eLearning Development – Tools for 3D Asset creation

As new software and technology is always being developed, it seems as though I am constantly being referred to new 3d art tools. I am well familiar with the old adage of: The tool is only as good as the hand it is in. But for the 3D art scene, if feel the statement is at least a little less true.

While it still does hold weight, there are some restrictions that come with rigid software, that just do not exist when doing practical traditional art outside of the computer.

For a quick example of what I am referring to we can look at Autodesk’s Maya, and Pixelogic’s ZBrush. Now while both are not new, ZBrush is a far newer software, and was released and became a favourite tool among artists because of they decided to essentially be more artist friendly. Creating a toolset that would allow users to sculpt shapes as if it were clay, as oppose to the standard set by software’s like Maya that involved pushing and pulling vertices, creating edge loops, smooth modifiers.

In essence they tilted the perspective less on the technical, and more towards the artistic.

A new software that was referred to me is Allegorithmic’s Substance painter 2. Which is posed to unleash artists and allow them to quickly create powerful materials and textures for the 3D models.

More info on Substance Painter 2 check here: https://www.allegorithmic.com/products/substance-painter

I have spent a little bit of time dabbling with the software and while I have not used enough to pass judgement or make a formal review, I can say I am very excited by the prospect of what this software could possibly allow me to produce. (And it doesn’t hurt that it speeds up my workflow).

They have a free trial on their site, I strongly urge the download if you are an artist looking for a more organic way to bring your 3D models to life. And let me know what your opinion and experience with substance painter 2 in the comment section below.

Happy Asset Creation!

If you would like to learn more about eLearning development, please visit www.pathwaysinc.ca

 

Time-Saving Storyline Tips and Tricks

Here’s a few of my favourite tips and tricks. Keep these in mind when you’re designing your next eLearning module, and they’ll definitely enhance your productivity!

Transitions

The Transitions panel at the top of the Storyline can be used to adjust the transition between any two screens. This obviously includes between slides, but it can also be used to transition between layers! This can be a great time-saver, if for example you’re using layers to overlay text or images on the base layer. Instead of applying an animation to each element in each layer, you can simply add a single transition to the entire layer. You can select “Apply to All” in the same panel to apply your transition to all layers in your slide.

“Format” dialog shortcut

This one is a beauty, and a real must-know for Storyline users. Select any object on your slide and hit Ctrl+Enter to bring up the Format dialog. This saves a ton of right-clicking!

“Size and Position” dialog shortcut

Hit Ctrl+Shift+Enter to bring up the “Size and Position” dialog. Another neat tip here is that Storyline will remember the last edited parameter, and will automatically bring the focus to the same spot when you re-open the dialog, which saves you even more clicking if you use this to your advantage.

New Textbox shortcut

Everyone knows that Ctrl+T gives you a new textbox, but did you know that you can set the textbox’s position on your slide before you create it? Simply left click on the slide where you want your textbox to be created, then hit Ctrl+T. The top-left of the textbox will be at the click point.

Take advantage of trigger order

This tip takes a little practice to get used to, and it varies for each situation, but it is generally more efficient to let your slide triggers work together, if possible, rather than duplicating functionality (and complexity) between them. For example I recently wanted to show a warning layer if the user tried to advance to the next slide without visiting all the required links. To do this, I let triggers fall through each other, so that I only had to actually program one of them. Here’s what my two triggers looked like:

• Jump to next slide when use clicks Next if … (all links visited)
• Show warning layer when user clicks Next

The second trigger doesn’t need any conditions; since Storyline triggers are executed in order, it will only be reached if the first trigger isn’t activated. If all the links have been visited, the slide will change as soon as the first trigger evaluates to true, and the second trigger will never be evaluated.

For more Storyline tips and tricks, visit our website at: http://pathwaystrainingandelearning.com/.

PROGRAMMING PRINCIPLES FOR STORYLINE DEVELOPMENT – PART I

The rise of graphical user interface-based programming software such as Storyline has simplified the creation of software and web content. No longer purely the domain of geeks, it is now possible to create a web application, for example, with no formal training, and no knowledge of a programming language.

