Honor AAPI Heritage Month With These Free Resources
Research shows that a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion helps organizations adapt better to challenges–and makes them more likely to innovate. With more change than ever happening in and around the workplace, diversity-focused training can help boost outcomes, improve agility, and make your organization a better place to work. May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, making it a great opportunity to affirm your commitment to diversity. This spring, we’re bringing you content that you can use to grow your team’s cultural awareness, collaborative skills, and ability to innovate. We hope this content will spark curiosity and encourage larger conversations that lead to more emotional and creative intelligence among your employees. 1. Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (full-length course) Use this course to educate your team and expand their cultural knowledge, opening up more avenues for collaboration and creativity. Teams will get a simple introduction to AAPI history, meet leaders in art, food, science, and other major industries, and explore accessible ways they can honor AAPI Heritage Month. 2. 9 Ways To Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month (microlearning course) Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month is a great way to demonstrate your commitment to diversity and bring your team together for a good cause. This microlearning summarizes nine easy ways you can celebrate as a team–and encourages employees to grow their own knowledge individually, too. 3. From Draves to Kim: A Celebration of AAPI Athletes (microlearning course) Want a quick, engaging way to inspire and motivate your team? Set them up for success with this simple, accessible microlearning. Employees will meet snowboarder Chloe Kim, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and Vicki Draves, the first Asian American to win an Olympic medal and the first woman to ever sweep the diving events. Wrap-Up Packed with timely, engaging content, these resources can help improve your team culture, leading to even better collaboration and innovation. Add them to your e-learning strategy and watch as your team grows stronger and more agile. Remember, with an Articulate 360 subscription you can also tailor this content to best fit your audience and your organization–consider, for example, adding quotes and stories from AAPI figures in your field. To share and customize these resources, go to your Rise 360 dashboard, click +Create New, and select the course you want to use. Need other courses for your diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts? There are plenty of other options to choose from in the Content Library, including: Power and Pride: The Origins of Pride Month What Is Black History Month? Diversity Basics: Taking Action Honoring Herstory During Women’s History Month Want to try something you learned here, but don’t have Articulate 360? Start a free 30-day trial. And subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest product updates, e-learning examples, and expert advice sent directly to your inbox. If you have questions, please share them in the comments.7 Most Popular Storyline 360 Examples & Downloads of 2023
E-Learning Heroes Community is the perfect place to get inspired by examples from both our amazing community members and our Articulate staff members. Below are the top seven Storyline 360 examples from 2023. 1. Storyline Comics Style Communication: Branched Scenario See how you can use interactive storytelling elements and branching techniques to teach learners the skills they need in this cool example. 2. Power of Self-Motivation Scrolling Experience Check out this completely unique interactive example that engages learners right from the start. 3. Office Safety Training Template Want to teach workplace safety in a memorable and interactive way? Check out this downloadable template to help kickstart your project. 4. Interactive Storytelling Template Learn how to leverage storytelling in Storyline 360 to help your learners apply their skills in a real-life scenario with this inspiring example. 5. Room Exploration Interaction Template Make searching an office, home, warehouse, store, or any other 2D environment feel more cinematic with this downloadable interaction. With the help of hotspots, triggers, and layers, learners can use the on-screen flashlight to help them discover clues. 6. Reset Drag-and-Drop Incorrect Choices Template Ever wanted to reset only the incorrect drag choices in Storyline 360? Use this starter template and supporting video tutorial to learn how to reset your own drag-and-drop interactions. 7. Employee Health and Wellness Check out this stunning example to see some of the immersive and custom learning experiences you can create with Storyline 360. Wrap-Up We hope these examples inspire you as you work on your next e-learning projects! Did we miss any of your favorites? Be sure to let us know in the comments below. You can view more article recaps from 2023 by checking out our latest compilation of articles here: All the Best E-Learning Heroes Content from 2023 in One Place. Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest e-learning inspiration and insights directly in your inbox. You can also find us on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter). And if you have questions, please share them in the comments.7 Most Popular Rise 360 Examples of 2023
