PowerPoint 2010 Transitions and Lectora

I've been having loads of fun playing with the fancy new transition features in PowerPoint 2010. Because of that, I wanted to speak to the Lectora users out there.

Lectora offers a great PowerPoint integration tool (formerly called Integrator). When you import your PowerPoint storyboard into a Lectora title, the wizard asks if you wish to retain the transition settings. This is a great feature. You don't have to reprogram Lectora to utilize transitions because Lectora uses those transitions. It's a bit different with 2010 though, so you need to be ware!

I've tried several times to incorporate some of the fancy new transitions (if you haven't seen them it's TOTALLY worth a look) into Lectora. Each time however, it loses my transitions because they do not already exist within the Lectora program. This is definitely something I want to talk to Trivantis support about because these funky new features make my Articulate courses look amazing, and I'd like to retain this look when I import my storyboards into Lectora.

Want to try the new Office 2010 Beta – get it here http://www.microsoft.com/office/2010/en/default.aspx

***A word of caution – if you use Groove 2007 do not user Groove 2010 – it may not function properly (Ask me, I know). There are a few posts about the problem which I won't discuss here so "bing" it or "google" it, whichever you prefer.

Enjoy the beta – which I believe will function until October 2010. When you do – you'll be hooked! I just love it.

What Can I Learning From Social Networking Sites?

Like many of my age group I spend way too much time on a social networking site. I check the status of my friends, post my own, review photos and take a bunch of useless quizzes. I have found out what I should have been named, Annie in case you wondered, what my aura says, how much I know about movies and other useless information. What I want to know is how I can use this same technology to make my eLearning just as ‘sticky’?

In my training courses I have used online midterm and final assessments to check the knowledge of my students. But really what I am doing is forcing them to regurgitate what they learned throughout the session. I don’t think I am really measuring their learning or are they excited to do it. In fact I have had adults suffer from test anxiety just like when they were in school.

How could I make the experience more enjoyable?

What about this? Create quizzes like I take on that networking site. With this theory I could have my students taking quizzes that they are interested in. They would be short 10 question multiple choice quizzes that can be accessed at will, in any order the learner wants, you could even add an images to the questions. My thought would be creating several quizzes for a course. After they are created they can be posted an LMS and allow students to access them when they like. They could be used as a pre-test to find out how much they know or just as a review of material they already learned. All at their own pace and in any order they like their own version of self directed learning.

I was even thinking some of the quizzes could be on generic topics such as customer service skills, collections or sales techniques, topics that are often glossed over many times due to time constraints. On quizzes that don’t correlate to topics taught in class a quick review could be made on questions answered incorrectly to give the student additional information.

Of course now it would be trying it out to see if it would work. How do you make your eLearning sticky?

Will eLearning Replace Trainers???

I saw this question posed today on an eLearning site and I had to ask myself that question. As an individual who has a background in eLearning as well as many years as a classroom facilitator will one replace the other?

It really got me thinking. I remember growing up with Atari and Commodore 64’s. I never would have imagined at that time that Pong could turn into Wii Fit or that I would be writing this blog on a wireless laptop in my living room. But the world has changed drastically in the last 30 years and we are really only at the beginning.

I think that training has had the same evolution. You used to go into a training room and get your information spoon fed to you by an instructor/ trainer. Interaction was not asked for nor was it prized. You were simply there to fill a seat.

I think of many learning (note learning not training) environments now and that is not the case. We actively want people to participate and be engaged in the learning process. Learning professionals use games, stand up facilitation, eLearning or a blended learning approach to get the message to their students. If it helps to increase the learning, application or retention of the information anything goes.

The same principle applies if I am creating an online course. I have learned the hard way that 25 pages of straight content doesn’t allow a student to learn but then again neither does 25 pages of amazingly beautiful Photo Shop images with no content. I now know that I can incorporate pictures, games, audio or video to my core text to help get students to learn. It is to my advantage as a designer to touch as many learning styles as possible and eLearning allows me to accomplish that in an easy way.

Now back to the question, will eLearning replace trainers? In my opinion…no. I know that when I develop an online course I still think of myself as a trainer. I am not a programmer or a software designer I am merely a facilitator in a different medium. At the end of the day my goal is have the person who is taking my course to learn, that’s it.

What are your thoughts is eLearning going to replace trainers?

eLearning & Off Shoring…my experience

For the last year I have worked with different departments within my organization in support of our off shoring initiatives to India. This posting isn’t about whether it is right or wrong to off shore these are just a few of my observations and what worked for me.


