Common E-Learning Interactions: Process and Step Graphics #238
Step Graphics in E-Learning#238:Challenge|Recap Step graphics (also known as steppers)are interactive explanations that make it easy for learners to sequentially walk through a process, workflow, procedure, or related items. They can be used for all types of learning interactions, from procedural training to interactive storytelling. Navigating Step Graphics Using numeric pagination, step graphics are great for chunking complex information into step-by-step explanations that visually organize each step of a process. One of my favorite step graphic examples comes from the Washington Post. View the step graphic(Requires Flash) Challenge of the Week This week your challenge is to build a step graphic to tell a story or communicate a process. Choose any topic you like and see if you can find creative ways to present the step graphic navigation. Last Week’s Challenge: Before you step up to this week’s challenge, take some time to check out the interactive maps your fellow community members shared over the past week: Using Interactive Maps in E-Learning #237: Challenge | Recap Wishing you astep-tasticweek, E-Learning Heroes! New to the E-Learning Challenges? The weekly e-learning challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challenges anytime you want. I’ll update the recap posts to include your demos.Storytelling with Animated Text, Images, Sound, and Video in E-Learning #158
Video Presentations and Storytelling #158: Challenge|Recap One of thethings I enjoy most about theweekly challenges is seeing the different ways course designers present content. Looking through the thousandsof examplesusers have shared over the past four years, I noticed that most of the public examples don't look like the typical examples I see behind the scenes when users share their source files with us. And that makes sense because the challenges and Guru contests are an opportunityfor course designers to build something different than what they build in their day jobs. But that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the typical e-learning courses where text, bullets, and graphics are synced with audio narration. The trickisfinding new variations on that familiar model. And that's what this week's challenge is all about! Syncing Video with Animated Bullets, Text, and Graphics Here are some good examples of animated text and video synced with audio narration. Because the videos don’t include audio, they work as animated pictures that reinforce what the learner is hearing in the audio narration. Example 1 | Example 2 | Example 3 | Dan Sweigert Syncing Text, Graphics, and Images with Audio Narration Here’s an example slide from a series of courses I worked on 10+ years ago. I rebuilt the slide in Storyline 360 to ensure non-Flash users could view the example. The example features animated text, graphics, and photos synced with the audio narration. The on-screen text is minimal and relies on supporting visuals to complement the audio narration. Click image to view the example | David Anderson Challenge of the Week This week, your challenge is to share an example of syncing text, graphics, audio narration, and video in e-learning. You can share any combination of animated elements with audio narration. NOTE: Your entry can be anything from a rough concept to a polished example. The challenges are open to everyone, regardless of experience or skill level. If you need technical or creative help with your project, please ask in our forums and reference the challenge number you’re working on. Resources Tutorials Storyline 360: Syncing Motion Path Animations Storyline 360: Syncing Animations with Audio Examples and challenges Audio Slideshow Storytelling for E-Learning #130 Screencast Challenge: Working with the Timeline and Cue Points Screencast Challenge Recap: How to Use the Timeline and Cue Points in Articulate Storyline 2 General articles Coherence Principle: Less Material For Better Learning Contiguity Principle: Keep Graphics & Related Text Together Redundancy Principle: Should You Duplicate Narrated Text On-Screen? Use Storyline’s Cue Points to Trigger Animations Last Week’s Challenge: Before you synchronize with this week’s challenge, check out the amazing video quiz examples your fellow community members shared over the past week: Interactive Video Quizzes in E-Learning #157: Challenge | Recap Wishing you an animated week, E-Learning Heroes! New to the E-Learning Challenges? The weekly e-learning challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challenges anytime you want. I’ll update the recap posts to include your demos. NOTE: Please don’t use Google Drive or Dropbox to host your projects. Both companies have announced that they’re no longer going to support HTML projects. You can use our Dropbox file request link to send me your zipped output: https://www.dropbox.com/request/jrqHXAxWwbts234Y4xak. Please include your first and last name and challenge number in the file name: DavidAnderson_122.zipE-Learning Game Design: Development & Review #472