Rise 360, the web-based app for creating responsive e-learning that’s part of Articulate 360, makes it easy to create gorgeous, fully responsive e-learning quickly. And the E-Learning Heroes community is chock-full of stunning and creative examples that put Rise 360 to work creating all kinds of content. We’ve gathered the most popular Rise 360 examples of 2023 to inspire your next course. Check out these examples from your laptop, phone, and tablet, so you can see how great they look on any device. 1. Microlearning Retail Example If you work in the retail industry and would like some course inspiration, check out our latest retail microlearning example. 2. Class Syllabus Template Grab this template to provide your students or trainees with an online document that outlines introductory course information, expectations, materials, assignments, grading, contact details, and more. 3. Class Syllabus One-Pager Template Give your students or trainees a digital document that outlines basic course information by starting from this free template. 4. Virtual Training Presentation (Microlearning Template) Looking for a fast and easy way to create a sharp-looking presentation for your virtual training? Grab this microlearning template to get the job done in minutes. 5. Virtual Training Presentation (Full Course Template) If you like the microlearning version above but have a more lengthy session, this course is just what you need. 6. E-Learning Narration Guide Use this guide to find everything you need to know about producing engaging narration in a timely manner. 7. Interactive Short Story Check out this creative example that uses beautiful graphics and storytelling to create a seamless learning experience. Wrap-Up We hope these examples have given you the inspiration you need for your next project! And if you’re finding our Best of 2023 content helpful, head over here to check out the top Storyline examples and downloads. Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest e-learning inspiration and insights directly in your inbox. You can also find us on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter). And if you have questions, please share them in the comments.5 Free Templates for Popular External Training Topics
If you’re like many learning and development professionals, your main focus is building training for internal employees. But more and more, companies are starting to create educational resources for external learners—such as contractors, franchisees, seasonal workers, and even customers. If you’re noticing this trend and looking for examples of external training courses, you’re in the right spot. In this article, you’ll find five examples, organized by industry. At the end, you’ll also find instructions for customizing templates with your own content and branding. 1. Healthcare: Patient Medical Procedure Education Do you work in the healthcare industry and need to educate patients about an upcoming medical procedure? We’ve got two templates that are perfect for you: one with a Pre-Surgery Checklist and another for Post-Operative Care Instructions. Combined, these resources walk patients and caregivers through everything they should expect—including detailed do’s and don’ts to promote recovery and prevent avoidable complications. 2. Marketing or Public Relations: Media Kit Need to make it easy for journalists, marketers, or other collaborators to promote your company? Develop a press or media kit with inspiration from this interactive template. Based on the fictional brand “Hotel Bio,” this template features placeholders to add your company history, news, impact, brand guidelines, and downloadable assets. 3. Nonprofit: Fundraising Toolkit If you work for a nonprofit, you probably know that peer-to-peer fundraising toolkits are a good way to extend your fundraising reach. And with this handy template, you can empower volunteers to start their own fundraising campaign in four easy steps. It also includes a place to add your nonprofit’s media assets and customized messaging scripts. 4. Finance: Customer Financial Literacy Education Those working in the financial sector might be looking to help customers better understand how credit scores work. If that’s the case, you’re in luck: We have a template that will help them do just that. Providing your customers with this training will not only give them confidence in improving their financial situation, but it will answer basic, repeat questions—freeing up staff’s time to address more complicated questions clients might have. 5. Technology and Sales: Product Training Do you need to help resellers get up to speed on your products? Then this template is a great place to start. You can easily customize it to include your product’s features and benefits, target audience, and competitive positioning. How To Use and Customize These Examples If you’re an Articulate 360 subscriber or trialer, you can access and edit all the examples linked throughout this post directly from your Rise 360 dashboard. Simply click Create New, choose Course or Microlearning, and search for and select the template you want to use, as shown in the video below: How To Share With Learners If you’re used to creating internal training, you’re likely thinking you’ll use your Learning Management System (LMS) to share your external training as well. And in some cases, that works fine! But in other cases, it may be hard to get learners access to your LMS because they don’t always have corporate email addresses—or the cost to add external learners is too high. Whatever the reason, if you’re looking for a quick and easy way to distribute your courses and track learner activity outside of your LMS, then you might want to check out our new premium add-on, Reach 360, which you can learn more about below: Announcing Reach 360: A Quick and Easy Way To Deliver Training 4 Times To Share Your Course With Reach 360 How To Share and Track E-Learning With Reach 360 7 Ways To Enroll Learners in Online Training With Reach 360 Want to try something you learned here, but don’t have Articulate 360? Start a free 30-day trial. And subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest product updates, e-learning examples, and expert advice sent directly to your inbox. If you have questions, please share them in the comments.7 Immersive Learning Experiences That Use 360° Images
