The Great Escape is an immersive escape room adventure demo using Articulate Storyline’s new 360-degree image functionality.
This week’s Articulate E-Learning Challenge #337 was to create an interactive example using the brand-new feature: Creating Interactive 360° Images in E-Learning.
Authoring Tools
Articulate Storyline 360, Images from Unsplash
This demo is in response to Articulate’s E-Learning Heroes Challenge #310: Using Glassmorphism in E-Learning Course Design. Glassmorphism is sometimes called the frosted or virtual glass look in UI design. The idea is to have a background-blur on an object, giving the impression of a frosted glass.
Select the image below to view the demo.
Authoring Tools
Storyline 360, the Articulate Content Library, PowerPoint, and Camtasia.
This demo is in response to Articulate E-Learning Hero Challenge #335: Showing Before and After Comparisons in E-Learning.
I’m always looking for new tools to try, especially if they have free versions! I enjoy creating eLearning courses using a comic book style, so I was delighted to find a cool tool called Colorcinch to help me quickly “cartoonize” images for free!
It’s an online photo editor, so there’s nothing to download. This is a quick example that shows how the free version of the tool can quickly create cartoon versions of a photo.
There are more advanced versions of the application that require a paid subscription, but for this demo I went with the free version. View the video demo below.
Select the image below to roll the dice and play Name that Bird!
This game demo is in response to Articulate’s E-Learning Heroes Challenge #334: How are Designers Using Random Number Variables in E-Learning?
This game gives the illusion that clicking on the Roll Dice button rolls the dice to come up with a question in random order. However, you will never get the same question twice (unless you play the game more than once), so it’s not truly random. To check out how the variables are set up, check out the free download below!
I based my game on a free Storyline 360 template created by Paul Alders. It’s available for download here: Free Rolling Dice Interaction.
Cool Tool
To create the comic book effect with the images I used, I employed the use of a tool relatively new to me: Colorcinch. This online photo editor & cartoonizer is easy to use, and has a free option.
Authoring Tools
Storyline 360 and Colorcinch.
I frequently use animation in the eLearning modules I design. It’s a great way to capture and maintain audience engagement!
Vyond was the first animation program I used, back when it was called GoAnimate. I found Vyond very easy to learn, and it allowed me to quickly develop professional animated videos for my clients.
Click on the video below to see the Vyond Demo Reel.
Authoring Tools
Vyond animation, Camtasia video editing
This demo is in response to Articulate’s E-Learning Heroes Challenge #332: How to Survive Anything: E-Learning Edition.
Select the image below to view the demo.
Download the zipped folder here: How to Survive an Earthquake. After downloading to your computer, right-click the zipped folder and select Extract All to find the editable Story file.
The format of the demo was inspired by Clark Aldrich’s Short Sims technique for quickly creating simple, effective eLearning interactions.
For those unfamiliar with Short Sims, here are some examples: https://www.shortsims.com/examples.
Authoring Tools
Storyline 360, eLearning Art, Red Cross Earthquake Safety site
This demo is in response to Articulate’s E-Learning Heroes Challenge #322: Creating Visual Stories with Interactive Photo Collages
Select the image below to view the demo.
Patients struggling with chronic pain need relief. At the same time, medical personnel are charged with the task of preventing the illegal or harmful use of opioids. These challenges can be difficult to reconcile.
In this photo collage demo, Jonathan tells his story about the chronic pain that he lives with. For more information about Pain Management Best Practices, see https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/pmtf-final-report-2019-05-23.pdf.
Cool Tool
To create the comic book effect with the images I used, I employed the use of a tool new to me: Colorcinch. This online photo editor & cartoonizer is easy to use, and free! There are more advanced versions of the application that require a paid subscription, but for this demo I went with the free version. Below is a quick example that shows how the free version of the tool can quickly create cartoon versions of a photo. (The image below is not shown in the demo.)
Freebie
Download the story file.
Authoring Tools
Storyline 396, the Articulate Content Library, and Colorcinch.
