How to Decide Which Articulate 360 App to Use for Screen Recording
We're ending support for Studio 360, Replay 360, and Peek 360 on December 31, 2026. Learn more. Since software training is one of the most common types of e-learning, it’s no surprise that Articulate 360 includes not one, not two, but three apps with screen recording features. Each of these apps has a unique feature set and is specifically designed for a different purpose. If you’re wondering which app to use for your project, you’re in the right place! Keep reading to learn more about how screen recording differs in Peek 360, Replay 360, and Storyline 360 and the types of projects best suited for each. Peek 360 Peek 360 is a lightweight app that works natively on both Macs and PCs and lives in your menu bar or system tray, so it’s always just a click away. Once you’ve recorded your screen, it automatically uploads to Review 360, generating a shareable link. You can also download the .MP4 file and insert the video into your Rise 360 or Storyline 360 courses or export it for LMS to use it as a stand-alone asset. Since Peek 360 doesn’t have editing capabilities, it’s best for recording short screencasts to share with team members on the fly or to insert into your courses as is. Check out our tutorials and user guide for more details on how to create and distribute screencasts with Peek 360. Replay 360 If you’re looking to create a longer screencast that could require some editing, Replay 360 might be a better choice. In addition to some lightweight editing options, this Windows-compatible desktop app allows you to record your screen and your webcam simultaneously, creating a cool picture-in-picture effect. You can also insert images, video clips, and lower thirds, making it easy to create a polished tutorial video that you can use on its own or insert into your Rise 360 or Storyline 360 course. For more information on Replay 360, check out our tutorials and user guide. Storyline 360 Storyline 360 also allows you to record your screen, but unlike Peek 360 and Replay 360, that’s not its sole purpose. Storyline 360 is a full-fledged authoring app that not only lets you record screencasts and build software simulations but also lets you add custom interactions, quizzes, and much more. This makes Storyline 360 the ideal choice when you want your software training to be interactive. It’s also a great option if you want to overlay text or objects—like arrows or highlight zones—on top of your video. Storyline 360 has some editing capabilities, allowing you to make adjustments to your recording after the fact. You can also easily add subtitles to your screencast—and your entire course—directly in Storyline 360, which is great for accessibility. When you’re done, you can publish to video, web, or LMS. If you want to take a closer look at the screen recording feature in Storyline 360, check out this tutorial or head on over to the user guide. The Bottom Line Peek 360, Replay 360, and Storyline 360 are all great options for recording your screen. Which app you use depends on your project requirements. If you need to record a screencast super-fast, Peek 360 is the way to go. When you want to edit your screencast or record your webcam along with it, go with Replay 360. And when you want to create an interactive software simulation, overlay additional content, or add subtitles to your screen recording, opt for Storyline 360. To make it super-easy to compare the feature-sets of the different apps, I pulled together this quick-reference guide: Peek 360 Replay 360 Storyline 360 Work natively on Macs X Work natively on PCs X X X Record screen X X X Record mic audio X X X Record webcam X X* Edit recording X X Add interactivity X Add closed captions X Publish to video (.MP4) X X X Publish for LMS X** X** X Publish to Review 360 X X X Once you’ve decided which app to use, you might be wondering how to start building your software training. Here’s an article that’ll help you get off on the right foot: Follow This Process to Create Software Simulations and Systems Training Like a Pro. Want to try out these apps, 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 directly in your inbox. *Webcam recording must be done separately from screen recording **Publish FoR LMS via Review 3605 Reasons It’s Easy to Record Screencasts with Peek
We're ending support for Studio 360, Replay 360, and Peek 360 on December 31, 2026. Learn more. Adding screencasts to your e-learning course is a great way to show people how to do something instead of just telling them. You can use screencasts in your e-learning courses, but also to simplify other aspects of your work. Here are just a few examples of use cases: Train internal staff on a new tool or process. Explain something to an external contractor or client. Demonstrate a complex issue that comes up during the course review process. I love that with Peek I now have an easy way to record screencasts from my Mac or my PC. What makes it so easy? Let’s have a look. 1. Access Peek Easily via the Menu Bar One of the things I love about Peek is that it’s always just a click away. It lives in the menu bar on your Mac or in the systems tray on your PC, so it’s always available when you need it. 2. Easily Select the Recording Zone When you record a screencast with Peek, all you have to do is select the application on your computer that you’d like to record. Peek then automatically selects that area of the screen. Of course, you can always resize the recording frame if you’d like to include multiple applications. Just drag the corners of the frame with your mouse. 