This democratization of technology has led to a flood of creativity, as anyone with an idea and a little patience can turn it into a mobile or web-based application. Unfortunately, the focus on GUI-based WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editors has led to a loss of focus on the fundamental guiding principles of programming, which is in reality what we’re doing, whether it’s creating a Storyline eLearning program, or writing a Java-based Android app. I’d like to try to connect a few of the guiding principles of software development with some development patterns that you can follow when developing your own eLearning content. Today, we’ll discuss the DRY principle.

Don’t Repeat Yourself (DRY)

DRY is one of the fundamental principles of object-oriented programming. Even if you don’t have any idea what ‘objects’ are or why everyone’s so oriented on them, this is still a useful principle for your development. In a nutshell, DRY says that you should strive to develop so that if you need to change something down the road, you can change it in one spot, even if it is something that appears repeatedly in your program/eLearning module.

In Storyline terms, a good example of this would be using Slide Masters and Feedback Masters as much as possible. This usage can extend far beyond simply setting a background and header (although that’s not a bad start, if you aren’t doing this already). In another blog, I’ll write about how you can add repetitive elements like closed captioning and navigation controls in a Slide Master.

Another way you can reduce repetition in your eLearning module is to make triggers dependent on actual objects, whenever possible, rather than on timeline cues. For example, you want to sync an image’s motion path with the end of an audio clip. You could certainly set a cue point onto the timeline at the end of the audio clip, and then trigger the motion path based on that cue point… But what if you want to move the audio clip? You’ll not only have to adjust the clip, but also any cues that are positioned relative to it.

If you had simply triggered the motion path to begin when the timeline of the audio clip ended (or on ‘media complete’), you could move the audio clip as much as you like without breaking the timing of the motion path. Another way to put it is that your dependencies should be as limited as possible. In the original example, the path to starting your motion path went from Audio Finishes → Cue Point → Motion Path Triggered. When it’s spelled out like this, the cue point is clearly extraneous.

If you keep the DRY principle in mind when developing your eLearning content, you will save yourself all sorts of pain when it comes time to review and modify it. For more tips on developing eLearning content, or to see samples of our work, visit us at http://pathwaystrainingandelearning.com/.

Creating a Custom Hotspot Activity for eLearning using Flash

Here’s a quick look at how to create a cool Storyline-compatible hotspot interaction in Flash for an eLearning module. I recently wanted to make a pick-many activity where the user could select multiple keys on a keyboard. In Storyline, hotspot activities are weakened by the fact that only selectable objects have a hand cursor over them. I got around this by making a huge hotspot that covered the entire keyboard, and then putting the ‘correct’ hotspots on top of that one. This solved the hand problem, but made it impossible to have any hover/selected effects on individual keys. The user would have no idea which keys they had selected.

I know when to stop beating my head against a wall; Storyline just isn’t made for this type of complexity. This is a job for the Flash! The Adobe Flash, that is. I’m not going to go through the whole ActionScript3 code here, but I want to talk about the important part – the communication between Storyline, and the keyboard, which is a SWF movie.

For my purposes, I want the activity to be marked correct when the user has selected both ‘Ctrl’, and ‘O.’ The activity should be marked incorrect if any other buttons are marked as ‘selected’ when the user submits the interaction. To accomplish this, I placed three buttons off-screen, and assigned them to be the hotspot targets – two correct buttons, one each for ‘Ctrl’ and ‘O’, and one incorrect button, which gets selected whenever there are incorrect keys selected.