Do you need to teach your learners concepts that go beyond a static image? Would they benefit from exploring and practicing in an environment that resembles the real world? Well, look no further! Thanks to the 360° images feature in Storyline 360, you have more options to create those realistic learning experiences. Check out these examples to see how 360° images can be used to create more engaging and immersive learning experiences on all sorts of topics. Storyline: Interactive 360° Sales Associate Onboarding Allow employees to virtually explore their work environment using customized markers like in this sales associate onboarding example by Paul Njuguna. Storyline: A 360° Tour of U.S. Landmarks Check out this interactive example by Sarah Hodge to see how you can use a variety of 360° images to teach learners interesting facts and to test their knowledge. Storyline: Interactive 360° Storytelling Experience Use podcast techniques and interactive 360° images to enhance your story-based content like Bianca Woods does in this storytelling experience. Storyline: Gamified 360° Image Give your learners an opportunity to complete a task in a realistic environment like in this gamified learning experience by Joanne Chen. Storyline: A 360° Clinic Cleaning Simulation Help learners build good hygiene or other workplace habits from the start like in this clinic cleaning simulation by Bianca Woods. Storyline: Timed 360° Treasure Hunt Take a look at this treasure hunt example by Kate Golomshtok to see how you can use a timed interaction to test whether or not your learners can think and act fast. Storyline: A 360° Grand Central Terminal Tour This guided tour example by Jodi Sansone is one way you can use 360° images to allow learners to explore remote locations. Wrap-Up These immersive learning experiences are just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many creative and innovative ways to use 360° image interactions in your courses. Already have a project you want to share? Please leave a comment with a link to it below. We love seeing new and innovative ways to engage learners. If you want to see more creative projects, head on over to the weekly challenges, downloads, and examples to get more ideas. Feeling inspired to create your own immersive learning experience in Storyline 360, but don’t have Articulate 360? Start a free 30-day trial.6 Free Resources To Jump-Start Learning About Disabilities in Your Org
According to the World Health Organization, 16% of the global population lives with a significant disability today—and that number is growing. This means that you’re likely to work with people who have disabilities, if not experience a disability yourself. Learning and development professionals have the chance to offer training that unifies teams around the subject of disability—and if you haven’t started these discussions already, Disability Pride Month marks a great time to begin. New and updated microlearning courses and templates can give you a head start on developing nuanced, inclusive learning opportunities. Keep reading to explore what’s available and how you can customize it for your teams. How To Request Disability Accommodations at Work (Microlearning Course) Live Preview of Disability Accommodations Template Asking for help can be overwhelming. Give employees the tools they need to get the conversation started with managers by providing them with this helpful microlearning course that covers their rights and reviews common reasonable accommodations. Invisible Disabilities in the Workplace: Kentay’s Story (Microlearning Course) Live Preview of Invisible Disabilities Template Guide learners through realistic workplace conflicts around disability with this story-driven microlearning centered around Kentay, who’s considering disclosing his invisible disability to his boss after a few mistakes at work. A Quick Guide To Talking About Disabilities (Microlearning Course) Live Preview of Talking About Disabilities Template Teach learners how to keep their workplace discussions about disability respectful and walk them through the answers to some common questions like: What defines a disability? What makes a disability “visible” or “invisible”? How do you talk about someone else’s disability? How To Identify and Stop Using Ableist Language (Microlearning Course) Live Preview of Ableist Language Template Even well-intentioned people can fall prey to ableism if they don’t consider the impact of their words. Use this microlearning to help learners improve their ability to identify and avoid ableist language. ADA Compliance for Employees and Managers (Placeholder Templates) Live Preview of ADA Compliance for Employees Template Live Preview of ADA Compliance for Managers Template The Americans with Disabilities Act outlines rules and regulations concerning the treatment of workers with disabilities. Compliance with the ADA is legally required and helps organizations ensure their policies are inclusive. Employees must understand ADA compliance–and that’s where these templates can help. You can use them to give your teams an overview of what the ADA says and outline your organization’s approach to ADA compliance. One template can help you develop a course for all employees, and the other includes specific information for managers. In both, customizable sections give you a chance to share specific, personal examples of how your organization supports people of all abilities. Wrap-Up A healthy, productive workplace requires teams to understand how to approach the topic of disability with respect and compassion. These easy-to-use prebuilt templates provide an ideal starting point. Sharing these microlearning courses and templates with your team is easy. Just go to your Rise 360 dashboard, click the Create New button, select Course or Microlearning, and search for the desired template. And if you’re looking for more soft skills training for your teams, you can find that in your Rise 360 dashboard as well. Here are some topics to get you started: Health and Wellness, including mental health in the workplace and dealing with difficult emotions or life events. Communication, including writing well, verbal communication, and communicating with empathy. Organizational Culture, including strategies for inclusive communication. Want to use and customize these templates, but don’t have Rise 360? Start a free 30-day trial. And subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest templates, product updates, e-learning examples, and expert advice sent directly to your inbox. If you have questions, please share them in the comments.Kick-Start Open Enrollment With These Employee Resources