3. Record Audio and Video Simultaneously With Peek, you can also record narration at the same time you’re recording any on-screen actions using your computer’s mic. That way, you don’t have to sync the audio with the video! 4. Share Your Screencasts in One Click Once you’ve recorded your screen and narration, you can upload it to Articulate 360 with just one click. Peek will automatically copy the URL to your clipboard so you can easily share it however you’d like! Once you’ve uploaded your video to Articulate 360, you can also easily collect in-context feedback from stakeholders with Articulate Review, add it to a course, or create a SCORM-compliant package for your learning management system. 5. Access All Recordings in an Instant Another great thing about Peek is that all your previous recordings are saved in the Peek app. You can easily go back to the app to grab the links to those recordings, as needed. More Resources With Peek, creating great screencasts is quicker and easier than ever, giving you back time in your day to focus on the course design—instead of fussing with over-complicated tools. To learn more about using Peek, check out this overview and this Getting Started with Peek tutorial.One Cool Peek 360 Trick You Might Not Know About
We're ending support for Studio 360, Replay 360, and Peek 360 on December 31, 2026. Learn more. Peek 360, an app in Articulate 360, is a lightweight, easy way to create screen capture videos you can use in the e-learning projects you create with Storyline 360 and Rise 360. But did you know it’s also a great way to speed up collaboration? You’ll love how you can save yourself from writing a long email or message when you use Peek 360 to give instructions or share quick, iterative feedback with colleagues. Here’s an example. My colleague just provided a draft illustration for an article here on E-Learning Heroes. It looks great, but I’d like him to make a small adjustment. I created a quick screenshare video here to show you how I use Peek 360 to give instant feedback rather than setting up a meeting or writing out what I want. Peek really speeds up my workflow. And here’s the best part: the screen capture videos I create with Peek are automatically uploaded to Review 360. So I can easily copy the URL and share videos with my colleagues. Reviewers don’t even need a log in to add their comments, so it’s super-easy for them to use. And Review 360 adds a time stamp to every comment so I know what part of my video they’re referencing. Want to try giving feedback with Peek 360, but don’t have Articulate 360? Start a free 30-day trial. And rememeber to subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest e-learning inspiration and insights directly in your inbox.Record and Edit Videos Like a Pro with Peek 360 and Replay 360
We're ending support for Studio 360, Replay 360, and Peek 360 on December 31, 2026. Learn more. Did you know your Articulate 360 subscription has everything you need to create videos? That’s right—from the initial recording to making basic edits and gathering feedback to the final publishing of your video, Articulate 360 has you covered with Peek 360 and Replay 360. These are two extremely handy, easy-to-use tools you can use in conjunction with each other to create simple and professional video tutorials. Here’s an example of a video that was recorded with Peek 360 and then edited with Replay 360 to transform it into a step-by-step tutorial. The best part is, from start to finish, it was all done in just a few minutes, including the narration. Video tutorial created with Peek 360 and Replay 360 Let’s take a look at how you can use Peek 360 and Replay 360 to create quick and simple videos like the one above. Record Your Video with Peek 360 The first step is to create your screen recording. You have a few options for how to do this, since both Peek 360 and Replay 360 have recording abilities. Personally, I like to use Peek 360 for my recordings. Why? I love how the Peek 360 recorder is easily launched directly from my taskbar, and the videos are automatically uploaded to Review 360 when I’m done recording. I also like how completed Peek 360 recordings are converted to an .MP4 file (which are all stored in your MyDocuments/Peek folder). Here’s a tip for quickly accessing the .MP4 version of your Peek 360 videos: right-click on the video in question and choose “View in Folder” from the menu that appears. Right-click on a Peek 360 video and select “View in Folder” to easily access the .MP4 version of the recording I can also click “View on Articulate 360” from the menu to open up my Peek 360 recording in Review 360. From there, I typically grab the Share link and send it off to my reviewers or Subject Matter Experts. This way, I can get approval from stakeholders that the video covers all the appropriate content before I start working on final touches. Edit Your Video with Replay 360 Once you’ve created your Peek 360 video, you can jazz up the .MP4 version with Replay 360 by adding images, subtitles (called “Lower Thirds”), and audio narration. To make edits to the .MP4 video you created with Peek 360, launch a new Replay 360 project and insert the video. Click the Video button to insert the .MP4 version of your Peek 360 video in a Replay 360 project You’ll notice that your video is added to the A track in Replay 360 (there are two tracks: A and B). The inserted Peek 360 video has been added to the A track in Replay 360 and is ready for editing This is when it starts to get fun, when you can start making edits and tweaks. Here are a few things you might want to consider doing: Add an introduction photo and a wrap-up photo using the “Image” option