Translation / localization
Hi, We currently have our course in English only, but more and more we get requests to translate the content. The content is mostly text and speech (generated with the text to speech feature). I know about the feature on how to export, translate and import again, but now with AI and LLM and translation tools like DeepL is there a smarter and easier way to do it than duplicating slides and courses in different languages? Anyone with ideas, experience or suggestions? I am happy to hear what you think.TIP: Let the user choose their path
The attached file demonstrates how to let users choose a unique path through a course based on their role or other circumstances. It includes two methods: How to navigate when the user can only select 1 option. How to navigate when the user could select more than 1 option. Notes The built-in Menu is not shown in the demo file. That's because Storyline can't rebuild the menu based on which path is selected. Both methods use trigger conditions and variables. It’s worth the effort to learn about those, because they provide the real power in Storyline. Here’s more information: This post provides an overview of variables. It also links to numerous resources. The Value of Variables | Articulate - Community The User Guide articles about triggers include some about conditions. Storyline 360: Working with Triggers | Articulate - CommunityPRIMER: Take advantage of built-in states
Many problems posted in the Forum are related to triggers that do what’s already done automatically by the built-in states (Normal, Hover, Down, Visited, Selected, Disabled). This Review 360 project demonstrates how the built-in states work: https://360.articulate.com/review/content/eaccc037-929b-43b5-b636-5333181a9c70/review Overview of built-in states When you insert a button, it will have the Normal, Hover, Down, Visited, and Disabled When you add multiple-choice or multiple-response question, the response buttons will have the Normal, Hover, Down, Selected, and Disabled You can add built-in states to any text box, shape, or image. There are also states with automatic functions available for draggable objects in a drag-and-drop interaction. These include Drag Over, Drop Correct, and Drop Incorrect. How the basic built-in states work When an item has a Hover state, that state will automatically display when the user’s mouse is over the item. The Hover state will go away when the user’s mouse is no longer over the item. When an item has a Visited state, that state will automatically display when the user clicks the item. When an item has a Selected state, the first click automatically changes the state to Selected. The next click changes it back to Normal. And repeated clicking toggles between the two states. When multiple items with the Selected state are in a button set, clicking one of those items will change it to Selected and will automatically change the other items in the set to Normal. (Here’s more information: Storyline 360: Working with Button Sets | Articulate - Community) When multiple items with Selected and Visited states are in a button set, clicking an item will change it to Selected. Any item that has not been clicked will remain Normal. Any item that was previously clicked will change to Visited. When an item is Disabled, it will no longer be clickable. In other words, triggers that are set to run when the item is clicked will not run when the item is in the Disabled Hidden is a unique state. It doesn’t show in the States panel—and you should not create a state called Hidden. Instead, when an item is put into the Hidden state, Storyline automatically hides it. How the drag-and-drop built-in states work An object being dragged will change to its Drag Over state whenever any part of the object intersects with any of the drop targets. An object will change to its Drop Correct state when it is dropped onto the correct target. An object will change to its Drop Incorrect state when it is dropped onto the incorrect target. Triggers that duplicate the built-in actions often cause problems. Instead, save time—and troubleshooting—by taking advantage of what the built-in states do automatically. Bonus tip: You don’t need a trigger to change an item to a given state when the timeline starts. Instead, set the Initial state dropdown list to the desired state.Using AI Assistant in a Rise Course Template
Hi All, Has anyone established if you can use the AI Assistant as part of pre-developed course template. I can see that you can use it within lessons themselves, so what I'm looking for is a way whereby you can upload the source documents for a new development, which retains all the course template features i.e company logos, brand colours etc... From what I can see, I don't think that's an option. My impression when this feature was first made public knowledge was that we could upload source documents and the AI Assistant would take the information contained within those documents and turn them into lessons, for us as Developers to then refine further if required. As an example, I've just uploaded a PowerPoint, and all it did was provide a suggested course title and created a course outline based on that title. It was then down to me to create lessons within each of those sections and add content, with none of the information from the PowerPoint anywhere to be seen. Am I missing something?TIP: Controlling the NEXT Button 101
It's great to let users explore content on their own. But sometimes you need to ensure they view the full timelines on the slides and complete the interactions. For example, this might be required for compliance/regulatory reasons. In other words, sometimes you need to control when the Next button is disabled and enabled. The attached file demonstrates how to control the Next button in these situations: Force users to view the full timeline on all slides by using Restricted navigation Force users to complete an interaction by verifying that all of the buttons have been clicked Force users to view the full timelines on the slide layers by verifying that all of the timelines have been completed The demo also explains how the triggers work. Nothing new here for advanced users. But I hope newbies find this helpful. By the way, this is about controlling the Next button while the user remains on one slide. If the slide branches to other slides, well, that's a custom menu. You'll find details about those here: TIP: Create a Custom Menu Slide | Articulate - CommunityRise block templates not showing previews
My team would like to use block templates more to share favorite blocks with one another. However, it has recently stopped showing any sort of preview image when you go to insert already created templates. This makes it essentially useless because I cannot see what the template is to know if I want to reuse it. This persists across other team members and both Chrome and Edge. And it happens with both very simple blocks and more complex ones or combinations of blocks. How can we resolve this?How long does it take to build a 20-minute e-learning module or course?