Open enrollment season is coming—and with it, the annual scramble as employees struggle to decode confusing insurance terms and evaluate benefit options. As a learning and development professional, you can do your part to help them make the best choices for themselves and their families—and save your HR team from answering the same questions over and over—by providing everyone with educational resources. The following customizable templates and ready-to-use courses can give you a head start on developing on-demand open enrollment resources. Click on the links below to preview them or skip to the video at the end of the article to learn how to add these examples to your Rise 360 dashboard for editing. Full-Length Courses 1. Understanding Your Health Care Benefits Create a one-stop resource for employees about their plan options using this full-length course template. It includes placeholder sections for medical, vision, dental, life, disability, FSA, HSA, and wellness benefit information—and you can always add your own sections for other perks you offer. 2. Choosing Health Insurance: Traditional vs. High-Deductible Plans (PPO vs. HDHP) For extra support comparing the differences between traditional and high-deductible health plans, this course provides employees with descriptions, advantages, disadvantages, and sample cost-of-care scenarios of each. You can ship the course as is—or customize it with details specific to your plan options. Microlearning Courses 1. A Quick Guide to Open Enrollment A perfect follow-up summary to a live information session, this microlearning template circumvents “open enrollment overload.” Brief, editable text explains what open enrollment is, when it starts and ends, how to make elections, and where employees can find more information. 2. Key Terms for Comparing Health Insurance Plans A must-have resource for open enrollment season, this micro-glossary helps employees understand the terminology health insurers use. That knowledge will allow them to make informed decisions about their health care costs and coverage. 3. Health Insurance Cost-of-Care Scenarios Beyond a list of plan details and definitions, employees need help putting this information in context. What do these costs and benefits actually mean when an employee needs to see a doctor or specialist, get surgery, stay at a hospital, etc.? Make it easy for employees to compare out-of-pocket medical costs for common health care scenarios by filling in this template. How to Use and Customize These Examples If you’re an Articulate 360 subscriber or trialer, you can access and edit all the examples linked throughout this post directly from your Rise 360 dashboard. Simply click Create New, choose Course or Microlearning, and search for and select the template you want to use, as shown in the video below: Wrap-Up Open enrollment is a busy time—but your efforts as a learning and development professional can make a real impact. By developing training resources for employees, you not only make it easy for them to find information and choose the plan that best fits their needs, you also save your HR team time by providing answers to common questions. This frees them up to help employees who need more in-depth support. 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. And if you have questions, please share them in the comments.How I Made This Digital Board Game in Storyline 360
When a company needed to quickly pivot its in-person board game to an online digital version, Storyline 360 came to the rescue. And the result won DemoFest’s Best in Show: Vendor award at Learning Solutions 2023! In this behind-the-scenes project tour from creator Kai Dean, you’ll discover creative ways to use Storyline 360 features—like dials, question banks, states, triggers, and variables—to replicate common aspects of board games. If you want to play the game, check it out here. Want to try creating something similar in Storyline 360, but don’t have Articulate 360? Start a free 30-day trial. And subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest e-learning examples.Get Two Free, Updated Courses to Help Your Organization Celebrate Pride Month
Did you know that workplaces that cultivate LGBTQ+ inclusivity have happier employees, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity? Or that LGBTQ+-friendly employers boast higher employee retention rates and even earn more revenue? As a learning and development professional, you can boost your organization’s LGBTQ+ inclusion efforts by providing substantial, engaging learning opportunities for Pride Month. If that sounds like a lot of research and course development time you don’t have right now, relax. We’ve updated Articulate’s professionally designed and researched Pride courses for 2023, and they’re ready for you to use right now, free of charge. Articulate 360 subscribers and trialers can even customize the content. Keep reading to learn more about the courses and find out how to make them your own. What Courses Are Available? “Power and Pride: The Origins of Pride Month.” Learners can discover how the events at the Stonewall Inn in June 1969 catalyzed change and accelerated a movement for LGBTQ+ rights that has spread worldwide. The course also introduces learners to key individuals, organizations, and moments in the ongoing struggle—emphasizing that activism, celebration, and equal rights remain central to Pride more than 50 years later. “Beyond Pride: Year-Round Action.” Learning about and taking action to support equality doesn’t stop when June ends. This course offers practical, actionable steps for both organizations and individuals to uplift the LGBTQ+ community every day. What’s New? For 2023, we updated Power and Pride’s decade-by-decade timeline to reflect some of