One of the initial items to consider when starting a new process in India is how you going to teach the agents. We decided since it wasn’t feasible to bring all of our new Indian agents to the U.S. for training that we would use a blended learning approach instead. We decided to send a Subject Matter Expert (SME) to India for classroom facilitation and supplement his information with eLearning courses. Creating the assorted eLearning courses is where my assistance was needed. We began this approximately a year before the process was to go live.


I worked with our SME to create eLearning courses that not only included policy and procedures but mirrored system access. One problem we had was this group of agents would not have access to the system until they started their job function; there was no system in place that allowed new agents to practice their skills during the training period.
One challenge I had was taking standard operating procedures (SOP’s) and transforming them into a storyboard. Many people assume that a SOP is already appropriate for learning, but in most cases it is not. In order for our new agents to learn I had to go back to that training theory standby, KISS (keep it simple stupid.) Start at step one and continue. This worked well.


After the storyboard was completed it was time to build the course. I needed this course interactive so using Lectora I inserted radio buttons, transparent buttons and entry fields that duplicated what was in the system they were going to use. I also added a scored assessment at the end of each course. These courses are hosted on CourseMill and what is really great about that learning management system (LMS) is that you can pull interaction reports to know exactly how agents answered each question. This is beneficial when coaching agents on how they can improve their skills.


After the initial review of the courses we decided to add a bit more to them. Because our Indian agents would not be able to see someone performing the skills they were learning we added call examples to the courses. This allowed them to hear how a tenured agent made each call so that they had an example to follow. We also added call scripting to giving them a template of how to have a success call.


A few of the benefits that we experienced with our blended learning approach:
~ Tracking course performance through the LMS.
~As time permitted we were able to un-enroll and re-enroll agents in course so they could be re-taken and new interactions would be scored again.
~Agents felt a greater level of comfort with the system once they began to do the job, i.e. making outbound calls.
~Agents were allowed to practice what they learned without impacting customers.

Overall the project was successful; we had agents who were giving accurate information and comfortable doing the job they were trained to do.


How have others used their LMS to track performance of their courses?

Translation Blues

It's complicated enough having to design, develop and implement e-learning solutions but when your company requires that all documentation and training be translated into the "other" official language your job just got a lot more challenging.

My workplace uses Lectora to create our e-learning SCORM packages that integrate with our LMS. Now, I'm not a programmer, I am an instructional designer, which makes me very aware that there is likely a technically more savvy way of doing this – but I don't yet know what it is.

I worked with an E-Learning course vendor over the last 9 months and they were able to use some type of scripting to extract the text from a module, the problem however is that they wanted the translators to use WORDPAD (not Word, or WordPerfect, or OpenOffice) because any "real" word processor would cause formatting issues and cause their developers more man hours-so for the inconvenience we did as they asked, but I have paid the price with one translator who will now no longer work with us because the project was, in their words "HELL".

My big problem was that with the exception of some Office 2007 Word SmartArt that I used, I created everything in Lectora. All the text is in Lectora text box objects. If you are not familiar with Lectora, think of creating a PowerPoint presentation. You may use text box objects and graphics and layer them to create the look you want. Each box is an independent object and each box would need to be translated and then put back where it belongs.

When you create text in Lectora, there is not an easy way to export that text or, for that matter, to IMPORT the translated text into the correct location.

For those of you that know me, you know I like to cheat when it comes to working with computer applications. I'm always looking for shortcuts and I've had to do a fair amount of tweaking to my process, so here is what currently works for me.

1. Create all content in Lectora the way that it needs to be and have it all set up appropriately
   
2. Use two monitors: have word on one monitor and Lectora open on the other
   
3. In Word, use Heading Level 1 to type the first Lectora Page name (or page number)
   
4. For that page, copy and paste the text from Lectora to Word – do not copy the objects, just the text
   
5. If there are other items that need to be translated such as the SmartArt graphics, I leave those in the document (or copy from my initial word document where I created them)
   
6. Save the file and send for translation asking the translator to only translate text that is not assigned Heading Level 1
   
7. When I receive the translation, the Word document headings make it easy to see what pages the content to be replaced goes on to (I also use the Heading Level 1 style to add notes to other things such as objects, or placement that I don't need the translator to work on)
   
8. Always have someone check out the translation before publishing the course
   

I'm sure this process will continue to evolve for me as I become more familiar with Lectora, or develop programming skills, or find another E-learning tool to assist me, but for now, I'm happy and my translators are as well! If you have some tips on helping to make translation processes successful or streamlined, please leave us a comment and let us know your tips!