Use “Lower Thirds” text to add an introduction and summary to your video Use “Lower Thirds” to add text captions to your video describing high-level steps or key information about what is happening in the video Use the Cut, Delete, and Split tools to edit your video; for example, to remove any unnecessary parts of the video. Remove original audio. If you included audio in your original Peek 360 recording and you want to remove it to re-record the narration after you’ve made edits to your video, simply use the Silence tool to remove the original audio. Record narration using the Audio tool. You can either insert existing audio files, or you can record from your mic directly in Replay 360. The nice thing is that Replay will play your video while you’re recording, so you can easily pace your timing so that it works with what’s happening on-screen. Your audio file will be added to the B track. These are just some examples of things you can do to improve and refine your Peek 360 and Replay 360 videos. Share Your Video With Learners Once you’ve got this great video, you’re going to want to share it with learners. Ways to share your videos include: Inserting the video in Rise 360 using a video block. Inserting the video in a Storyline 360 course. This is a great option if you want to add interactivity. For example, you could bring up a pop-up with additional information or a quiz question. The sky’s the limit with Storyline 360! Uploading the video directly to your LMS. To get a SCORM output, start by publishing or manually uploading your video to Review 360. Then, navigate to your Review 360 dashboard, hover over the video, and click on the ellipsis on the video card. From there, select Export to LMS and choose the reporting options. See this article for more details. These are just a few tips for how you can use the tools available in your Articulate 360 subscription to create quick and easy videos. Have you created videos of your own with Peek 360 or Replay 360? I’d love to hear about your experiences, tips, or tricks in the comments below. Want to try something you learned here, 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. If you have any questions, please share them in the comments.Comfortable with Studio 360 but Curious About Storyline 360? This Article Is for You
Note: We're ending support for Studio 360, Replay 360, and Peek 360 on December 31, 2026. Learn more. When I talk to Studio 360 users, they often tell me that they’ve been wanting to give Storyline 360 a try, but feel too intimidated. Sound familiar? I get it. Change can be scary. But thanks to the PowerPoint-like interface and the easy-import feature, the transition from Studio 360 to Storyline 360 is super-smooth. And since Storyline 360 is included in your Articulate 360 subscription, you can start using it right away—at no additional cost. Still on the fence? Take a peek at some of the things Studio 360 users appreciate most when they start using Storyline 360. 1. Creating Interactions That Reduce Cognitive Load When you’re building a course in PowerPoint, it can be hard to find ways to cut down on the amount of on-screen text—and reduce the cognitive load—so learners can focus. In Storyline 360, slide layers make it easy to create click-and-reveal interactions that let learners view content in smaller, more digestible, chunks. For example, instead of a slide like this: You can create an interaction like this: Click here to compare the two versions Not only does this second version feel less overwhelming, but presenting each point one at a time invites learners to interact, increasing the likelihood that they’ll remember the content. 2. Converting Static Slides into Engaging Interactions With PowerPoint, it can be hard to find ways to get learners to interact with your course beyond clicking the Next button. With Storyline 360, you can put learners in the driver’s seat by converting static slides into engaging interactions in just a few clicks, thanks to the Convert to Freeform feature. For example, let’s say you’re creating a course on sun safety. You might have a slide that looks something like this: It’s informative, but not interactive. Now let’s see how you could use that same content to create a lean-forward interaction that’s sure to captivate your audience: Click here to compare the two versions Put yourself in your learner’s shoes. Which version would you find more interesting and engaging? My money’s on the drag-and-drop interaction. 3. Designing Nonlinear Courses Building a single course for a target audience with varying knowledge and skill levels can be a real challenge. One way to ensure you meet everyone’s needs is by building a nonlinear, or branched, course. You can do this by creating a menu that allows learners to navigate the course content freely or by designing a choose-your-own-adventure-style course where the learner’s path through the course changes depending on their actions. Building nonlinear courses in PowerPoint can be extremely challenging. But with Storyline 360, it’s a snap. You can easily see and make changes to the flow of your courses by simply dragging your slides in Story View, as shown in the GIF below. The ability to create nonlinear courses is just one example of how building your courses in Storyline 360 allows you to quickly and easily deliver a more personalized experience to your learners. And the more personalized the experience, the more relevant the course will feel to your learners—making them more likely to remember and apply the concepts to their jobs. Want more tips on personalizing your courses? Check out this article: 3 Ways to Personalize Your E-Learning Courses. 