Did you know that more than 36 million Americans do not have any teeth? Many more have lost at least one tooth. The purpose of the eLearning game Can You Keep Your Teeth, is (not surprisingly) to keep your teeth.
You can keep them if you answer the dental hygiene questions correctly! Make a mistake, and lose a tooth. Click the image below to play the game.
I originally created this game in 2016, using Storyline 2. This version, submitted to Articulate E-Learning Heroes Challenge #311 – Using Dials and Sliders to Select E-Learning Characters, has been completely updated in Storyline 360, with new graphics and a new video.
The animated video introduction was created with Powtoon, an online, easy-to-use video software application.
Authoring Tools: Powtoon animation, Camtasia, Articulate Storyline 360
Click on the image below to see the course example.
Rise is a web-based authoring tool that allows you to quickly (and I mean quickly!) create fully responsive courses that look great on any device. While you build your course, you can easily preview how the course will look when it automatically adapts to computer screens, tablets, and phones.
You build the course right in your web browser, choosing from a variety of pre-made lesson formats.
Articulate makes easy-to-learn software. I found it very easy to learn Storyline, and if anything, Rise is much easier to learn. Within a few minutes, I was creating my first sample course–called Wash your hands!—in order to learn the application.
I used the following lesson formats in my short course:
I’m very impressed by how quickly and easily I could work with Rise, with no training at all! I’m not used to working within pre-built lesson formats, so it did feel a bit constraining when I couldn’t do exactly what I envisioned immediately. But I’m sure if I continue to play around with the application, I will learn how to be more creative with it.
I’m also quite impressed by the beautiful course examples shown on the Articulate website, created with the Rise application:
Have you tried any of the Articulate 360 applications yet? If so, what did you think?
The Rules of the Road is my eLearning game/quiz demo for Articulate E-Learning Heroes Challenge #245: Designing Custom Quiz Results Slides in E-Learning (2019).
Click the image below to view the online demo and play the game!
The Rules of the Road game is really a Storyline eLearning quiz with gamified elements, including custom question feedback slides and customized quiz results slides.
Authoring Tools: Storyline 360 for the quiz slides, PowerPoint for altering images, Camtasia for video editing
Take the Flu Facts Challenge is a short informal learning game, created with PowerPoint and Articulate Storyline 360. Click on the image to view the game demo. This demo was submitted to the Articulate eLearning Challenge #217: Share Your E-Learning Game Show Examples.
The game is meant to be played by members of the public at individual kiosks at a community health care fair. Both adults and children will have access to the game.
Gamification, or applying game design techniques to instructional design, is one way to engage and motivate people to interact with a learning module.
Images: The images of the game show host in this module come from eLearning Art, a subscription service that provides graphics and templates for the eLearning community. This demo is featured on their eLearning and Training Examples blog.
Selected slides:
Authoring Tools: PowerPoint, Storyline 360
The Project Overview and Background Information for Take the Flu Facts Challenge can be downloaded here.
In 2016, Articulate posed eLearning Challenge #143, to “design an interactive graphic or micro site for your (fictitious) eLearning rock band!”
The eLearning rock band I manage is called äSynchronous eLeärning. Click the image below to check out their website. They’re available to hire for weddings and bar mitzvahs!
I used PowerPoint to create the demo video, because I wanted to use the glass-shattering transition available in PowerPoint. I published the PowerPoint as a video to edit in Camtasia.
In Camtasia, I added the glass shattering sound effect and added a rock song that plays throughout the presentation. The royalty-free track is called Fit of Rage. I used a text-to-voice tool to record the ultra-simple (and simple-minded) lyrics to the song, which I renamed the scope creap. I combined the robotic voice, the music, and the PowerPoint video to create my demo video, which was imported into Storyline 360.
Authoring Tools: PowerPoint, Camtasia, Articulate Storyline 360
Sexual Harassment 101 is my submission to Using Interactive Video Quizzes and Scenarios in E-Learning, Articulate’s E-Learning Challenge #258. Click the image below to view the demo.
Did Lola sexually harass Joe? View the demo, and render your verdict!