Procrastination: Synonymous with Summer?

If you are like me, some or all of the following conditions may be true at this very moment:

1. You are very busy getting courses ready for a demanding audience
   
2. You look outside every 20 minutes and long to be out of doors
   
3. Your list of things to do grows, while you list of accomplishments does not
   
4. You close your eyes and relax by remembering the wonderful weekend you had at the cottage, camping, gardening etc.(and open them 20 minutes later with slobber on your chin and eye sleeps left over from your trance)
   
5. You open your email to send important messages to your boss, but when you see the sun outside your cubicle you decide to email your friend for lunch instead
   
6. You have the best intentions of getting everything done, but you don't have enough hours to do them
   
7. Your desk is a disaster area waiting for the next big storm to clean it up…could be October before that happens
   
8. You walk to the mail room to drop off packages and check your inbox and on the way you stop at reception to stare at the visitors, you hit the lunch room to fill up your coffee/tea/water (again), and since you don't want to be rude, you say hello to everyone you pass along the way and get details on everyone else's holidays
   
9. You keep putting off until tomorrow what you didn't have time for today – and that list grows and grows AND GROWS
   
10. Fire – did someone say Fire – you deal with constant interruptions, misplaced priorities and something I like to call the Summer Sizzle
    

So let's start with the fun stuff: Summer Sizzle. Yes, the Summer Sizzle is what occurs when other people want to look as though they have accomplished all their goals while on the golf course. They dish their work to everyone else and turn up the heat until you produce the results they should have worked hard for while you your buns sizzle trying to keep everyone and their brother happy (often this means you are also trying to keep your job).

Even with events like the Summer Sizzle, I can't help but feel that I just can't say no to those people holding me over the fire. My desire to make others happy often gets in the way of my common sense.

I have found that these things generally happen only over the summer. I want to do ALL kinds of work, get loads accomplished. I don't feel depressed because the sun is shining and it's hotter than a sauna in here, the air is on the fritz again and I'll be right back because I have to find a fan to help move the air around.

Yup – it's summer and who wants to be in the office working away on eLearning projects, planning, having meetings, doing design work? Not me, I want to be outside, in the sun (or rain as it happens to be today). I want to be walking down the street, playing with my dog, enjoying a BBQ, and reading a trashy romance. I want to be anywhere but where I am right now. It's sure hard to beat the "I'm in the office all summer" summertime blues.

To lift the spirits, and because I truly like to share, I'm going to share a couple of things that help me deal with the procrastination associated with working during the summer.

• Create a to do list that encourages items to be completed
  I work with the hardest item and make time commitments – I will work for 20 minutes on this item before I go for coffee
  
  I don't list too many things…if I listed everything I had to do, well that's just too much. I try to keep my list to 8 – 10 items I can accomplish in the day
  
  At the end of the day/week/month celebrate your successes and accomplishments
  
  

• Be accountable to someone besides yourself
  When I have to let someone know how I spent my day, even if it is just a friend, it makes me realize that I can't daydream the hours away
  
  

• Bring your lunch to work and walk around the block, trail, down the road so that you can enjoy the weather, get some fresh air, and soak up that vitamin D
  
• Ensure you take your breaks – but not too many
  
  I find when I don't take my breaks away from my desk, I don't feel as relaxed as I could/should
  
  I also find if I don't take my breaks, I want to get up and wander around the office looking for an escape
  
  

• Don't work evenings or weekends unless it is part of your schedule or work agreement
  
  If I take work home with me *few exceptions occur where I have to work in the evenings or weekends* I get the time back by leaving early on a Friday afternoon. I have to enjoy my time away from the office and feel like I not only accomplish my work tasks but my personal goals as well.
  
  

So – I hope your summer isn't filled with the kind of procrastination and longing that occupies my every waking, sun-filled second. Get out there – enjoy the summer, but make sure you earned it!

Summer E-Learning Guild Courses Announced

I was pleased to receive my updated E-Learning Guild announcement in my inbox this morning.

 

The seminars sound very hip and exciting: Learning in the 21^st Century: Get Social, Get Game, Get Learning!

 

Over the course of four days there will be expert speakers tackling the latest in Collaborative Learning (podcasts and blogs – two of my passions will be covered) along with other social networking and learning opportunities.

 

As well there will be a series on Immersive Learning Simulations where this discussion centers around games, simulations and virtual environments designed to aid and engross the student in their learning.

Check out the link to the E-Learning Guild summer seminar series in Chicago for more details.