the latest developments in LGBTQ+ rights, including the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act. We also added new, deeper context around pivotal events and figures of past decades. Fresh resources around language are also available in the updated course. In the 2023 updates for Beyond Pride, you’ll find the latest available facts and figures around LGBTQ+ representation in the workplace. And new links out to practical resources such as a gender-neutral bathroom sign can help learners take action to support inclusivity no matter where they are. Wrap-Up Pride Month is the perfect time to share learning opportunities that demonstrate your organization’s commitment to the LGBTQ+ community. And since these beautifully illustrated original courses are ready to go, why not share them with your learners? As we mentioned above, you can either use them as is or—if you’re an Articulate 360 subscriber or trialer—you can easily adapt them to fit your needs. Simply navigate to your Rise 360 dashboard, click Create New, choose Course, select Diversity and Inclusion, and choose the course you want from the list. Want to customize these but don’t have a subscription yet? Start a free 30-day trial. And if you need other ready-to-go courses for your diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, there are plenty of other options to choose from, including: Black History Month Diversity Basics: Foundations Diversity Basics: Taking Action Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Once again, these are all available directly in Rise 360. Simply follow the instructions above to view and use them. And remember to subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest real course templates, product updates, e-learning examples, and expert advice directly in your inbox. If you have questions, please share them in the comments.5 Mental Health Resources You Can Share With Your Learners Today
Did you know that May is Mental Health Awareness Month? Individuals aren’t the only ones impacted by mental health challenges—businesses can feel the effects, too. Polling from Gallup indicates that employees with mental health challenges miss four times more work than those who rate their mental health positively. This lost productivity costs the economy some $47.6 billion annually. As an e-learning designer, you can help employees feel supported by providing resources that raise awareness of the importance of mental health and outline helpful tips for improving it. If you’re an Articulate 360 subscriber or trialer, you can get the ball rolling quickly by using the ready-to-use mental health training materials in Rise 360—just in time for Mental Health Awareness Month. Curious what’s available? Check out some of the new releases below. You can learn how to customize these templates for your own company and training needs at the end of this article. 1. Stress Busters Microlearning Course Encourage employees to feel more relaxed with the 9 Simple Stress Busters You Can Do Today microlearning course. Moving through this quick learning exercise reveals proven strategies for relieving stress and activating feel-good endorphins. 2. Breathing Exercises Microlearning Course Anyone feeling tense can benefit from the Melt Away Stress With a 3-Minute Breathing Exercise microlearning course. With each successive swipe through a guided breathing exercise and accompanying graphics, learners will feel more peaceful and serene. 3. Feel Your Feelings Microlearning Course Reinforce the message that it’s OK not to be OK with the Feel Your Feelings microlearning course. This quick activity helps people process difficult emotions by prompting them to name and explore their feelings from a place of compassion and understanding. 4. Get Grounded Microlearning Course Support employees through worry spirals and mental fog with the Escape Anxiety With a 5-Minute Grounding Practice microlearning course. Moving through this 5-minute practice roots learners in the here and now as they engage their senses of taste, touch, smell, sight, and hearing. 5. Day-by-Day Challenge Course To offer access to a more in-depth daily challenge, check out the 5-Day Challenge To Improve Mental Health course. Each day, learners can refer to this course, explore a different facet of mental health, and follow simple exercises for putting concepts into practice. Wrap-Up Providing mental health resources as part of your business training is a win-win. Employees have access to support at work, and businesses benefit from employees who are less stressed and anxious. The examples above can help you get started, but the sky’s the limit for how you can use Articulate’s creator tools to achieve your business training objectives. Interested in sharing one of the supportive resources with your team? If you’re an Articulate 360 subscriber or trialer, you can access and edit all the examples linked throughout this post directly from your Rise 360 dashboard. Simply click Create New, choose Microlearning and select the template you want to use, as shown in the video below: Looking for even more ready-to-use, customizable mental health content? You'll find those in your Rise 360 dashboard too. Just click Create New, choose Course, and then select Mix & Match Lessons. Here are some relevant topic categories to check out: Stress Management: covers stress management fundamentals, stress and work performance, and strategies to relieve stress. Health and Wellness: includes dealing with difficult emotions and life events, exercise, forming healthy habits, mental health awareness in the workplace, positive psychology fundamentals, and positive psychology in the workplace. Resilience: features content on resilience fundamentals, building career resilience, leadership and resilience, emotional and physical resilience, and thriving through challenges. Be sure to also follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn and come back to E-Learning Heroes for more advice on everything related to e-learning. If you have any questions, please share them in the comments.
