Building a Digital Learning Object w/ Articulate Storyline 2

Overview

• The digital learning object (DLO) is still a common staple in online learning. One of the more sophisticated authoring tools to build DLOs is Articulate Storyline 2, which enables the integration of multimedia (including screen captures with Articulate Replay); the building of animations; branching, and other features. Its packaging allows a full range of SCORM and Tin Can API outputs and versioning in HTML 5. This presentation will introduce the software tool and some of its capabilities to provide a sense of where digital learning objects may be headed.

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Digital learning objects

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Digital learning objects (DLOs)

• Digital learning objects (DLOs) have been defined as being stand-alone objects that address a particular “unit of learning” or an “atomistic size”; sizes of such objects still debated

• An hour of learning? • A topic?

• Forms may vary: slideshows, digital photo albums, audio podcast, video, serious game, and so on

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Basic elements of a digital learning object

• Name • Description • Main language • Level of learning • Target learners • Learning contents • Sequence of contents • Formative assessments

• Summative assessments

• General features: accessibility, technologically interchangeable, playable

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Why build DLOs to conventions and standards? • DLOs need to be created with a certain level of quality, so the items

may be (re)usable in a variety of learning circumstances • If DLOs are well designed, others do not have to invest the effort to create the

learning objects and “reinvent the wheel”

• DLOs can be sequenced to promote rich series of learning if they are well described, findable, and consistent

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Some affordances of the software authoring tool

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Some affordances of the tool

• Media and multimedia integration

• Ability to branch and sequence• Employment of triggers (actions

which occur when certain conditions are reached)

• Enablement to customize based on performance

• Definition of dynamic variables which may be placed anywhere in the learning sequence

• Unique player • Navigable sidebar • Glossary of terms • Ability to attach downloadable

resources • Skinnable with colors and effects,

logo, and other layout features

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Some affordances of the tool (cont.)

• Includes an Articulate Mobile Player for iOS or Android

• Outputs in HTML 5 • Ability to apply a SCORM

wrapper (in either 1.2 or 2004), AICC, or Tin Can API (for learning object tracking and reporting in learning management systems)

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The build space

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“Inherent” design concepts in Articulate Storyline 2 interface • Concept of articulating a story, with characters

• Builds on insights that people have a memory for stories and for faces • A visual building interface using “scenes” and “slides”

• Scenes are sequences of slides • Various paths may be built over the slides in various orders

• Visual thinking • A storyboarding interface • Zooming in and out of the action

• Animations especially analogous with movie-making• Sequential slides analogous with slideshows

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“Inherent” design concepts in Articulate Storyline 2 interface (cont.)

• A complimentary character set with both photographic and illustrated characters

• Different angles, poses, and professional personas• More varied diversity in the illustrated character set

• Learning object customizations based on learner needs • Ability to create branching (various types of branching logic), triggers (based

on various underlying conditions), and variables (dynamic information)

• Importance of attention getting • Creation of animations• Integration of videos

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General work sequence

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Steps in the general work sequence

1. Design 2. Research 3. Development 4. Pilot testing 5. DLO revision 6. Launch 7. Project documentation

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1. Design

• Collaboratively work on a design based on • requirements of the project (based on grant-funding parameters) • projected learner needs • technologies used for the delivery of the learning • available digital resources (contents) • access to expertise

• Drafting • paper prototyping • storyboarding • quick modeling of objects

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1. Design (cont.)

• May sketch / design directly into Articulate Storyling 2 (on-the-fly)

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2. Research

• Capture all relevant data to support the development of the digital contents

• Some data will be primary data (original research to the project) • Some of the data will be secondary data (published research relevant

to the content topic)

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3. Development

• Create all required raw digital materials • Ensure legalities

• Request permissions to use copyrighted contents (as needed) • Ensure accessibility for all digital learning objects • Ensure sign-offs for all digital rights releases for image-, audio-, and video-

recording

• Create the learning objects • Create the learning sequences

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Digital learning object wrappers

SCORM• Sharable Content Object Reference

Model (SCORM) • Both a public version used in education

and a high-security version used in government

• Ilities: • accessibility • adaptability • affordability • durability • interoperability • reusability (“Benefits of SCORM,” Jan. 6,

2009, Rustici Software)

Tin Can API / Experience API • Captures a wider range of information than

SCORM versions • A variety of affordances:

• “Taking e-learning outside of the web browser• E-learning in native mobile applications• More control over learning content• Solid security using OAuth• Platform transition; e.g. start e-learning on a

mobile device, finish it on a computer• The ability to track games and simulations • The ability to track real-world performance • Team-based e-learning • Tracking learning plans and goals” [“Experience

API (Tin Can API),” Apr. 12, 2016]

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Destination types and file outputs

• Web • Articulate Online • LMS • CD • Word

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4. Pilot testing

Alpha testing• Clarity of communications:

language, image use, video use, and simulations

• Verify clarity of learning paths

• Verify legal requirements (copyright, accessibility, privacy protections, and others)

Beta testing • Testing with potential learners

re: the effectiveness of learning• Item analysis for the respective

screens and the respective DLOs • Explore content clarity, navigation,

aesthetics, and other factors • Testing with potential instructors

• Usefulness of the learning object • Alignment with the overall

learning sequence

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4. Pilot testing (cont.)

Alpha testing (cont.) • Technological interoperability

(for every digital ecosystem that the digital learning object may be used in)

• Object behaviors on mobile devices

• Object behaviors in inline frames

Beta testing (cont.)• Testing with project owners

(project principal investigators / PIs)

• Meeting requirements for the grant funders

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5. DLO revision

• Address any issues found in the alpha- and beta-testing phases • Recursive process means that this can go all the way back to the

design phase

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6. Launch

• Finalized digital learning objects are packaged and deployed for use • There is continuing surveillance about how they function in order to

collect information for future improvements

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7. Project documentation

• Ensure that all raw records related to the digital learning object(s) are properly labeled and archived

• Preservation of the raw project files for later updating and re-use • Ensure that the project is sufficiently documented for the grant

funders

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Some useful approaches

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Some useful approaches

• Find out what the faculty / admin clients want and explore and push the tool to be able to build the desired actions

• Help clients know what is possible by sharing some of the many effective digital learning objects created using Articulate Storyline 2 that are broadly available on the Web

• It helps to sit with a client and toggle back and forth between the build and the previewed object, so they can see the connections and the capabilities

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Some useful approaches (cont.)

• Because Articulate has so many capabilities and features, it is better to use a templated digital learning object, a templated slide, and so on, to build objects, so everything works in a consistent way

• Default settings are not necessarily what would be preferred (as with any tool)

• It’s a good idea to try out various variations and settle on an optimal object before proceeding with any development

• Development is usually the most time- and effort- intensive aspects of creating a digital learning object

• Investing the necessary effort in the design will help prevent some wasted effort

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Some useful approaches (cont.)

• It helps to test (in Preview and on live sites under limited “soft launch”) all the digital learning objects to ensure functionality before anything is published out

• More importantly, it helps to test the objects in the LMS to ensure that the reportage and performance (grade) record-keeping works

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Articulate E-Learning Heroes community

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Virtual community of Storyline users

• Active virtual community of Articulate Storyline 2 users• Creative shares of techniques and examples • Company takes a healthy support role to keep its community active

and mutually supportive • https://community.articulate.com/

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Conclusion and contact

• Dr. Shalin Hai-Jew• iTAC, Kansas State University • 212 Hale / Farrell Library • shalin@k-state.edu• 785-532-5262

• The presenter has no formal tie with the makers of Articulate Storyline 2.

• An earlier related article is available here.

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