These buttons are triggered by Storyline variables (in this case, True/False variables named ‘correct1’, ‘correct2’, ‘incorrect’). There are triggers which change the state of these three buttons, based on the state of the associated variables. When the user hits ‘Submit’ the state of these three off-screen buttons is what determines if the interaction is marked correct or incorrect. Here’s an example of what the slide looks like in Storyline:

Okay, simple! So how do we adjust Storyline variables from a SWF movie? The answer can be found in this great article by Julio Ordonez. Here’s the short version, though. In your ActionScript3 code, call the following function to change a variable (in this case, we’re setting the variable ‘correct2’ to True):

ExternalInterface.call(‘GetPlayer().SetVar’,’correct2′, true);

The internal logic of deciding when to set each of your Storyline variables as True or False will be largely dependent on your particular circumstance. In my case, for example, I wanted my interaction to be marked correct only if two specific keys were selected, out of a possible 40 or so. I created an array to track all of the currently selected keys, and then iterated over the array on each mouse click, changing the Storyline variables depending on which keys in my SWF movie were selected.

The basic setup will remain largely unchanged, however. Simply hide your hotspots offscreen, and set their states via Storyline variable which are in turn set from within your Flash movie.

Here’s a working demo of the keyboard interaction.

 

Best Practices for Integrating Games into Learning

When choosing games for learning modules it is important to consider a few key questions. For instance, what is the purpose of the learning? Is using a game the best delivery method for the content being delivered? And if so, what type of game would be most appropriate? How is the learner going to be evaluated and how is progress to be tracked?

Games are a great means of attracting learners, particularly on content which may be tedious and uninteresting. Knowing how to anticipate the preferences of learners and being able to identify which style of gaming activity works best, can help to ensure the success of the learning you create. Particular categories of games couple nicely with specific skills, processes or facts.

For instance, to illustrate processes and procedures, role-play games, simulations and timed games work well. For testing skills such as strategic thinking, puzzles and mazes can be effective. To make learning of facts and policies more appealing matching games can be great.

By appealing to learners’ competitive sides, games can prove to be a highly engaging tool for learning. The addition of features such as badges, points and rewards can incentivize learners to want to participate in training that will likely be perceived as a fun activity rather than as dull content being forced on the learner.

Although rewards can act as an external motivator to encourage learning, it is important to note as well that the game is structured in a way that learners do not feel that if they get items wrong they have failed. Learning games should be created in a way that make them replayable and encouraging.

An advantage of creating content for adult learning games is that within the workplace, there may be multiple ways of broaching the same issue or topic. For instance, in scenario based activities, the learner is able to explore numerous situations and ways to deal with issues from varying perspectives.

In general, the more interactivity there is in a game, the higher the retention rate of the learner. When designing and developing, aiming for a high degree of learner participation is key. A good way to encourage interactivity is to build challenging activities into games. This does not necessarily mean that activities should be too difficult for the average learner to get right, but rather suggests that activities should encourage critical thinking.

An effective way to increase interest is through the use of storytelling. Stories can help to detract the learner from dense material while producing an inviting learning environment. As well, it can truly add to the overall look and feel of the games created.

Although games can improve learner engagement and information retention, its efficacy is strongly related to how the objectives map to the sort of activities and game type chosen. Therefore, in sum, when choosing gaming as an adult learning tool, it is worth considering the content, purpose and the audience for the learning being created.

When Managing Change, It’s People First

Change management is an organizational term used by many and executed by few.

By way of a definition, change management is the process of recognizing and supporting the human capital impact of change on a project, initiative or undertaking. However, more often than not, change management is wildly underrepresented on any given project plan. Truth be told, it usually amounts to a line item or two on a Gantt chart.

Project Milestone 1 – Send email informing employees of change
Project Milestone 2 – Launch ‘mandatory’ webinar for employees regarding change

Not surprisingly, this approach typically results in pushback, opposition and fear. The most vocal opponents to change are often labelled ‘squeaky wheels’ and dismissed as ‘always resisting change’. Perhaps those individuals are in need of some grease, but it would be naïve to assume their complaints or concerns are just noise, not worthy of consideration. Sadly, this is exactly what happens in most organizations.

Why?

It could be a resource issue, financial, human or both – or maybe it’s a belief that eventually everyone will have to change, so why bother making more work. I mean after all, if you’re changing office locations, employees have to move, right? If you’re putting in a new IT system employees have to use it, right?