4. Building Custom Navigation That’s Intuitive With Storyline 360, you have total control over the learner experience. You can turn virtually any object into a custom button that behaves the way learners expect it to—making navigation intuitive. Let me explain. When you’re navigating the web, how do you know that an object is clickable? If you pay close attention, you’ll notice a couple of visual cues. For example, when you hover your mouse over a clickable object, the cursor changes from an arrow to a hand. There’s also usually a slight change to the formatting of the object itself—the fill color might change to a slightly lighter or darker hue. These visual cues help you navigate the website and find what you’re looking for. You can do the same thing in your e-learning courses to ensure your learners never feel lost. Check out the GIF below to get a better idea of what that experience can feel like: Click here to explore the interactive version With easy-to-use features like states and triggers in Storyline 360, you can make any object clickable in just a few seconds. And because these objects will behave just like learners expect them to, they’ll be able to focus on the course content—instead of trying to figure out where to click. The Bottom Line Importing your Studio 360 courses into Storyline 360 is fast and easy. And with Storyline 360’s PowerPoint-like interface, the learning curve is almost nonexistent. What do you have to lose? Give it a try today! Here are some resources to help get you up and running: Tips for Importing Microsoft PowerPoint and Articulate Presenter Content into Storyline 360 Storyline 360 tutorial videos Storyline 360 training webinars Storyline 360 user guide Want to try Storyline 360, 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. If you have any questions, please share them in the comments.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. Liana Wearing an oversized blazer, Liana fits well in modern, professional settings. Alexis Dressed comfortably, Alexis is ready for casual and work-from-home scenarios. Simon Simon is a casual character ready for situations requiring an apron. 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.Why AI Could Turbocharge L&D Professionals
Amid all the excitement surrounding artificial intelligence (AI), there’s one glaring fear: “Is AI going to replace me?” It’s a reasonable concern. After all, generative AI can work a whole lot faster than we mere mortals. But here’s the deal: AI is a tool. And a tool is only as good as the person who wields it. At Articulate, we think of AI as an accelerator of human capability, not a replacer of human ingenuity. Let’s unpack why AI can’t do everything alone and how—when used effectively—it doesn’t take away potential but unlocks it. AI Has Limitations On the surface, AI-generated content truly feels like it could’ve been written by a human. But mimicking a human isn’t the same as being a human, and that makes all the difference. Courses built solely with AI are prone to the following hurdles: Inaccuracies. AI is a people-pleaser. If it can’t give you a correct answer, it will still produce a reasonable “something”—but that something might be riddled with half-truths or outright “hallucinations.” Without a human validating output, AI might deliver wholly fabricated content. Biases. Generative AI was trained on the internet, making it highly susceptible to biases. Take away ethical human input and guidance, and AI may reinforce stereotypes, spread misinformation, and deliver inequitable training with unapologetic conviction. Ineffectiveness. AI can’t independently create complex, engaging learning experiences like the L&D pros. It can work quickly, but only a human course creator knows the nuance that goes into helping learners wrap their heads around tough topics, develop complex skills, and work through real-world practice scenarios. AI Requires Guidance AI’s limitations remind us that it can’t work alone. The sidekick is only as good as the hero. And AI is only as good as the e-learning heroes who use it. High-quality training requires humans in the driver’s seat. If you don’t have professionals consulting with stakeholders, discerning learning needs, setting directions, iterating with AI, and validating outputs, you end up with training that misses the mark. What Can AI Do? So, if AI isn’t replacing L&D professionals, what is it doing? If you’re a course creator, think of AI as another tool in your kit—and a mighty valuable one at that. Use AI mindfully, and you can: Collate information quickly. Have several dense documents to sift through? Consider using AI to pull and synthesize the information—kick-starting your course-creation process. Get a first draft. Debating how to start a lesson or course? AI solves the notorious “blank page” problem by giving you a first draft. Then all you have to do is fine-tune it. Brainstorm. Need to toss some ideas around? Your AI helper is an excellent creative thought partner. For example, you might use AI to think through course outlines, come up with industry-relevant examples, and surface themes within your work. Modify and personalize your work. Want to change direction or adapt your training for a different audience? No problem! AI can switch up your tone or writing style in a flash. Accelerate monotonous tasks. Have a lot on your plate? You might free up your day by using AI to speed through time-consuming, repetitive work. For example, you could ask AI to generate a summary, knowledge check, or full-course quiz based on your content. Well-Guided AI Unlocks L&D Superpowers