Blog of e-Learning Tyro

Click here to view a useful post that lists the best practices for using Webex for online collaboration.

Let me share with an informative blog post on interactvity in e-learning. I always recommend to view this post when someone asks me for basic information on interactivity strategies.

Click here to view the post.

Click here to view a useful post on adding an Articulate Engage Interaction within another.

Each interaction type in Articulate Engage has its own specifications in terms of the sizes for images and videos. Here is a useful information on the maximum sizes for images and videos. Thanks to Gabe Anderson for sharing these details in his blog. 

Hi all,

I just viewed a useful post on creating engaging assessments by using Articulate Engage.  Its really worth sharing, and thus you have this post right now.

Click here to view the post. 

Hi all,

Recently, I read an useful article on how to encourage learners to take e-Learning courses. I am sure this article will be more meaningful for organizations that have planned to implement e-Learning for their training purpose.

Click here to view the article.

I just read Tony Karrer’s interesting article on e-Learning 2.0. He describes the basics concepts of e-Learning 2.0, and compares it with e-Learning 1.0 and 1.3

I found it very useful. Hope you will also admire his article!

Click here to view the article.

Let me share with a Web site that contains a plenty of useful information on the different phases of instructional design.

Click here to view it!

Let me share with an informative post from Rupa’s blog. She used the Microsoft product demo to provide several guidelines for developing effective product demos. Hope you will also find it useful.

Click here to view Rupa’s post!   

Let me share with an informative URL that contains a list of international Instructional Designers with their qualification and other contact details. 

Click here to view the list!

A number of debates are conducted all across the Globe regarding the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy. Meanwhile, let me share with a Wiki page that includes the details of Bloom’s Taxonomy and its  revisions. This Wiki page also includes a Web link to download the Microsoft Office PowerPoint Quiz that enables you to test your Bloom’s Taxonomy knowledge. Hope you will find this post useful!

Click here to view the Wiki page!

Thanks to Christy Tucker for referring an interesting presentation by Karl Kapp. The presentation emphasizes on how to develop an engaging MS PowerPoint presentation. In the presentation, Karl Kapp shows some examples of bad PowerPoint slides. Then, he follows up with his suggestions on how to present the slides in an engaging manner to the audience.

Here are his words that impressed me the most:
“We cannot blame the tool. Study after study shows that good design, regardless of the technology, is what that makes good learning. In the end, it’s the design and not the tool that impacts learning.”

Great words, isn’t?

Click here to view the presentation!

Let me share with an interesting demo on virtual team management. This demo sorts of teaching the virtual team management skills to a multi cultural, transglobal audience of project managers. Hope you will enjoy this demo!

Click here to launch the demo!

Recently, I admired viewing an e-learning course that provides an excellent introduction to e-Learning. The course contains several modules that are replete with concrete and practical examples. I am sure that the course will be handy for a novice who wishes to seek a basic knowledge on e-Learning.

Click here to launch the course!

Graphic Designers shall consider the following essential parameters while developing or reviewing the media of an e-Learning course by using Macromedia Flash:

• Document properties: This includes verifying standardized document properties, such as document size, frame rate, publish settings, and other properties.
• Naming conventions: This includes verifying the standardized naming conventions of a graphic element, file, layer, symbol, and library.
• Font specifications: This includes verifying standardized font specifications, such as the font face, size, and color.
• Alignment: This includes verifying alignment in page title, frame content, and graphic element.
• White spacing: This includes verifying unnecessary white spaces between characters, lines, and paragraphs.
• Library management: This includes verifying whether the library is managed using folders and ensuring that the unused elements are deleted from the library.

Apart from considering the aforementioned parameters, Graphic Designers shall also check for:

• Typo errors
• Content verification by cross checking with the source content
• Consistent usage of graphic elements
• Masking problems
• Audio synchronization

Here is my pick!

Geoterra is an interactive GE-branded experience that allows learners to enhance the well being of an island’s inhabitants and environment. Learners are immersed in a green environment where they can discover and utilize GE products to understand the positive impact on their own world.

Click here to launch the course.

Here is my pick!

Konica Minolta takes Web-based training to a new level. Created to educate its workforce, the Web site provides engaging interactivity through rollovers, voice over, video (by using the green screen technology), and a rich graphical interface. Enjoy viewing and let me know what impressed you the most!

Click here to launch the gateway.

Here is my pick!

Are you interested in knowing about aircraft ground icing? Learn it from NASA, which offers an interactive training course intended for pilots who make their own operational de-icing and anti-icing decisions. This training course helps private pilots as well as those who fly business, corporate, air taxi, or freight operations in fixed-wing aircraft. Enjoy viewing this course and let me know what impressed you the most!

Click here to launch the course.

During the input collection process or during the storyboard development stage, an Instructional Designer (ID) might require content-related clarifications from the Subject Matter Expert (SME).

Here are a few instances in which an ID shall raise content-related queries or issues to the SME.