Authoring Tools: Plotagon, Camtasia, & Storyline 360.
Articulate E-Learning Challenge #86 was to create an interactive map showing where you live. My hometown is Los Angeles, and I chose to create a map showing some of our most famous homicides. Unfortunately, I hardly had time to scratch the surface. So many murders, so little time… Click the image above to see the demo.
Updated for Challenge #237: Using Interactive Maps in E-Learning
6/16/19: I edited the short video introduction in PowerPoint. I saved the PowerPoint as a video, edited it in Camtasia, then imported it into Articulate Storyline 360.
For the updated interactive map, I added a new location: the Beverly Hills mansion where Bugsy Siegal was slain.
I wanted music to play in the background continuously, but I needed to give viewers the freedom to click any link they want, and take as much (or as little) time exploring each link as they wanted.
Currently, Storyline 360 does not support playing background music across multiple slides, so I put the entire presentation on one Storyline slide, using multiple layers. The audio is contained on the base layer, and the hyperlinks take viewers to various layers of the same slide.
Articulate’s E-Learning Challenge #238 is to use a step-by-step approach in an e-learning example. Click the image below to see my demo, and learn how to easily reduce your carbon footprint immediately.
Step #3: Plant Greens!
For this example, I chose to use Articulate Presenter, a PowerPoint add-in, rather than Storyline, because I wanted some background music to play across several slides. Storyline 360 does not have that capability, but Presenter 360 does! It’s great to have a variety of e-learning tools in the toolbox.
I created the animated videos with PowToon animation.
Authoring Tools: PowToon Animation, PowerPoint, Articulate Presenter 360, Camtasia for video editing
Updated – June 6, 2019:
I discovered the original interactive infographic I submitted to the Articulate challenges years ago was no longer working correctly. I took this opportunity to update the infographic to Storyline 360, and create a new video for the project.
I believe this presentation was the first of mine to make it to the Articulate eLearning Examples page! Click the image below to view the demo.
Challenge #236 is an interactive infographic challenge. For the challenge, I created an interactive poster as my infographic, available on one page, rather than a multi-page e-learning module. The very simple design is similar to Pinterest tiles. I used Plotagon animation to create the animated characters, and made the owl out of PowerPoint shapes.
Tutorial: Learn How to Re-size the Storyline Slide:
I decided to use a portrait orientation to give it the feel of a poster. Storyline makes it easy to change the size and orientation of your presentation. To change your Storyline module’s size, click on the STORY SIZE button, shown below, and choose either a preset size, or go with a custom size.
Authoring tools: PowerPoint, Plotagon animation, Camtasia video editing & Storyline 360.
Articulate’s E-Learning Challenge #233 is to show how dialogue can be shown in e-learning courses. I chose to demonstrate an animated conversation between two characters on a televised medical show called MEDLINE.
Click the image below to watch the MEDLINE demo and learn about the recent measles outbreak!
To add interactivity to the Plotagon animated video, I used a Storyline 360 quiz slide to assess user knowledge.
All of the information in the demo comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I used a Storyline marker to provide a link for more information.
Authoring Tools: Plotagon animation, Storyline 360, Camtasia for video editing
Click the image below to view the Storyline eLearning game demo.
This game features a Leaderboard, which I created with a widget from Cluelabs. To see a demo of their free leaderboard widget, click here: https://cluelabs.com/widget-demos/leaderboard/index.html.
Authoring tool: Storyline 360
Articulate Challenge #107 is to design app-style navigation for a course. My brief “course” is about the importance of occasionally experiencing life directly and actually turning off your cell phone, tablet, desktop, etc. Click the image below to view the demo.
Authoring Tools: PowerPoint, Storyline 2, & Camtasia for the video background on the Credits page.
*Updated 6/17/18 – a new Storyline 3/360 version has been added to the download links below.
This demo was one of my submissions to E-Learning Heroes Challenge #132: Ways to Use JavaScript & Articulate Storyline.
A couple of years ago a client requested a printable certificate option for a Storyline assessment module I was designing. Since Storyline does not have that option, I had to scramble to create the feature. Of course, I did a google search first, and found many different tutorials on the subject.