Ultimately, with course creators at the wheel, an AI sidekick helps course creators do more, work smarter, and achieve their goals faster. The result? Instead of replacing L&D pros, AI gives them superpowers. Learning teams who leverage AI have more time, freedom, and mental space to use their specialized expertise, dig deeper, innovate, and home in on the creative side of course creation and design. Wrap Up The scary robot takeover isn’t happening anytime soon. AI is an invaluable asset. But it only works if we keep humans at the center. For more information about AI, check out these helpful resources: Build Compelling Courses Up to 9x Faster with Articulate’s AI Assistant 4 AI Basics Every E-Learning Creator Needs to Know in 2024 3 Ways AI Transforms Workforce Skill-Building Is Your Organization Ready for AI? How Articulate AI Safeguards Your Data You can stay in the loop by subscribing to our newsletter and finding us on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter). Want to try out our apps but don’t have an Articulate 360 subscription? Start a free trial today.How E-Learning Experts Are Shaping Articulate AI
What makes Articulate AI unique? It all started with a singular focus: Develop a tool, not a toy. Sure, AI is entertaining. But we recognize that what you really need as e-learning pros is functionality—something that inspires, elevates, and enables human creators to get things done. So, how do we get there? Our developers called in the experts, partnering with e-learning pros every step of the way. We’re working on a suite of features built with course creators like you, for you. Let’s pull back that creation curtain and unveil how the scene is unfolding. Consulting L&D Pros at Every Stage Articulate’s talented engineers, product developers, and designers aren’t working in a vacuum. From planning through creation, testing, modifying, and scaling, we’re developing Articulate AI iteratively with ongoing input and feedback from people who live and breathe e-learning. It started with consulting experts both inside and outside Articulate. As production began, the collaborative efforts only skyrocketed. Business as usual for us means regular brainstorming sessions, routine updates, rapid-fire discussions, shared docs, testing, working meetings, and feedback, feedback, feedback. Shaping the AI Features and Interface Thanks to this collaboration, e-learning experts are helping define what features Articulate is prioritizing and how the AI interface will work. More specifically, the L&D pros are: Molding the workflow. They share their typical workstreams and outputs with developers—ensuring that Articulate AI will work for you, not against you. Influencing features. L&D pros brainstorm AI’s limitations and values and present their findings, pitching ideas and rating features by the potential impact on Rise 360 work. Refining outputs. They help shape ideal AI outputs, influencing decisions around what questions AI should ask and when, how many outputs AI should generate, and how frequently you should touch base with AI before getting your final results. Shaping the user interface. E-learning creators are further helping our product designers customize how AI shows up to bring you a seamless and easy-to-understand authoring experience. Setting the Benchmark Articulate’s e-learning experts are working tirelessly throughout testing to help ensure you get the best possible AI outputs. Here’s how these subject matter experts are making a difference: Improving back-end prompt instructions. Leveraging e-learning best practices, they’re helping craft and test back-end prompt instructions to improve output quality. Developing the standard. Our e-learning experts are also developing weighted criteria for judging the AI outputs against instructional design frameworks—setting the benchmark for what “good” looks like. Testing the features. Who better to judge AI than those who use Articulate’s tools every day? With each update, the pros test the features, assessing what works and what doesn’t, and share their findings with developers. Our Goal? Tailored AI That Delivers Results We truly believe our deep collaborative efforts will pay off. When we release Articulate AI it’ll be specialized to meet your needs as an e-learning creator. Rather than offering a one-click magic button with subpar results, Articulate AI will complement your workflow. The built-in processes will keep humans at the center, incorporating instructional design best practices and enabling you to iterate every step of the way. Wrap-Up Thanks to direct, ongoing input from e-learning experts, Articulate AI will empower you to do more. Magic happens when great minds come together—and a whole lot of minds are melding to create Articulate AI. We can’t wait to share that magic with you! Ready for more? For more details about these upcoming features, check out the following resources: Build Compelling Courses Up to 9x Faster with Articulate’s AI Assistant 4 AI Basics Every E-Learning Creator Needs to Know in 2024 How Articulate AI Safeguards Your Data Why AI Could Turbocharge L&D Professionals Before you take off, remember to subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest product updates, e-learning examples, and expert advice directly in your inbox. You can also find us on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter). Want to try out our apps but don’t have an Articulate 360 subscription? Start a free trial today. And 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.How To Calculate the Cost-Benefit of E-Learning