1) Missing contents: It is recommended to raise the SME query for contents that do not have required information.

For example, consider that there is an abbreviated term called ‘ICT’ without any expansion in the SME’s source content. In such a case, the ID shall raise the following query to the SME:
“This course has a term called ‘ICT’ without any expansion. Please provide the expansion for the same.“

It is to be noted that this query can be raised only after a thorough exploration on the abbreviated term (like search in Internet or in other resources) at the ID end. Then, the ID shall inform the SME with the following note:
“This course has a term called ‘ICT’ without any expansion. From an article relevant to this course, I found the expansion of the term ‘ICT’ to be ‘Information and Communication Technology’. Please confirm if it is correct.“

2) Complex, ambiguous, and lengthier sentences: It is advisable to make a note to the SME on sentences that are complex, lengthier, and ambiguous.

For example, the content provided by the SME may contain complex, ambiguous, and lengthier sentences. While junking them into precise or shorter sentences, there is a possibility of content loss. In such cases, the ID shall inform the SME with the following note:
“This sentence looks complex and ambiguous. However, I have tried to make it precise and shorter. Please let me know if I can proceed with my sentence formation. Alternatively, please provide a simpler sentence for content clarity.“

3) Redundant or irrelevant sentences: It is better to make a note to the SME on redundant or irrelevant sentences in the source content.

For example, the source content may contain information that is redundant or irrelevant to the context. In such cases, the ID shall make the following prior notification to the SME on the deletion of redundant or irrelevant information:
“This sentence looks redundant or irrelevant to the context. Please let me know if I can remove this particular sentence.“

Hope the aforementioned tips for interacting with the SME on content-related issues are sufficient for a novice. However, I will update this post if I acquire any additional information.

Here is my pick!

This demonstration features highlights from the ‘Define’ module of the Six Sigma foundations curriculum and includes a case study clip (part of the real-world case study), a tutorial clip (conveying a new concept), and a tool clip (illustrating a new tool). Hope it will be useful to you!

Click here to launch the demo.

Here is my pick!

This simulation course provides a fascinating sales experience in an engaging, concise, and modular manner. This simulation course was developed for a data center sales team to improve understanding of products, benefits, and realistic sales practice. This course is one of my all time favourites. Hope it will be useful!

Click here to launch the course.

Here is my pick.

This experiment is designed to test whether you can spot the difference between a fake smile and a real one. It has 20 questions and it is based on the research by Professor Paul Ekman, a psychologist at the University of California. Each video clip will take approximately 15 seconds to load on a 56k modem and you can only play each smile once.

Click here to view the experiment.

Here is my pick!

My today’s pick has a number of interactive lessons on English. Please visit it. It has got a plenty of impressive interactivity strategies.

Click here to view the lessons.

Here is my pick of the day.

Let me share with an interesting article that I read recently. This article covers the basics of virtual classroom, its features, challenges, and other related information. I am sure it will be useful to you!

Click here to view the article.

Here is my pick of the day.

Today’s pick is an interactive demo on cheque negotiability. It includes fascinating strategies that will keep the learner engaged throughout the session. Hope you will gain additional knowledge on interactivity strategies through this demo.

You can view the demo by clicking the following URL:

http://www.alleni.com/demoFiles/UBOC/Negotiability.swf

Note: Please view this demo in Microsoft Internet Explorer.

I would like to share with an interactive demo on rocketing. The strategies used in this demo are amazing. I will suggest this demo to those who are passionate to explore the interactivity strategies. Hope it will be useful to you too. Please do visit it!

Click here to launch the course.

Here is my pick of the day.

I would like to share with an interactive e-Learning game on blood typing. The primary objective of this game is to blood type each patient and give a blood transfusion. Please do visit it!

Click here to launch the game.

Click here to know how to play the game.

Here is my pick of the day.

puresafety.com is the leading provider of online safety training and risk management solutions. This site has featured an informative course on extreme driving conditions. Please do visit it!

Click here to launch the course.

Here is an informative Web site that might keep your life engaged forever.

http://www.quiknet.com/tcsmith/mags.htm 

This Web site has a list of 195 e-Learning magazines and related resources. Hope it will be useful to you!

Here is my pick of the day.

Bertil Ohlin, the Nobel Prize winner for Economics, showed that countries engage in and benefit from trade if their production resources differ from each other. You can feel the real-time experience of his trading theory by clicking the following URL:

http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/economics/trade/game/ruler.html

Hope you will acquire additional knowledge on game-based learning strategies!

Here is my pick of the day.

If somebody raises his or her desire to explore the printing technology, I shall suggest the following Web site:

http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/2001/whatisaprint/flash.html

Please do visit it! I am sure you will have a fascinating experience.

Here is my pick of the day.

The following Web site has a number of interactive e-Learning demos that highlight the benefits of trading on NCDEX, procedures involved to become a member, and opportunities of trading in various commodities .

http://203.197.56.48/

Please do visit it! (You need to register before viewing the demos.)