It turns out there are various ways to create a printable certificate, using JavaScript with Storyline! This example is just one way to go about it.
Preview: Click the image below to view the demo of the Print Certificate template in action!
Two free downloads: The zipped folders each contain the .story file, the printCertificate.html file, and the Storyline output folder.
Customize: To customize the look of the Certificate, edit the printCertificate.html file with any html editor, such as Dreamweaver or Notepad.
Remember: Be sure to insert the printCertificate.html into the Storyline output folder after you publish your Storyline module. Otherwise, the print certificate function will not work! (See the example Storyline output folder in the zip file you downloaded).
Tip: Be sure to pay attention to your browser and/or printer settings before printing or saving the certificate as a PDF. You can control the margins, the header and footer information, and the orientation of the certificate page by adjusting your browser and/or printer settings.
For example, in the Chrome browser (image below), you can uncheck the “Headers & Footers” option to print your certificate without that extraneous information at the top and bottom of the page.
This is my submission to Articulate’s Medical #ELHChallenge 69. Click the image below to view the demo.
For this challenge, I combined GoAnimate whiteboard animation with Storyline 360 to create Triage Training.
GoAnimate was used to create the video portion, and Storyline 360 was used to create the quiz question. The Storyline player is also used to contain resources for the learner. In an actual course, the Storyline player could be used for navigation, and to organize branching scenarios to tailor the course to each learner’s needs.
I’ve found that courses using the whiteboard animation technique can be very engaging, and the technique works well for both serious and lighter topics.
Authoring Tools: GoAnimate, Storyline 360
Updated: 6/3/18
This ELH Challenge is about creating a navigation structure without using the ubiquitous NEXT button to move viewers from slide to slide. The module I created is called How much is your time worth?, and there is no NEXT button in sight.
A fictional healthcare provider, SoCal Solutions Healthcare, wants to encourage their members to use their online healthcare portal, rather than always phoning Customer Service for information and to make appointments. This module seeks to describe the benefits of using the website rather than the phone to take care of most of the members’ needs, and it also gives the members some practice in using the website to accomplish a simple task.
The first part of the module uses a Storyline 2* innovation, the slider, to advance the viewer from layer to layer on the introduction slide. The introduction describes the problem of phoning Customer Service for help – the long wait on hold that can be a frustrating waste of time.
*I’ve since updated the module to Storyline 360 – 11.28.17.
The second half of the module is a software simulation, where the user must perform the correct action in order to advance the slide. I used Storyline’s screen capture function to record my keystrokes and mouse movements as I completed the software task, and converted the video produced into a timed quiz format. Viewers get pop-up hints to help them complete the task in under two minutes.
I used the built-in Storyline quiz timer in the top right of the screen to help motivate the learner to complete the task quickly.
Authoring Tools: Photoshop (to create comic book effects for the images in the Introduction section), Storyline 360
3/18/18: Updated from Storyline 2 to Storyline360, to include the new text-to-speech feature. This module is personalized with the learner’s name, their choice of avatar, and the color scheme of their choice.
Originally, I submitted this challenge to ELHChallenge #93 Grabbing Attention and Motivating Learners in E-Learning. It was the first challenge I ever took part in! I decided to update the module for Challenge #134, to include a new option for learners: they can decide between a light or a dark color scheme.
When designing eLearning modules to be as engaging & motivating as possible, I keep in mind Gamification techniques such as using badges, and the ARCS Model of motivational design.
The ARCS Model was developed by John Keller. ARCS stands for Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction. In order to design effective learning experiences, an instructional designer, teacher, or trainer, needs to understand how to motivate and engage learners. Even relatively dry, boring topics, such as Compliance Auditor Training, can be made fun and interesting for learners. In this demo, I used ARCS Model principles to design an example eLearning module for a course on Compliance Auditor Training.
Authoring Tools: PowerPoint 2016, and Articulate Storyline 360.
This module has been updated to Storyline 360, using the new text-to-speech closed-captioning feature. You can download either the Storyline 2 or the Storyline 360 version below.
