Learn. Show. Repeat.

Tag: Online learning

  • 3 Things I’ve Just Discovered in Storyline 2

    Storyline 2 has heaps of great functions to help create fantastic eLearning, so many in fact, it’s hard to know them all. But in the past couple of weeks I’ve come across three hidden ones (well, hidden to me) that I wish I had known earlier. I wanted to share them here because if they’re new to me, chances are they’ll be new to someone else too.

    #3 – Moving Objects with Arrow Keys

    Ok, I’ve known for a while that you can move objects (shapes, text boxes, images) using the arrow keys but sometimes I found that they didn’t move far enough and then the next move was too far! That’s because when you move something with an arrow key, it moves by 8 pixels at a time.

    But if you hold down the CTRL key and press the arrow key, it just nudges the object by just 1 pixel! This is really good for making those fine on-screen adjustments.

    Note: You can also do this in PowerPoint.

    #2 – Size and Position

    This comes in handy when you want to have different objects in the same place on-screen across different slides. To find the position of an object:

    Select the object and right-click:

    Size and Position

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Select Size and Position

    Then click on Position:

    Position box

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    You’ll see the horizontal and vertical position of the object on the slide. In this case it’s from the top left corner but you can change it and go from the centre. Now you can line up your objects on different slides by using the same position for each!

    Note: You can do this in PowerPoint too.

    #1 Hiding Base Layer Objects via the Timeline

    When working with layers, have you ever wanted to hide some of the objects on the base layer? I sure have! SL2 does give you the option to hide all objects on the base layer and when I’ve wanted to only hide some of them I thought you had to a shape to cover them up. But it can be done using the timeline.

    Click on the layer.

    Look at the Timeline and you’ll see a tiny little arrow near Base Layer Objects:

    Base Layer Objects closed

    Click on the arrow and it will now point down and all the objects on the base layer will be shown:

    Base Layer Objects Open

    Next to each object is an ‘eye’ symbol.

    Click on the eye of the objects that you want hidden (it will turn grey and the objects will hide on screen).

    Here’s a before:

    Before

    And After:

    After

    Each time you are on that layer the objects you’ve selected will be hidden. You could have different settings for different layers if you wanted too.

    Well that’s it, three little functions I’m glad I now know about. Hopefully they’ll come in handy for you too!

    Special thanks to Beck and Ruth for telling me about these three gems.

  • Integrating Motivation with Instructional Design

    As an Instructional Designer, motivating learners is an important consideration because in reality learners are not always motivated to learn. They are busy, have other things to do, don’t see the course/session as being important or have had a bad learning experience in the past. I’ve written previously about motivation – Motivation and eLearning – which was about satisfying autonomy, competence and relatedness needs of learners. I’ve come across Dr John Keller’s motivational design model known as ARCS and thought it was worth sharing.

    The ARCS model comprises four major factors that influence the motivation to learn – Attention, Relevance, Confidence and Satisfaction. It’s described as a problem-solving model and helps designers identify and solve specific motivational problems related to the appeal of instruction. The model was developed after a comprehensive review and synthesis of motivation concepts and research studies. It has also been validated in studies across different education levels.

    Dr John Keller

    The four categories of motivation variables consist of sub-categories along with process questions to consider when designing:

    Attention = Capturing the interest of learners, stimulating their curiosity to learn.

    • Perceptual Arousal: What can I do to capture their interest?
    • Inquiry Arousal: How can I stimulate an attitude of inquiry?
    • Variability: How can I maintain their attention?

     

    Relevance = Meeting the personal needs/goals of the learner to affect a positive attitude.

    • Goal Orientation: How can I best meet my learner’s needs? (Do I know their needs?)
    • Motive Matching: How and when can I provide my learners with appropriate choices, responsibilities and influences?
    • Familiarity: How can I tie the instruction to the learners’ experience?

     

    Confidence = Helping the learners believe/feel that they will succeed and control their success.

    • Learning Requirements: How can I assist in building a positive expectation for success?
    • Success Opportunities: How will the learning experience support or enhance the learners’ beliefs in their competence?
    • Personal Control: How will learners clearly know their success is based upon their efforts and abilities?

     

    Satisfaction = Reinforcing accomplishment with rewards (internal and external).

    • Natural Consequences: How can I provide meaningful opportunities for learners to use their newly acquired knowledge/skill?
    • Positive Consequences: What will provide reinforcement to the learners’ successes?
    • Equity: How can I assist the learners in anchoring a positive feeling about their accomplishments?

     

    The following link is to a YouTube video where Dr Keller discusses the ARCS Model, some background in its development and the addition of volition to the model.

    ARCS: A Conversation with John Keller

    Apart from the motivational aspects of the model, what I really like about ARCS is that it puts the learner at the centre of the design process.

    After all, that’s how it should be.

     

    References:

    arcsmodel.com

    Keller, J. M. (1987) Strategies for stimulating the motivation to learn. Performance and Instruction. 26 (8), 1-7.