I had someone ask me how long they should tell their company to expect when building e-learning courses. This is a question I hear a lot from new instructional designers, and the answer isn't as straightforward as you might think. While you'll often hear that it takes about 40-50 hours to develop one hour of e-learning content (which is a good starting estimate), let's break this down into something more practical for you. For a 20-minute module, you might start by estimating 15-20 hours of development time. But here's the thing – several factors can stretch that timeline, and knowing these up front can help you plan better and set realistic expectations with your stakeholders. Here's what tends to affect your development time: Content Organization: Starting with messy content can really slow you down. Think about the difference between working with a clear training manual versus piecing together information from several email threads and meetings with subject matter experts. The second scenario will definitely take more time. Visual Design Needs: Using a template your company already has? Great – that'll save time. Need to create something from scratch or hunt down specific images? That's going to add several hours to your project. Level of Interactivity: Simple click-through slides are quick to build. But if you're creating scenarios where learners need to make decisions, or adding complex interactions, you'll need more time. Each interactive element you add means more development and testing time. Audio and Video: Adding narration isn't just about recording. You'll need time for editing, making sure it syncs with your slides, and often re-recording sections after reviews. The same goes for video content. Review Process: This one often surprises new developers. Getting feedback from stakeholders, making revisions, and going through multiple review rounds takes time. Sometimes a lot of time, especially if multiple people need to sign off on the content. Your Tool Experience: Be honest about your comfort level with your e-learning tools. If you're still learning Storyline, Captivate, or whatever tool you're using, build in extra time. What might take an experienced developer two hours could take you a full day – and that's perfectly normal when you're starting out. Testing Time: This is easy to forget, but you need time to check everything works right. Does your course work in different browsers? Do all your quiz questions give the right feedback? Do your animations play smoothly? Take the above tasks and assign an approximate time commitment to each. For example, organizing content may take 8 hours. Then add all those hours together and that gives you a good estimate. It also gives you a checklist you can offer your organization to show what steps need to be taken and why you made the estimate you did. Here's a tip from experience: whatever time estimate you come up with, add about 30% to it. This gives you breathing room for the unexpected things that always seem to pop up during development. Question for the community: What has surprised you most about development time in your e-learning projects? I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.TIP: Track Responses to Custom Questions or Surveys
Do you want to customize a course based on the results of a survey? Do you want to create questions that assign different point values to different responses? In other words, do you want to track responses? You can do that by adjusting the values of number variables based on which buttons are selected. Then add up those values, and use that "total score" to customize what happens next. The attached demo file shows you how. It includes two examples: how to track multiple single-response items (like a Likert scale) how to track multiple-response slides In addition to the demos, the file explains how the triggers work. I hope this is helpful for those who want to track custom surveys and/or create question slides that assign different values to each response (instead of just grading right or wrong).TIP: Animate the change between character poses, photos, or other objects
I've seen a few posts asking the same question: Is it possible to get a nicer transition when changing between a character's poses? How about when changing between different states of an image? The answer: Yes! If you want an animation (for example, a fade) between two versions of an object at a certain point on the timeline, insert the versions as two separate objects. Then have one version animate out as the other animates in. If you want an animation when changing between states of the same object, well, that takes a bit more work. You can't add animations to states of the main object. However, you can add animations to any object pasted or inserted into the state of another object. You'll find demonstrations and more detailed instructions here: https://360.articulate.com/review/content/79504552-7c2f-4087-9ec3-fa11af357608/review