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Editable content slides |
Editable quiz slides |
Download the editable Storyline 2 .story file: http://goo.gl/f2VaRG
Download the editable Storyline 360 file: https://goo.gl/6r9g8g
Authoring Tools: PowerPoint, Storyline 2, Storyline 360
Articulate E-Learning Heroes Challenge #106 is to design a cereal box with e-learning as the theme. My focus is on freelance e-learning designers.
I decided to design a cereal box for the world’s first scientifically engineered breakfast food that helps combat Scope Creep. I’m still working on the actual cereal, however.
Authoring Tools: PowerPoint 2016, Storyline 360.
My final entry for Articulate’s #ELHChallenge 132 is a freebie template!
In this template, the learner is addressed by name during the course. In Storyline, this is accomplished by creating a user name variable, and having the learner enter their name in a text entry box on the first slide. When the user name variable is triggered on certain slides, the learner’s name will appear.
More fun with variables, triggers, and JavaScript: in this course, the learner can take notes in an online learning journal. At the end of the course, the learner can either print or save their notes, or they can email their notes to themselves, by clicking an icon. This is done by adding some JavaScript for Storyline to execute.
Preview: Click the image below to view the demo of the Print/Email Notes template in action!
Learners can print, save or email their learning journal notes.
Download: The Zip file download contains the .story file, the print.html file, an example logo.png, and the published Storyline output folder: https://secureservercdn.net/72.167.242.48/m3j.4f6.myftpupload.com/PrintNotes.zip
Customize: To customize the print.html file, use any html editor, such as Dreamweaver or Notepad.
Remember: Be sure to insert the print.html file (and your optional logo.png, if you desire) into the Storyline output folder after you publish your Storyline module. Otherwise, the print certificate function will not work! (See the example Storyline output folder in the zip file you downloaded).
Update (June, 2, 2021) – This article was originally posted about 5 years ago, and unfortunately several of the links to the online tutorials and resources I used to create this template are no longer available.
Authoring Tool: Storyline 2.
Articulate’s ELH Challenge #165 is to create custom e-learning graphics using free font icons. Click the image below to see a Storyline 360 demo of my challenge entry.
Get the editable PowerPoint file by clicking here: https://secureservercdn.net/72.167.242.48/m3j.4f6.myftpupload.com/165%20elh%20font%20icon%20challenge.zip
Authoring Tools for this demo: PowerPoint 2016, Articulate Storyline 360
Articulate’s ELH Challenge #139 is to makeover a classic Storyline 1 eLearning interaction. I chose to makeover the FAQ Interaction template, pictured below.
In my Storyline 2 update, I changed the screen size and orientation to portrait, suitable for a tablet or PC, and I’ve given the interaction a responsive expandable accordion FAQ look.
Click the image below to see a demo of the new FAQ Interaction.
Get the editable .story file by clicking here: https://secureservercdn.net/72.167.242.48/m3j.4f6.myftpupload.com/Freebie%20FAQ%20Interaction.zip
Authoring Tool for this demo: Articulate Storyline 2
My entry for Articulate’s #ELHChallenge 125 is a gamified demo called ERASE & REPLACE.
I created this demo using Plotagon animation, and edited the result in Camtasia. I imported the video into Storyline 2, to incorporate the interactions. Learners identify misspelled words, erase them, and type in the correct spelling. The feedback is immediate, and utilizes the learner’s name, if they have typed it in on the opening screen.
Authoring Tools: Plotagon, Camtasia, Storyline 2.
My entry for Articulate’s #ELHChallenge 122 is a scenario-based demo called E-Learning Design Do’s & Don’ts.
“Where did I go wrong?”
In this demo, I used Plotagon animation again, and edited the result in Camtasia. I imported the video into Storyline 2, and added a drag & drop interaction. Learners identify E-Learning Do’s & Don’ts in order to help Alicia, who has created an “awful” e-learning module.
Client Reaction
Authoring Tools: Plotagon, Camtasia, Storyline 2.