Wrong.

Ignoring the need for change management will spell disaster, short, medium, or long term for your project. Moreover, failure to consider those ‘squeaky wheels’ is a recipe for employee resistance every step of the way.

Do you really want that?

Most projects fail, because process trumps people. The realities of organizational dynamics prove quite the opposite. People rather than processes should be the central focus of any successful project plan. Why?

People get in the way.

People that do not understand why become obstacles. People that are unaware of exactly what is changing (and why) make stuff up! It’s in our nature. In the absence of real information, we create fiction. I’ve heard many examples – but one – above all others – always comes up… Will I lose my job? What could be more human than that?

So what do you do now?

An effective methodology should be aimed at supporting those who will be most affected by the change, while maintaining planning alignment with those driving change. At the core of any effective methodology should be empowerment and transformation. Anchoring to this philosophy will help support the differing needs of individuals and create conditions and opportunities that enable impacted stakeholders to ‘buy-in’.

By using two-way communication and a people-centric learning approach, your plan will engender broad levels of participation and engagement with the change being sought after. Take the time to explain the ‘why’ and you’ll likely be surprised by what people will do to help you change.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z5kGvYRYKE

mLearning Is Not The Future, It’s The Here and Now

An amazing transformation has occurred over the past few decades… we’ve lost our ability to wait, to be patient, to be bored.

We no longer remember what to do, when there’s nothing to do.

Why?

I blame the Internet. More specifically, I blame the technologies that reside in the palm of our hands. Super computers really. Smart phones and tablets that are so powerful, they are akin to dragging around an entire set of encyclopaedias everywhere you go.

If you’re reading this and wondering what an encyclopaedia is… use Wikipedia and work backwards.

Now, to be clear, this blog is not a thinly veiled diatribe on how I’m longing for the world that ‘used to be’. Quite the contrary; as a company we’ve embraced the world as it exists today. We are content in our realization that we will not return (at least not soon) to a time of patience. In fact, patience has been replaced by pace. Meaning speed above all else, in virtually everything we do.

We do not wait. We Google, we YouTube, some may Bing or Yahoo… but we do not wait.

So why should learning be any different?

It isn’t. Except that learners are most often bound by the inability of their organizations or institutions to produce content quickly. They are also stymied by their environment’s (corporate, academic or otherwise) ability to provide that information in microbursts. Just like the ‘Internet’ can.

Training must be mobile and fast. That’s where we come in.

We have recognized as a company that micro learning is not the future, it’s the ‘here and now’. Our technology solutions have created ways for our client partners to push real learning out to their organizations with pace. mVideo, mLearning, mGaming, mEverything…

As a speaker, I hope there will always be a place for classroom learning and facilitator driven discussion, but the world has changed and Pathways Training and eLearning has changed with it.

Learning happens in classrooms, meeting rooms and living rooms – so the more readily available the content, the more likely the learning is to occur…

You’re looking at your phone anyway.

Good Politics and Customer Service

In my previous post I commented at length about the harsh realities of today’s organizational politics and the childish interactions that result… but I did say there was hope… or at least I hinted at as much.

Hope comes in the form of internal customer service and the good will it generates – that good will begets good politics.

Much is made – and rightfully so – about the need to effectively service our external clients. But what about our ‘internal’ customers, should they be held to less of a service standard than their (typically) paying counterparts?

When I’m asked to speak on this subject, invariably this question arises: “Should our commitment to internal service, match our commitment to external customer care?”

 The answer: OF COURSE!

Would you talk to your Mother like that?

Customer service requires constant attention to the end-user client. Constant action. Sometimes clients are demanding, too demanding. Sometimes they want too much, need too much, ask too many questions, are slow on the uptake, need help with everything, interrupt your ‘real work’ etc. etc.