Game Design: Development & Review#472: Challenge | Recap Welcome to the third week of our e-learning game design challenge. Last week, you built a working prototype from your storyboard or design concept. This week, you’ll focus on bringing the core elements of the e-learning game together to create a detailed and functional model. Your game should be far enough along to submit for final QA and testing. 🏆 Challenge of the Week This week, your challenge is to share a fully developed version of the game that incorporates all designed elements, interactive features, animations, and multimedia components. Optional: Since this is our last week of development before submitting the final project, let a few friends or fellow challengers play your game and gather feedback in Review 360. It’s the best way to spot any problems and see what people like or don’t like. I know many of you have been gathering feedback all along, but I’d like to highlight the testing and review process this week. Week 1: Concept & Storyboarding Week 2: Design & Prototyping Week 3: Development & Review Goal: Develop a detailed and functional version of your game Deliverables: Apply and refine the visual design elements Integrate the interactive elements, animations, and multimedia components Refine the visual design and user interface to enhance the overall user experience Submit to Review 360 for user testing and feedback (optional but encouraged) Share a link to your project Week 4: Final Testing & Project Submission 🚨 NOTE: Even if you didn’t participate last week, you’re still welcome to join this week’s challenge. Ideally, you’ll complete all four weeks, but any participation is appreciated. Share what you can. 🙌 Last Week’s Challenge: Before you complete your game design, check out the interactive prototypes your fellow challengers shared over the past week: Interactive Prototypes in E-Learning RECAP #471: Challenge | Recap 👋 New to the E-Learning Challenges? Theweekly e-learning challengesare ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of theprevious challengesanytime you want. I’ll update the recap posts to include your demos. Learn more about the challenges in thisQ&A postand why and how to participate in thishelpful article. 📆 Upcoming Challenges Challenge #473(08.09): Week 4: Final Testing & Project SubmissionWhat do E-Learning Designers Need to Know About Working with SMEs? #474
Working with E-Learning SMEs#474: Challenge | Recap When it comes to building courses, your Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) hold the keys to your success—you can’t do much without them. They’re the folks who not only bring their expertise to the table but also help you fine-tune those storyboards and quizzes and break down the intricate processes that make your training actually work. But here’s the catch: if they’re not fully on board or are dragging their feet, they can quickly become a major headache. The trick is figuring out how to turn those challenging SMEs into your biggest allies. And that's this week’s challenge is all about! 🏆 Challenge of the Week This week’s challenge is to share a short demo or interaction that helps e-learning designers collaborate more effectively with their SMEs. You can take it in any direction you like—whether it’s creating a slide with your favorite quote about working with SMEs, building a microlearning course, or even a whack-a-mole game (SME Edition). ✨ Share Your E-Learning Work Comments: Use the comments section below to link your published example and blog post. Forums: Start a new thread and share a link to your published example. Personal blog: If you have a blog, please consider writing about your challenges. We'll link to your posts, so your great work gets even more exposure. Social media: If you share your demos on Twitter or LinkedIn, try using #ELHChallenge so your tweeps can follow your e-learning coolness. 🙌 Last Week’s Challenge: Before sharing your favorite tips for working with SMEs, take a look at the final examples from the e-learning game show series: E-Learning Quiz GamesRECAP#473:Challenge|Recap 👋 New to the E-Learning Challenges? Theweekly e-learning challengesare ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of theprevious challengesanytime you want. I’ll update the recap posts to include your demos. Learn more about the challenges in thisQ&A postand why and how to participate in thishelpful article.Use Audio, Music, and Sound Effects in E-Learning #242
Using Audio and Sound Effects in E-Learning#242:Challenge|Recap E-learning audio is more than voice-over narration. Audio includes audio interviews, ambient sounds, natural sound effects, and background music. Used effectively, these can help draw in learners, focus their attention, and fuel their imaginations. And that's what this week's challenge is all about! Gamification Using Ambient Sounds Here's a gooduse of ambient sound effects to pull learners into a dark, mysterious cave. View the project| Learn more|Jonathan Hill Background Music This example usesbackground music combined with button effects and audience “oohs” and “aahs” help simulate a game show quiz. View the project|Montse Anderson Challenge of the Week This week, your challenge is to share an example that uses ambient sounds or background music in e-learning. Last Week’s Challenge: Before you turn up the volume on this week's challenge, check out the interactive soccer examples your fellow challengers shared over the past week: Soccer Interactive Graphics #241:Challenge|Recap Wishing you a great week, E-Learning Heroes! New to the E-Learning Challenges? The weekly e-learning challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challenges anytime you want. I’ll update the recap posts to include your demos.Using Interactive Dials as Draggable Menus in E-Learning #355
