dashboard. Simply click Create New, choose Microlearning and select the template you want to use, as shown in the video below: Looking for even more ready-to-use, customizable mental health content? You'll find those in your Rise 360 dashboard too. Just click Create New, choose Course, and then select Mix & Match Lessons. Here are some relevant topic categories to check out: Stress Management: covers stress management fundamentals, stress and work performance, and strategies to relieve stress. Health and Wellness: includes dealing with difficult emotions and life events, exercise, forming healthy habits, mental health awareness in the workplace, positive psychology fundamentals, and positive psychology in the workplace. Resilience: features content on resilience fundamentals, building career resilience, leadership and resilience, emotional and physical resilience, and thriving through challenges. Be sure to also follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn and come back to E-Learning Heroes for more advice on everything related to e-learning. If you have any questions, please share them in the comments.8 Business Use Cases for Microlearning
Are you excited to try out microlearning, but unsure when to use it? Below, we outline eight common workplace situations that benefit from a short-form course. Each situation includes a sample microlearning. At the end, learn how you can customize these templates for your own company and training needs. 1. Create Organizational Alignment To hit a business target, everyone needs to be moving in the same direction. Creating that alignment starts with clear, frequent communication of the shared mission, vision, and values. Microlearning can help. The following editable template shows how you can align employees through regular executive “micro” updates: Executive Update 2. Highlight HR Information, Notices, or Reminders Educating employees about annual events like open enrollment, tax season, and compliance training is a critical function of HR teams. The problem? Important announcements often get missed when they’re embedded in long paragraphs or endless emails. Grab the following templates to see how microlearning makes HR communications more digestible and engaging: A Quick Guide To Open Enrollment Internal Company Newsletter 3. Strengthen Company Culture and DEI Initiatives Fostering an inclusive company culture is a continuous process—not a one-time effort. A series of microlearnings can support your larger culture-building and DEI efforts. Check out the following examples for ideas on how to get started: Are You an Ally? Try Taking on These 5 Roles How To Identify and Stop Using Ableist Language Gossip-Proof Your Workplace 4. Streamline Business Processes You can also use microlearning to document and streamline business processes or workflows—such as employee onboarding or performance management. Notice how the following examples make it easy for employees to work through the steps of a process independently: New Hire Pre-Hire Checklist Performance Review and Feedback 5. Increase Security Awareness Most successful data breaches, phishing attacks, and other cybersecurity incidents are caused by human error. Adding refresher microlearnings throughout the year can fortify your defenses. See an example for safeguarding against phishing attacks below: Spot the Phish 6. Enhance Employee Wellness A successful business needs thriving employees. But employee wellness training often ends up buried under competing priorities. Microlearning makes it easy for employees to fit in short breaks for self-care throughout the workday. Check out these two wellness-related microlearning examples: 3 Desk Stretches to Instantly Improve Your Day 5 Tips for Better Naps 7. Provide Quick-Reference Guides Microlearning is the perfect resource for one-off training questions: Employees can quickly find the answers they need—when they need them. Below, we’ve created templates for product and software training. But you could easily create quick-reference guides for sales, customer service, and other teams. Get To Know [Name of Product] Software Training 8. Reinforce and Assess Key Takeaways Finally, who says you have to choose between a more sizable course and microlearning? Repetition aids retention. Consider following up longer training sessions with a microlearning quiz, scenario, or summary. The examples listed below demonstrate how you might do this: Can You Recover From a Workplace Mistake? Training Refresher Wrap-Up There’s no shortage of creative ways you can use microlearning to achieve your business training objectives. The examples above are just a starter list. You might also check out submissions to one of our weekly community challenges, 40+ Microlearning Examples Created in Rise 360 #407. Interested in customizing one of these examples for your team? If you’re an Articulate 360 subscriber or trialer, you can edit all of the examples linked throughout this post by choosing the course from our Rise 360 microlearning content templates. Here’s a short video showing how to do that: What’s the latest microlearning course you’ve created? Tell us about it in the comments—and feel free to ask any questions you might have! Like this article? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest e-learning inspiration and insights directly in your inbox. You can also find us on LinkedIn and Twitter.Introducing Two New Modern Illustrated Storyline Characters: Chloe and Theresa!
Characters bring learning to life, and today we’ve got two new modern illustrated characters who will be perfect for your service industry and medical scenarios. These characters come in a variety of poses, including seated at a desk and in a wheelchair and holding props like laptops and clipboards. Of course, they also capture a range of emotions, so they can adapt to whatever’s happening in your scenarios. Without further ado, here’s a quick glimpse at these new characters. Chloe Chloe is ready to work—perfect for cafe, retail, or casual dining settings. Sporting an apron, jeans, and tennis shoes, she fits in at a cafe, storefront, or casual restaurant. She’s versatile, too—she could be a florist, a barista, a server, a line cook, and more. Her comfortable, upbeat spirit makes Chloe a great choice for a variety of learning subjects. Theresa Theresa is a seasoned professional who fits right into medical settings. Wearing dark blue scrubs and comfortable sneakers, she’s prepared for anything that happens in her unit. With a pulled-back bun and minimal makeup, Theresa balances professionalism and approachability, making her ideal for learning about health topics of all kinds. Wrap-Up To insert these characters into your Storyline 360 courses, simply select Characters in the Insert tab. There, you can explore the full character collection in Content Library 360, which features over 100,000 combinations of photographic and illustrated characters, expressions, and poses. We’re excited to see how you’ll use Chloe and Theresa! These characters will work for folks using Storyline 360, the continuously updated version of Storyline included in Articulate 360. Want to try them out? Get a free trial of Articulate 360 right here. And subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest features and resources.Video Highlights of Our Favorite New Articulate 360 Features
We’ve added so many useful features to Articulate 360 in the past quarter. But there are a few we’ve been especially excited to share with you! In this video, check out some of the biggest game-changers that came out in the past few months. Want to do a deeper dive into a feature you saw in the video, but don’t have Articulate 360? Start a free 30-day trial. And subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest product updates, e-learning examples, and expert advice sent directly to your inbox. If you have questions, please share them in the comments.All the Best E-Learning Heroes Content from 2023 in One Place
As we wind down 2023 and look ahead to all the things to come in 2024, now is the perfect time to catch up on the most popular content shared in the E-Learning Heroes Community in 2023. To save you time, we’ve rounded up the best of the best for your review. You’ll also find a comprehensive list of the 102+ new and enhanced features we released to Articulate 360 in 2023, in case you missed any. 7 Most Popular Rise 360 Examples of 2023 7 Most Popular Storyline 360 Examples & Downloads of 2023 Check Out the 102+ Articulate 360 Features We Released in 2023 10 Most Popular E-Learning Heroes Articles of 2023 Best of E-Learning Challenges 2023 10 Most Popular Rise 360 Placeholder Content Templates of 2023 10 Most Popular Rise 360 Real-Content Templates of 2023 All 12 Quick Tips & Tricks Webinars From 2023 And if we missed any of your favorite content, please let us know in the comments below. Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest e-learning inspiration and insights directly in your inbox. You can also find us on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter). And if you have questions, please share them in the comments.