Here is my pick of the day.

The following Web site offers free, best-in-class courseware in Maths, Science, Reading, Keyboarding, English, health, and life skills. It builds a community for educators and parents to share innovations and insights in childhood education.

http://www.e-learningforkids.org/

Please do visit!

Here is my pick of the day.

I would like to share with a Web site that enables the learner to take a tour of the Taj Mahal, explore the methods of miniature painting, and delve into a Mughal coin cabinet. All the aforementioned activities can be done by clicking the interactive elements in the room. Here is the URL:

http://www.mughalindia.co.uk/

Please do visit it!

Here is my pick of the day.

The following Web site has a plenty of fascinating educational games and activities.

http://edheads.org/

Please do visit it!

Online Education Database (OEDb) has released a list of top 100 education blogs. You can view the list by clicking the following URL:

http://oedb.org/library/features/top-100-education-blogs

Here is a list of elements that shall be included in the e-Learning course template.

• Header or session title: It should display the session name.
• Frame title: It should display the frame title.
  
• Pagination information: It should provide information on the current frame number and the total number of frames in the session.
• Glossary button: It should provide the list of terms, definitions, and relevant description.
• Help button: It should provide assistance in operating and navigating through the session.
• Exit button: It should enable the learner to exit the session. It is appreciable to include a dialog box with an instruction like “Are you sure you want to exit?” when the exit button is clicked.
• Slider bar: It should enable the learner to navigate the frame contents either forward or backward.
• Audio ON or OFF button: It should enable the learner to play or mute the audio.
• Audio transcript button: It should display the contents read in the audio.
• Previous button: It should navigate to the previous frame.
• Next button: It should navigate to the next frame.
• Play or pause button: It should enable the learner to play or pause the execution of a frame.
• Template instruction bar: It should provide information on the template navigation instruction (for example, ‘Click Next to proceed‘, ‘Click Exit to exit the session‘, ‘Follow the instructions in OST‘, and so on) or the status of frame execution (for example, ‘Frame execution in progress‘) to the learner.
• Notes button: It should display a scribbling pad. The learner can type his or her notes, save, and print the same.
• Search button: It should enable the learner to search for his or her required terms and explanation.
• References or learning aids button: It should display all the reference materials and other learning aids related to the session.
• FAQ button: It should display the session’s frequently asked questions and their respective answers.

The aforementioned elements are some of the frequently used elements in the e-Learning course template. You can choose the elements based on the target audience and your client’s requirements. I will update this post if I acquire any additional information. Hence, I suggest you to visit this post frequently.

Let me share my knowledge on developing the course design strategy document.

The course design strategy document is developed before developing the storyboard and it gives an overall idea on the strategies to be incorporated in the courseware. Strategies here corresponds to both the instructional design and graphic strategies. It will be useful for both the client as well as the e-Learning team, which develops the courseware.

I suggest you can consider the following attributes or parameters or details for developing an efficient course design strategy document.

• Client name
• Course name
• Course objective
• Course complexity level (in terms of Bloom’s Taxonomy)
• Course language
• Target audience
• Instructional strategies
• Graphic strategies
• Course flow

Let me emphasize the key instructional and graphic strategies to be populated into the course design strategy document.

Instructional strategies

Instructional strategies shall include the following details:

• Instructional theory to be adopted in the courseware
• Inclusion of the course guide (if planned)
• Usage of interactivities, such as roll over, point and click, select an option, text entry, drag and drop, and tool tip
• Assessment types with details, such as where the questions will come into existence  (within the content frames, after the content frames, as a separate module, and so on)

Graphic strategies

Graphic strategies shall include the following details:

• Level of graphics, such as 2-D or 3-D, screen grabs, and animations
• Inclusion of audio with details on the gender of voice
• Navigation details (linear or non linear navigation)

Note

It is better if you could include the reasons for incorporating the aforementioned instructional and graphic strategies.

Hope the aforementioned tips for developing the course design strategy document are sufficient for a novice. However, I will update this post if I acquire any additional information.

Here are my favourite groups or forums on e-Learning and Instructional Design. I will keep you updated with my favourite groups or forums through this post. Hence, I suggest you to view this post frequently.

• http://groups.msn.com/InstructionalDesignersForum/
• http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Instructional_Designers_Forum/
• http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/idindia/
• http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/instructional_designers/
• http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/eLearningDev/
• http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Instructional_Designers_World/
• http://groups.yahoo.com/group/InstructionalDesign/
• http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/SCORM_Implementation_Group/
• http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/instructionaldesigners2/

Dear world,

Welcome to my blog! I am very much passionate in sharing the knowledge I acquire through my career life. I have dedicated this blog to share the world with any useful information I acquire on e-Learning. Hope you will gain useful information through it. Cheers and feel free to mail me at elearningtyro@gmail.com

Regards,

elearningtyro