Using Interactive Dials for Navigation#355:Challenge|Recap Interactive knobs and dials are a great way to simulate real-world objects and tasks in your e-learning courses. To see how course designers use interactive dials, check out the examples in this challenge recap. But what happens when the dial uses a custom graphic or image and is scaled well beyond the slide size? Let’s take a look at a couple of examples. Dials as Draggable Menus In this example, the dial is filled with a custom image and scaled well beyond the slide size. This creates an excitingapproach to menu navigation. View the project | Joanna Kurpiewska Dials as Draggable Timeline Interactions Here’s another example using similar techniques. In this case, the custom dial is a circular timeline interaction that lets learners drag through a series of dates. View the example | Eric Chamberlin Challenge of the Week This week, your challenge is to share an example that shows how custom dials can be used fordraggablenavigation. Resources You can learn more about working with Storyline’s dials in the following articles and webinars. Storyline 360: Working with Dials How I Designed This Interactive Dial Matrix Using Dials to Design Interactive Infographics #261 Webinar: Using Dials in Storyline 360 Share Your E-Learning Work Comments: Use the comments section below to share a link to your published example and blog post. Forums: Start your own thread and share a link to your published example.. Personal blog: 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. Social Media: If you share your demos on Twitter or LinkedIn, try using #ELHChallenge so your tweeps can track your e-learning coolness. Last Week’s Challenge: Before you dial into this week’s challenge, check out the colorful ways designers are using Pantone’s 2022 color of the year in e-learning: Pantone's 2022Color of the Year RECAP #354: Challenge | Recap New to the E-Learning Challenges? The weekly e-learning challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challenges anytime you want. I’ll update the recap posts to include your demos. Learn more about the challenges in this Q&A post and why and how to participate in this helpful article.Using Accordion Interactions to Group Related Content in E-Learning #227
Accordion Interactions in E-Learning#227:Challenge|Recap Accordion interactions are a great way to group a large amount of related content into single slide. Similar to tabs interactions, accordions let users explore content using vertical or horizontal layouts. Accordions can be used to progressively reveal bullet points, quiz questions, module introductions, and summary slides. They're super flexible and they're what this week's challenge is all about! 6-Tab Animated Accordion Here's a free template to get you started this week. Using motion paths and a variable, this template animates the opening and closing of the tab buttons. View the project|Download the template Conditional Next Button Accordion interactions are similar to tabs, but they introduce a level of complexity with the duplicated buttons. If you need to lock or restrict navigation until the learner visits all tabs, you'll have to approach things a little differently. Here's one way to add conditional navigation to your interaction. View on YouTube Challenge of the Week This week, your challenge is to share an example that demonstrates how accordion interactions can be used in e-learning. NOTE: Your entry can be anything from a rough concept to a polished example. The challenges are open to everyone, regardless of experience or skill level. If you need technical or creative help with your project, please ask in our forums and reference the challenge number you’re working on. New Entries Only! We hosted the first accordion challenge two years ago. To keep things fresh, we’re asking that you share only new examples this week. You’re more than welcome to re-work a previous example. Last Week’s Challenge: Before toggling over to this week’s challenge, take some time to check out the interactive timelines your fellow community members shared over the past week: Zooming and Magnifying Techniques #226: Challenge | Recap Wishing you a great week, E-Learning Heroes! New to the E-Learning Challenges? The weekly e-learning challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challenges anytime you want. I’ll update the recap posts to include your demos.Getting Started with the E-Learning Challenges Q&A
When we started the E-Learning Challenges(this is our 10th year hosting the event), the goal was to help answer a few of the most common questions we’re asked: “How do I become an e-learning pro?” and “How do I build my e-learning portfolio?” The E-Learning Heroes community offers course creators many ways to learn everything about e-learning: ebooks, tutorials, online training, and published examples. However, to get the most from your learning and grow your skills, you need to practice and apply what you’ve learned. And one of the best ways to practice e-learning is with the weekly E-Learning Challenges. With new users joining the challenges every week, I put together a short Q&A that will hopefully address some of the most-askedquestions. What are the weekly e-learning challenges? The weekly challenges are structured activities designed to help course designers practice e-learning and instructional design. Think of the challenges as e-learning sprints. Similar to CrossFit training, the challenges share similar elements and focus: Varied. The challenge topics are designed to strengthen all your e-learning muscles. We have challenges for Articulate 360 app features and workflows, graphic design, multimedia, instructional design, production tips, and more. Functional. The steps and movements you perform to complete each challenge are structured around real-world tasks you’ll perform during every phase of e-learning course design and development. Intensity. It’s up to you how much or how little intensity you commit to