Most organizations create e-learning as a means to improve employee performance. Courses are supposed to deliver knowledge and skills that make workers better at their jobs. So if e-learning doesn’t improve job performance or the bottom line, most organizations don’t want to invest in it. That’s why it’s critical to calculate the cost-benefit of your e-learning course before you start to develop it. You want to show ahead of time that the benefits of creating and administering the e-learning course outweigh the development costs associated with it. Here are a few things to consider when you calculate the cost-benefit of your course: The Costs Design, Development, and Delivery A lot of factors go into calculating the costs associated with designing, developing, and delivering your e-learning course. You might need to see the HR department to help you figure hourly rates for various job titles, and then do some calculations to convert a salary into an hourly rate. Some costs to include are: Software/Hardware Costs: For example, you might need to purchase a new authoring tool, some stock photography, or a new microphone. Development Time: Calculate development time by multiplying developer’s hourly rate by number of hours needed to develop the course. To calculate an hourly rate from a yearly salary, you can use this formula: salary / 52 weeks / number of hours in a workweek. Meeting and Review Time: Include the value of the time of everyone involved with the project: meetings with a manager, the tech department, your SMEs, copyedit, graphic design, etc. Calculate the dollar value of the time spent in meetings with these people as well as the time they devote to the project. Lost Production Time: The time your participants spend taking your e-learning course is called lost production time. Calculate the lost production time using this formula: # of employees x hourly rate x # of hours the training lasts. These are some of the most obvious costs you need to consider. There might be others, such as organizational overhead and, the cost of setting up an LMS or webpage to host the course. Once you’ve identified and calculated the costs associated with developing and delivering your e-learning, you need to look at the second part of the equation: the dollar value associated with the benefits of your e-learning. The Benefits Benefit of Training The benefits of training can be tricky to identify and narrow down, but it is possible and very important to do so. To calculate the dollar value of the benefits, you need to identify 1) the specific task that is being taught in the training or e-learning, and 2) the average benefit, in dollars, of improving performance surrounding this task. Once you’ve done this, multiply the dollar value of the benefit by the number of employees, and multiply that by a time period. When you have both your total costs and your total benefits, you can calculate your Return on Investment (ROI) using this formula: Having flashbacks to math class? Let me share an example with you to illustrate this more clearly. Cost-Benefit Analysis Example: XYZ Delivery You work for XYZ Delivery as a training designer. Over the past few months, an increase in shipping label errors has caused more packages to be returned undelivered. To reduce the amount of errors, the Shipping Manager wants to create a one-hour e-learning module for 50 employees on the proper way to fill out shipping labels. They ask you, their in-house training designer, to do a cost-benefit analysis for designing this module. First you look at the costs associated with designing, developing and delivering this module: Now that you’ve looked at the total costs, you need to identify the benefits of training the employees at XYZ Delivery on how to fill out shipping labels properly. The specific task being taught: How to fill out a shipping label. The benefit of improving performance for filling out shipping labels: You investigate and identify that, currently, the 50 employees get an average of one error each per week on shipping labels. An error on a shipping label means a package is returned at an average cost to XYZ Delivery of $15 per returned package. Teaching the employees how to properly fill out the shipping label could save XYZ Delivery $750 per week (50 errors per week x $15 per error = $750). Multiply that by four weeks in a month and by 12 months in a year, and XYZ Delivery can potentially save $36,000 per year if they can reduce the rate of packages returned due to shipping label errors to zero. To calculate the net benefit, we’d then subtract the cost of training from the benefit, $36,000 - $4000 = $32,000 is the total net benefit. Now let’s plug these numbers into the ROI calculation shown above: XYZ Delivery can potentially get an 800% return on their money in a year if they invest in this one-hour e-learning module designed to reduce the error rate for shipping labels to zero. It may make sense to leave room for a few shipping label errors—that’s only normal human behavior—so you could edit your calculation to reflect this. Again, this is just a general example to illustrate the cost-benefit analysis more clearly. Hopefully this simple method for completing a cost-benefit analysis and calculating the ROI of your e-learning course will encourage you to do so for your next project. If you’ve done a cost-benefit analysis in the past and you’ve learned a thing or two that you’d like to share, please leave a comment below. We love to hear your feedback! You can always sign up for a fully functional, free trial of Articulate software. And don’t forget to post your questions and comments in the forums! 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