But still, even with all of the effort that is required to keep them happy, everyone reading this knows, you never:

• Swear at a customer, or speak disparagingly
• Sigh after they make a request, or ask a question – no matter how annoying it may be
• Forget basic manners, such as: please and thank you
• Attend a planned meeting late, or forget about it altogether

These things are simply ‘no-no’s” in the world of customer service… Correct?

What if that customer is a colleague from Sales, Marketing, Operations, HR or Finance? Do these simple ‘rules’ still apply? If they do, you are well on your way to creating a team that has the internal support to effectively interact with an increasingly complex external customer… if those rules do not apply to your colleagues – why not?

It’s just math.

As far as I’m concerned, without a positive (internal) focus on any group that is tasked with delivering (external) customer excellence, the result will always be a ‘mixed bag’ of client service interactions. Any organization, department or team that fails to care for its internal customer, is counting exclusively on the intrinsic motivation of the individual contributor to drive results.

As a business owner… that is simply terrifying. The math I mean.

• Happy staff = Happy clients.
• Unhappy staff = Customer service pinned to a wish and a prayer.

There are no guarantees in life, but I’ll take my chances with a high functioning, engaged and recognized staff member interacting with my clients, over a disengaged and disgruntled employee that I hope will put the customer’s needs above their own.

It’s just good politics.

Leadership is Fear

Take a moment to reflect back.

Reflect on those moments in time where you were most uncomfortable, most afraid of unknown situations in your life. What did you do? How did you handle them? Were you paralyzed with fear, unable to move past insecurities and doubt? Or were you able to fight through the situation and learn from the experience?

We all have had feelings of uncertainty at times. Moments where we hold ourselves back from speaking up at work for something we believe in or trusting our gut instincts to make the right choices within our personal lives.

We all feel fear.

That is why it is so important to face fear. Look at it straight in the eye and overcome any obstacles it may present. If you want to be that leader, you must take those opportunities others are fearful of.

There are a few things to consider…

Understand who you are.

When it comes to tasks, take some time to think about which competencies are your strengths and where you would like to improve. Are you a “results-only” driven individual who could not care about soft skills? Or are you a “people-person” striving to build growth in your professional environment? Are you action-oriented or extremely lazy? Do you tend to be the first one to discuss change or prefer that someone else take on the responsibility? Or do you have a mix of everything? Recognizing your abilities will help you understand what you are fearful of and provide a clearer picture on the type of leader you want to become.

Understand why you are this way.

You’ve acknowledged that you’re a pretty easygoing individual, who doesn’t know what to do in life but does want to make a million bucks eventually by getting that amazing job without actually attaining the skills needed to qualify.  Maybe you think the complete opposite.

Our past experiences and learning have a huge impact on the way we perceive ourselves. Which of those experiences have shaped your thought process and guided you over the years? What has prevented you from overcoming obstacles? Feeling afraid before starting a task is ok and sometimes necessary. Use that feeling as motivation and constantly remind yourself of the positive development you are about to achieve. The ability to self-reflect is critical to your learning when overcoming any fears.

Understand Leadership is a journey.

The continued practice of self-reflection – understanding yourself – will help focus your thoughts in an analytical manner, giving you the ability to personally and professionally develop. Remember, we all feel fear, so it’s important not to ignore its impact. However, don’t give fear so much value! Great leaders acknowledge fear. They understand its importance in their continued journey for success. Most importantly, leaders live fear and are not terrified of tackling opportunities they are most afraid of.

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” – Nelson Mandela.

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Shakeel Malik has over 9 years of experience as a training leader within customer service, client experience, sales, technology and support initiatives. Within his role at Pathways, he manages client relationships, leads training projects and provides strategic leadership direction.  Shakeel’s past projects have included fostering leadership development, building strategic competencies, improving employee morale and developing evaluation tools within Adult Education.  He is also a volunteer Commissioner of a Basketball League, where he leads and facilitates all league operations including marketing, finance, sponsorship, digital technology and training sessions.

He holds certificates in Adult Education from Brock University and Dispute Resolution from York University, and is currently a candidate for a Bachelor of Education in Adult Education.