each challenge. If you’re new to Articulate 360 or e-learning, try committing to doing one challenge per month and commenting on ten projects each week. Are the challenges mostly for e-learning pros? Most of the people who participate are beginner to advanced e-learning and instructional designers. There are some pros and future pros who are trying to gain the skills and confidence to work full-time one day. I’m new to e-learning and instructional design. Will I be able to participate in the challenges? Absolutely. The users who get the most from the challenges are people who are relatively new to e-learning and Articulate 360. Every week, I hear from users (this is our 10th year hosting the challenges) that they were hesitant to begin but learned a ton after sharing their first projects. When do challenges and recaps get posted? Challenge posts go live every Friday. The current challenge will always be the most active because it's new and gets the most visibility. The older challenges are less active, so some users prefer to get started that way. It's a way to dip your toes into the challenge pool by sharing your work without all the attention the current challenge generates. Recap posts drop the following Thursday. If you submit an example after the recap post goes live, I've still got you covered. I'll update the recap as your examples come in. How much time will a challenge take to complete? The challenges are designed to be simple practice activities where you can commit whatever time you want. Some people do more, and some do less. For example, I know users who won’t spend more than 30 minutes on their demo, while others spend 6 or more hours. It’s up to you. Where can I find a list of challenges? You can find the E-Learning Challenges hub by hovering over the Learn drop-down menu on the E-Learning Heroes homepage. You can always find the current challenge in the top left corner of the page. How do I participate? To participate, open the challenge post and drop a link to your project in the comments. If you have Articulate 360, the easiest way to do that is to publish your project to Review 360 and share that link. I missed some challenges. Can I still participate? Challenges are always open—there’s never a deadline to submit an idea. If you missed a challenge, just add your demo in the challenge comments and I’ll update the recap post. You can find the complete list of challenges here. I’ve got a really cool idea for a challenge. Wanna hear it? I’ll take all the help I can get. If you have an idea for a challenge, I definitely want to hear about it. You can share your challenge idea in this form. I submitted an example, but it didn’t get added to the recap. What’s the deal? Sorry–this is my fault. I’m updating 350+ challenges each week and sometimes fall behind. If you submitted an example but don’t see it in the recap, please use this form to contact me. What are some pro tips for getting the most out of the challenges? Share your work. Post your examples on your blog or website. If you’re on Twitter or LinkedIn, share links to your work and use the hashtag #elhchallenge. Create a giveaway or freebie. I’m going to let you in on a secret. Everyone loves free stuff. When you include your project’s source file, you’re creating another artifact from your learning that will attract more attention. It’s not required to include a download, but it helps. Write about your projects. One of the best ways to learn is to document what you know and what you’re learning. Think of your blog writing as a learning journal where you reflect on each project’s design concept, production process, mistakes you made, etc. I like how Jonathan, Aman, Tracy, Montse, Ron, and Jackie write about their work using their own blog, LinkedIn, and E-Learning Heroes. Are you telling us everything? What else should I know? The best way to learn is by doing. Here are a few more ways to start practicing and showing your work in the weekly challenges: The challenges are always open. You can join the current or any previous challenge. The current challenge will always have the most activity, while the older challenges are a little quieter. Sometimes users feel more comfortable joining older challenges because it’s a way to test the waters without drawing too much attention. Make it a goal to participate monthly. You don’t need to join every challenge. If you’re just getting started, commit to at least one challenge per month. They don’t need to be perfect. The main thing is to come up with an idea and then see if you can make it work. Some people build simple prototypes, and some put more work into them. It doesn’t matter. The main thing is you’re playing around with ideas and the software. Check out the recaps every week. Even if you don’t do the challenge, look at the weekly recaps to see what others have done. You’ll see a broad range of ideas, and many share their source files, so it’s easy to deconstruct them and learn from what they did. Have you shared one or more examples in the challenges? What tips or suggestions would you suggest for users looking to get started?Creating Roulette & Spinning Wheel Games in E-Learning #458
