About e-Learning, About this blog, Articulate Engage, Assessments, Bloom's Taxonomy, CMS, e-Learning Demos, e-Learning Groups or Forums, Graphic Design, Instructional Design, Template Design, Useful Resources

This Blog Moves to a New Web Site

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Hello all,

I am glad to announce that I have launched a new Web site on e-learning. Here is my new Web site name:

http://elearningplanet.com/

Here are the unique features of my new Web site:

Millions of e-learning Web sites are available in the Cyberspace. There are Web sites that include only e-learning blogs; some include e-learning forums, information on e-learning jobs, reviews on e-learning products, and so on. But, very few Web sites post information that covers all aspects of e-learning.

 

elearningplanet.com deserves to be one among those rare Web sites that:

  • Includes its own e-learning blog.
  • Facilitates collaborative learning between e-learning professionals through its forum.
  • Conducts frequent online contests for e-learning professionals.
  • Provides free online training and assignments for instructional designers and graphic designers.
  • Selects its favorite blog post and blogger from the e-learning blogosphere on a weekly basis.
  • Selects active participants in the planet’s forum.

All blog posts in this blog (https://elearningtyro.wordpress.com/) are moved to the ‘Blog’ section in http://elearningplanet.com/. However, this blog  continue to remain with no future updates.

Please redirect your feeds to http://elearningplanet.com/?feed=rss2

Thanks for all your support and I am anxious to contribute more to this e-learning world through my new Web site.

Regards,

Sathish Narayanan

Articulate Engage, e-Learning Demos, Graphic Design, Instructional Design, Template Design, Useful Resources

Maximum Sizes for Images and Videos in Articulate Engage

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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. 

Interaction Type

Maximum Size

Example
Process (no text in steps) 620 px width x 310 px height Click here for an example
Labeled Graphic 690 px width x 470 px height Click here for an example
Tabs (at a minimum size of 10%) 553 px width x 380 px height Click here for an example
Tabs (at the regular size of 30%) 425 px width x 380 px height Click here for an example
Circle Diagram 250 px width x 310 px height Click here for an example
Timeline 620 px width x 310 px height Click here for an example
Media Tour (without captions or video player) 688 px width x 468 px height Click here for an example
FAQ 617 px width x 310 px height Click here for an example
Pyramid Diagram 250 px width x 305 px height Click here for an example
Guided Image (if the image takes 75% of the space) 434 px width x 295 px height Click here for an example
Guided Image (if the image takes 85% of the space) 490 px width x 335 px height
Glossary (with glossary items set to a minimum width) 493 px width x 330 px height Click here for an example

Bloom's Taxonomy, Instructional Design, Useful Resources

Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy

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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!

Instructional Design, Useful Resources

Tips for Developing an Engaging MS PowerPoint Presentation

elearningtyro

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!

About e-Learning, e-Learning Demos, Instructional Design, Useful Resources

Interactive Course on the Power of e-Learning

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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 Design, Useful Resources

Graphic Design Style Guide – Essential parameters

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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
e-Learning Demos

Interactive Course on Aircraft Ground Icing

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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.

Instructional Design, Useful Resources

Tips for Interacting with the SME on Content-Related Issues

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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.

e-Learning Demos

Interactive Experiment on Spotting the Fake Smile

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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.

e-Learning Demos

Interactive e-Learning Demo on Cheque Negotiability

elearningtyro

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.

e-Learning Demos

Interactive e-Learning Game on Trade

elearningtyro

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!

Instructional Design, Template Design, Useful Resources

Elements in the e-Learning Course Template

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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.

Instructional Design, Useful Resources

Tips for Developing the Course Design Strategy Document

elearningtyro

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.

e-Learning Groups or Forums, Instructional Design, Useful Resources

My Favourite Groups or Forums on e-Learning

elearningtyro

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.

About this blog

Welcome!

elearningtyro

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