Roulette & Spinning Wheel Games#458: Challenge | Recap This week’s challenge was inspired by a recent community discussion by Troy Westphal. Troy created a roulette game using true/false variables to determine if the roulette’s spinning wheel selected red or black. Walt and Tom jumped in with ideas and tutorials to help troubleshoot Troy's source file. While Roulette games aren't a common interaction in e-learning, they present fantastic ways to flex our variables muscles. And that's what this week's challenge is all about. 🏆 Challenge of the Week This week, your challenge is to create a roulette-type game that involves spinning and randomization. You can create a literal roulette game or anything that captures the essence of the game. Ideas and Possible Projects Here are a few ideas to help you get started. Remember, you’re not limited to only roulette games. The objective this week is to combine spinning effects with randomization. Lottery Number Generator: Create an interaction to generate a set of random lottery numbers based on learner inputs or random numbers. Slot Machine Games: Create a slot-machine game where learners can spin the reels using sliders, dials, or simple buttons. Wheel of Fortune Games: Create a game based on the popular TV show. Examples of Spinning Interactions Here are a few examples of different approaches to this week’s challenge. ELC444: Example by Nichole Codrington ELC405: Example by Natalie Friedman ELC334: Example by Emmy Buxengard ELC311: Example by Owen Holt ELC278: Example & download by Samuel Apata ELC275: Example & download by Samuel Apata 🧰 Resources User Guides Storyline 360: Working with Variables Storyline 360: Adding Variable References Storyline 360: What "Object Loses Focus" Means Webinars Overview of Variables in Storyline 360 Using Text Variables in Storyline 360 Using Number Variables in Storyline 360 5 Ways to Personalize E-Learning Courses Using True/False Variables in Storyline 360 ✨ Share Your E-Learning Work Comments: Use the comments section below to link your published example and blog post. Forums: Start a new thread and share a link to your published example. Personal blog: If you have a blog, please consider writing about your challenges. We'll link to your posts so your great work gets even more exposure. Social media: If you share your demos on Twitter or LinkedIn, try using #ELHChallenge so your tweeps can follow your e-learning coolness. 🙌 Last Week’s Challenge: Before spinning random ideas on this week’s challenge, check out the creative ways your fellow challengers combined three or more challenges: Mix-and-Match Challenge Examples RECAP #457: Challenge | Recap 👋 New to the E-Learning Challenges? The weekly e-learning challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challenges anytime you want. I’ll update the recap posts to include your demos. Learn more about the challenges in this Q&A post and why and how to participate in this helpful article. 🚨2024 Articulate User Conference Call for Proposals We’re now accepting proposals for this year’s in-person user day conference co-hosted at DevLearn in Las Vegas. Learn more about the proposal process.New Employee Orientation and Onboarding in E-Learning #389
Onboarding and New Hire Training#389: Challenge | Recap Employee orientation training is one of the most popular types of e-learning. Onboarding is typically the first training employees encounter at their new company, so it’s essential to get it right. What should you include in onboarding training? What does onboarding training look like? Well, that’s what this week’s challenge is all about. Challenge of the Week This week, your challenge is to create an onboarding example for new employees. You don't need to build a comprehensive onboarding course. Instead, we want to see different approaches for onboarding new employees. For example, using placeholder content, you can create your demo for a fictional or real company. Or, develop your onboarding demo for your own e-learning company. Who knows? You may need to onboard some new course designers one day. Designing Onboarding Using Common E-Learning Interactions I always enjoyed building onboarding training because of the mix of instructional and interaction design. The course design begins with the content topics and lessons. But when you're ready to dive into development, common e-learning interactions can help you with the presentation design. Employee Orientation vs. Onboarding (See challenge #385 for ideas) Onboarding Checklist (See challenge #291 for ideas) Onboarding Journey Map (See challenge #255 for ideas) Meet the Team & Interactive Org Charts (See challenge #244 for ideas) Onboarding Scenarios (See challenge #365 for ideas) Orientation Tour of the Corporate Campus (See challenge #379, challenge #371, and challenge #337 for ideas) Safety Orientation & Procedures (See challenge #309 for ideas) Resources Here are some articles, examples, and webinars to help you with this week’s onboarding challenge. Webinar: How to Build Onboarding Training in Rise 360 Article: 5 Creative Ideas for Revamping New Hire Onboarding Examples: 5 Fresh Onboarding Examples & Templates Share Your E-Learning Work Comments: Use the comments section below to share a link to your published example and blog post. Forums: Start your own thread and share a link to your published example.. Personal blog: 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. Social Media: If you share your demos on Twitter or LinkedIn, try using #ELHChallenge so your tweeps can track your e-learning coolness. Last Week’s Challenge: Before you launch this week's onboarding challenge, check out the personality games and quizzes your fellow challengers shared over the past week: Personality Games and Quizzes in E-Learning#388:Challenge|Recap New to the E-Learning Challenges? The weekly e-learning challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challenges anytime you want. I’ll update the recap posts to include your demos. Learn more about the challenges in this Q&A post and why and how to participate in this helpful article.
